Tidal Rapids White Water Kayaking

from Discovery Islands Lodge

The Tidal Rapids near Quadra Island offer exciting opportunities for British Columbia white water kayakers.

The regions rapids offer beginner class I to (low end) class III in Surge Narrows Marine Park to the monster class III- IV, 3 Meter standing waves at Cooper Pt. on North Quadra Island.

If you’re a whitewater kayaking with the low water summer time blues, then consider a trip to Central Vancouver Island for some awesome kayak surfing.

This write-up will concern it self with only two of the five rapids in the area.

The Upper Rapids of the Okisollo near Cooper Point and the secondary tidal passages of Surge Narrows.

Tidal rapids are similar to rivers. The fundamental difference is that they are on the ocean and produced by the movement of the tide. Rapids build from dead calm to speeds of up to 13 knots within 3 hours, generating heavy tidal overfall. They are site specific, usually confined to areas of a few hundred meters.

The features they generate build and then diminish more or less predictably throughout the tide.

The gradual increase of water velocity allows the novice to build confidence as the current speed increases.

If the overfall becomes difficult to manage, paddlers can sit out the maximum current flow then re-enter the current after it begins to subside. Tidal rapids are especially appealing in the summer months, when the rivers of Vancouver Island are at their lowest.

A Second Skookumchuck?

The tidal rapids at Surge Narrows are a benign set of class II to lower class III rapids. They have excellent features for the beginner whitewater kayaker and have 2 or 3 surfable standing waves which will amuse all but the most experienced paddlers.

These tidal rapids are great for learning to surf ocean kayaks and there are a dozen great standing waves suitable for sea kayak surfing. The rapids at Surge Narrows are definitely not comparable to Skookumchuck. However the tidal rapids at Cooper Pt can be compared to Skookumchuck.

During the big flood tides of of the spring and early summer.

The leading wave at Cooper Pt. reaches surface speeds up to 13 knots and creates a standing breaking standing wave often exceeding 3 meters in height.

It has been described by some kayakers as one of the great surfable standing waves in Western Canada.

While it is not quite as fast as the waves at Skookumchuck nor is it as consistent, it is bigger and more powerful and will intimidate all but the best white water kayakers.

If you’re bored with white water kayaking and you want a thrill, check this wave out!

Disclaimer of Liability
Tidal Rapids are Dangerous

The Tidal Rapids of the Discovery Islands are the most powerful in the northern hemisphere. They have been known to capsize and submerge commercial fishing vessels and tugs. Except for advanced ocean kayakers with intimate local knowledge, these tidal rapids are recommended for white water style boats only. Not unlike powerful river currents, they can overpower and drown any kayaker who does not exhibit good judgment. The Upper Rapids of the Okisollo (Cooper Pt.) and the Surge Narrows Passages have been paddled and some information is known about them. The advice contained in this article describes a useful but limited amount of knowledge, which attempts to guide the paddler to an exciting and safe experience. Even so, kayaking the aforesaid tidal rapids is still in a pioneering stage. We can not guarantee that all the information is consistently reliable and therefore, neither the author, the company, or it’s employees can be held accountable for any injuries, death or lost equipment arising from using this information.

Surge Narrows
(Class I-III)
The secondary passages of Surge Narrows are the most interesting for whitewater paddling. All but one of the best sites are located within an area locally known as Canoe Pass which is between Quadra’s east shore and west of Peck Island . There are 3 places of interest to the whitewater paddler. One is a standing wave just on the north side of Peck Island in a small pass which has a small surfable wave with good eddies on either side.

On the north side of the same pass is a small islet which has a great surfable standing wave on it’s north side.

The other good sites are just along the Quadra Island shore, about midway up the passage. These are fun for beginner to intermediate paddlers. You will need an 8 knot or better tide for it to be worth paddling. The faster the better!

For the sea kayaker, use the 2 sites opposite Quadra as mentioned above but limit activities to tides not exceeding 6-7 knots. Sea kayaks are easy to surf on smaller waves. The trick is getting on. Another great spot for sea kayaks is in the major back eddy behind Sturt Island near a small island locally known as Hairy Island, thus named because of the thick brush growing on it.

Regardless of the style of boat you want to paddle, stay away from Beazley Passage, It is the primary passage for power boats and It is not an interesting place to paddle. Canoe Passage is sometimes used by local small boat traffic. Be sure to keep an eye out for speed boats when paddling there.

How to get to Surge Narrows

You can get to the Surge Narrows Rapids by paddling about 3/4 km from the public access at the end of Surge Narrows Road, on Quadra Island or from Discovery Islands Lodge. Note: At the public access, do not drive down to the ocean. The road is very steep and barely 4-WD accessible. Park at the top and carry your boat down unless you want a big towing bill.

Upper Rapids, Okisollo Channel (Cooper Pt.)
Class III-IV

These white water kayak surfing tidal rapids consist of one large, leading (3 M) standing wave, with a band of smaller waves(1 M) fanning out behind it.

Regardless of the time of year, if you are white water kayaking, don’t bother to come out when the current speed is less than 9 knots. The leading (3 meter) wave is intimidating for most paddlers as is the turmoil immediately behind it.

For the best paddling, early season (May through mid July) is the best and the higher the current speed the bigger the thrill. There are secondary waves just behind the leading wave (approx 1 meter) which are more manageable for the beginner to intermediate kayaker. You can paddle the standing waves at Cooper Pt at current speeds as low as 8 knots but you will need a larger boat like a Necky Rip.

Surfing Sea kayaks at Cooper Pt.
Be sure to pick current speeds in the 6- 8 knot range. Make sure you have a good roll or enjoy swimming.

How to get to the Upper Rapids
The Okisollo Rapids are 7 km north of Discovery Islands Lodge (or 7 km north from the end of the road). They are adjacent to Quadra Island quite close to Cooper Pt., 1 km north of the Octopus Islands. You need to arrange boat transportation to get there or, you can kayak up with a sea kayak, towing your whitewater boat behind.

From the end of the road, the distance is 7 km up the north Quadra shoreline. You can also bring your own power boat (there are launching facilities at Heriot Bay (20 Km south and Browns Bay, north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island at Browns Bay). It may be possible to arrange transportation with Discovery Islands Lodge, but there are other water taxis as well: Discovery Launch out of Campbell River or Sutil Charters out of Heriot Bay. . Once there, you’ll find good camping right at Cooper Pt, overlooking the rapids. If you decide to go, pick 2 or 3 days of big tides and play around. Remember to bring drinking water.

When to Go:
Current Tables: Predicting the tidal rapids.

The best time of the year is any daytime tide with current speeds over 9 knots. This typically occurs between April 1 and Sept 15 with the best tides beginning in late May, through to mid July. While there are high current speeds which allow surfing in August and September, the best wave formations occur earlier in the season.

To predict the movement of the rapids, you’ll need the Discovery Passage and West Coast of Vancouver Island (Volume 6) Tide & Current Tables. Use the Beazley Passage Current Tables to predict the current speed for Surge Narrows and its secondary passages. Use Hole-In-the-Wall current tables to predict current speed of the Upper Rapids. The hour before and the hour after maximum current offer the best paddling. During these 2 hours, the current runs at 90-100% of it’s rated speed. Remember that Government Current Tables are posted in standard time. Add one hour to posted current times after the switch to daylight saving time in April.
Be Careful! Have fun, & never paddle these rapids alone!