Opposite the eastern side of northern Vancouver Island and running north to south for 110 kilometres, Johnstone Strait is an exceptionally deep glacier-carved channel.
Johnstone Strait is sheltered from the wild Pacific Ocean by both Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland and is backed by beautiful old growth temperate rainforests and stunning snow-capped mountains. It is an extremely wild and unspoilt area with almost no human development and numerous untouched, wild islands.
Thanks to its shelter and rich marine environment, the strait offers some of the finest marine wildlife viewing in the world. It is most famed for its orcas which visit in large numbers between July and mid-September every year to feed on salmon and other fish species.
Marine life is abundant in the Johnstone Strait and (thankfully) increasing numbers of the majestic humpback whale spend the summer and early autumn there, along with athletic Dall’s porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphin, the enormous Steller’s sea lion, harbour seal, bald eagle and rhinoceros auklet.
The calm waters and usually pleasant weather of the summer months make Johnstone Strait an ideal location in which to watch wildlife, including whales and orcas, by kayak.
The strait can be accessed from Telegraph Cove, Campbell River or Port McNeil on Vancouver Island, or from Farewell Harbour Lodge in the Broughton Archipelago.