Latitudes in General
Latitudes began offering trips and courses in 1997. Founder, George Gabara was a guide with Ecosummer Expeditions (est. 1976 - pioneer of sea-kayaking expeditions on the west coast of Canada and other parts of the world) for 8 years. He modeled Latitudes after the high level of service and safety that he learned while working with Ecosummer.

Everyone involved with Latitudes, from guides, to promoters, to those working behind the scenes, enjoys being part of the outdoor community and generating a satisfying lifestyle. We have a reputation as leaders in outdoor education and wilderness guiding, and we go to great lengths to ensure a high level of safety and integrity in everything we do.

Latitudes provides an opportunity for guests to recharge themselves. We want you to feel like you have learned something about the areas we visit-the people, the history, the wildlife, and the landscape. Most of all, we want you to have a good time on our trips-to have experiences that are good for the mind, body and soul.

Who Goes on Our Trips?
Our guests are singles, couples and families. They represent a diversity of interests, occupations and ages, and are active, enthusiastic travelers. All our trips are within the capabilities of everyday active people. You don't need to know how to do the Eskimo Roll!

We have designed our trip offerings to appeal to and service a wide range of interests and ages. For example, some of our kayaking trips are suitable for three generations to participate. Some, such as the Wild Orca Kids Camp, are for youth only, while others are programmed for family fun. Experienced paddlers can hone their skills on specific courses and participate in a select number of advanced trips that are run each season. For the traveler seeking more flexibility, we have a number of Sailboat Mothership trips that allow guests to either - relax with a book on deck, explore the shoreline in a kayak, or enjoy a walk through the old growth forest.

Check out Trips at a Glance to determine which trip is best suited to your interests, experience and activity level.

Safety First
Safety comes first in everything that we do.

We know that sea kayaking bears some of the inherent risks that exist in any wilderness endeavor where participants are up to 48 hours away from the Emergency Medical system. As a result, in any major decisions that we make, the risks are carefully assessed and calculated to maintain a large safety net and contingency plans. With sound risk management, there should be no unforeseen threat to life or limb. We follow the ACSKG Operating Standards.

We employ highly-trained and experienced guides, chosen for their maturity and ability to facilitate engaging experiences. And, as important as pre-trip planning and preparations are, we continually rely on our guides to consistently make sound decisions that keep our guests safe and well looked after. They have specific knowledge of the regions where they guide trips and trained in a high level of wilderness first aid and risk management. Our guides carry extensive first aid kits and the appropriate emergency communication devices, such as HF & VHF radios, and cellular or satellite phones.

Guest to guide ratio never exceeds 5 to 1. We always travel as a group and pride ourselves on being very safety conscious, allowing for personal space and freedom but never compromising overall safety.

Our trips are outfitted with quality equipment that has been specifically selected for safety, durability and comfort. We use comfortable Canadian Coast Guard approved Mustang lifejackets, sturdy and stable Seaward and Necky single and double kayaks, and roomy Mountain Hardware and The North Face tents, all designed to withstand harsh weather.

Outdoor Education
As a leader in outdoor education, Latitudes annually trains between 20 and 30 entry-level guides to the standards set out in the curriculums of the Association of Canadian Sea Kayaking Guides (ACSKG) and the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia (SKGBC). We are constantly striving to improve our teaching methods and to create exercises for guides so they can develop sound judgment and risk-management skills. Overall, we are committed to supporting the guiding industry and maintaining a high level of safety. For details on the skills and standards that we teach, see the ACSKG curriculum.PDF. For our Leadership Course brochure, download the following Leadership brochure PDF.

Our Guides
We employ highly trained and experienced guides, some of them biologists and experts in other fields, with years of experience leading multi-day wilderness trips. They are chosen for their maturity and ability to facilitate engaging experiences, so you'll have ample time to relax, to learn and to have fun.

Feedback
We are always open to feedback about any aspect of our trips. It helps us improve our service. If you didn't get an opportunity to fill out a Post-Trip Questionnaire after your trip but still want to, please contact us and we will send you the questionnaire, or visit our Questions or Comments page.

Put Us to the Test
We would like you to put us to the test. Independent advice from the following articles in the popular Outside magazine may help you chose whether you would want to travel with us:

Questions to Ask Outfitters
How to Pick a Guide
Expert Advice

Environmental Stewardship
All Latitudes trips adhere to low-impact, no-trace standards, summed up in the view that we 'leave only footprints and take only photographs'. These standards are outlined in the Minimum Impact Standards of the Association of Canadian Sea Kayaking Guides.

For example, on our travels in Orca whale territory, our guides emphasize the importance of tightening our kayaking group (rafting together) and remaining well out of the path of the whales, all important in allowing the whales to carry on with their normal behavior, undisturbed-not harassed or chased.

Latitudes is making an effort to think long term-we know that our business depends on these precious wild resources. Through responsible business and stewardship we support the unique cultures and landscapes that we visit, in an effort to maintain global diversity.

Our meals
Our guides prepare tasty, wholesome, vegetarian-based meals that you'll have trouble believing were prepared outdoors. We do our best to incorporate local recipes into our menus so that guests get a taste of the local cuisine. We use fresh, organic, locally-available foods whenever possible and often, the catch of the day is prepared as the main fare. How about fresh wild salmon baked on a cedar plank as part of your west coast dining experience? We are frequently asked to write a cookbook and many guests have remarked that they don't eat as well at home!

Here's an example of a menu for the day. Every day starts with a choice of hot beverages including premium teas and locally-roasted organic coffee. Your activities for the morning will be fueled by a hearty breakfast of buckwheat pancakes with fresh coastal huckleberries and real maple syrup. For lunch, your guides put on a buffet with a variety of breads, tuna salad, salami, gourmet mustards & condiments, fruits, and vegetables, and of course, a selection of juices. Dinner is a gourmand's delight - pasta with a fresh seafood pesto using local 'fruit de la mer', artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese, accompanied by freshly-baked foccaccia bread and served with red wine.

All of our meals offer variety and options for vegetarians and meat eaters, alike. If you have any additional dietary requirements, we will be happy to make substitutions, provided that you inform us in advance.

Kayak Sailing
We carry small, specialized masts and sails and our guides have extensive experience sailing our kayaks in coastal waters. It is easy to learn how to sail the kayaks. The guides provide a thorough lesson before getting on the water, and ongoing instruction while the wind and sails are up. Sailing definitely adds another dimension of fun to the kayaking experience. Please note that kayak sailing is available on many but not all of our trips.

Quality Guarantee
At Latitudes we do more than just deliver 'adventure travel' trips. So that you can be fully informed and know exactly what you are getting yourself into when you join any of our trips, we have put hundreds of hours into developing our programs and the program-specific information packages. Therefore, on any of our trips we expect that our guests are well prepared for the unpredictable nature of wilderness travel.

Using the best guides in the industry, combined with our commitment to safety, excellent food, and solid planning, we expect to deliver above and beyond your expectations. Regardless of weather conditions, we are so confident in our ability to deliver a quality trip that we guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied at the end of the trip, we will refund 50% of the price of your trip.

Privacy Guarantee
We would like to reassure you that Latitudes will not sell, lease or loan our client information to any third party whatsoever. We have more to gain by respecting your right to privacy than by 'making a fast buck' by selling your name.

We keep your contact information in a secure database, for the purpose of sending you brochures and updates or special offers. We prefer to send our Newsletter electronically to save costs and to avoid unnecessary paper use.

Please let us know by email admin@explore-latitudes.com, if you'd like to be added to our electronic mailing list.