Sea safari – wet pants a possibility

The mountains glistened with snow in the distance as we glided peacefully across the water of Howe Sound, near Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay, on our sea safari.

Then suddenly our guide Claire gunned the 450hp engines on the zodiac and spun us into ever-decreasing circles at what felt like a 90 degree angle to the water.

Here’s some video clips from our adventure…

This was the second sign that our Sewell’s Sea Safari was going to be more than just scenic wildlife spotting.

The first sign was being given these rather attractive survival suits to wear.

So we boarded our ribbed-hull boat, looking like a group of inflated Guantanamo Bay inmates, and headed out to explore the islands surrounding Vancouver.

At Pam Rocks we came across these seals sunbathing on a plateau. Apart from the occasional pod of transient orcas, they don’t have many predators so are happy to lounge around on rocks doing what looked like a form of seal yoga. Stretch, flap, stretch.

We were also lucky enough to see a bald eagle perched on a cliff.

There were more screams on the way around Bowen Island as Claire took us for a couple more spins, but the scenery was what really took our breath away.

Vancouver Island’s mountains rose up across the Georgia Strait and we cruised along the coast of West Vancouver checking out the prime real estate – including the house that had its own boat lift to pick their speedboat out of the water.

Awesome scenery, wildlife-spotting and some thrills; if you’re looking for something different to do in Vancouver take a sea safari.

Just pack an extra pair of pants.