Our Story & Meet the Team

Born and raised on Salt Spring Island, Lisa Marie Stafford naturally fell in love with the ocean. When not kayaking, Lisa spends her quality time with her family, and supports children in the public school system through her work as an Education Assistant. She’s been guiding for over 20 years in the Gulf Islands and across Vancouver Island.

Lisa is a Level 3 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance and a Paddle Canada level 2 kayaking instructor.

For the past 20 years, Amy has been working as a guide and instructor of various water sports across British Columbia. She’s a self-proclaimed bird nerd, and loves to share her passion for coastal plants and wildlife with her guests. Amy has degrees in both Tourism Management and Education, specializing in math and computer science. She also works as an on-call teacher in Ucluelet during the winter.

Amy is a Level 3 Guide and Guide Trainer with SKGABC, a Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor, and is an SVOP certified boat captain.

Born and raised on mainland British Columbia, he ran away to live the island life out on the West Coast. With a BA in Anthropology from UVIC and a diploma in Outdoor Recreation Management from Capilano University, Jonathan is your go-to guide for educational knowledge. He loves engaging in conversation with our guests on the biodiversity of our ecosystem, and spends his time living an endless summer between BC and New Zealand.

Jeremey grew up in the small town of Nelson B.C. where he learnt the importance of the outdoors and started to learn the impact nature has on everyone’s mental and physical state. He has been a sea kayak guide for the last 13 years and has been instructing for the past 6. Jeremy is happiest when on the water and when immersed in nature as deeply as possible. He has guided trips all over British Columbia but finds that there is no place quite like the Broken Group Islands, with the history, the flora and fauna and the absolute pristine beauty. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys surf kayaking, paragliding and free diving.

Raised in many different places around Canada and abroad, Jeremy has always been close to the coast. Working as a guide for 12 yrs has taken him all over the BC Coast after completing Outdoor Recreation Management in North Vancouver. Jeremy enjoys learning and teaching about all the neat critters in and around the water. Specializing in edible wild foods, you will likely find him respectfully foraging and fishing.
In the off season, Jeremy is a Practical Nurse working with the elderly and in the community with people with diverse abilities.

Nolan is a seasonal resident of Vancouver Island, each spring migrating across B.C. from the Kootenay’s, where he spends the winter working at Baldface Lodge. Nolan has been guiding kayak tours for several seasons, and is stoked to explore the special places along Ucluelet’s coastline. He is most excited for, morning coffee on the beach, wildlife viewing, stargazing, and seeing a bunch of happy kayakers. Nolan is a Level 3 Sea Kayak Guide, a Level 1 Sea Kayak Instructor, and holds a SVOP boat licence.

Emma is a west-coast girl, born and raised! While studying Outdoor Recreation Management at Capilano University, she started instructing kids kayaking camps and discovered her true love for the sport. After graduating, she made the move to the Island, where Ucluelet has become home. Emma loves the dynamic nature of guiding and the ocean. There is always more to learn about people, leadership, weather, navigation, marine biology, terrestrial biology, and it goes on! When not on the water, Emma can be found near the water or under a tree, most likely with a good book.

Moving to Victoria from Toronto when he was 11, Fraser fell in love with the rugged beauty of the west coast from an early age. Fraser spends his winter months in Vancouver working as an elementary school teacher, and has spent the past 3 summers exploring the beautiful Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago as a kayak guide based out of Telegraph Cove. He loves sharing and facilitating moments of natural beauty with others, be it paddling out to a quiet sunrise or spotting a rainbow of intertidal fauna.

Samantha Brunt grew up surrounded by the pacific ocean on Salt Spring Island, but didn’t discover her passion for sea kayaking until moving out to the West Coast of Vancouver Island some 10 years ago. Sam loves to get out and explore in all weather and especially loves low-tide paddles in the intertidal zone. She lives in Ucluelet with her family and spends her free time enjoying the endless adventures and bounty the West Coast has to offer.

Sam has earned her Assistant Overnight Guide certification through the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC and strives to continue to be ever growing and evolving as a paddler.

Kristina was raised on her family’s farm in southern Saskatchewan and the liberty of that lifestyle founded her wanderlust at a young age. She has followed her love of wild places across Canada working either as a biologist or guide. However, no matter how far she goes you’ll always find her near the water and these days when she’s not on the ocean you’ll find her in the Xwulqw’selu watershed mapping groundwater for her Ph.D.

Sophie is a biologist and passionate marine conservationist, who’s deep connection to the ocean began in the lagoons of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, where she grew up. She works for Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society in Tofino and is involved in marine mammal research, education and rescue. When she’s not working on the water, you can usually find her with wet feet at the beach, diving, surfing or paddling with her husky Mishka.