Knight Inlet Grizzly Bear Eco Tours with Tide Rip Tours

Tickle your sense of fun and adventure as we explore the breathtaking scenery and exciting wildlife in the waters of Knight Inlet. Whisk yourself away from the stress and pace of everyday life. Expect the unexpected and find magical moments in the beauty of nature.

We travel by covered aluminum boat which has a washroom and seats for 12 passengers. Along the way we often see black bears on the low tide beaches, bald eagles, harbour porpoises and seals, Dall's porpoises, sometimes dolphins and river otters. Seabirds we encounter include marbled murrelets, murres, pigeon guillemots and rhinoceros auklets, Bonaparte gulls, Arctic terns, Western Sandpipers, Turnstones.
Marine animals and birds need undisturbed access to their food source, social gathering and nesting sites. We view from appropriate distances, close enough for pictures but not too close. Why do we want to show you our magnificent wildlife? Viewing wildlife aids in their conservation. People come to see, then get excited about supporting wildlife conservation here* or in their local area. The last 30 years have seen a radical shift in peoples' attitude about the orca whales through whale watching tours, interaction in aquariums, movies and school programs. We can to do the same for the grizzly bears and black bears.

Our company is run by Howard Pattinson of Comox, a knowledgeable guide with over 50 years experience in these waters. Whether it be exploring a remote sandy beach or watching grizzlies, Howard's local knowledge brings you nose-to-nose with nature. His experience with everything marine brings you safely home with a renewed sense of wonder. " You're in good hands." Howard Pattinson - Tour Guide for Tide Rip Tours

Howard Pattinson - Tour Guide for Tide Rip Tours

Lindsey Pattinson earned his Transport Canada Master's for running the water taxis in 2005

Derek Kyostia loves taking our viewing skiff into impossible places in the estuary to see eagles, grizzly bears and salmon. That's 2 eagles on the stump:

Derek is a fulltime Interpretative Guide, dedicating his time between the grizzly bears of coastal British Columbia , the polar bears of Churchill , Manitoba and the penguins of Antarctica .

Daryl Dancer-Wade is an artist/naturalist and full bear viewing guide. She is a qualified captain with years of experience in many types of vessels in waters from the East Coast to the West Coast and waters in between. In the off season, Daryl volunteers with the Comox Coast Guard Auxiliary as a Coxswain in charge of a marine search and rescue crew.

As an artist Daryl uses her art work to show how we are connected with the ecosystem, of which we are a part of. Her medium of choice is fibre. Whenever possible, she repurposes paper into hand spun thread for weaving and has on occasion used grizzly bear scat (spring time scat with sedge) to make hand made pooh paper.

As a naturalist, Daryl invites you to share together our connectedness to the landscape. To explore our natural surroundings on a more intimate level, to look through the visual surface and delve into the world of nature not readily seen by most.

Bill Mehan of the Sunshine Coast has helped us out for years. When not poking a viewing skiff in for a closer look at a grizzly bear, Bill takes guests out salmon and halibut fishing on his fine vessel "Tyee".

Give him a call if you want to catch a salmon! 250-204-1069