Picture this: a salty mist hits your face as you take in eagles soaring high above you; seals are lazily sunning themselves on a rocky edge nearby while crabs, jellyfish and starfish enchant you from below the clear waters of the Indian Arm. This wondrous sight is what many experience during a day out at Deep Cove Kayak Centre, where the protected waters of Deep Cove allow for great nautical adventures.
Co-owner Bob Putnam was a ski school director for many years before he decided to swap mountaintops for the waterways of Deep Cove. After taking some visiting Japanese students out on a paddling excursion in the North Van neighbourhood one summer, he was sold. The outdoor enthusiast had a change of heart – or rather, a change of season.
“It's such a gorgeous place to kayak, the waters are so calm," Bob explains. "I tracked down the owner of the Deep Cove Kayak Centre and I told her I could improve the business,” he says with a chuckle.