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Isle-De-Lis Marine Park is located on Rum Island, off Sidney at the east end of Gooch Island. Located less than a mile from the US/Canada border, rumrunners in the 1920s used the island as a base from which to smuggle prohibited spirits into Stuart Island, in the San Juan Islands group of the US during the prohibition era.
Mrs. R.M. Nelson bequeathed the land to the province when she passed away in 1978. She specified that it be called Isle-de-Lis, for the wild lilies that grow there. This entire 5-hectare island is parkland, and is ideally situated to observing marine mammals. Most of the shoreline is rocky, with numerous deep pockets cut into the shores.
Bordering on Haro Strait, the island is popular with kayakers using the facilities for overnight stops on multi-day paddling trips. Rum Island is connected to Gooch Island by a steep gravel beach, which provides the best place to land a kayak.
There are 3 campsites within the park, with camping restricted to the designated platforms, designed to protect the fragile vegetation on the island. Facilities include picnic tables, pit toilets and a small network of trails.
Access to Isle-De-Lis Marine Park is by private boat from Sidney on Southern Vancouver Island. Isle-de-Lis is a part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is one of Canada’s newest national parks. The park protects a portion of British Columbia’s beautiful southern Gulf Islands - a landscape of rocky headlands, forested hills and shorelines studded with colourful tidepools. The park resembles a patchwork quilt of protected lands scattered over 15 larger islands, and many smaller islets and reefs.
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Classic Yacht Charters, Nanaimo |
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Craving a change from the 'everyday'? Dreaming of running away to sea? Welcome aboard our historical 'Mission Ship'. Design your private voyage into BC's coastal playground. Indulge your interests: fishing, clamming, rowing, kayaking, whale watching... Cruise in comfort and safety with our Coast Guard licensed Captain and crew. Discover how your chef turns meal times into taste extravaganzas. |
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Eagle Wing Tours Whale Watching, Victoria |
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GUARANTEED WHALES! Eagle Wing Tours specializes in Whale Watching, marine wildlife viewing, and custom eco-adventure tours on Southern Vancouver Island. Guided expeditions take you through the San Juan and BC Gulf Islands in search of Killer Whales and additional marine wildlife, offering an exclusive, educational, and eco-friendly experience. Based in our floating sales office and interpretive centre at the historic Fisherman's Wharf in the Inner Harbour in Victoria, Eagle Wing offers a premium experience for travelers demanding more. Join us for the thrill of a lifetime at the center of the world's highest concentration of Killer whales (orca) and other whale (cetacean) species in the Salish Sea, such as: Humpback whales, Gray whales, and Minke whales! |
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Great Pacific Adventures, Victoria |
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Orca Spirit Adventures, Victoria |
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Sidney Whale Watching, Sidney |
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SpringTide Charters, Victoria |
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WHALE WATCH with SpringTide on the 84-passenger, 61-foot Marauder. Experience the joy, excitement and wonderful memories of our mammals, whales, porpoise, seals and marine birds! Enjoy complimentary beverages while listening to professional biologists provide informative narrations. Or, join an exhilarating excursion onboard one of our high-speed, open Zodiacs. SPORTFISH year round for Salmon and Halibut on SpringTide’s 42’ Sportfisher. |
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Parks Canada
- British Columbia
Box 129, 23433 Mavis Avenue
Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R5
Phone: (604) 513-4777
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
2220 Harbour Road
Sidney, BC, V8L 2P6
Phone: (250) 654-4000
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