EXPLORE – Page 3 – Dive To Escape

The Bruce Peninsula is an outdoors Heaven with all the trails throughout the peninsula and the beautiful crystal clear waters. However, diving isn’t the only way to explore the Bruce Peninsula. When we took this trip my wife wasn’t a diver yet (she got certified in summer 2021) so diving to escape wasn’t an option at the time, but I have some kayaking experience from some adventures when I was younger, so I thought why not explore more of the Bruce Peninsula by paddling. The Bruce Peninsula has a rich paddling history. The Bruce Peninsula Portage was a trading route created and used by Canada’s First Nations. This is a route that uses high ground and waterways to cross the peninsula, saving the native people a lot of time instead of going around the whole peninsula. There is a historic plaque to the importance of the portage and how it was used for trade by the native people for hundreds of years near the Ruskin River Boat Launch. This is just one of the many sites to explore on the Bruce. There are also several sunken shipwrecks that are visible from shore that would be nice to paddle over along with hundreds of Islands to paddle to and around in both Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. The Bruce Peninsula is rich with places to paddle, so picking our first sight wasn’t the easiest. However, I have dove in Tobermory a lot over the years, and we have done our fair share of hiking in the area. So, we thought, why not start with paddling Tobermory as an introductory day paddle. Renting Kayaking equipment on the Bruce Peninsula Once we decided where we wanted to paddle we had to arrange for the equipment we would need. As I am not the most familiar with touring kayaks, we contacted Suntrail Outfitters, a local outfitter located right on the most southerly part of the Bruce Peninsula, just off of Highway #6. Suntrail Outfitters is a full-service outfitter with quality equipment rental and purchase. They will assist with anything you need from Backpackers, Canoeists, Kayakers or Cross-Country skiers. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable about the area. I have used Suntrail for about 10 years for many of my hiking needs so I knew they would take good care of us. I called ahead of time and let them know that we were novice paddlers and were looking to do same-day paddling in Tobermory. After some questioning, they suggested that my wife and I rent a Tandem Touring Kayak and we booked a date for pick up. Once I told them that we wanted to paddle Tobermory, the staff was accommodating. They gave us helpful suggestions about where to park, what boat traffic to look for, safety regulations, and weather and current conditions to be mindful of. Suntrail Outfitters made renting a Kayak so easy, they offer a weekend rental which is just $60 which is just $10 more than the daily rental. Even better than the low cost for a weekend adventure of renting a Kayak at Suntrail Outfitters, was that it included everything we needed to paddle safely. 2- life jackets 2- paddles 2- spray skirts 1- safety kit (meets coast guard standard) including a towering rope, whistle, flashlight, and a bailer or something to pump water out of the kayak. Plus, a roof rack for transporting the kayaks that will fit your car and all the straps necessary. The friendly staff will show you the quickest and safest method for securing the kayaks to your car so take notes because you will have to do it on your own when you want to bring it back. Packing list Water Light lunch with snacks Dry bag Sunscreen Hat Neck gaiter Sunglasses Camera gear Cell phones Toiletries link to Suntrail Outfitters Kayaking Tobermory, Ontario Left) General route we took from Tobermory Lighthouse to Dr. Island for a picnic, then out to view Flower Pot Island (we did not make landfall) and Back to the lighthouse. Right) Detail route from Tobermory Lighthouse over to the shipwrecks, back to our picnic site on Dr. Island, then for the long paddle and back to Flower Pot Island. Suntrail paired us with a Necky Looksha T tandem kayak; this is an 18ft, 92lb tandem kayak with two storage hatches and a rudder system. At 18ft long, I felt that this kayak handled well in open water. We had several boats go by us with no serious threat of capsizing. The rudder is necessary for this boat as it does not handle well over longer distances without the rudder. I felt like I was wrestling the kayak to stay in a straight line without the rudder. Having full spray skirts was a must because of the boat traffic. While the kayak would handle well, the wakes of the other boats could easily swamp the kayak without the coverage of the spray skirt. Having the spray skirt also makes for a more comfortable long paddle as the drips coming off the paddle don’t land on your legs and slowly drench you in the cockpit. The boat’s length and placement of the cockpits were excellent. I felt like my wife, and I was far enough apart that our paddles wouldn’t touch even if we paddled out of sync. The two hatches aren’t water-tight, so everything should be in a dry bag for extra security. We were just on a day paddle, so we only had one 35L dry bag in the rear hatch, but there was plenty of space if we wanted to bring more equipment. I could see how one would go on a camping trip in this kayak. At 92lb, the kayak is a little heavy and awkward to move around by yourself; however, given it’s a tandem, you're going to use your buddy. Pros to the Necky Looksha Stable in the waterLots of storage spaceDistance between paddler (novice consideration)Fast on open water Cons to the Necky Looksha May require help because of the weightIt does not maneuver well without the rudder, not the best for riversSeating needs padding link to more info on the Necky Looksha Kayak After talking to the staff at Suntrail Outfitters, we decided to launch at the lighthouse house on the Big Tub Harbour. Our planned route was to launch the kayaks at the lighthouse and paddle over to the sweepstake. On August 23, 1885, the Sweepstake sank after hitting some rocks on cove island and making it into Big Tub Bay to sink. Because the water is so clear and these boats are so shallow and intact, it is a pretty neat experience to paddle over some of Ontario’s maritime history. Then we paddled out of the bay to Dr. Isand, Dr.Island Island is where we planned to have our lunch and picnic on the island. As far as I know, it is a public island. There were signs that people had camped on the island as there was a fire pit and empty beer cans. Even though the island was uninhabited by humans, there were inhabitants on the island in the form of spiders and their massive spider webs. Not being arachnophobic, we brought a blanket and enjoyed the beautiful day and got ready for the next leg of our paddling adventure. If you are arachnophobic, this may be your nightmare island. We decided that we would paddle to Flowerpot Island and then head back to the Big Tub Harbour and from there back to the lighthouse. Conditions: We were lucky to be paddling into the wind on our way out to visit the banks of flowerpot island; there were very few waves to endure on the open water. The coast guard stopped us as we paddled out to the flowerpot island. They checked to make sure we had all the required safety equipment aboard; they had a few questions about what our paddle route was going to be. They warned us to keep an eye out as there was a lot of boat traffic, and we continued on our way. Once we made it to the shore of flowerpot island, we didn’t make a landing as we felt it took a bit of effort to get to the island. However, distances can be deceiving on the water, and we thought we should make our way back following the coastline to Little Tub Harbour and eventually back to the lighthouse. Paddling around was a breeze with the wind on our backs, giving us some reprieve from the paddling and just letting the rudder do its job to keep us on the course made for a delightful paddle to finish our journey. Top) Me with the 18 Foot Nekcy Looksha on my 2017 Toyota Corolla IM ready for adventure. Bottom left) Lindsey and I taking selfies at Tobermory Lighthouse. Bottom right) paddling out to our picnic site on Dr. Island. Shipwrecks Click here for more information on the shipwreck Kayaking Black Creek Provincial Park Top) Black Creek Provincial Park sign. Bottom) Old Town Dirigo Kayak ready for adventure We had so much fun on our Kayaking weekend in 2017 that we thought we should try it again in 2019. Again, we used Suntrail Outfitters. They always take such good care of us that I thought, why not. We were looking for a leisurely paddle with less boat traffic than Tobermory. We wanted to have islands to picnic on and to navigate around to sightsee. Suntrail Outfitters suggested heading out to Black Creek Provincial Park and launching our Kayak from Sandy beach. The route was taken from Sandy Beach in Black Creek Provincial park out to Lyal island for a picnic and then back. This time Suntrail Paired my wife and me with the Old Town Dirigo Tandem Plus kayak with a rudder kit. The Dirigo Tandem is a 15’3” long kayak weighing 72lb. It has only one storage hatch in the back of the kayak. The Kayak handles well at low speeds and is quite maneuverable in shallow confined water; however, once out in open water, the Dirigo Tandem kayak does not track in a straight line, and you will be wrestling the kayak without the rudder. The smaller kayak size also made it a little more challenging to paddle as a novice paddler; if you are not synchronized with the person in front, you will crash your paddles together. It isn’t as fast as the Necky tandem that we used in Tobermory, but it was pretty stable in the water. This kayak didn’t come with spray skits, so it was open cockpits. This worked fine for this outing as there was very little to no boat traffic and most of the paddle was confined to a bay enclosed by several islands, so the water was very flat. The cockpits are large and very spacious. There are cup holders and fairly comfortable seats. The rear cockpit is so huge that I am sure I could have had a small child or a dog with me with room to spare. Having the open cockpit did mean that I was constantly getting wet from the drips of the paddle; not a big deal but something to keep in mind with open cockpits. Although the storage hatch is much smaller than the Necky Kayak we used on our Tobermory outing, there was still ample space for our single dry bag. Again the hatch isn’t waterproof, but things are mostly protected. There isn’t enough storage space to plan an overnight or camping trip with this kayak. It seems like it is better suited for recreational purposes. Dirigo Tandem Kayak Pros Handles well in shallow waterLots of space in the cockpitsLightweight Comfortable seats and cup holders Dirigo Tandem Kayak Cons It doesn’t handle well over open water without a rudderSlow over long distancesLimited storageOpen cockpits link to more info on the Old Town Dirigo Kayak Once we followed the signs to Black Creek Provincial Park, the first beach you come to is Sandy shores beach. There is ample parking and washrooms. Many people enjoyed the beach, but there was still lots of space to launch the kayak. We planned on paddling from the beach out to Lyal Island. We planned to paddle the shore to find a nice spot to picnic. There were several boats anchored in secluded little coves. We finally found a quiet and far enough site from the boaters. There were many signs that other people had picked the same spot we did as there was a fire pit and some tree stumps for seating, several grills were hung on a close-by tree, and of course, lots of beer cans and refuse from some people. This Island had fewer spiders than the one in Tobermory, so we ventured to explore the island a little bit after lunch and before we set off to make our way back. The water condition was flat with very little wind and it was quite hot that day. Paddling was super easy and enjoyable and the rudder was a big help in keeping a heading as this boat does not want to travel in a straight line. We toured around Knife Island and Saxon island before moving back to Sandy Beach. Visiting Black Creek Provincial parks was a very relaxing, enjoyable trip. I recommend it if you are looking for a lazy, fun paddle and outing. In the future, I plan on visiting Black Creek as a second-day paddle trip as it is easy and relaxing compared to paddling Tobermory. Tobermory has more boat traffic, shipwrecks and more scenic shoreline. I would prefer more of a sense of adventure first, and once I am a little “Adventured out,” it is nice to still get out on the Bruce Peninsula to enjoy the water, the air and the outdoors. Image of Lindsey and I enjoying paddling Black Creek Provincial Park. These tips have led us to increase our paddling knowledge and adventures, so please come back and check us out as I fill you in on our kayaking journey.