Photos: Pacific Yellowfin Charters
The 19 million acre Great Bear Rainforest is one of Earth’s most unique and pristine wilderness environments and is one of the largest remaining unspoiled rainforests in the world. The temperate rainforest stretches approximately 400kms (250m) along the central and north coast of British Columbia, extending from the Discovery Islands in the south to the BC-Alaska border in the north.; with the exception of Vancouver Island and the archipelago of Haida Gwaii, the Great Bear Rainforest includes all offshore islands within this range.
The Great Bear Rainforest is the only place in the world where viewing a Kermode Bear, also known as the Spirit Bear, is a possibility. The Kermode Bear is an incredibly rare subspecies of the black bear and holds a very significant and prominent place in the traditions of the indigenous peoples in the area. It is believed that 1 in 10 black bear cubs are born displaying a recessive white or cream coloured coat making these bears extremely rare and sightings of the Kermode Bear extremely special and unique. Along with the Kermode Bear, black bear, grizzly bear, cougars and wolves also populate this area. The Great Bear Rainforest is a place where the waters teem with an abundance of marine life and having an intimate moment with sea otters, porpoises, sea lions, orca whales, salmon and dolphins can be easily experienced.
Like the majority of the BC coast, protective waters are naturally placed throughout the stretch of the rainforest, making sheltered anchorages plentiful.