Home > Youth Leadership Programs > BC Explorer: Ocean Canoeing (4–9 day)
BC Explorer 2026
A uniquely Canadian introduction to outdoor youth leadership and ocean paddle expedition
Located within British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, youth have the opportunity to participate in an introductory outdoor leadership and ocean paddling expeditions, in connection with the Duke of Edinburgh Award of Canada (DofE participation is not required to attend). For some, it’s their first big leap into a teen overnight camp experience. For others who haven’t been to camp in years, it’s a warm “welcome back”. No matter who you are, BC Explorer is the perfect launch pad for budding adventurers with many of our BC Explorer teens going on to bigger, bolder experiences in the Yukon, Japan, the Amazon Jungle, Fiji, and more!
BC Explorer now offers two types of expeditions:
BC Explorer Standard: 3-night/4-day introductory canoe expeditions.
BC Explorer Advanced (NEW!): 8-night/9-day outdoor leadership adventure.
No matter which BC Explorer you choose, we will venture out onto the calm waters of the Sunshine Coast’s Sechelt Inlet. Surrounded by the glittering ocean and forested mountains, we’ll practice our canoe, outdoor, and leadership skills while staying at some amazing campsites. If we’re lucky, we’ll even spot some seals, orcas, or otters! In this world of late-night stargazing, sunset canoe journeys, secret waterfalls, and meaningful friendships, everyone has their own place and leadership journey. You never know what adventures you’ll find on BC’s amazing Sunshine Coast!
Packing List
Ages: 11–13 (junior), 14–17 (senior) - Groups may be combined based on safety, numbers, and/or maturity level.
DATES: 4-day Expedition
July 7 – 10, 2026
July 12 – 15, 2026
July 27 – 30, 2026
Aug 1 – 4, 2026
DATES: 9-day Expedition
June 27 – July 5, 2026
July 17 – 25, 2026
August 6 – 14, 2026
EARLY BIRD PRICES* (expires Dec o1, 2025)
4-day: $699 + GST (CAD)
9-day: $1,599 + GST (CAD)
STANDARD PRICES*
4-day: $799 + GST (CAD)
9-day: $1,699 + GST (CAD)
*Includes non-refundable $300 + GST deposit (all trips).
Drop-off: at Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal
Pick-up: at Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal
Group size: 8-12 with 2 instructors
Location: Sechelt Inlet, Porpoise Bay Provincial Park
Includes: Pre-course video check-in, 24-7 supervision by outdoor instructors, outdoor and leadership skills instruction, land and ferry transportation (ferry tickets included), tent accommodation, all meals (except for return ferry lunch), group outdoor gear, and more!
Contact us for more info: office@firesideadventures.ca
“There exists within everyone a grand passion, an outlandish thirst for adventure, a desire to live boldly and vividly through the journey of life.”
— Kurt Hahn, outdoor education pioneer
While summer fun is always a big part of what we do, BC Explorer is more than just a holiday. BC Explorer is designed to be an educational, transformational, and challenging experience that creates independent, self-motivated, and confident youths. Here are a few of the ways we do this:
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: earn your Bronze, Silver, or Gold with us. Here’s how.
Outdoor skills: Challenge yourself with wild camping, canoe manoeuvres, risk management, and wildlife safety. These experiences develop universal life skills like perseverance and problem-solving, not to mention a love for nature.
Social-emotional learning & resilience: Spending time in nature brings challenges but also opportunities for peace, reflection, and connection. This is the unbroken space and time you need to build relationships, trust, and personal transformation through a mix of one-on-one coaching, daily journaling, and group dialogues.
Increase self-knowledge: Over four/nine days, become introduced to some of our personal values, strengthen your decision-making skills, and learn how to set and achieve short-term goals.
Introductory leadership training: Guided by our pillars (Independence, Community, Knowledge, Experience, and Vision), define what leadership means to you and hold yourself accountable.
An exclusive Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Experience
Fireside is proud to be one of two Duke of Edinburgh ‘Trained Activity Providers’ in Canada. The Duke of Edinburgh’s award is an internationally recognized award that accelerates youths’ journeys into post-secondary education, careers, self-confidence and independence. This expedition is compatible with achieving your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Adventurous Journey (both practice and qualifying), or your Gold Project and beyond. Click here to learn how to earn the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Junior and Senior groups
We try to create the best possible experience which sometimes means splitting up youths based on age, maturity, experience level, and need. In this case, we lead two groups simultaneously: Junior in one area and Seniors in another. This also accommodates siblings who want to go at the same time but don't really want to be in the same group. However, depending on safety, group numbers, and/or maturity, we sometimes combine groups for part or all of the camp.
Example of Sechelt Inlet Canoeing Route
We’ll have total freedom to explore and develop our leadership skills.
You won’t want to miss these experiences:
Reconnect with yourself and nature during a digital detox with no technology or external distractions. During the expedition, our focus is on the people we are sharing the journey with. As long as you’re with Fireside, it’s just the group, the smell of the cedars, and the distant crashing of waves against the shore.
Bond with experienced and inspiring instructors who will be there for you 24-7. They teach you knot-tying, paddle strokes, and so much more!
Spend time with other youth who are as excited about spending time in the outdoors as you are!
Meet face-to-face with a playful otter, or marvel at bioluminescence on midnight shorelines.
Work as a team to plan the coming adventure with your fellow adventurers to learn the ins and outs of outdoor leadership.
After a long day of exploration, there’s nothing better than frying bannock around the campfire with your new friends. Enjoy fresh, nutritious meals that you probably made yourself!
Orcas spotted by a 2024 canoe group!
Landscapes and waterways we’ll explore together
Sunshine Coast: The Sunshine Coast is one of the most beautiful, biodiverse, and safe areas in BC for outdoor experiences. It’s the perfect location to build outdoor and canoe skills for youth, and we have used this region as the launchpad for hundreds of budding adventurers. While canoeing in this region, we have seen everything from porpoises, seals, and orcas to bioluminescence and the aurora borealis! Beyond canoeing, the Sunshine Coast is also home to many incredible hiking opportunities.
Porpoise Bay Campground: Tucked in the trees right on the waters of the Sechelt Inlet, this comfortable and well-established campground is a great place to begin and end our adventure. With private campsites, forest hiking trails, sandy beaches, and potable water, there’s not much more you could ask from a campground. It is also a quick, 5-minute drive from the town of Sechelt.
Sechelt: A quiet, quaint town in one of BC’s most stunning regions, Sechelt has the amenities to make our expeditions safe and well-supported. Amenities include a regional hospital, grocery stores, and emergency response. No matter where we are in the inlet, we’re never too far from safety.
Sechelt Inlet: One of BC’s most stunning paddling locations with unparalleled ocean vistas. This main inlet branches into the Salmon Inlet and Narrows Inlet, offering numerous shorelines and campgrounds to explore. Experience the incredible biodiversity of this region as you journey along the shorelines with incredible alpine views, passing through our ocean to the mountains of the Sunshine Coast. It is a truly majestic and humbling outdoor leadership experience with endless possibilities for exploration.
Traditional Territory: Shíshálh
