Ocean Explorer Sportfishing

Where and how do we begin our Sportfishing Holiday?

From Vancouver to the Ocean Explorer

Flights to the Ocean Explorer depart from the South Terminal of the Vancouver International Airport. We fly with Pacific Coastal Airlines Ltd. who provides free shuttle service between the Main and South Terminal. All flights into Bella Bella and Port Hardy are aboard a chartered plane.

Experiencing the Grumman Goose

Guests then board a chartered 10-seater "Goose" seaplane which, after a 15-40 minute flight north (depending on location), brings you and your group directly to the Ocean Explorer's anchorage on BC's West Coast. If you have never flown on a Goose Plane, this is sure to be a highlight of your Sportfishing holiday. Only 345 Grumman Goose Planes were ever built and only about 50 remain in operation today. Passengers on the Grumman Goose sit below the wings and watch the water splash over their side window as the plane lands on its belly in the water.

The Flight Schedule

Hakai flights depart South Terminal at noon on the first day of your trip, getting you to the Ocean Explorer by 3:00 pm. On the final day of your West Coast fishing trip, you will leave the Ocean Explorer around 2:30pm and will arrive in Vancouver by 5:30 pm. Guests are advised to book connecting flights home from Vancouver no earlier than 8:00 pm to account for bad weather conditions. We are happy to suggest hotels with fish freezing facilities near the airport for those guests with a layover in Vancouver.

Flights to the Prince Rupert area depart from the South Terminal aboard Hawk Air's scheduled service. All flights are reserved when you book your trip and the cost is included in your sport fishing adventure package. Itineraries will be sent to you well in advance of your sportfishing vacation.

Sorry, but we cannot take responsibility for extra expenses incurred due to flight delays caused by inclement weather or missed connecting flights.

Luggage Restrictions:

These small planes have strict weight guidelines that we must abide by. We kindly ask guests to pack lightly with a maximum of 20lbs of personal luggage. This means only 20lbs of personal belongings can return home with you. This is to ensure that there is plenty of weight available to fly home the packaged fish from your sportfishing holiday.

If you do not wish to utilize our liquor service and are planning on bringing your own alcohol, you may pack it as extra weight (15 additional lbs) with your inbound luggage, but it CAN NOT return home with you as it is unfair to other guests if we are overweight. Again, we need to account for the weight of the fish.

Call toll-free now to check availability, 1-877-3-GO-WEST or request a quote online.

Visit Adventure West Resorts Facebook page.