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To prepare for your wilderness adventure, please read the following important information:
Participation Guidelines
The only tour with restrictions is the heli tour, as the aircraft does have a weight restriction. Please contact us for further details on your heli tour. Our minimum age for all tours is 6 years old, anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Physical Activity Levels
Our tours are low impact and low activity level, you don't have to be in fantastic shape to enjoy what we have to offer you. The forest walk is on a relatively level trail and is completed in a loop type fashion, and we can tailor our walks to your needs. The camp site is relatively level as is the short walk to the river bank, and across the sand bar to the boats. At certain times throughout the year we may have a bridge set up to cross a small back channel when lower water levels prevent the boats from docking right a the camp site.
Restroom Availability
The tour bus that you will be traveling on from Prince Rupert to the camp site has an onboard bathroom. Once at the Provincial Park, an outhouse is located close to the camp site. If we are picking you up for your day trip, your guide will ensure that everyone is comfortable prior to the short drive to the meeting point. Any bathroom breaks up river will be "au natural" - just you and nature!
What to Wear / Bring
The activities that you will be taking part in are outdoors, the boats are not covered as we find it takes away from your viewing experience - and when we go through some of the white-water river sections, the spray from the water is exhilarating! We do have gazebos set up at the camp site, so if it is raining you will be able to get under cover. Clothing should be worn in layers and a quality rain jacket is always a good idea, this is a coastal rainforest after all! Comfortable, supportive shoes are suggested as you will be walking in the forest and on sand bars. Please bring your cameras to take some spectacular images home with you, you may also want to bring binoculars if you have them. Sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip balm are all items for your comfort and may be necessary, weather dependent.
What We Provide
We will provide everyone with a properly fitted Canadian Coast Guard Approved PFD, everything needed for your meal on the riverbank including hot and cold drinks and dessert, a warm fire, a spotting scope for viewing mountain goats, wildlife articles used in animal discussions, and some great local guides that will share their passion of the outdoors with anyone willing to listen.
Our Guides
We have three approved jet boat drivers - their skills and knowledge will truly amaze you as they pilot these capable craft up river into the breathtaking Exchamsiks River Valley! Safety and comfort are paramount at Kermodei Adventures operation. You can relax in the knowledge that all of our drivers are trained to high standards, all captains are certified swift water rescue technicians with current first aid certificates. A member of our ground crew is certified in mountain rescue, OFA level 3 and actively participates in local search and rescue operations. All jet boat drivers complete the "Jet Boating in the Workplace" safety course and have numerous hours of jet boating experience before carrying passengers and they undertake regular assessments by a senior driver.
Your Safety and Security
The aluminum jet boats are coast guard approved vessels with inboard V8 motors and jet pumps. When you think about jet boats it's easiest to imagine them as the four-wheel-drive models of the boating world. This combination allows us to "run" in very shallow water. The boats only draft 4-5 inches of water when "on step" and are extremely maneuverable. This allows us the ability to traverse the shallows of the river weaving in and out of the obstacles that are presented. The water levels in these rivers are not controlled in any way so they change daily! Each of the boats has an onboard first aid kit, throw bags, anchor, paddles and fire extinguishers along with other related safety gear should the need arise. We have radio communication with the camp site while the boats are up river. A satellite phone is on site should the need for outside communication arise.
For the Heli/Jet Boat Tour and the Exchamsiks River Tour, you will be asked to complete and sign a waiver on site prior to beginning your jet boat adventure. Download a copy of the form here.
Wildlife in the Area
While wildlife are abundant in the valley we cannot guarantee sightings on these tours, you will have a very good opportunity to view wildlife but as these animals are wild, it's really up to them. We will take you up river into a pristine watershed that has no human footprints, no roads, trails, logging, or exploration has been done in this valley so it is today as it was 1000 years ago. On our tours we have seen Cow and Calf moose, black bears, river otters, beavers, eagles, a variety of waterfowl, mountain goats and wolves. We have binoculars and a spotting scope set up at the camp site so you can watch the mountain goats feeding and playing on the cliffs across the river.
Cancellation Policy
We will work toward an amicable solution with any of our clients should you need to cancel for a valid reason. We have to secure transport vehicles and jet boat captains so a portion of your tour cost may be retained to cover standby time. We really love what we do and enjoy sharing these special places with you, so if you find yourself in a position where you must cancel but can return on another day we will apply a portion of the cancellation fee toward your next tour.
Understanding Jet Craft
A jet boat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. Unlike a powerboat or motorboat that uses a propeller in the water below or behind the boat, a jet boat draws the water from under the boat through an intake, the water is sped up as it passes through an impeller, then expels it through a nozzle at the stern.Jet boats were originally designed by Sir William Hamilton (who developed a water jet in 1954) for operation in the fast-flowing and shallow rivers of New Zealand, specifically to overcome the problem of propellers striking rocks in such waters.
Jet boats are highly maneuverable, and many can, from full speed, be reversed and brought to a stop within little more than their own length, in a maneuver known as "washing the bow". The well known HAMILTON 360º spin or "jet spin" is a high speed maneuver where the boat is turned sharply then the engine throttle is cut causing the boat's stern to lift and spin quickly around with a large spray of water. Your jet boat driver will undertake maneuvers during tours that are only possible in a jet boat hold on as the boat is spun out at full cruising speed and feel the awesome handling ability of the jet boat!
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