An Awesome Journey Into the Heart of the Great Bear Rainforest

In August 2025, we embarked on an unforgettable eight-day adventure aboard a beautiful wooden schooner, circumnavigating Princess Royal Island in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. The weather was incredible, and the nonstop wildlife encounters were extraordinary. Outer Shores Expeditions, renowned for their small-ship, small-group experiences, more than delivered on this journey aboard the classic 70-foot wooden schooner Passing Cloud.

So Many Beautiful Anchorages

How do you get to the Great Bear Rainforest?

We met the Passing Cloud at the Shearwater marina on Denny Island, on British Columbia’s Central Coast.  To get there meant flying to Vancouver, where we chose to overnight.  The following morning we boarded a small Pacific Coastal Airlines 19-passenger Beechcraft twin turboprop for a scenic flight to Bella Bella.  The heart of the Heiltsuk First Nation, Bella Bella is the largest First Nations community on BC’s west coast.

Shearwater, British Columbia

Once you reach Bella Bella, you are already in the Great Bear Rainforest.  A short shuttle to the public dock and a quick sea bus ride carried us across to Shearwater on Denny Island. Because we prefer arriving early for any expedition, we chose to spend two nights at the Shearwater Resort before meeting the Passing Cloud.

Embarkation: Meeting the Passing Cloud Crew

On the first morning we carried our bags down to the marina and boarded the Passing Cloud, where we met the other four guests and the four crew members.  It was wonderful to reunite with our friend Karyssa, the deckhand and expedition guide, and to finally meet Russell — Founder & Owner of Outer Shores Expeditions and our Captain/Expedition Leader. After introductions and a quick orientation, Russell and his crew got us underway.

Russell Pointing Out Our Intended Route for The Voyage

Aboard the Passing Cloud: A Classic Wooden Schooner

The Passing Cloud is a beautiful vessel.  Designed by William Roué (the same naval architect behind Canada’s legendary schooner Bluenose) she is a classic 70-foot wooden schooner rich with maritime history and heritage.  Below deck there are three private staterooms and a spacious and very elegant main salon complete with a maritime library and a warm cast-iron, oil-burning heater.  The traditional wheelhouse is the heart of the operation with a helm adorned with polished brass.  Behind the helm is the galley where the very talented chef Norelle performed her magic using a simple three-burner propane stove.

Karyssa at the Helm

The Voyage: Exploring Princess Royal Island and the Great Bear Rainforest

Journeying through the traditional lands of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo-Xai’xais, and Gitga’at First Nations, our expedition circumnavigated Princess Royal Island, the fourth-largest island in British Columbia.

Early in the voyage we explored a mainland estuary where we were saw grizzly bears, including one close, very calm encounter with a grizzly in the water. 

We explored the picturesque inlets, estuaries and streams of Princess Royal Island, hopeful to spot the iconic and extremely rare Spirit Bear.  Using the inflatable skiff to get to shore we immersed ourselves in the temperate rainforest, walking on bear trails, along streams full of spawning salmon, often stepping over partially-consumed salmon carcasses.  While we didn’t see any Spirit Bears, we were rewarded with views of black bears, including two incredible, relatively close encounters with a large, very well-fed, female black bear who was hunting for salmon at a beautiful waterfall.

While we are not “birders”, we do enjoy viewing all types of wildlife and were happy that the crew kept a record of the 30 different bird species we encountered, from bald eagles to sandhill cranes.

Marine Wildlife: Nonstop Encounters

Marine mammal sightings were constant and spectacular: sea otters, harbour seals, Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoise, and so many whales.  We experienced endless humpback whale surface behaviour — tail-lobbing, repeated breaches, and more..

Non-stop Breaching

A highlight was watching two humpback whales bubble-net feed along the shoreline for juvenile herring.  We had an excellent morning with several fin whales and not long after, on the same day, we encountered a lone male transient killer whale.  Know by his catalogue number T054, at 53 years of age he is one of the oldest killer whales on the BC coast and we had the rare opportunity to observe him hunt and kill a Steller sea lion.

Bubble-net Feeding

Evenings at Anchor: Tranquility in Pristine Coves

Each night we anchored in a sheltered inlet or cove, with the opportunities to swim, kayak or just sit back, sip on a drink and soak in the views.  Aside from a couple of foggy mornings the weather was spectacular and we never had to break out the rain gear.  After dark, stars blanketed the sky and we could observe the natural phenomenon of sparkling blue bioluminescence when you disturbed the water beside the boat.

Dropping Anchor at the End of the Day

A Journey That Stays With You

Over eight days, we traveled 311 nautical miles through the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, eventually returning to Shearwater Marina. It was a remarkable journey shared with like-minded explorers and a kind, knowledgeable crew deeply passionate about this wild coastal ecosystem.

If you ever have the chance, consider traveling with Outer Shores Expeditions aboard the Passing Cloud.   The experience will leave a lasting impression on your soul.  We will absolutely travel with them again.

For more photos from this adventure check out our Great Bear Rainforest 2025 Gallery