A life built around the water.
Captain, lifelong boater, and Sunshine Coast local — meet the person behind the tours.
A lifetime on the water.
Chris grew up in Port Moody, BC, and the water found him early. His family was deeply involved in the Scouts, and he spent his boyhood summers at Camp Bing on the Sunshine Coast — which is how he first fell for this stretch of BC before he'd ever set foot in Pender Harbour.
Fishing was never a phase. By 2003 he was working as a guide, and he spent fifteen years leading sturgeon fishing trips on the Fraser River — reading water, understanding tides, and building the kind of patience and knowledge that only comes from years on the river.
In 2017 he made the move to the coast for good. He earned his captain's licence in 2020 and started Coastal Boat Tours shortly after. These days he lives here with his family, and he'll tell you the harbour outside his door was worth every year it took to get here.
Why Pender Harbour
A sheltered inlet of interconnected bays, coves, and forested islands on BC's Sunshine Coast.
Calm, Sheltered Water
The harbour reaches 5 kilometres inland from Malaspina Strait, branching into dozens of protected bays and coves with over 60 kilometres of shoreline. Natural geography buffers the open-water swells, keeping conditions inside reliably gentle — ideal for guests of all ages and experience levels.
Forested Shoreline
The shores are thick with Douglas fir, red cedar, and arbutus — one of BC's only broadleaf evergreens, recognizable by its peeling copper-red bark. Much of this forest runs right to the waterline, a perspective you can only fully appreciate from the water.
Marine Wildlife
Harbour seals, great blue herons, bald eagles, and river otters are regular companions on the water. The harbour and surrounding Malaspina Strait support thriving salmon and lingcod populations, and the health of the fishery is reflected in the wildlife that depends on it.
A Place with Deep Roots
Pender Harbour sits on the traditional territory of the shíshálh Nation, who maintained some of their largest villages here for centuries. Today it's a community of under 3,000 residents — commercial fishers, artists, and families whose history runs deep on this stretch of coast. Its soul is something you feel the moment you arrive.
Ready to see it for yourself?
Pick your tour, choose your date, and let us take care of the rest. Groups welcome. No experience necessary.