A chance to take in some of the Sunshine Coast's most stunning scenery while learning about its cultural history is taking flight.
A new audio tour highlights the Sechelt Peninsula, departing from Porpoise Bay, following Sechelt Inlet into Hotham Sound and down Agamemnon Channel past Pender Harbour.
Candace Campo, owner-operator of Talaysay Tours, narrates the tour and says it's like highlighting her childhood playground.
Campo is a shíshálh Nation member who has operated tours on the Coast for more than 23 years, “I just consider myself lucky to live a good life to be able to paddle these inlets for most of my life and travel with family but also share experiences with visitors.”
All passengers of the new audio tour are given a set of noise-cancelling headphones and a device with the tour recording that plays during the flight.
Being so closely involved with the land, Campo knows the skookumchuck is full of “rich history and lore.”
“Our people have always had that acute awareness and understanding that the intertidal tide is so powerful that you have to plan your whole day around the slack tides," she said. "It forged and it strengthened our bonds as a community because people would spend a lot of time with the people who live at those villages just waiting for the tide to change."
The collaboration stems from an ongoing partnership: Campo said that she had worked with Josh Ramsay and Theressa Logan of Sunshine Coast Air for years before she was approached about collaborating further on tours.
Sunshine Coast Air owner, Josh Ramsay weighed in on the significance of the audio tour.
“We just feel it's really important that the stories get told from the community. It's a great history of the peoples of the shíshálh Nation," he said. “The combination of a flightseeing tour with the story allows you to see a large portion of the Sunshine Coast in just under an hour.” Ramsay said he hopes Sunshine Coast Air can provide more audio tours in the future, including the possibility of providing a similar experience in Tofino.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
