Brentwood Bay to Senanus Island

Senanus Island is a great there-and-back destination for paddling from Brentwood Bay. The Island is approximately 2 miles out, so it’s safe to plan for about an hour round trip at a moderate pace. Senanus Island is in a rather exposed location, so it could make for a challenging stand-up paddleboard trip with higher winds; kayaks and canoes can do this round trip without much exertion.  

What’s unique about Senanus Island is that it’s off limits to people. It is part of a protected habitat, which in this case means that the only humans who legally get land on Senanus Island are volunteers from Habitat Acquisition Trust Partners, the Peninsula Streams Society, and the Tsartlip First Nation. These people help maintain and/or restore the island once a year. Besides these volunteer visitors, not much life exists on the Senanus besides Stellar's jays and other birds along with a family of raccoons. As a consolation, you'll likely see sea lions and otters swimming off the island's shores. 

A fun fact is that Senanus means breast in the Coast Salish tongue. From a certain profile, the island’s shape shows that it is fittingly named.

And when you’re making the trip to and from the island, be sure to keep an eye out for the B.C. Ferry, the path of which runs just to the west side of the island.