If you haven’t made a trip to Pirate Chips lately I suggest setting your sails in their direction!

Vancouver Island is well known for it’s superior cold water diving and Nanaimo in particular is a world-class diving destination. Nanaimo has 3 artificial reefs, which attract divers from all over, including a group of high school students from Breton Alberta. The group of students belong to a marine biology program at Breton high school, they have made Nanaimo a choice destination for diving for the past two years; they have also made the Painted Turtle their choice accommodation for both years. This great group of kids along with several instructors come to Nanaimo for approximately 9 days a year to explore and experience the known/unknown beauties of our coastal waters.

Lately I have noticed that when guests are first arriving to our front desk the very first comments they make are about our weather. It’s true June hasn’t been all that great weather wise, so I thought my next post should be about an adventure that I think you can do rain or shine. I mean honestly on the West Coast if you let a little rain get you down, you would never go outside. So here is an adventure that my roommate and I had on an overcast day in Nanaimo. One Saturday morning my roommate and I felt the need to explore and although it was an overcast day, we did not let that keep us inside. Off we went to Piper’s Lagoon Park (with a quick stop at Starbucks first), Piper’s is located on Lagoon Drive just off of Hammond Bay Road, in Nanaimo.

Just last week two guests came back to the guesthouse after a day trip to Victoria;  they were both really excited upon entering the lobby, so naturally my curiosity set in and I had to know what they had been up to.

WildPlay at the Bungy Zone is Vancouver Island’s newest outdoor adventure destination –offering outdoor thrills to visitors of all ages and fitness levels. Onsite adventures include Bungy jumping, the King Swing and a brand new TreeGO park. Have you ever thought to yourself “I would really love to jump off a 150' high bridge head first?” If this sounds like you, look no further the Bungy Zone at WildPlay Element Park in Nanaimo will fulfill any adrenaline junkie’s needs.

On June 4, The Painted Turtle (PTG) staff set sail with Skipper Dan from Jadeo Sailing (Jadeo Sailing Information), what a great evening adventure!

On a beautiful May morning the Painted Turtle crew went for a leisurely kayak courtesy of the Alberni Outpost (click here for more information). We started our trip off at the Brechin Boat Launch where we first got the standard safety instructions and equipment break down. We then jumped in our boats and pushed off from shore into the open ocean. There is truly nothing like being on the water, close enough to shore to feel safe but far enough away to be able to take in all the beauty our waters and shores have to offer. While gliding past Newcastle Island we were lucky to see many raccoons (several being babies), hawks, the natural sandstone and the amazing mountain views once you round the other side of the island.

I am born in Berlin, Germany and just finished with school. I decided to make an internship before studying and here I am! I love Nanaimo.

Born in Passau, Germany, I came to Nanaimo last year in August to pursue my Bachelor of Tourism Management studies.

I was born in Oldham, England and moved to Mississauga Ontario with my family when I was 3years old. I lived there for 17 years; I have been living in Nanaimo B.C. for the last 11 years with my three kids Shane, Matthew and Sarah. The best part of Nanaimo B.C.