{"id":603,"date":"2015-09-10T17:39:12","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T17:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.porticomagazine.ca\/?p=603"},"modified":"2020-10-28T14:40:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T18:40:36","slug":"on-the-job-dave-pinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/porticomagazine.ca\/2015\/09\/on-the-job-dave-pinel\/","title":{"rendered":"On the job: an office on the water"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h3>\n

Who: Dave Pinel, M.Sc. \u201998<\/em>
\n Job: Managing owner and tour operator at West Coast Expeditions<\/em><\/h3>\n

Kayaking among the sea otters in Kyuquot Sound is just another day at the office for Dave Pinel.<\/p>\n

As managing owner of West Coast Expeditions<\/a> in Courtenay, B.C., he leads adventure tours that tread softly on the Earth, leaving the smallest possible environmental footprint. The Canadian Tourism Commission has named the company\u2019s five-day sea otter kayak tour a \u201cCanadian Signature Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been attracted to water-based activities and the coast,\u201d says Pinel. His preferred mode of transportation is the kayak, \u201can ideal tool for exploring places with minimal impact.\u201d Those places include isolated islands and inlets that give visitors a glimpse of wildlife.<\/p>\n

While working at West Coast Expeditions, he decided to go back to school to earn a master\u2019s degree at U of G\u2019s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development. His thesis looked at community-based tourism planning, which aims to complement \u2014 not compete with \u2014 its surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s how tourism best fits with the local ecology, social and cultural aspects, and the economic development opportunities without sacrificing the values that make it a special place,\u201d says Pinel. He also teaches adventure guiding and aboriginal ecotourism at North Island College in Courtenay.<\/p>\n

Respecting social and cultural values is important to Pinel, who partners with the local First Nations community to provide guests with cultural experiences, such as fresh salmon cooked over an open fire by an aboriginal family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a timeless piece of Canadiana,\u201d he says. \u201cIn many ways, the Kyuquot area struck me as a microcosm of Canada\u2019s coastal places, rural places, remote places and a place where the First Nations story is actively evolving and moving forward as part of what shapes Canada,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Respecting the environment is paramount, but animals don\u2019t always follow the rules. Pinel advises visitors to stay at least 100 metres away from sea otters, which is easier said than done when the otters want to get up close and personal. He recalls one otter that appeared near a tour group he was leading. As the visitors tried to retreat, the curious otter continued to follow until it was only a few metres away.<\/p>\n

Those memorable experiences are what Pinel appreciates most about his job. \u201cEach day is fresh with a different recipe of human relationships, wildlife interactions, weather and tides,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Although the tours are planned in advance, every day is an adventure filled with the unexpected. Intertidal walks often reveal new sea creatures he has never seen before, which prompts him to look them up in a reference book or contact an expert marine biologist.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like being in the Galapagos to have wildlife so close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 SUSAN BUBAK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who: Dave Pinel, M.Sc. \u201998 Job: Managing owner and tour operator at West Coast Expeditions Kayaking among the sea otters in Kyuquot Sound is just another day at the office for Dave Pinel. 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