Sea Kayaking in St. Margaret’s Bay, Halifax

After a couple of days in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it was time to get out on the water. I hopped in the car for the half an hour drive to Shining Waters Marina in St. Margaret’s Bay. Sea Sun Kayak* fitted me, a friend of mine and a mother and daughter pair that we had just met. Michel and Nate were in charge of keeping us from rolling over into the water and guiding us past the many islands along the way.

The Sea Sun Kayak base a half an hour drive from downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sea Kayak Tour
We warmed up by slicing through the glass-like water in a secluded little spot where houses lazily dotted the shore and there was no motorized water traffic. The mother and daughter had to be put in a two-person kayak before we left and then we were good to go.

We passed islands with names like Mink, Clam, Potato and Strawberry as Michel pointed out interesting boats, beautiful birds and houses with good stories. Although originally from Quebec, Michel clearly had a love for Nova Scotia and knew a lot about what was going on in the area.

When we came to a gorgeous little spot where we were going to stop for a snack, we quickly discovered that it had already been staked by a group of teenaged boys already into their case of beer. So we linked up kayaks and had a snack right there in the water.

A stop at Micou's Island on our kayak tour near Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A hard paddle brought us to Micou’s Island (not usually included in the half day tour). Here we got out to stretch our legs, use the washroom (aka. bush) and go searching for tiny crabs.

Michel holds a small crab on Micou's Island during our kayak tour near Halifax, Nova Scotia.

There’s even a fisher folk cottage from about 1840 on the 22-acre island that looks out over the water.

The wind had been picking up as the morning went by, so we planned to connect our kayaks and put up a sail to glide our way back. After our stop at Micou’s Island, though, the wind died down and foiled our lazy plans.

But, on a perfect late-summer day, paddling through the still water is the best option anyways. And we worked up an appetite enough to enjoy a great little picnic lunch done up by Sea Sun Kayak when we got back.

Read more articles on Halifax here.

*My trip was sponsored by Destination Halifax and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Sea Quest Adventure (the kayak tour described above) costs $76 per person and includes a snack and beverage.

Tags: halifax, Kayak Tour, Kayaking Tour, Micou’s Island, Nova Scotia, Sea Kayak, Sea Kayaking, Sea Sun Kayak, Shining Waters Marina, St. Margaret’s Bay