Our Staff
Matt Bowes
A familiar face out on the water and friendly voice in the office, co-owner/ operator/guide Matt Bowes has been a Gabriola guide for about a decade and loves to sail his & Jen's boat when not in the cockpit of his kayak. A Level 3 SKGABC guide, Level 2 Paddle Canada sea kayak instructor WWKABC whitewater kayak Instructor, Matt has paddled extensively in BC, Mexico, Ontario. He has taught university courses in outdoor education leadership, geography and in the off season, teaches tourism, management , business and sustainability for the Faculty of Business/Hospitality & Tourism; and the Centre for Sport Education at Camosun College in Victoria BC. Matt's writing and photography has been featured in paddling magazines and as environmental consultant and advocate, has been involved in south Island conservation initiatives.
Jen Smith
Co-owner/operator/guide, Jen Smith wears a few different hats from guiding to the friendly voice in the office. Jen is a keen marine naturalist, SKGABC Level 3 guide and Paddle Canada Level 1 instructor. She has guided extensively in BC, Ontario and Mexico and has taught university courses in leadership, outdoor education, group dynamics environmental studies and expedition management. Jen also works in her other passion as a Biologist and Human Dimensions of Wildlife Specialist.
Adele Woodyard
Adele brings an infectious entusiasum to our trips. A SKGABC Level 2 guide, Paddle Canada Level 1 sea kayak instructor, Level 3 Skills and keen marine naturalist, interpreter, and experiential educator. Adele also works with not for profit group Power of Hope, providing leadership programs for youth to build stronger communities through art and creativity. Adele is heavily involved with the cycling scene in Victoria BC as an advocate, a bike mecahnic, teacher, volunteer and of course, a member of the Velo Vixens: a local bicycle advocacy and dance troup hailing from Victoria BC. Go Adele!
Steve Schellenberg
A world traveller, sailer, outdoor educator with Strathcona Park Lodge, Level 3 SKGBC guide and all around great guy, Steve joins us from Quadra Island with experience and a relaxed, easy going nature. Steve is also a graduate of North Island College Adventure Tourism program and Tom Brown's Tracker School - Vision, Philosophy, Survival and Tracking. Steve is currently paddling in Belize for the winter and will be really happy to get back on the Island to Carpe Diem, his skookum Columbia 30.
Leighanne Franson
Leighann is an anusara-inspired yoga teacher who believes a good instructor not only leads you into your body, but gives you the tools to find your own path. Her classes combine the meticulous alignment of Iyengar yoga, the playfulness of vinyasa and the therapeutic approach of yoga and ayurveda (India’s traditional system of medicine) for total well-being. It is also deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. Over the past ten years, she has studied with John Friend, Sarahjoy Marsh, Paul Grilley, Ana Forrest, David Life and Sharon Gannon. Most recently, she returned from India where she studied yoga therapy with yoga legend T.K.V. Desikachar at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai. She teaches daily classes, leads workshops and helps teach a 200 and 500 hour teacher training at amrita: a sanctuary for yoga in Portland, Oregon. She also volunteers as a teacher for Living Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga into Oregon prisons.
Andrea Bell
Hailing from the Nova Scotia, Level III SKGABC Guide, Paddle Canada Instructor and lifelong paddler Andrea Bell joins us this year in the west. An Outward Bound and NOLS instructor, Andrea has guided on the east coast, lead dog sledding trips in the Yukon and has a passionate joie de vivre for anything a bit wild and fun in the out of doors. A graduate of Lakehead University's Outdoor Recreation Program, Andrea is a skilled outdoor educator, interpreter, naturalist and will be returning to Lakehead again this fall to become a teacher through the Outdoor Experiential Education program. We suspect she'll be a regular on her local surf breaks on the North Shore of Lake Superior this coming fall and spring.
Corey St. Luke
An avid traveller of Mexico and Cetral America, Corey has been guiding with Gabriola since the mind 90's in BC and Baja. A passion for food and cooking and has found him in the kitchens of the Wickanninnish in Tofino, the Empress Hotel and Pagliacci's in Victoria. Everybody loves when Corey is in the kitchen. Corey is a Paddling specialist at Mountain Equipment Coop and runs his own landscaping business on Vancouver Island.
Margie Grimble
A longtime Gabriolan, passionate sea kayaker and sometimes resident of the Queen Charlottes, Margie joined us in 2008 and brings valuable experenience as an EMT. Margie also practices Homepathic Medicine and manufactures paddling safety equipment.