Executive
The SKGABC Board of Directors is made up of elected Alliance members who volunteer their time. We strive to have certification, gender, educational and experiential representation on the board.
They meet monthly from September through May to work on SKGABC projects, policies and discuss topics of interest in the service of SKGABC members. Board member bios are listed below.
President
Eric Boros
Eric grew up on Vancouver Island, paddling kayaks that his father built. After years of involvement in international social movements and artist communities, he returned to Canada to pursue his exploration of the West Coast by kayak. Eric is a SKGABC Level 3 Guide, Guide Trainer, and Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor. He lives, works, and studies in Ucluelet.
Vice President
Kevin Bradshaw (he/him)
Kevin has held leadership roles with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC and has taught as a Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor. He is a co-owner of SKILS and continues to operate Hello Nature Adventure Tours.
While his guiding has taken him to places like Costa Rica and up and down the BC coast, Kevin's main focus is the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound. He's known for his calm leadership, local knowledge, helping guests and fellow guides feel comfortable and prepared on the water.
Treasurer
Faroe Des Roches
Faroe was raised on coastal BC's sea, air and rain; the environment encouraged her amphibious tendencies. She took her first sea kayak instructor course in 2004, and her passion and profession have been enmeshed ever since.
Faroe is a Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor, Level 1 Instructor Trainer, Level 4 Skills, and a SKGABC Level 3 Guide and Guide Trainer. She is also a sea kayak Course Leader with NOLS, a Leave No Trace Master Educator, and a Registered Examiner for Maritime Radio. Faroe was a member of the Pipedreams Project paddling team and co-director and co-producer of the award winning short film of the same name.
Secretary
Danielle Lacasse (she/her)
Danielle has been working in the industry for the last eight years. She currently holds her SKGABC Level 2 guide certification and enjoys splitting her time between guiding and working as an environmental consultant. She has guided predominantly in Johnstone Strait as well as Haida Gwaii.
Danielle grew up in a small town on North Vancouver Island and is passionate about the outdoors and spending time by, on, or under the ocean. She is a self-proclaimed bird nerd and loves taking photos of wildlife.
Member at Large
Austin Willson
Austin is a seasoned sea kayak guide with over nine years of experience navigating the waters of BC. As the proud owner and operator of Kelp Reef Adventures, he and his sea kayaking company staff have been creating unforgettable experiences for nature and paddling enthusiasts for the past five years.
His journey began as a student guide at the West Coast Adventure College, which he attended alongside his two brothers, who are co-owners of Kelp Reef Adventures. Being born and raised in Sooke, Austin developed a deep connection with the local marine ecosystems and the West Coast early. BC steps away from the ocean. Austin looks forward to helping build a bigger and stronger kayaking community and spending more time on our waters.
Member at Large
Rob Watson
Rob has spent the past decade leading kayak tours in the Broughtons, Haida Gwaii, and other parts of Vancouver Island. After relocating from Ontario in the early 2010s, Rob has devoted most of his time to engaging with and studying nature. With a profound love for the outdoors, including backcountry skiing, kayaking, and biking, he recently obtain a degree in Ocean Sciences and Marine Biology from UVIC and the Bamfield Marine Science Centre.
Highly regarded by his friends, colleagues, and clients, Rob possesses the potential to excel in professional sports. However, he chose to pursue his passion for the oceans and mountains, where he seamlessly combines his enthusiasm with the breathtaking beauty of nature to create an unforgettable experience.
Rob serves as a Guide Trainer for the SKGABC and is currently an Apprentice Guide Examiner. Enthusiastic about joining the board as a member, he eagerly shares his expertise and unwavering passion for kayaking and the natural world with the SKGABC.
Member at Large
Dan Smetaniuk
Dan Smetaniuk, lead guide, is a flatlander by birth from Alberta, but now considers Vancouver Island and the ocean home. His passion for the outdoors was fostered through many adventures in nature with family and even from a young age he’s had strong awareness and concern for the environment. When Dan was eight years old he was inspired by a family trip exploring Vancouver Island. Little did he know that many years later he would return to cultivate a career as an outdoor guide.
Dan comes from an engineering background and has completed a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. His pursuits and interests have taken him around the world, from teaching English in El Salvador, designing micro-hydro turbines in Germany, to building off-grid solar systems in remote Peruvian villages. In the winter, he still works designing solar technology.
A graduate of the Adventure Guiding Certificate at North Island College, Dan has lead kayaking expeditions since 2017 in the Johnstone Strait, Broughton Archipelago, New Zealand, and now in Kyuquot Sound. He is a Level 3 Guide with the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC. On land, he has cycled over 3000 km self-supported from Vancouver Island through the Rocky Mountains to Edmonton, Alberta (and back!). Dan is very excited to combine his varied backgrounds and bring his sense of adventure and learning, passion for sustainability and conservation, and systems thinking to the experience on Spring Island (Tle:hoh). When not working or guiding, Dan is often found wandering, wondering, or playing music.
Member at Large
Nathan Slater
Born and raised in Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory (North Vancouver, BC), Nathan has always been drawn to adventure – first to the end of the neighborhood, then onto the Salish Sea, and finally into the West Coast waves. In 2015, he completed a Certificate of Wilderness Leadership from Capilano University and has been working as a sea kayak guide and outdoor educator ever since. He is currently an apprentice SKGABC Guide Trainer, Level Three Guide, and a Paddle Canada Level Two Sea Kayak Instructor.
Nathan is passionate about sharing the culture, ecology, and magic of the pacific through sea kayak expeditions. He has lead trips spanning BC’s entire West Coast including a recent 140-day journey from Victoria, BC to Yakutat, Alaska. He currently manages the paddling blog alittlepaddle.ca where he shares stories, resources, and plans for outrageous personal expeditions.
When he’s not paddling, Nathan spends his time canoeing, cycling, backcountry skiing, writing, and practicing film photography. He also holds a degree of environmental planning along with certificates in geographic information science and Indigenous studies from Dalhousie University.
Membership Coordinator
Montana Clarke (she/her)
Montana grew up on Vancouver Island, a place that continues to nurture her love for the natural world. As an ardent backpacker, walking with the island’s ancient forests, sub-alpine meadows, and coastlines taught her to slow down, listen to, and learn from the land. These experiences shape her approach to outdoor recreation, one that embraces presence over performance.
She has studied Geography and Environmental Studies, Restoration of Natural Systems, and Environmental Education and Communication. Her recent academic work explored existent and expanding narratives of outdoor adventure and recreation and shifting from a mindset of conquering nature to one of connection with nature.
Montana is passionate about fostering inclusive spaces with/in the outdoors and cultivating deeper connections with the lands and waters we recreate alongside. She brings this perspective to her work as an outdoor educator and volunteer with youth-focused outdoor programs.
Currently based in Victoria, BC, Montana spends her time hiking, rock climbing, reading, and is keen to spend more time on the water!
Executive Director
Janette Galan (she/her)
Janette is a certified Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking Level 2 Instructor with Level 4 Skills, and a SKGABC Assistant Overnight Guide. She holds degrees in geography, environmental studies, diplomas in outdoor recreation leadership and marketing communications, and is an accredited Leave No Trace Trainer and PaddleSmart Presenter. Janette has been guiding and teaching sea kayaking in the Southern Gulf Islands for the past 20 years.
