Executive

Members of the SKGABC Board of Directors meet monthly from September through May to work on Board projects and discuss topics of interest in the service of SKGABC members. Board member bios are listed below.

Eric Boros (he/him)

President

Eric Boros (he/him)

president@skgabc.com

Eric grew up on Vancouver Island, paddling kayaks built by his father. After an extended period abroad working as a musician and solar-power event coordinator, he returned to Canada to pursue his exploration of the west coast. Eric is a SKGABC Level 3 Guide and Paddle Canada Level 2 Instructor with Level 4 Sea Kayak Skills. He lives in Ucluelet.

Kevin Bradshaw (he/him)

Vice President

Kevin Bradshaw (he/him)

Kevin lives in Ucluelet, British Columbia, where he has been a professional Sea Kayaking Guide since 2001. Kevin is a Level 3 Guide and Guide Trainer with Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC (SKGABC) and a Paddle Canada Level 2 instructor. He is currently Head Guide and Operations Manager for Hello Nature Adventure Tours and oversees training and safety for the company. Kevin has paddled in numerous destinations around Vancouver Island, Costa Rica, Indonesia.

Faroe des Roches

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.

Danielle Lacasse (she/her)

Secretary

Danielle Lacasse (she/her)

Danielle has been working in the industry for the last six years. Guiding during the summer was a great complement while spending winters completing her degree in biology. She currently holds her SKGABC Level 2 guide certification and enjoys splitting her time between guiding and working as an environmental consultant.

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.

Austin Willson

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.

Adam Rosenbaum

Member at Large

Adam Rosenbaum

Adam was born and raised in midtown Toronto, but spent his formative summers paddling and portaging wood canvas canoes through the lakes and rivers of northern Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador. 
 
A business management degree with a major in environmental sustainability led him to numerous roles across the eCommerce, hospitality, fundraising, and food tech industries, but in 2019, he hung up his dress shirt for the last time and traded in his laptop for a kayak paddle. During his time in the Adventure Guide Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University, Adam specialized in coastal adventure sports which lead him to a career as a sea kayak guide, instructor, and surf coach. After 3 seasons of guiding, Adam was stoked to earn his SKGABC L2 cert this fall, and is excited to direct his passion for paddling and business acumen towards developing a more robust and sustainable industry for sea kayak guides and operators alike.
Rob Watson

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.

Dan Smetaniuk

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.

Amy Stewart (she/her)

Membership Coordinator

Amy Stewart (she/her)

Amy grew up in the Ottawa Valley with a white water kayaking father.  She didn't take to the white water, but she did love camping and paddling.  Amy's first career of 20 years was in Broadcast Television and she recently decided to change directions and see where her love for kayaking would lead her.  Amy took the Level 1 Guide course in Shelburne, NS in 2019 and spent the last two seasons guiding for Rock Adventures in Twillingate, NL.   She bought and renovated two homes in nearby Crow Head which she calls the Moose and Pixee.  She will spend the winter in Ontario and welcome whatever adventures come her way.

Janette Galan (she/her)

Executive Director

Janette Galan (she/her)

executive.director@skgabc.com

Janette is an independent special event professional specializing in assisting not-for-profit organizations. She has been planning and producing events for over 30 years and works on all types of projects, including tradeshows and outdoor concerts. She was the vision behind the Pacific Paddling Symposium, and it is through her dedication, hard work, and leadership that the Symposium served the paddling community from 2013-2019.

Janette is a certified Paddle Canada Sea Kayaking Level 2 Instructor and Level 4 Skills, is an aspirant Level 1 Instructor Trainer 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 18 years.