Executive

President

Eric Boros

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

Executive Director

Janette Galan (she/her)

executive.director@skgabc.com