• Island of the Sea Wolves director Chelsea Turner on the making of the three-part series, which stars the incredible sea wolf
• A tired mom’s quest for rest on a solo road trip around B.C.’s South Island Spirit Loop
• John Robinson of Parks Canada discusses the work being done to help bring back Fundy Atlantic salmon populations from the brink of extinction
• Bid on a three-night getaway at Klahoose Wilderness Resort in B.C.'s coastal wilderness
• An Exodus Travels adventure which includes wildlife watching, canoeing and walking through the Zambezi Valley hosted by Dr. Travis Steffens

A sea otter, bobbing in the waves, cries out to his mother. A aerie of bald eagles swoops toward an ocean swirling with herring. A lone sea wolf patrols a glassy shoreline as mist rises from a forest-carpeted mountainscape.

Island of the Sea Wolves, which premiered last month on Netflix, offers a glimpse into the ecosystem inhabitants of Vancouver Island. At the juncture of land and sea, the father-daughter duo Chelsea and Jeff Turner at Vancouver-based River Road Films follow the journeys through the seasons of Vancouver Island’s amazing animals, including sea wolves, Vancouver Island marmots, sea otters, orcas, bears and eagles. Narrated by actor and comedian Will Arnett and accompanied by a score (by Laurentia Editha and Denise Santos) that feels like nature-doc-meets-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean, the series blends incredible cinematography (by Maxwel Hohn) with detailed research and engaging storytelling.

Co-director Chelsea Turner spoke with Canadian Geographic about what went into the making of this fascinating series — and what it meant to film the documentary in her own backyard.

"You don’t look tired at all!”

The hostess at the Masters Lounge at the Westin Bear Mountain Resort in Langford, B.C. is, I’m certain, just being polite to a guest. My face is puffy from lack of sleep, my eyes burning red. It’s not just jet lag or the 4 a.m. start to my day; I’m tired on a cellular level. I’ve come to B.C. to explore the South Island Spirit Loop, a roughly 240-kilometre circuit around southern Vancouver Island that passes through the coastal communities of Sooke and Port Renfrew before cutting across the Seymour Range to Lake Cowichan and back to Langford through Malahat. It’s my job to write about travel, but I’m particularly invested in enjoying this experience to the fullest. It’s March 2022; the last time I got on a plane was in March 2020, when I was 18 weeks pregnant with my son, Marcus. Incidentally, that was also the last time I had an unbroken night’s sleep.

Halfway through my preview of chef Kiran Kolathodan’s spring menu, Jacqui Mays, manager of the resort’s Amatista Spa, comes by my table to remind me about my spa treatments. I’m booked in for a 90-minute Swedish massage, followed by a 90-minute West Coast Body Wrap, and while I appreciate the courtesy visit, nothing short of a natural disaster could stop me from showing up on time for this long-awaited pamper session.

“It’s okay if you nod off during the treatments,” Mays tells me. “It happens all the time.”

We’re still riding the Bay of Fundy waves this episode with the Students on Ice – Ocean Conservation Expedition. 

Today we’re leaving the sea and heading up the Point Wolf River in New Brunswick’s Fundy National Park, with the story of a remarkable effort to bring the Fundy Atlantic Salmon back from the brink of extinction.  A unique subspecies, unlike all other Atlantic Salmon, the Fundy Salmon doesn’t migrate to Greenland after leaving its spawning grounds. It stays in the Bay of Fundy, in part because the waters are so rich. As recently as the 1970s, there were 40,000 Fundy salmon living in the Inner Bay and spawning in dozens of its rivers. By 1998 that number had dropped to just 200, caused principally by habitat loss. But a concerted effort led by the University of New Brunswick, Fundy National Park, Cooke Aquaculture, the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association, Fort Folly First Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Parks Canada has seen those numbers begin to creep back up again, in a way that has researchers hopeful. In part, this is because of a first-of-its-kind Wild Salmon Marine Conservation Farm on Grand Manan Island, where the fish grow safely to maturity and are then released to their native rivers to spawn naturally.

Your stay includes:

• 3-nights/4 days accommodation package for 2 guests at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort
• All meals from dinner on arrival to breakfast on departure (with house wine/beer with dinner)
• One 4-5 hour Cultural and Wildlife Boat Tour in Toba Inlet
• Use of lodge amenities including the great room lounge, Wi-Fi, satellite phone, large deck, massive dock area, campfires, kayaks, paddle boards and nature trails
• Marine transfers between Lund Harbour and Klahoose Wilderness Resort
• Complimentary shuttle service between Powell River Airport and the Lund Harbour — where the boat departs from for Desoliation Sound and the Resort

secluded beaches, the days are spent relishing magnificent scenery and abundant game, while passing the ever-present basking crocodiles and hippo pods. Away from the water there is also plenty of time for game walks and drives to experience the diverse wildlife and remarkable scenery this region has to offer.

Dr. Travis Steffens is a Naturalist, Primatologist and Professor of Anthropology and Executive Director of the charity Planet Madagascar. Travis is a Fellow of the RCGS and Explorers Club and is also a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Primate Specialist Group.

Meet your ambassador

Check out these other upcoming trips:

- Highlights of Bolivia with George Kourounis
- Ultimate British Columbia with Brian Hodgson
- Salish Sea Expeditionwith Emily Choy