Water takeoffs and landings

Location coordinates:
48°25'22"N, 123°23'15"W
Inner Harbour
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada


I'm sure you've seen movies set in exotic locales like a south pacific island, Alaska, or the wilds of the Yukon. At some point in these movies you will likely have a scene with someone arriving in a small plane with two pontoons (or skis) in place of landing gears. These are floatplanes (also known as seaplanes), and with my passion for flying and aircraft I've been curious about what it would be like to take off and land on the water. I was able to satisfy that curiosity as part of my recent visit to Victoria, British Columbia.

When we arrived in Victoria I was pleased to find an airline operating scenic flights using a large fleet of floatplanes - specifically, de Havilland Otters. Excitement outweighed frugality regarding the flight's cost, so my wife and I bought tickets on Harbour Air for a forty-five minute aerial tour of the region around Victoria and the nearby Gulf Islands.

It was unseasonably warm on our tour day as we arrived at the Victoria Harbour Water Aerodrome. We obtained our bright pink boarding cards and had a seat in the sparse waiting area to await our departure. Fifteen minutes later an energetic girl called for those on the 11 AM flight. I was a bit concerned as I observed about thirteen people moving toward a plane I assumed was fitted for no more than six or eight passengers. As I crawled into the plane I could see that, technically, the cabin could seat about fifteen - providing those fifteen were the stature of a five-year-old child. We claimed our two diminutive seats, and with my knees rammed into the row in front and legs spilling into the "aisle", I buckled up and let anticipation rush over me. It was quite cramped and stuffy inside the tiny cabin, but worries about comfort quickly faded away as we got underway.

We enjoyed a mini-cruise of the harbour while taxiing to the main channel for takeoff. I expected to be vigorously bounced by the waves on our acceleration run, but even though water was flying wildly to the sides the ride was relatively smooth. Soon we were airborne and banking left to follow the gorgeous Vancouver Island shoreline. The views were amazing! At one point our pilot took us down to a mere 500 feet where we seemed to skim the tops of the trees on one of the Gulf Islands. What a thrill! Beyond the excitement of the flight itself, we were able to see so much more of the diverse beauty of the area than we ever could have from the ground. The adventure ended much too soon, and after about thirty-five minutes in the air we splashed down for a smooth landing back in Victoria Harbour. 

The flight exceeded all my expectations (except for cabin space), and it was the highlight of my visit to Victoria. And, I get to check "ride in a seaplane" off the life goals list.