Getting to the Southern Gulf Islands

The single most useful thing to understand is that passing through the islands and stopping at one are different sailings.

The Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run threads Active Pass without stopping. It is the sailing every Victoria day trip uses, and it is the one marketed as a “Gulf Islands cruise”. It does not put you on an island.

To actually land on one, you need a sailing that calls there.

The terminals

• Tsawwassen (mainland, south of Vancouver) — some sailings serve the Southern Gulf Islands directly; others run express to Swartz Bay.
• Swartz Bay (near Victoria) — the main gateway to the islands from Vancouver Island.
• Crofton (up-island) — serves Salt Spring’s Vesuvius side.

The trap

Island sailings are far less frequent than the main Victoria run, and the timetable thins sharply outside summer. A connection that exists in August may not exist in February, and a same-day return to some islands is not always possible at all.

Check the specific sailing for your specific date. Not last season’s timetable, and not a summary on a page like this one — the operator’s current schedule, for the day you are travelling.

If you only want the view

Then you do not need any of this. Book a Victoria day trip: the passage through Active Pass is included, it is the scenic part of the sailing, and you are back the same evening.