Respect for the Land — Clayoquot Sound
CatFace Charters operates on the waters of Clayoquot Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The town of Tofino sits in the traditional territory (ḥaḥuułi) of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and the wider waters we travel are the shared and overlapping territories of three Nuu-chah-nulth Nations — the Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, and Hesquiaht — who have lived here for thousands of years. We're guests on these waters, and we run our trips with respect for the land, the water, and the wildlife.
The places we travel
- Meares Island — Wanachus-Hilthuuis — a Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Park, home to the Big Tree Trail and western redcedars up to ~1,500 years old. We visit respectfully, as guests.
- CatFace Mountain — čitaapii — the landmark our name nods to, standing across the water in Ahousaht territory. "CatFace" is its common English name; čitaapii is its name in the Ahousaht Nuu-chah-nulth language, and we use it here with respect, not as a brand.
How we operate
- Low-impact wildlife viewing — we keep our distance, stay quiet, and never disturb animals or their feeding. We never bait or crowd wildlife.
- Honest about sightings — these are wild animals in a wild place. We never guarantee a sighting; we just do everything we can to find them respectfully.
- Leave no trace — what we bring out, we bring back.
- Guests on the water — we follow the lead of the Nations whose territories these are, and treat culturally important places accordingly.
A note on our name
Our name comes from CatFace Mountain, the cat-eared peak you can see from the water. We use the English place-name for the business out of respect — the Nuu-chah-nulth name čitaapii belongs to the Nation, and we reference it only to honour it.