Returning to the Waters: Where Talaysay Tours First Began

The Echo on the Shore

I still remember the sharp echo of my grandmother's voice bouncing off the Sechelt Inlet, fierce and unwavering. We were so far out on the water that her words didn’t reach us clearly but her face said enough. She was standing on the shoreline, hands on her hips, shouting at my mother to turn back. I was too young, too small, too far. And maybe she was right.

At that age, I didn’t even fit in the cockpit of our sea kayak. So, my mom Candace Campo did what any determined Indigenous woman with a love for the land and water would do: she tucked me into the back storage compartment of the kayak. It was a perfect fit, and to her, that meant we were good to go. With a subtle wave to my grandmother and a cheeky grin, she paddled forward, and we left the shoreline behind.

Candace Campo with young Talaysay Campo paddling on the Sechelt Inlet, Sunshine Coast, BC.

A Classroom of Salt and Story

That paddle up the Sechelt Inlet, from Porpoise Bay along the Sunshine Coast, was my first true classroom. My mother told me we come from the Fishtrap family, that these waters were our coastal highways, and that our people have traveled up and down these inlets for generations. That was the moment I realized: the ocean is part of who I am. It wasn’t just a trip, it was the beginning of my Coast Salish journey.

The Beginning of Talaysay Tours

When I was four, my mother started Talaysay Tours at the Porpoise Bay Campsite. Tourists from around the world came to camp there. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was already working in the family business. I’d tell visitors about kayaking the coastline; and before I knew it, we’d all be out on the water together, exploring the bay. I guess you could say I started in sales before I could even spell it.

Young Talaysay Campo paddling on her own in the Sechelt Inlet, Sunshine Coast, BC.

Coastal Roots & Family Business

Back then, our company was small: just me, my mother Candace, my father Larry, our worn-out black Jeep Cherokee that always smelled like saltwater, and a fleet of kayaks. But that was all we needed. We ran kayaking tours every summer for five years, and those seasons were rich with unforgettable memories; watching over 40 porpoises breaching the water, swimming beneath the stars in glowing bioluminescence, and paddling to our ancestral villages to see ancient pictographs. I have never felt more wealthy than in those moments.

Candace & Larry Campos kayaking on the Sunshine Coast, BC.

The Modern Indian Chapter

Eventually, we moved to my father’s reserve on the Squamish Nation so I could pursue a stronger education. That marked the next chapter of my journey, what I like to call becoming a “modern Indian.” I got my education, and together we brought Talaysay Tours to Stanley Park, where our little family business began to grow.

Growth, Partnerships, and Possibilities

Today, we are a team of 18 people who feel like family. We've accomplished things I never imagined; from working alongside Dr. Jane Goodall, hosting my first TED Talk, expanding Talaysay Tours to Whistler, Squamish, and all the way back to my home territory on the Sunshine Coast.

Talaysay Tours, Indigenous-owned ecotourism team, spending their time on the land.

Full Circle: A Return to the Inlet

This season, we return to where it all began on the water. We’re launching our kayaking tours once again and expanding into paddle boarding and canoeing. Our team has been training, preparing, and dreaming for this moment. Our first big trip will be a 3-day kayak journey the last weekend of June and I promise to share that story with you next.

In Gratitude & Adventure

This is more than a tour company. It’s a movement rooted in culture, healing, land-based education, and the deep love passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and now to me. I hope to see you out there on the water, paddling alongside me.

In gratitude and adventure,
Talaysay Campo