Two Kayakers Begin Journey of Paddling the Northwest Passage

Canadian kayakers have begun their intense Northwest Passage kayaking trip as of July 7.

Kayaker Paddling Along the Shoreline / Unsplash

Experienced kayakers, Simon Carrier and Maxime Geoffroy, have started their paddling journey of the Northwest Passage in Epic 18x Sea Kayaks, beginning in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. The pair plans to paddle 3,000 km west to east, ending at Pond Inlet, Canada. 

The Northwest Passage is the line that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Canadian Arctic. Ice and chilling wind are anticipated. 

Paddling this route has been of interest to many people for years. In 2023, the Arctic Cowboys team paddled the Northwest Passage from east to west, making them the first team to complete the route in one season. While Carrier and Geoffroy are paddling in the reverse order, it is expected that the journey will be just as intense.

The paddlers are carrying food to last them 40 days with plans to resupply at their halfway mark in Cambridge Bay. They expect the entirety of this trip to last 80 days.

“The expedition is going well. They are doing the average distance they wanted to do, which is about 500 km with an average of more than 40 km per day which is great for sea kayaking,” their support team posted to the pair’s joint Facebook account, with an English translation. “Morale is also excellent!”

Carrier and Geoffroy have been sharing their GPS updates along the way.