by Denise August
Ha-shilth-sa Reporter
August 24, 2006
Ucluelet - Tourists visiting Ucluelet have a new and very different adventure option when it comes to exploring the area thanks to a young Toquaht man named Carlos Mack. Rather than selecting one of the many whale watching excursions or sports fishing charters that dot the main streets of Ucluelet, the truly adventuresome may board an open canoe and paddle the shorelines of Toquaht traditional territory.
Carlos Mack, 22, launched a cultural tourism business that he describes as a native interpretive canoe tour mainly focused on Toquaht First Nation history and territory. He is already networking with the owner/operators of Seaway Express and more friends in the tourism industry in Bamfield. Each new business owner is sending tourists to each other, promoting each other by word-of-mouth.
With the new Seaway Express ferry service providing the link between two hot tourist destinations, Bamfield and Ucluelet, Mack's newly established business is sure to enjoy the benefits.
Mack says he and his cousin Noah Plonka started out in 2005 with a 24' birch bark-style canoe that he eventually bought from a man who started out teaching the cousins about the adventure tourism business.
Mack's parents are Sidney Mack and Jeanine Nahas who is of Lebanese descent. He was raised in Ucluelet, VIctoria and Whitehorse with his brother Phil and sister Leah. Carlos is very proud of his siblings saying his 19 year old brother plays rugby for Team Canada and Leah, 24, is in Law School. Coming from a family of high achievers, Carlos said he had no immediate plans for college or university so he had to do something. "I love the outdoors and people will never stop coming here because it's so beautiful so I'm doing what Natives should be doing: I'm taking people out to show them around and tell them about our history," he explained.
Learning Nuu-chah-nulth history from Chief Bert Mack and other NCN people, Mack relays the teachings to his customers, telling the history from the Toquaht perspective. Paddling, or sometimes running a small motor if the customers are too tired to paddle, Mack's keen eye picks out the main attraction - the black bears foraging along the shoreline. People also like to see the birds, wolves, seals, sea lions and, if they're lucky, the elusive cougar.
Mack says business is up and down. The pattern he says seems to be that a wave of tourists comes into town and makes the rounds at the various attractions and things slow down until the next wave of tourists comes in.
Noah eventually moved on leaving the business to Carlos. Future plans include building platforms and tree top zip lines, Costa Rica-style, if he can get the funding in place.
Mack says the zip line inspiration came to him one day when he was hiking Big Toquaht River. "I came across 15 bears and at first I was scared but they were feasting on salmon and didn't care that I was there," he explained. Mack thought it would be a great idea to build the platforms and zip lines so adventurers can watch wildlife from a safe distance in the tree canopies.
As the only tour operator with exclusive access to Toquaht traditional territory, Mack says he has a site in mind for the zip lines in a stand of spruce trees mear Macoah.
For more information
about Toquaht Wildlife Safaris call 1-877-726-4230. ext. 27 or 250-266-0645.
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Copyright Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper, published by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Reproduction of this article or photographs, in whole or in part, is illegal without the written consent of Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper (hashilth@nuuchahnulth.org)
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