FILE PHOTO - The Okanagan River channel.
(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)
June 25, 2022 - 6:00 AM
Sit back and let the afternoon go while floating the seven-kilometre waterway that connects Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake.
Floating the channel is a quintessential part of the Penticton experience.
“It's definitely a way for people to get out and party on the water,” says Sheridan Cooper, a local woman who’s a regular on the channel.
“I love it, my friends all love it – I even get people from Kelowna and Vancouver to come down and float it.”
All you need to enjoy the channel is something buoyant and comfortable to ride on. It’s enjoyed by floaters of all ages, incomes and abilities.
“It’s for everybody from babies to grandparents,” Cooper says.
FILE PHOTO
(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)
And while families on vacation may have different priorities on the channel than groups of rowdy young adults, there is a sense of camaraderie among all floaters.
“The channel brings us together as a community – if someone drops their phone or keys, three different groups of floaters will come and help a stranger find their stuff,” she said.
After floating more times than she can count, Cooper has a few tidbits of wisdom for first-time floaters. Waterproof bags always come in handy, it’s a good idea to have tape or a patch repair kit on hand (especially for smokers), ride on floaties with cupholders, carry your drinks in a cooler with ice, a bit of steering is required so paddles are useful, don’t forget hats, sunglasses and sunscreen, and it’s nice to have a reusable bag to carry all the wet stuff at the end.
“It can either be cost-friendly for people on a tight budget or it can be convenient for travellers.”
To enjoy the channel without spending any money, floaters need their own inflatables which they’ll need to blow up themselves, and then arrange their own transportation.
For a more convenient experience, Coyote Cruises offers bus rides and tube rentals, and anyone who brings their own tubes can inflate them on site for $5 each.
Taxi cabs also frequent the pick-up areas on busy days.
There are two popular pick-up spots. The first one, at the intersection of Green Mountain Road and the Channel Parkway, takes about one hour to reach from Coyote Cruises. That location is where Relvis would perform, Penticton’s popular Elvis tribute who has since retired.
There’s a convenience store, a pot shop and a nice beach at Green Mountain Road, so those who are committing to the whole float often take a break before embarking upon the rest of the journey.
The second location to get picked up is at the corner of the Channel Parkway and Highway 97, close to where the channel enters Skaha Lake. That currently takes about three hours to complete.
Wind and stream flow can affect travel times. And later into the summertime the current will become weaker and the channel will gradually take longer to complete.
READ MORE: 'Uber of the Channel' promises new way to float down Penticton's river channel
How do you know if the full channel or the halfway point is right for you?
Jacob George, general manager at Coyote Cruises, said it’s not something you want to rush through.
“It’s a lazy river in the sense that you’re not supposed to really think about what you’re going to do later, you’re just supposed to enjoy it,” he said.
“But it depends what you’re doing that day – if it’s 3 p.m. and you have dinner plans later that evening, it might not be a good idea to go all the way to the end.”
It’s a very popular tourist attraction, especially for those from the Lower Mainland.
“And it’s the one spot all the locals go to,” George said.
“You can go up to anybody in Penticton, and they just know that it’s a great place.”
Coyote Cruises has over 300 tubes that come in single, double and party-sizes. And the designs have come a long way from the black rubber tractor tires that were used in the beginning.
“We are very prepared.”
Some people make their own floaties. George says his favourite is a picnic table, made to float of course, that a group of friends ride on every summer.
The team at Coyote Cruises makes sure the channel is fully accessible for anybody who might need help.
“We’re making it so that anybody who would like to, is able to, and have the most fun that they can,” said George.
He recommends booking online to reduce the wait-time on busy days.
“Come on by, you can just walk right up at your reservation time, and we’ll set you up and have you in the water.”
READ MORE: Penticton creates new walking path to avoid overcrowding along Okanagan River Channel
The channel was built in 1953.
Mayor John Vassilaki says he remembers people floating the channel as early as 1956, the year he moved to Penticton with his family.
“I grew up on there as well,” he said. “My grandkids go down there still.”
It’s one Penticton attraction that has remained consistently popular since the city was known as a destination for partiers several decades ago.
“There were no bad people on there, everything was good,” Vassilaki said. “People enjoyed themselves. One reason why many people came to Penticton in the summertime was just for the channel.”
He also remembers events like cardboard boat races that used to take place on the waterway.
“People would get together and businesses – it was taken very seriously. We entered every year,” said Vassilaki.
“A lot of them sank before they got to the end.”
In 2015, some lucky floaters found themselves involved in an A&W promotion, when the fast-food chain was handing out free burgers while filming a commercial for the world’s first float thru.
Floaters are the most common type of traffic in the channel. The Explorer 200 is an especially popular model.
The Explorer 200
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/canadiantire.ca
But it’s not rare to see people using kayaks or canoes, and it’s a popular spot for scuba divers.
Also, a few words of caution. Upon reaching the end of the channel, you have to accept that it’s over. Some people feel tempted to float on, but it’s important to get off before the final bridge – the current becomes deceitfully strong and has carried many floaters farther into the lake than they could handle. Don't tie floaties together, especially at this time of year. The current is very fast currently and tied floaties can get caught on the pillars under bridges, so steer clear. Several people have drowned because of this exact mistake.
The endpoint of the Okanagan river channel.
(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)
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