BC Man First To Circumnavigate Vancouver Island Via Paddleboard

Paul Verchere doesn’t need any fanfare. In a world where adventurers livestream their breakfast and pre-announce their missions months before they happen, Paul did the opposite. He quietly trained, planned his trip, and gathered his gear. Then he slipped onto the water near the community of Ladysmith on June 25, 2025, and became the first person to circumnavigate Vancouver Island via stand up paddleboard.

“I didn’t really tell anyone what I was doing on purpose,” he says, “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

That refusal to self-promote is contradictory to today’s look-at-me culture and is reminiscent of Alan Eustace, the Google executive who Paul admires. In 2014 Alan secretly jumped from near-space without sponsors or fanfare setting a world record for highest skydive. He reached an altitude of 41 kilometres, two kilometres higher than the overly publicized Red Bull “Stratos” mission involving Felix Baumgartner in 2012. “(Alan) spent like $10 million of his own money on his jump but never told anyone he was doing it,” Paul says. “I was always impressed by that guy.”

Two dudes with big dreams. No validation necessary.

I spoke to Paul a month after he completed his 40-day tour and was surprised to learn that a few years ago he considered just grabbing an old board and going for it. “I figured I’d be in shape by the time I got to Port Hardy and then I’d just swing around the other side,” he says. “Then I realized I didn’t have any camping gear.”

The dream stalled, simmered, then took shape again. He bought a better SUP: a 14-foot Starboard All Star. Then he got a lightweight Yukon 520 paddle from Squamish-based company Blackfish and that’s when someone outside his close circle deduced what he was up to. “I asked for a specific paddle and (Blackfish Paddles employee) Peter Allen goes, ‘Oh you’re not going for the circumnavigation, are you?’” Paul says and laughs. “He’d been wondering when someone was going to try and put that together.”

Paul made him promise not to post about it until he was halfway through his trip. “I didn’t want to make it public until I got to Port Hardy.” He continued to cross-train, spending days on the water in between rock climbing sessions and his work as a yoga instructor. Then, on an calm morning four days after summer solstice, he set off into the Georgia Straight.

It didn’t take long for a headwind to pick up and he says he battled it all the way through the Johnson Straight to Cape Scott. That’s when things got really scary. The Cape has a reputation for turbulence and wild seas and the remoteness means there isn’t much support if you get into trouble. Paul rounded the Cape on what appeared to be a peaceful day but soon found himself surrounded by three-storey waves. “It was pure survival,” he recalls. “I just held on to the board for a few hours.” Just as he was about to give up hope, a humpback breached nearby. “It was so beautiful. I’ll never forget that moment.” Soon after the rough waters ceased and he was able to continue on.

During his trip, Paul encountered a huge variety of wildlife including whales, dolphins, a wolf and a bear that wandered into his camp one day and convinced him to break camp early. Most days he’d wake up around 3:00 a.m. to break camp and begin paddling as first light was breaking so as to take advantage of the calmer waters. Most days he’d paddle anywhere between five and 11 hours, travelling an average of 35 kilometres.

On his last push, he spent over 11 hours paddling the 60-kilometre stretch from James Island off Saanichton to Transfer Beach in Ladysmith. He stepped off his board the evening of August 4 having been gone 40 days, 36 of which he spent paddling.

He marked the milestone with a beer and a stroll with his cat.

Paul says he spent part of his journey pondering why he was doing this. As a former professional skier who’d spent years in front of cameras, he understood how public attention can warp motives. “There’s always that thing about whether you’re doing it because the camera is there or whether you’re doing it because you want to do it” he says.

He set off alone, without any celebration or publicity, and he completed it without commotion other than enjoying a cold brew.

So what’s next for Paul? He’ll tell you when he’s done it.