About Us
Captain James Nickerson
James was born and raised in Daajing Giids (the Village of Queen Charlotte), and grew up in a fishing and boating family that spent every summer on the water – counting salmon returning to streams and providing passage for some of the very first visitors to Gwaii Haanas after it was established as a Haida Heritage Site and then a National Park Reserve in the mid-1980s. James knows this archipelago. He has navigated the islands from north to south and east to west and has run organized tours in Gwaii Haanas for almost two decades. He has worked for multiple operators over the years and knows what works and what doesn’t. Based on that knowledge, James and his wife Catherine built Atlas Ocean Tours to offer you the best of the best.
Captain Barrett Johnson
Barrett first arrived on the west coast in 2002 from southern Ontario and quickly developed a passion for sea kayaking and the ocean. He is now a fully certified captain of vessels up to 60 tons, a level three kayak guide, and a coxswain with the Masset Coast Guard Auxiliary. Barrett has worked with James for almost a decade and is an outstanding captain and good friend. He has built personal relationships with the Haida Gwaii Watchmen based on mutual respect and a shared responsibility to protect Gwaii Haanas. Barrett is thoughtful, patient, incredibly capable, and a whole lot of fun. He lives and breathes the ocean – you can find him surfing the waves on North Beach whenever he has a moment to spare.
Captain Darrell Oike
Darrell is a man of many talents. Darrell is a long-time resident of Haida Gwaii, hiking the forests and fishing the rivers and oceans in every spare moment. He is also an accomplished artist and musician. He was a welcome addition to the “Atlas Experience”, bringing a wealth of knowledge from years of guiding recreational sport fishing in local waters. He is an outstanding cook and a global traveller, bringing his love of adventure to the Atlas table. Darrell is a certified captain and strong and dependable, and is a passionate ambassador of Haida Gwaii. We feel fortunate to have him as part of the Atlas team.
We are grateful to the photo contributions of Jags Brown, Heron Weir, Lynn Lee, Berry Wijdeven, Josina Davis and Jason Shafto to this website. The one fin killerwhale design is by talented Haida artist Illjuuwaas (Tyson Brown) – Haawa! Our business is greater for the sum of the parts.
Our company name is Fife Point Enterprises (BC Business#: BC0856750), established in 2009. We are a licensed tour operator with quota issued by the Gwaii Haanas Archipelago Management Board. We also belong to the Gwaii Haanas Tour Operators Association.