Plan Pirates Cove Marine Park on De Courcy Island with sheltered anchorage, dinghy docks, camping, trails, kayaking, swimming, wildlife, no fires, and midden care.
Pirates Cove Marine Park is on De Courcy Island off Nanaimo, beside Pylades Channel and Ruxton Passage. BC Parks says the marine-access park is a popular destination for boaters exploring the southern Gulf Islands.
The park offers a sheltered anchorage and two dinghy docks, one on either side of the cove.
Why Visit Pirates Cove Marine Park
Pirates Cove combines marine camping, kayaking, trails, sandstone shoreline, beaches, wildlife viewing, and cultural history. The park protects a natural setting suited to kayaking, picnicking, swimming, hiking, beach exploration, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
Its history ranges from extensive First Nations use to Brother XII and the Aquarian Foundation, a religious group that settled on De Courcy Island in the 1920s and early 1930s. Several middens indicate First Nations use dating back more than 3,000 years, and the largest shell refuse heap lies beneath the present campground. There is no mooring fee in Pirates Cove Marine Park.
Things To Do
Anchor in the cove, use the dinghy docks, camp, swim from the sandy south beach without lifeguards, paddle sheltered Gulf Islands waters, fish with a licence, hike five kilometres of trails including Brother XII, Darkwoods, and Pylades trails, and watch seals, sea lions, whales, river otters, eagles, herons, oystercatchers, and songbirds.
Planning Notes
Use marine chart 3475. Poison oak occurs along steep rock outcroppings. Do not disturb protected shell middens. Sewage or grey-water discharge while moored is prohibited. Fires are not allowed in the park or on the beach, so bring a portable stove.