Why now's the time to visit Canada's Campbell River, the ‘Salmon Capital of the World'
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Bald eagles circle overhead, black bears patrol the forested riverbank and harbour seals frolic in pools near the estuary mouth. Imagine you're immersed in a fast-flowing river, face down with a mask and snorkel, observing one of nature's greatest spectacles: a chaotic maelstrom of fish racing towards you, all possessed with a deep-rooted instinct to fight the current and progress upstream. This is Campbell River's annual salmon run, an epic journey of hundreds of thousands of fish from the Pacific Ocean, returning to their freshwater spawning grounds.
A fishing and lumber town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Campbell River is regularly touted as the 'Salmon Capital of the World'. Five species of the sleek, ray-finned fish — pink, coho, chinook, chum and sockeye — frequent the local rivers, where they congregate in mind-boggling quantities during the summer and autumn spawning season. In 2024 — a bumper year by all accounts — an estimated one million pink salmon were reported to have returned here after travelling thousands of miles across the Pacific.
Despite the numbers, the chance of glimpsing these creatures in the open ocean is surprisingly slim. To see them in abundance, it's far better to don a wetsuit and float down the shallow Campbell River from late July to September, when the salmon run is taking place. Enabling visitors to witness this remarkable subaquatic event, local dive shop, Oceanfix, organises self-guided snorkelling tours during peak spawning season, accessible to anyone with two hours to spare and a healthy curiosity for Mother Nature. The snorkelling experience is both thrilling and epiphanic. 'Visitors come back to the shop knowing that they've experienced something they probably never will again,' says the owner of Oceanfix Dive Centre, Stephen Neff. Photograph by Oceanfix Dive Centre
'It's something you have to experience to truly comprehend,' says Stephen Neff, owner and diving instructor at Oceanfix. 'Being in the water with the salmon, you don't just witness their journey — you become part of it. I remember one time, I wasn't surrounded by hundreds, but thousands of them, a living, surging current of determination. As I floated downstream, they parted around me, utterly focused on their singular purpose. It's one of the most extraordinary spectacles I've ever seen — and I've explored some of the world's most incredible dive sites.'
A native Vancouverite, Stephen spent 35 years working abroad in Switzerland, the UK and China before moving back to British Columbia in 2023. 'I turned my hobby into a profession,' he says of his relocation to Campbell River and acquisition of Oceanfix. 'I was in the corporate world, but longed to be near the ocean, somewhere where the nature was still intact, and Campbell River has some of the world's best cold-water diving.'
Perched on Discovery Passage — a nutrient-rich strait between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island — Campbell River thrives with marine life, its waters power-washed by fast-moving currents. The result? A super-sized ecosystem teeming with giant Pacific octopuses, wolf eels, towering bull kelp forests and dazzling carpets of red anemones. One legendary oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, ranked the area second only to the Red Sea as one of the world's top dive sites.
The route begins at a logging bridge on the Gold River Highway, where wetsuit-clad swimmers launch bravely into an underwater obstacle course of rocks, fishing lines and fast-moving aquatic life.
There are two main rules, explains Stephen: keep your head in the water to avoid the rocks and don't attempt to pick up any souvenirs. 'The water can go quite quick,' he warns. 'You don't need to be a strong swimmer, but you do need to be able to swim. It's definitely adventurous. I've had people come out of there and say, 'it was exhilarating but I was terrified'. One journalist emerged with eyes the size of saucers.' Legendary oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, ranked this area second only to the Red Sea as one of the world's top dive sites. Photograph by Getty Images; Moelyn Photos
The question of how to balance conservation with tourism is complicated, but despite the challenges, Stephen remains relatively sanguine. Low-key and strictly seasonal, snorkelling is said to have a minimal impact on the river's delicate ecosystem. 'There are also several local initiatives,' says Stephen. 'Take the Greenways Land Trust — we collaborate with them, supplying equipment and training some of their divers. Visitors can also get involved with their Streamkeepers programme that monitors fish presence and helps environmental restoration in the river,' he explains. First Nations communities are also reclaiming stewardship of these waters, planting oxygenating eelgrass in the estuary which was destroyed over the years.
'It's a catch-22, but I do believe tourism has a positive influence,' he states. 'When people come to Campbell River, it finances other activities, such as some of the farm trust funds organised by the city to replant the estuaries. With no tourist income, there would be no way to finance these projects.'
'Furthermore, the snorkelling doesn't damage anything,' he adds. 'It's only a couple of hundred people who do this with us per year and we're the only operator.'
The experience is both thrilling and epiphanic. 'Visitors come back to the shop knowing that they've experienced something they probably never will again,' Stephen states. 'A churning underwater roller coaster that will open your eyes to the beauty and fragility of Vancouver Island's natural elements.' The salmon snorkelling rental package at Oceanfix costs C$40 (£22) per person and includes equipment hire, as well as an onshore briefing. Aided by the current, the river float takes around 30-40 minutes and covers a distance of around a mile. It's worth visiting the nearby Quinsam River Hatchery first. Published in the Coastal Collection 2025 by National Geographic Traveller (UK)
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