Tofino Expedition founder Grant Thompson has watched sea kayaking grow from birth

(EMAILWIRE.COM, March 08, 2012 ) Tofino Expeditions
CONTACT: Matt Minich
Tel: 970.568.7423
matt@adventuremedianews.com
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Tofino Expedition founder Grant Thompson has watched sport grow from birth

Founder and owner of Salem, OregonÂ’s Tofino Expeditions Grant Thompson has been a key player in the commercial sea kayaking industry for decades, and has seen the sport grow from near infancy to a global sensation.

Thompson has been involved with the sea kayaking industry since the early 1980s, when he sat on the board of the Trade Association of Sea Kayaking (now the Trade Association of Paddle Sports). He has owned and operated his own outfitter, Tofino Expeditions, since 1988.

Â“Back then, (sea kayakers) were mountaineers with bad knees and crank canoeists,Â” he jokes. Â“We used to get together and sort of dream of the day when youÂ’d see kayaks on a large number of cars.Â”

Originally a technical ice climber and mountaineer, Thompson was introduced to sea kayaking in the Â‘70s and quickly fell in love with the sport. When his climbing was set back by a knee injury, Thompson dove head-first into the sea kayaking world. He did so under the tutelage of John Dowd, a sea kayaking legend and author of the book Â“Sea Kayaking,Â” which is largely credited with bringing the sport into the public eye.

Since then, he has seen sea kayaking capture the interest of adventurers across the world, and guided paddling blossom into an international industry. Tofino Expeditions offers trips in North America, South America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, and was the first outfitter to guide trips along HondurasÂ’ Mosquito Coast
In the young sport of stand-up paddle boarding, Thompsons sees the same potential that has driven the expansion of sea kayaking.

Â“It has so many of the same intrinsic appeals that kayaking had,Â” he says of the sport. This year, Tofino is pioneering guided stand-up paddle boarding expeditions with their Stand Up Paddle Adventure Brazil tour, which will give travelers seven days of paddle boarding in the aquamarine waters of BrazilÂ’s southern coast.

About Tofino Expeditions

Founded by veteran adventurer Grant Thompson, Tofino Expeditions has guided commercial sea kayaking expeditions since 1988, making them one of the oldest companies of the business. The company was the very first to provide guided paddling tours of Vancouver IslandÂ’s west coast, which is now a destination on the life list of paddlers around the world. The company guides trips along the worldÂ’s finest coasts in Baja, British Columbia, Croatia, Brazil, Vietnam, Norway, and the Galapagos Islands.

Tofino Expeditions
Matt Minich
9702311823
matt@adventuremedianews.com