A Seaplane Flight Over Vancouver

When I lived in Vancouver I used to stand at Coal Harbour and watch seaplanes taking off from and landing on the water. They were like little mosquitoes buzzing above the city, offering tourists bird’s eye views of the buildings, the mountains and the unbelievable surrounding scenery.

A seaplane is, as the name suggests, an aircraft with floats instead of wheels, so it can take off from and land on the water instead of a runway.

It was an experience I always wanted to try, but somehow I never got around to taking a seaplane flight over Vancouver in my two years as a local.

When I returned to my old Canadian home this year, my husband treated me to a ride in one of these miniature planes, so I could try one of the few things I hadn’t done during my time in Vancouver. Here’s a short video of my very first seaplane ride:

I caught my flight from Coal Harbour, which is on the waterfront near the city’s Convention Centre. Harbour Air has a terminal here, from which passengers catch short flights to destinations such as Whistler and Vancouver Island or, like me, hover above the city for 20 minutes experiencing a panoramic tour from a new perspective.

A word of warning to nervous flyers: these seaplanes are tiny little aircraft, and you feel every bump and dip along the way. I found it exhilarating, being so close to the cockpit, engine buzzing around me, my stomach flip-flopping every few seconds with the movement of the plane, but some people may find the same things terrifying.

Where sometimes, a commercial aircraft can feel a little like you’re in a capsule, there’s no mistaking where you are and what’s going on when you’re flying in a seaplane, and that’s part of the appeal.

The scenery during the flight was, as I expected, breathtaking. We circled over tiny islands covered in lush green trees, harbours dotted with toy-like sailboats and the most recognizable buildings in Vancouver. It was pretty cool to see BC Place, Stanley Park, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and False Creek from above.

The take off and landing were memorable events, much smoother than I’d anticipated, but it’s still an unusual sensation to fly directly from the water.

My seaplane flight was an amazing experience, and I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to get in one. If you’re ever in Vancouver, I highly recommend taking a scenic flight above the city to see the destination from an entirely new angle.

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