Not a scheduled cruise. Your own boat, your own day.
Most boat tours run to a timetable with strangers aboard and a fixed loop. Ours don't. You book the whole boat, your captain asks what you're hoping for, and the day is built from there — whether that's a slow shoreline cruise, a run out to quieter water for swimming, or a two-hour sunset trip with a cooler and a playlist.
Okanagan Lake is about 135 kilometres long, and the stretch around Kelowna changes character quickly. Busy near the bridge and the downtown waterfront, considerably quieter within twenty minutes of leaving the launch. Knowing where to go and when is most of what a local captain is for.
What a tour usually includes
- A Transport Canada certified captain who knows the lake
- Swim stops in quieter coves away from the crowds
- A water slide from the upper deck and a swim ladder
- Shade below and open sun above, so nobody gets stuck in the wrong one
- Bluetooth sound, fuel, and all safety equipment
- A private changing room
Where we go
We leave from the Water St boat launch in downtown Kelowna, so you are on open water within minutes. Head south and you pass under the William R. Bennett Bridge, along the Mission waterfront and Gyro and Rotary beaches, toward Bertram Creek and Cedar Creek regional parks and the quiet coves on the western edge of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. Head north instead and you have Knox Mountain and the cliffs above Poplar Point, with far less traffic on the water.
On a full day — six or eight hours — there's time to run further south toward Squally Point and Rattlesnake Island, the small island off Peachland tangled up with the Ogopogo stories and the remains of Eddie Haymour's 1970s theme park. There's nowhere to dock the boat at the island, so it's a swim-in if you want to go ashore, but the sheltered cove beside it is good swimming water. Squally Point just south is known for its cliffs — we'll cruise past them, though cliff jumping isn't something we run as part of a trip. It's about an hour each way from Kelowna, so mention it when you book — it isn't a two-hour outing.
Choosing a length
Two hours is a cruise. Enough to get out on the water, take in the shoreline and the hills, and use the slide. It works particularly well in the evening — in July the sun doesn't set here until close to nine, and the light on the hills in the last hour is the best of the day.
Four hours is our most popular, and the one we'd recommend for a first visit. There's time to stop and swim more than once, eat what you've brought, and go somewhere genuinely quiet rather than turning around as soon as you've arrived.
Six or eight hours makes sense for a group that wants a full day on the water — several stops, a long lunch, and no clock-watching.
Best time of day
Mornings are calmest. The lake is usually flat, there's less traffic, and swim stops feel more private. Afternoons are warmer and livelier. Evenings give you the best light and the emptiest water. If you're visiting the Okanagan and only doing this once, an evening trip is hard to beat.
Bring what you like
There's no catering, so bring your own food and drinks — no glass on board, please. BC law restricts open alcohol on a boat under way, and your captain will explain how that works before you leave the dock. Sunscreen, hats and towels are worth packing; the upper deck is in full sun and the reflection off the water catches people out.
Also worth knowing
- No boating licence required — your captain operates the boat
- Up to 12 guests, seating for everyone
- Children welcome; tell us ages so we bring the right life jackets
- Fuel included, and no damage deposit held on your card
- If your captain cancels for weather, you choose a full refund or a free reschedule
Planning something more specific? We also run party boat rentals in Kelowna and bachelorette celebrations on the same boat.