Dave Holliss

Captain

Dave has worked as a captain aboard MV Swell since 2015 and brings his knowledge, skill, and humour to Cascadia as Captain.

With over 25 years of experience as a mariner on the BC coast, we are delighted to keep Dave in the Maple Leaf Adventures family.

Education & Certifications

• Maple Leaf captains are highly-trained and have passed stringent exams set by the coast guard. They are experienced wilderness expedition leaders and coastal navigators with a love of exploration. And they are genial hosts who enjoy welcoming the world to Maple Leaf and this spectacular place.

Greg Shea

Captain

Greg Shea grew up on the shores of the Salish Sea in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He discovered his love of adventures in nature as a teenager when he attended an outdoor leadership training program on Vancouver Island –something travellers in BC have been glad of ever since. A skilled and dedicated outdoorsman, Greg became a successful kayak guide, leading, scouting and developing trips for top companies in British Columbia, Belize and the Sea of Cortez. Greg has been sailing boats along the wild BC/Alaska coast for decades and has been a crew member in the Maple Leaf family since 2005. He is very experienced at leading expeditions and is a master mariner for Maple Leaf as well as possessing many wilderness guide certifications. He and his wife Jolie (a naturalist, writer and kayak guide) have been exploring the coast aboard their own sailboat, as well; first on their own, and now with their two children. Greg is also a professional photographer and his photos have enlivened the pages of many magazines including Cruising World and Pacific Yachting. He and Jolie are frequent and favourite contributors to Pacific Yachting magazine. We believe that some of Greg’s greatest attributes — his friendly smile, his leadership, and his love of this coast — are matched only by his prowess at catching crabs, prawns and salmon. When not exploring the coast, Greg can be found with his family on Quadra Island.

Education & Certifications

• 60-ton Limited Simulator Electronic Navigation Small Vessel Machinery Operator
• Restricted Small Vessel Operator Proficiency Radio Operator Card
• Maritime Commercial Marine First Aid Wilderness
• First Aid Marine Emergency Duties A2
• Gwaii Haanas Guide Food Safe Bear Guide

Jeff Harvey

Captain – Cascadia

Jeff Harvey, a native of British Columbia whose life has been deeply intertwined with the outdoors and maritime employment. He has called Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island home for the last 20 plus years. With a diverse nautical background that started 40 years ago as a deckhand in the Canadian Navy to roles navigating a variety of vessel types across the Pacific Northwest’s waters. 

Born into a military family, Jeff had the opportunity to explore many of Canada’s provinces from a young age, fostering a love for travel and adventure. Today, he continues to cherish his time on the BC coast, where he enjoys sharing outdoor pursuits. Working on the Cascadia has proven to be the best of travel and adventure with amazing sights to see, whether the wildlife, landscapes and the fantastic people on the ship.  When not on the bridge of the Cascadia he can also be found teaching nautical courses in Campbell River and Nanaimo. Whether at sea or on land, Jeff’s enthusiasm for the natural world and maritime heritage is unmistakable. 

Kevin Smith

Captain

An adventurer and explorer all his life and a professional mariner since the age of 18, Kevin is also the leader of Maple Leaf Adventures and one of its owners. His experience as a geographer, backcountry park ranger and teacher all contribute to his leadership of one of the premier ecotourism organizations on the coast. Kevin continues Maple Leaf’s tradition of building the framework for ecotourism on the coast and is an executive member of many respected industry organizations. In addition to educating youth, Kevin developed and taught the Ecotourism for Entrepreneurs course for North Island College in British Columbia.

His 5-year tenure as a negotiator on the central coast (Great Bear Rainforest) land use plan brings a rare depth of understanding to the area’s history and current situation. Kevin’s extensive marine experience began with family cruising (under sail) while growing up on this coast. To pay for his university degree he took any job that involved being on the ocean. Skill and experience developed from years as a rowing coach and sailing instructor, a Coast Guard rescue training officer and rescue boat coxswain, fisheries research vessel Captain, backcountry (marine) Park Ranger, sail training instructor, and Captain on passenger carrying vessels.

He is one of the few Full Bear Guides certified by the Commercial Bear Viewing Association. Kevin is a true man of the coast. He was raised on Salt Spring Island in the Southern Gulf Islands, and, following his formal education, he was employed for a decade by the B.C. government to steward the marine parks of northern Vancouver Island.

He is a strong advocate for protecting the north coast. As Maple Leaf’s owner since 2001, he has continuously explored the breadth of this, North America’s last great rainforest, from Victoria to Juneau. He is a genial host whose love of B.C. and Alaska’s wilderness places is infectious.

Education & Certifications

• Fellow, Royal Canadian Geographical Society BA Geography (University of Victoria)
• Full Bear Guide (Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC)
• 60-ton Masters Limited (Transport Canada)
• 60-ton Small Vessel Machinery Operator (Transport Canada)
• Advanced Wilderness First Aid for Leaders (Slipstream)
• CPR, Oxygen, AED Dive Master (PADI)
• Backcountry recreation and tourism representative
• Great Bear Rainforest land use plan Co-founder and Director
• Commercial Bear Viewing Association of BC, Director
• Wilderness Tourism Association of BC

Matt Whelan

Captain

Matt first came to this coast on family holidays when he was ten years old, putting about in the wooden ketches his grandfather and great uncle had built by hand, and has been in love with the ocean-going lifestyle ever since.

Matt’s patrols on ships as a deckhand and quartermaster with the Canadian Coast Guard for the last few years have brought him tantalizingly close to so many of the special spots ashore he now gets to visit as crew on the Swell.

A marine mechanic, whale-watching guide, writer, and photographer, Matt feels blessed by the opportunities afforded as part of the team at Maple Leaf Adventures.

He still thinks of his grandpa and great-uncle often while out on the water.

Education & Certifications

• 150 Ton Master Ticket (Transport Canada)
• Small Vessel Machinery Operator (Transport Canada)
• S.T.C.W. Basic Safety
• S.T.C.W. Survival Craft
• Journeyman Marine Mechanic
• Marine Advanced First Aid
• Wilderness First Aid
• Restricted Radio Operator
• C.C.G. R.H.I.O.T. Certificate
• C.C.G. Bridge Watch Rating
• Swift Water Rescue Technician

Robert Mackin-Lang

Captain – Cascadia

Born and raised in Vancouver, Robert now resides in Victoria, but his love for the water has been a constant throughout his life. He began kayaking and sailing at the age of 7 and has always had a keen interest in marine biology. Robert formally started his career in the marine industry in 2008 and has since worked on a variety of vessels, including water taxis, large yachts, cruise ships, ferries, and cargo ships, both on the BC coast and abroad.

Since 2019, Robert has been with Maple Leaf Adventures, serving as Captain on both Swell and Cascadia. In his spare time, he sails around the BC coast, works for BC Ferries on long-distance routes out of Prince Rupert, and operates a paddlewheeler in Vancouver Harbour. Robert is deeply committed to the safe operation of vessels and takes great joy in sharing the rugged and wild beauty of the BC coast with others.

A quote that resonates with Robert is from *The Wind in the Willows*: “There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Education and Certifications:

– Master 3000 GT
– Chief Mate Near Coastal
– STCW MED BST, Advanced Fire Fighting, and Survival Craft
– Passenger Safety Management
– Marine Advanced First Aid
– Global Operators Certificate for Radio
– Bachelor of Maritime Studies

Robert Oakes

Captain

Robert’s interests and experience cover so many aspects of Maple Leaf Adventures’ boutique expedition cruises, he may have been fated to captain the Swell. His early formal training at the University of Manitoba was in zoology and botany, which developed into studies of ethology (animal behaviour) and ethnobotany (how people use plants). He built upon this knowledge by studying herbalism, mycology, and wild food foraging. He also studied under a number of traditional medicine people, including ten years with the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) learning natural medicine and traditional ceremonies.

Professionally, Robert has worked in both the communications and maritime sectors. As a wildlife photographer, writer, commercial photographer and photojournalist, his photo credits include prominent Canadian and international publications and a regular column in Kanawa magazine. Robert has always loved boats.

Canoeing, kayaking, sailing, classic wood boats — in whatever floats, he likes spending time on the water. His maritime career includes time with the Canadian Coast Guard, BC Ferries (southern and northern runs), the whale watching industry, and marine search and rescue (as a training officer, first aid officer and deputy station leader). Robert was drawn to Maple Leaf Adventures because it allows him to continue to explore the natural world that fascinates him and share it with fellow travellers in a profound way.

Education & Certifications

• Master 150 gross tons Chief Mate 500 gross tons
• Small Vessel Machinery Operator STCW Bridgewatch rating
• STCW MED BST STCW MED
• Survival Craft Passenger Safety Management
• Incident Command 100 Marine Advanced
• First Aid Wilderness
• First Aid 20 hr Occupational
• First Aid Level 3 ROC- Maritime Commercial CBVA Bear Guiding Level 1
• Gwaii Haanas Guide Search and Rescue Navigation 1 & 2 NACC
• Instructor Development 1 &2 BA, University of Manitoba

Stan DuBiel

Captain

With 36 years of experience as a mariner on the West Coast, Stan, our dedicated captain has devoted a lifetime to exploring the coastal wonders that define this region. Born on the prairies, his heart has always yearned for the coast, even as a farm boy in Manitoba.

His career has been a remarkable voyage, beginning in 1986 when he set sail with his own charter boat, a pursuit he followed for six years before prioritizing family time. He spent a year aboard a Coast Guard ship and later embarked on a 28-year tenure with BC Ferries.

What he cherishes most about his work is the opportunity to meet people from around the world, sharing the boundless beauty of our backyard with them.

Beyond work, some of his proudest achievements include raising three wonderful children and witnessing the joy and wonder on our guests’ faces as they experience our remarkable coast.

He’s had countless memorable travel experiences, making it impossible to pick just one. In the wise words of Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night; Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, against the dying of the light.” It’s a reminder to embrace life’s adventures with passion, and that’s precisely what he aims to do every day.

Grace Gladstone

Captain

As a sea cadet growing up in Prince George, Grace was given the opportunity to develop a passion for sailing, including training aboard the Maple Leaf in 2008. Grace grew up outdoors with a love for camping and exploring parks in and around Prince George. Previous sailing experience has taken Grace to the UK with the cadet program as well as the Bahamas for bare-boat charters with friends.

The opportunity to explore the west coast of British Columbia, where she was born and raised, aboard a beautiful historic wooden vessel, with great people was a dream come true for her. In 2015 Grace joined the crew at Maple Leaf Adventures as a deckhand and in 2018 was promoted to mate and then captain in 2020. In her spare time, Grace plays the bass guitar. She divides her time with her husband between their home in Vancouver and with family on Haida Gwaii.

Education & Certifications

• 60-Ton Master (Transport Canada)
• Small Vessel Machinery Operator
• Small Vessel Operators’ Proficiency
• Marine Emergency Duties
• A2 Marine Advanced Fist Aid
• Restricted Radio Operator Card
• Maritime Pleasure Craft
• Operators Food Safe