West Coast Canyoning was built by people who love wilderness — and who hold themselves to the highest standard of care for the people they bring into it. Not just as a guiding company, but as stewards of the places we work in and the sport we're helping to build.
François-Xavier "FX" Gagnon grew up paddling and fishing Quebec's Laurentian rivers with his grandfather. By 17, he was running his first outdoor guiding business. By his twenties, he had moved west and made the Sea-to-Sky his home — building a career as a professional outdoor guide across hiking, skiing, biking, whitewater, and canyoning in BC and around the world.
In 2019, he joined Lions Bay Search and Rescue, where he serves as a Team Leader and Safety Officer in swiftwater, high-angle, and mountain rescue. It was through that work that the canyons of BC came into sharp focus — how extraordinary they are, and how few formal standards governed how people were guided through them. He set out to change that.
WCCA became the first CGI-accredited canyoning operator on Canada's West Coast. FX is now a CGI Trainer and Examiner and a founding member of the Canadian Canyoning Association — helping build the professional standards that govern the sport across the country.
What began as one guide's mission has grown into a team. WCCA is now entering a new season — more guides, more canyons, and the same standard of care that started it.
Our guides are CGI-certified, also trained in Wilderness First Response, swift-water, and rope rescue — six of whom are active Search and Rescue members. Safety drives every decision — from how we brief you to the pace we set to every call made throughout the descent.
We lead you through a genuine wilderness experience — raw, physical, and beautiful. You'll be challenged, learn real skills, and walk away with a deeper connection to nature and a true sense of accomplishment.
Whether you're finding your feet or pushing your limits, our small guide ratios mean you're coached and encouraged to take each step in your own time.
The first CGI-accredited canyoning operator and certified training centre on Canada's West Coast — and a founding member of the Canadian Canyoning Association, accredited by the Outdoor Council of Canada and Leave No Trace Canada.
Every guide on our team is independently certified through Canyon Guides International, with additional training in wilderness first response, swiftwater rescue, and rope rescue — six are active Search and Rescue members. They debrief every descent, recertify regularly, and travel to train internationally. They're here because they love these canyons and sharing them with the people they guide.
ProGuide CGI lvl 3 / Lvl 3 Instructor
Pro Guide CGI lvl 3
Pro Guide CGI lvl 3 / ACA lvl 3
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Lead Guide CGI lvl 2
Assistant Guide CGI lvl 1
Assistant Guide CGI lvl 1
Assistant Guide CGI lvl 1
Assistant Guide in Training
We proudly collaborate with gear suppliers, certifying bodies, and fellow companies who share our commitment to safety, sustainability, and the canyoning community.
West Coast Canyoning Adventures respectfully acknowledges that our operations take place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. This includes the territories of the St'at'imc, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sts'ailes (Chehalis), and Stó:lō Nations.
These lands have been cared for by Indigenous peoples for millenia, and we are deeply grateful for their past and continued stewardship. The values, knowledge, wisdom and relationships held by these communities inspire our own respect for the natural world and guide how we engage with it.
As part of our commitment to honouring this responsibility, we actively seek ways to collaborate with Indigenous communities. This includes recent projects like supporting a survey of the Siska Creek Tunnel to assess salmon passage and explore habitat restoration opportunities. We are also working toward future partnerships with the Sts'ailes Nation and other First Nations on whose lands we operate. On each adventure, we make a point of educating our participants on the cultural and natural heritage of the lands we enjoy, highlighting some of the ways in which Indigenous people have historically stewarded this land.
With particular gratitude to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation — whose territory is home to many of our adventures — we strive to move beyond acknowledgment into meaningful action. Through education, conservation, and responsible recreation, we aim to walk lightly, listen closely, and contribute positively to the lands and communities that sustain us.
