Our Instructors and Guides

Elk Bay Adventures was formed in 2016 following several years of outdoor recreation and experience in the UK and Canada on Vancouver Island. 

Andy ChapmanAndy Chapman, Instructor and Guide
Owner & Guide

Andy grew up in a rural area in the southern UK and had his first taste of outdoor pursuits during an outdoor education week at his high school. With a combination of field studies and outdoor pursuits, Andy was immediately hit with a passion for all that the outdoors has to offer. Following his high school graduation, Andy took a year out working as an assistant instructor at the same Outdoor Education Centre nestled in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. In one action-packed year, he honed his own personal skills, going through the local cave leader training, mountain leadership training, flatwater instructor training, Bronze Medallion and Red Cross first aid. Combined with a team of enthusiastic full-time outdoor pursuit instructors and teachers, he gained more and more experience working with youth, leading groups and exploring his own interests above and below ground.

Andy went on to study at Lancaster University where he ran the Student Union caving club for his college. Three years of study and underground exploration set the scene for the next 20 years, where he went on to cave all over the UK and France before emigrating with his family to Canada in 2009. Since then, Andy has been a passionate Scout Leader, providing the same inspiring activities to a new generation of cavers, climbers, hikers, paddlers and campers all over Vancouver Island. Andy has continued to maintain his certification and is a recognized Paddle Canada and RCABC Lakewater Canoe Instructor.