Ocean Cleanup Events
Led by the Trash Panda Brigade
Join us for ocean cleanup events in partnership with Trash Panda Brigade. As paddlers, we must protect what we love... so we're doing our part to cleanup shorelines that are best accessed by paddling. The Trash Pandas are a group of Paddle Canada Instructors and friends who incorporate shoreline and ocean clean into their paddling adventures on a regular basis. Stay tuned for upcoming events you can join! If you want to follow the action, look us up on Facebook and Instagram
Upcoming Events -
Ocean Week Gorge Cleanup - May 30th, 2026
May 30, 9:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Join a community of paddlers in cleaning the Gorge waterway between Tillicum Narrows and Portage Inlet.
In the Gorge, we often haul up old tires, and an assortment of plastic and other trash - all part of the "Trashure hunt". We've been known to find shopping carts, pylons, powerline insulators, an electric guitar, golf balls, and household debris. Help us clean a waterway that is at the heart of Victoria.
This is free to join- bring your own kayak, canoe, SUP or rowboat. If you don't have a boat, feel free to walk the shores, as we'll be stopping frequently and paddling near the shorelines.
Start Time & Location: 9:30 on water at the public beach launch beside VCKC. (For all paddlers, please arrive as early as you need to get your boat/SUP set up).
Finish: We will unload the marine debris at the beach by Gorge Waterway Nature House at 12:20. We have a disposal bin provided by Island Junk Solutions, sponsored by Tillicum Mall (Anthem Properties). Feel free to stick around the nature house, for the Gorge Splashtacular Ocean Festival happening from noon to 4:00.
Details: Please wear appropriate layers for going into the water - wading in, reaching in, etc. Wetsuits are a great option, paired with neoprene footwear.
Wear sun protection - hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, longsleeves.
Bring your own water bottle and snacks.
Organized by the Trash Panda Brigade and Pacifica Paddle Sports, in partnership with Ocean Week Victoria, Ocean Week Canada and Gorge Waterway Action Society ( Nature House). Supported by Island Junk Solutions, Tillicum Mall/Anthem Properties, VCKC (Big Canoe paddlers), Town of Esquimalt, BC Marine Trails.
Events Past and Present
Check out some of our previous events below. On Earth Day 2025, a very small group of paddlers from the community removed an impressive 480 lbs from the shorelines in Brentwood Bay from Hagan Creek up to Henderson Point. In 2026, we brought reinforcements, and collected 1500+ lbs of trash!
