How much does it cost to go to Rabbit Island?
   - by Dennis Kelly, Professor Marine Science Department at Orange Coast College - 6/20/06.
       As a four year veteran of trips to Rabbit Island I have a pretty good idea of the range of  what it can cost
     to get there, but here is no one specific price.  Here's why!  There are many ways to get to Rabbit Island and
     each has a different cost. 

   1. Tuition fees: First of all, if you are student and the class you age participating in at Rabbit Island is for credit  
       (Island Ecology, Intertidal Ecology, Archaeology, and Biodiversity) with  anywhere from 1 to 3 units possible,
       you have to pay $26 per unit when you register for the class at the beginning.  If it is a non-unit class or not
       for credit class (i.e. photography, kayaking, meditation?) you still have to pay a fee - usually somewhere
       around $400 - $500. Also, if the class has a textbook and/or other material then you will have to pay for that
       at the O.C.C. bookstore when you buy the book (i.e. the Island Ecology class book costs nearly $70).

   2. Food costs: Since this is an island and it is difficult to supply and staff it, most students are also charged a
       food fee - usually around $ 100.  This helps pay for purchase of fresh food each class by the island caretaker,
       a cook, and food preparation.  Not bad for 5 - 6 days worth of first class preparation and cooking.  Remember,
      if you drive up to the City of Nanaimo (see below) you are going to have to buy or make your own meals
      coming and going!

  3. Transportation:  Now it can get expensive and there are many variables.  Most classes require that students
      provide their own transportation to and from the City of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada (to see maps
      on page 3 - click here) , which is the departure site for Rabbit Island (it's a bit over 15 miles north and west of
      Nanaimo at the south end of the northern Gulf Island of the Straits of Georgia).  If you fly from LAX to the
      City of Vancouver (i.e.Air Canada or some other airlines) and then on to Nanaimo via a commuter flight
      (i.e. Jazz Airlines) it can cost as little as $550 (if you reserve your flight five or more months in advance)
      or as much as $ 1,350 (if you wait until just before the trip leaves to reserve your flight).  There are also commuter
      flights out of Seattle and other cities  (i.e. Victoria) to Nanaimo and the price is ususally a bit higher than out of
      Vancouver.  There are seaplanes, for instance, that take off on the water at City of Vancouver and land on the
       water at City of Nanaimo every day! They can be more expensive but are a spectacular way to arrive. This is the
      quick but very  expensive way to get there.

     Or ---- you can drive to the City of Nanaimo!  Yep, it is possible to drive straight through from Orange County to
     Nanaimo with one car ferry trip between the U.S. and Vancouver Island. This takes longer but can be cheaper if
     several people travel together and share expenses.  It is a quick two day trip or a more leisurly three to four day
     trip and is about 1500 miles each way.  At current gas prices of nearly $3.00 per gallon or more I hope you are
     traveling in a Toyota Prius because the cost for gas at this distance can add up (i.e. if you have 5 fill-ups each
     way @ 300 miles per tankful and your tank is 15 gallons then that's 10 fill-ups times 15 gallons per
     fill-up times $3.00 per gallon - I think that might be $ 450!  My head is hurting from all this math!   Then,
     there is also the question of where you are going to stay along the way (hotel, motel, or campground).  Rugged
     individualists love this way of traveling and the scenery is spectacular.  You will have a little problem when you
     arrive by car, truck, van, or motorcycle in the City of Nanaimo - you will have to find long-term safe parking on
     your own.  The school  does not provide that service.

      Wait, there are still more variables to consider!  There are cheap car and or walk on ferries from the City of
       Vancouver to the City of Nanaimo ($15 to $25 per trip) or you can find small commuter flights and sea plane
       flights - all variable in price.

  4. Boat Shuttle to and from Rabbit Island: Until 2005 Orange Coast College provided boat transportation to and
      from Rabbit Island via Schooner Cove, the Fairwinds Resort - a place north and west of the City of Nanaimo. 
      In fall of 2005 that policy changed and now all  professors and students are required to utilize a boat shuttle
      from the waterfront, downtown at the City of Nanaimo to Rabbit Island both going and returning.  Professors
      are supposed to arrange for this but students are required to pay for this and it looks like it might be (we
     done it yet so we don't know for sure!!) about $20 - $25 per student each way or $40 - $50 total!
 
  5. Amtrak: It is possible to take the train or Amtrak (the Surfliner) from Orange County to Los Angeles and then
      from Los Angeles (the Coastal Starlight) all the way north to Seattle, Washington.  At Seattle you then board
      a Thruway Bus that take you to Vancouver, B.C., Canada.  At Vancouver you need to take a cab or walk to the
      ferry dock and catch a car ferry that goes from Vancouver to downtown Nanaimo.  From downtown Nanaimo
      you can take a cab or shuttle out to Schooner Cove and Fairwinds Resort.  The bad news is that this takes a
      long time both going and coming.  The train trip one way is 36 hours.  The bus trip is about 3 hours.  The ferry
      trip takes about 1.5 hours.   The good news is that this way tends to be a lot cheaper than flying up.  Possibly
      less than half the cost to fly up.  When we last checked this method of travel it cost a total of $284 round trip!

 6. Micellaneous costs:  There is no store or gift shop on Rabbit Island so the only costs you might
    incur there are tipping the cook and caretaker (recommended) or poker at night in
    your  cabin with other students (highly illegal of course and not recommended!).  However,
    you will probably want to bring a camera and plenty of film (if you haven't yet discovered the    
    wonders of digital photography). Some trips to the island include a visit to the City of Nanaimo
    and you may want to bring  money for gifts, post cards, and the like.  As far as lodging
    in the City of Nanaimo - I have  stayed at the best and worst places - just to find out for
    you, of course.  The Coast Bastion Inn in downtown Nanaimo is fantastic and will cost
    you $100 or more a night.  The "Diplomat" motel on the road in from the airport is "far"
    cheaper and you can keep track of every car that passes the motel at night due to the
    paper thin walls.  If you take a taxi (very expensive - $40 - $50 per trip) or a van shuttle
    (less expensive $15 - $20 per trip) from and/or to the Nanaimo Airport to the City of
     Nanaimo (don't try to walk it!!!) you can get around quite easily!

7. Grand total: Like I said at the beginning it is highly variable!  It can be as low as $400 to $500  
     per person to as high as $500 to $1000 per person depending upon which of the above variable   
     you choose.  On my last trip to Rabbit Island (July 2005) several students said they made the
     entire trip for $ 480 (I think they left something out!) and several others said they spend nearly
     $ 860.  So there is your range and I am sorry that I don't have a average for you. 
     HOPE ALL THIS HELPS!
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