Hey James,
Safety in any body of water requires good equipment, training, experience and judgement. You don’t give any indication of how you rate on any of these scales and you don’t appear to be a club member. If safety matters to you, (and it seems from your question that it does) please join a reputable paddling club and follow a safety-oriented training program and/or participate in well-led trips in which you may gain experience yourself with good paddlers to help you in case of need. I’m sorry if this sounds condescending. Many of us “just don’t know what we don’t know”!
Montague Channel in Howe Sd has gap winds – it is a funnel that accelerates wind speed. Winds here have enough ‘fetch’ (distance) to create large waves, which are steeper if the current is running in the opposite direction.
I don’t consider that part of Howe Sd to be particularly hazardous – there are many ‘worse’ places on our coast – but it is not to be taken lightly either.
Like in several similar mountain inlets, strong, cold air outflows are common in the morning (‘Squamish wind’) and strong warmer inflow winds from the ocean are common in the afternoon. These regular, maybe daily, thermal effects are in addition to any unusual storm or squall fronts that might hit the coast.
I think there is a good reason why such a relatively small area like Howe Sd has its own EC marine weather forecast.
