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Guided Kayak Tour on San Juan Island
5.0
36 Ratings
Friday Harbor
Discover tranquility on a guided kayak tour in Griffin Bay. Spot wildlife, enjoy stunning mountain views, and escape the crowds with San Juan Kayak Expeditions.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- San Juan Kayak Expeditions - The tour meeting point – walking distance from the Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal. Meet up with your guide here before we depart for our paddle session.
- Jackson Beach Park - Our launch point into Griffin Bay!
Gain confidence in the kayak with a brief paddling instruction and safety talk before heading out on the water.
- Griffin Bay - The peaceful, protected waters of Griffin Bay provide an excellent paddling experience for guests of all experience levels. Watch for seals, porpoises, and a variety of marine birds as we make our way around the bay.
- Dinner Island - Home to a colony of harbor seals, paddle the peaceful waters of Griffin Bay out to witness these playful creatures
- 25 Nichols St - We’ll drop you off at the same place we met at the end of the tour, right in the heart of Downtown Friday Harbor.
What's Included
- All taxes and fees
- Landing and/or facility fees
- Use of all sea kayaking equipment and safety gear
- Professionally trained naturalist kayak guide
- Transportation to launch site from Friday Harbor
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Bottled water
- Sun protection (sunglasses, sun screen, hat)
- Personal weather appropriate clothing
Additional Information
Although just one mile south of Friday Harbor, Griffin Bay is a world away from it all! This trip offers peace and quiet and superb views of glacier-covered Mt. Baker and the Olympic Mountain range. Unhindered by strong tidal currents, it is an ideal trip for families and anyone wanting to experience sea kayaking.
We will explore picturesque Dinner Island and it’s colony of chubby resident harbor seals, then turn south toward quiet coves. You may see bald eagles, Dall’s or Harbor porpoise, river otters, mink and oodles of migratory sea birds like scoters, harlequin ducks, loons and mergansers along with our local herons, cormorants, gulls and kingfishers!
This trip moves at an easy pace and offers a chance to get away from the crowds.
Forged in 1980 from leave-no-trace ethics and a commitment to excellence, San Juan Kayak Expeditions provides fun knowledgeable guides, top of the line equipment, including fiberglass kayaks & carbon fiber paddles, and personalized customer service.
- For children 8 and older when accompanied by an adult
- Must be of average height and weight. 225 Max weight; 6’6 max height
Location
25 Nichols St
Nichols Street
2 blocks from the Friday Harbor Ferry dock
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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Scottmn27bm
Aug 4, 2024
A wonderful holiday experience - We had a great time doing a day long kayak tour out at Lime Kiln and the surrounding coastline. The weather was foggy with a bit of rain, but we stayed warm and dry in the kayaks. We saw a lot of bald eagles and harbor seals. Ryan was an excellent guide and explained the shore ecosystem well, and we appreciated the excellent packed lunch and instruction as it was our first time in sea kayaks. We would definitely book again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
326juliay
Jul 19, 2024
Fun Day on the Water - This trip was wonderful - it was part of a multi-day outing with a biking tour group. Our guides, Ryan and Noah were professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and supportive of all level of guests - they were both a pleasure to spend the afternoon with! The kayaks were well-outfitted. Both Noah and Ryan took time to thoroughly review safety and use instructions AND each had wonderful stories to share about the region, history, and culture. KUDOS to them both - it was clear they had a passion for working on the water, educating others about the unique sea life in the area, and sharing this amazing experience with others! A MUST DO excursion if you are in the area!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacadad1915
Jul 3, 2024
Wonderful Experience! - Awesome experience! Our guide Owen was very well informed of the wildlife and the area. This is not an easy stroll, the currents are pulling on you the entire time. My wife and I have kayaked before but not on the ocean. We were worn out by the end of the 3 hour tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erin
Jun 29, 2024
Beautiful kayak experience on San Juan Island! - We had an amazing 3 hour tour with Benning! We went to Lime Kiln light house and saw Bald eagles, harbor seals and even a river otter! It was beautiful and so relaxing! Benning was so kind, knowledgeable and so appreciated his sense of adventure!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser17988484740
Jun 22, 2024
Great! - Ryan and Benning were great! Super fun and personable. Knew a lot about everything. My large group all rode tandems and they were very accommodating.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alison_h
Jun 9, 2024
Awesome - We had a great experience. Noah and Ryan were excellent guides. They were extremely professional and also very fun. My 11 year old loved getting all the basics of kayaking down. We also really enjoyed a detailed explanation of all the surrounding flora and fauna. It was a really cool educational adventure, totally relaxing, with smooth paddling and easy conversation.
Review provided by Viator
134willemh
May 28, 2024
Amazing Trip!!! - Izzi, Caitlyn, and Noah were awesome guides! They took our massive group of 17 students out on the water and handled all the challenges that presents with poise and professionalism. Super knowledge about the local floura and fauna. We saw Orcas - twice! Not to mention the foraged mushrooms that we incorperated into our lunch or the hot coffee they graciously made for us in the mornings around camp. The historic orchard at Jones island was so rad. Not to mention visiting Yellow island and learning about the history and cultural significance of camus. Wish I could relive this trip over and over again - it was magical.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C3812fcbrookek
May 28, 2024
Memorial Day Adventure - I went on a University Trip and we had three awesome guides - Noah Baum, Caitlyn Blair and Izzi Lavallee. These three really brought the excitement, knowledge and energy that made this trip awesome. We saw awesome sea life - this was my first time in the San Juans and I was so glad to have a crew that was so knowledgeable so I was just able to follow their lead! Thanks again ya'll <3
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melissamg5137pr
Sep 8, 2023
Full day tour —awesome experience!! - My husband and I joined six others (a lovely family!) on this full day tour with Topher. Topher was an outstanding guide—thorough and helpful to get us all set up safely and in the water, patient, knowledgeable and fun. We traveled to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, hiked, ate lunch and kayaked back. We saw harbor seals, purple starfish, jellyfish that looked like an egg, and an eagle. (I was hoping to see otters but no luck). I’d recommend this excursion to anyone who enjoys being up-close with nature, loves to be active and wants a one-of-a-kind experience. This is a must do!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
657raphaelk
Aug 13, 2023
Wonderfull kayaking experience. - Beautiful setting. Excellent Kayaks and the staff was friendly and very courteous and accommodating. I would definitely use them again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor