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Guided Kayak Tour on San Juan Island
5.0
31 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
(31 Ratings)
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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
M670urmarym
Aug 3, 2023
Highly recommend this company. - Our guides were experienced, knowledgeable of the area and wildlife, and fun. We saw sea lions, seals, bald eagles and many other birds and marine life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Csquared2014
Jul 16, 2023
Great trip! - Our trip was great! Full day adventure- saw seals and bald eagles and even a sea lion! Marit was awesome and very knowledgeable of the history and of the area. A must do!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chaffee_t
Jul 5, 2023
Worth it! - The sea kayaking tour was so much fun! Roni was knowledgeable and found seals, bald eagles, star fish, etc. I would high recommend the tour if you visit the San Juan islands!
Review provided by Viator
664deziraes
Jun 8, 2023
Beautiful Adventure - 5 day ultimate adventure was amazing! Beautiful views, delicious food better than I cook at home, knowledgeable guide made us feel safe. Group activities were fun and our guide promoted fun and inclusive group dynamics. Relaxation and adventure all rolled into one amazing vacation.
We paddled from island to island, camping at state parks with access to bathrooms and some had fresh water access. We saw orcas, porpoises, starfish, jellyfish, deer, bald eagles, banana slugs, and more. Each meal was delicious, the views were beautiful, and the hiking was a nice added bonus. I would definitely go again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debbi
Oct 1, 2022
What an afternoon! - We've kayaked before, but never with such an in-depth pre-boarding lesson and top quality equipment! Spray skirts---who knew!
Darby had even the newbie, senior citizens among us feeling confident in the water and was knowledgeable about everything we saw.
We circled a little island where harbor seals and cormorants were hanging out. One curious seal came out to see what we were doing in their water.
It was truly a delightful excursion from our cruise ship~~one of our favorites, just the right length and level of activity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lockwoodluvsmrh
Sep 21, 2022
Gone but not forgotten - This is certainly a beautiful country! In all America, I do not believe that we could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society.
Nathaniel Greene is a rare and well rounded man eager to participate equally in the wilderness of nature and the wilderness of the mind. His random childhood stories from the islands were a bright spot in our journey outshone only by his extensive knowledge of random ponds in upstate New York. For a rugged naturalist who looks as if he tastes nothing while eating, Nathaniel surprises with his appetizing spreads. A veritable smörgåsbord delighted us at each meal. Our band of merry mouths couldn’t get enough!
And did I mention the kayaking? We liked that sport. It’s probably something about the speed which of course can be achieved in biking–albeit with a little more risk of scrapes. Nathaniel likes both kayaking and biking. Unless he is skiing. Which he often is.
A perfect misanthropist’s heaven. Nathaniel is just the man to divide the desolation between us. Keep rocking on foam, Nathaniel 🤘🏼
Review provided by Tripadvisor