It might be the time of year but we only saw one harbor seal. There were no birds either. Nice row & good staff but kind of dull.

My extended family and I went kayaking with Shearwater Kayak Tours during our recent visit up to Orcas Island. It was a group of 8 ranging from age 7 to 75! Almost all of us either had absolutely no experience or very little experience with kayaking. Shearwater recommended one of their more calm routes which took us around the Wasp... More

I can only tell you our experience: Left two messages to begin with and it took almost two weeks for someone to return my call. Booked four months in advance for husband’s birthday for the Sucia Island trip. Never had one call informing us they no longer do the Sucia Island trip. Called two weeks prior to confirm and was... More

Last summer I took my first kayak trip. I'd never sat in a Kayak before and I was worried about safety with the strength of the sea. The guide was very careful to make sure we heard and understood the safety stuff and in no time we were in paddling off into the beautiful sound. It was a lot easier... More

I had not kayaked Sucia since about 1986 or 87. Beautiful as I remembered it to be, and so nice to be able to take the kids along before going back to college. Alan was a perfect guide for our group - just right amount of "laid back" vs info on wildlife, island lore, geology, etc. Hate to say it,... More

My girlfriend and myself went to Orcas Island last week for the first time and were informed to take a kayak trip and preferably at sunset. We looked at our options and Shearwater seemed the best for our needs. We set up the 3 hour trip to depart from Deer Harbor and couldn't have asked for a better day to... More

We took the 3-hour tour with Julia out of Deer Harbor. It was one of the highlights of our trip. I've been after my wife and daughter to kayak for years, and they finally relented -- under duress. Julia made them very comfortable and immediately confident. She had everybody enjoying themselves right off the bat. She was patient, knowledgeable and... More

Shearwater exceeded our expectations in every way: customer service and gracious accomodations for our large group, fun and professional guides, flexibility and well maintained equipment. After paddling the San Juans for the past 11 years on almost every Island with various guide companies, Shearwater made the most positive impression. In particular, their emphasis on responsible wildlife viewing, habitat conservation, knowledge... More

Took a 3 hr kayak tour with Julia (The best guide! She listened to what we were interested in and tailored the tour to suite our interests and skill level.) and loved every minute. She guided us around the smaller islands between Orcas and Shaw Islands; she was very knowledgable about the area, gave us fun/interesting facts about the islands... More