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Join A Kayak Quest For Whales!

Kayaking In The San Juan Islands

Join A Kayak Quest For Whales!

Kayaking In The San Juan Islands

Join A Kayak Quest For Whales!

Kayaking In The San Juan Islands

Join A Kayak Quest For Whales!

Kayaking In The San Juan Islands

Sea Quest Kayak Tours

Explore Kayak Tours

Sea Kayaking Tour Guides & Educators

Why Choose Sea Quest

OUR AMAZING SEA KAYAKING TOUR GUIDES & EDUCATORS

The most important resource you have in the field is your kayak guide. That’s why we’ve taken a major step beyond ordinary kayak tour companies in selecting and training our guides. Our expedition leaders are chosen not only for their extensive experience in outdoor instruction, but also for their comprehensive knowledge of natural history. Our guided sea kayaking tours feature guides with academic credentials and often publications in their field of study. Sea Quest guides are committed to provide you with the best experience possible – you will find them knowledgeable, enthusiastic, patient, reliable, and above all, fun!
Close-up of a smiling woman wearing a white knit hat, with another person in a red and blue cap in the background, and a body of water and sunset visible in the distance."

I don’t have enough praise for your guides, they made the kayak trip! Their joy and enthusiasm, wit and intelligence, and superior people skills surpass any guided trip I’ve taken before – diving trips, Outward Bound, all of them.

Anne Norton, Wasilla, AK

MEET SOME OF OUR KAYAK GUIDES

Two women smiling for a selfie; the younger woman wearing glasses and a cap, and the older woman wearing glasses and a light green shirt, with trees and outdoor gear in the background.

Maya Taranow (Left)

  • Student
  • WFR Certified
  • Cook
  • Kayak Guide

Martine Springer (Right)

  • Nickname: Orca Goddess
  • 30+ years experience including Baja
  • Mountaineer
  • Kayak Guide
Man in a kayak holding up a large, spotted fish he caught, with rocky cliffs in the background and fishing gear visible in the kayak.

Jonathan Parent

  • Sailor
  • Fisherman
  • Freediver
  • Talented Naturalist
  • Singer
  • Guitar
  • Kayak Guide
Person sitting in a white kayak on calm water, wearing a life jacket and smiling at the camera, with the text 'SEA-QUEST-KAYAK.COM' at the bottom of the image.

Sandy Chancey – Legacy Guide

  • Tracker
  • Survival Trainer
  • Ski Instructor
  • Kayak Guide In San Juan Islands
  • Retired
Man wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt standing at a picnic table in a wooded campsite, preparing food with various supplies and cooking equipment on the table.

Bob Stuart – Legacy Guide

  • Expedition Leader
  • Guide Trainer
  • Adventures in Baja, Mexico to Alaska
Man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a green shirt with black overalls, holding a large jellyfish in his hand while standing on a rocky beach with driftwood and greenery in the background.

Ryan Goodall – Legacy Guide

  • Farmer
  • Naturalist
  • Cancer Survivor
  • Health Nut
  • Cook
Two people in kayaking gear standing on a rocky shore, smiling and holding yellow paddles, with a blue kayak and calm water in the background.

Ben Henkel

  • Outdoor Lover
  • Naturalist
  • Expedition Leader
  • Guide Trainer
  • Office Manager
  • Owner

Keep in touch with your guide via our Facebook page where you can post messages and photos to them and keep up with recent Sea Quest news.

We Will Take Care of You Like Family on Your Guided Sea Kayaking Tour With Sea Quest!

Your safety and well-being is our most important goal. Our kayak guides are experienced in making our guided sea kayaking tours exciting and stimulating, yet with a very low risk factor. Their professional training and judgment, combined with careful preparation assures this. In addition, every kayak guide carries a VHF radio and cellphone to summon assistance should it be needed. It can also help in the event one of your loved ones at home wishes to contact you. One of the pleasures of guiding sea kayaking trips is getting to know a variety of people, all of whom enjoy the outdoors and moving lightly through it. It’s a great way to make new friends.
Three people standing in front of a vehicle, smiling with their arms around each other; the two men are wearing purple shirts and the woman in the middle is wearing a blue jacket and a cap.
Ben (Operator/Owner) with parents Laura and Steve

OUR KAYAK GUIDES QUALIFICATIONS

Person in red kayaking gear carrying a green kayak on their shoulders and holding a paddle, standing on a grassy path with a rocky coastline and distant hills in the background under a clear blue sky.
Pete (Guide) Training at Cattle Pass
Our San Juan Island kayaking guides are primarily biologists and environmental scientists. They will make sure that you see the most and learn as much as your curiosity demands. Our guides are gifted naturalists, teachers, camp cooks, and trip leaders who have dedicated themselves to continually improve their skills. Our sea kayak guides undergo the most rigorous and lengthy training program of any kayak outfitter on San Juan Island. In addition to the previous experience they bring, our guides must spend two full weeks in our own intensive kayak guide school. Most other outfitters in this region spend only one to three days (if any) in preparing their kayak guides for this demanding occupation.

Read this blog article written by a kayak guide and office staffer to find out what our guides do on their days off!

KAYAK GUIDE JOBS & OFFICE POSITIONS

We now have sea kayak guide jobs and office positions open for the San Juan Island kayaking season, spring through fall. Please click the link above for details if you are interested in applying and be sure to contact us soon!