SKA Blog

Are you looking for a trip to the stunning coastline of Vancouver Island this summer, but not quite sure where to start? This handy guide will help you learn about the differences in our tours so that you can make the best choice for your vacation. All tours are fully guided, fully catered, and fully supplied, so you need just bring your clothing! If you have any questions or need help deciding, we’re standing by with expert advice at 208-765-3116.

We recently unveiled our brand new sea kayak destination of Espiritu Santo off Baja's grand capital city of La Paz. This splendid island complements our classic itineraries out of Loreto, adding new adventures for our repeat guests and easier access through the major international airport of San Jose del Cabo. However, travelers new to SKA find themselves with an important decision: which destination should they pick, Loreto or La Paz?

Our 2012 Patagonia "Sea to Mountains" trip just finished. It was a wonderful trip at the PERFECT time of year! Tons of southern right whales frolicked right off the beach from their tents at the private exclusive beach basecamp and up close with the kayaks, penguin & elephant seal colonies, guanacos & rheas galore on Peninsula Valdes. Hiking in the Fitzroy Mountain was fantastic as well. Early Dec each year is a perfect window of time for whales and weather. We have limited spaces left on our Dec 2-15, 2013 tour. Will you join us?

Kayaking in Baja’s Sea of Cortez is a sun and sand adventure that draws thousands to this premiere paddling destination each year. While Sea Kayak Adventures has proudly offered Baja sea kayak tours from the town of Loreto for the past 20 years, we are excited for our 20th anniversary to announce a brand new line of trips out of Baja’s capital city of La Paz.

La Paz was once famed for its illustrious pearl trade. The Bay of La Paz held an oceanic treasure chest of these precious gems for hundreds of years, drawing settlers and pirates to the tropic clime. Now a tranquil seaside port, La Paz's new fortune lies in its wealth of maritime adventure. The pearl of these riches unfurls on the city's northern horizon as the majestic isle of Espiritu Santo. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Combined with breathtaking geology and luminescent aqua seas, Espiritu Santo is a tantalizing sea kayaking and snorkeling destination.

We are honored to receive the very last exclusive government operating permit that will ever be distributed for this exquisite island. We invite you to join us in La Paz this November through May, and experience first-hand the marine wonders that once attracted generations of settlers and seafarers, and now eco-tourists.

Those who journeyed to Johnstone Strait to kayak with orcas this summer were in luck. We had a spectacular year in the Strait and ended our BC Canada season with a bang! Sold out trips and fantastic orca whale encounters and sightings became the standard for every trip. All of August 2012, was world class, with great weather and whales. Terry and Nancy enjoyed end of season debriefing with our guides, remembering all the good times this past summer, visiting all our friends and the owners of God's Pocket Resort in the Port Hardy and Port McNeill area one last time before starting on the road south with our kayaks toward Idaho, and ultimately across the border for our Baja kayak tours.

Janice Ryan took this spectacular photo of orcas seen as they were passing just a few short meters off our kayak bows as we were gathered up in the kelp! That moment was repeated many times this summer. Summer 2012 also saw humpback whales in record numbers - every single trip on the water saw these majestic baleen whales. Their recovery from extinction in this area is practically a fairytale.

Join us next year in Johnstone Strait if you missed out on this year's orca kayak trips! We are already taking reservations for all of our BC kayak tours for 2013, and are unveiling some exciting improvements to our Canada kayak tours. Stay tuned for details! If a sand and sunshine is more your style, there's still time to reserve your spot on our Baja kayak tours in Loreto and our NEW location in La Paz.

Thanks for a great summer season sea kayaking in British Columbia with orcas and humpbacks!   We look forward to paddling there in 2013!

Johnstone Strait holds more than kayaking with orcas! Our July 29 6-day expedition tour was a banner week on northern Vancouver Island, BC Canada with perfect weather, abundant wildlife, and fantastic guides. Misty mornings melted into brilliant sunshine on glassy-calm waters, with only one rainy night on this temperate rainforest coast. Fleeces were exchanged for short sleeves and sunscreen, and one guest even went for a swim! The lack of wind allowed for extensive paddling opportunities and crystal clear waters.

Within the first hour of paddling, a trio of Dall’s Porpoises (including a very small calf!) delighted our guests, and were spotted fishing just beyond the kelp nearly every day thereafter. Pink salmon leaped continuously and attracted sly harbour seals and gregarious sea lions, as well as a chorus of bald eagles. Rhinocerous auklets and red-necked phalaropes feasted below gulls, and were occasionally interrupted by the great whooshing breath of humpback whales. The group saw numerous humpbacks both from sea kayak and shore, including tail fluking and pectoral fin slaps, a close encounter just 20 meters from their beach-side lunch, and feeding humpbacks visible from camp.

Even on land, the wildlife flourished. The group witnessed a small black bear swimming between islands, a mink exploring the seaside brush, black-tailed deer, and a pair of cheeky squirrels racing through camp. Kingfishers swooped from low-hanging branches to snatch up small fish. Between land and sea, the intertidal zone held fascinating anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, limpits and barnacles, and large purple urchins, for all of which the guides recited natural history and facts.

However, the primary draw for Johnstone Strait, the Northern Resident Orcas, did not disappoint. The group witnessed orcas from a distance almost every day, but was also graced with several closer encounters. Next to Robson Bight, the world’s only orca preserve, a pod breezed by the kelp line just as we started launching our kayaks. Our very surprised guests backed off of the line of travel but were treated to a very close encounter! The preserve wardens took the time to visit the group and congratulate their proper orca conduct. Orcas also swam by one of the group’s campsites twice, offering great chances for photos and videos. However, the greatest showing of all occurred on day 4, when the group crossed through Blackney pass and encountered an orca pod swimming the other direction. The guides maneuvered the kayakers safely into the kelp line, with a perfect view of the orcas who stopped to play in the opposing current for over 45 minutes! The guides called on the radio for identification, and the group learned that they were viewing the A30’s: a 3-generation pod with a 65 year old matriarch named Tsitika. The pod even hosted a VERY special treat: a brand new calf, born to A75 just days before on 24 July, and still tinged with yellow.

Despite these breathtaking encounters, guests report that their favorite part of the trip was undoubtedly the tireless, cheerful efforts of their guides Leah and Dustin. Sea kayak guides go far beyond merely reading currents and wind charts: they are naturalists, chefs, instructors, educators, communicators, hand-holders, and leaders, and the heart of the trip. Bravo for a fantastic job well done and a stellar week in Johnstone Strait!

Nancy Mertz, one of the founders of Sea Kayak Adventures, just back from the last God's Pocket Resort lodge-based trip of the season, reports:

It was a glorious week with great weather, daily sightings of frolicking humpback whales and soaring bald eagles, two restorative yoga sessions daily on the sun deck and lots of laughter and fun!  Thanks to Bill & Annie, our wonderful hosts at God's Pocket Resort and Jenifer Harbour, our amazing yoga teacher, for a week we'll never forget!  (Incidentally Jen will be leading yoga on our 31 March and 7 April 2013 Baja tours - if interested book by 1 Sept 2012, as they will fill up fast!)

This fabulous trip in BC capped off a run of 3 sold-out lodge-based sea kayak trips in BC in July 2012, as it turns out kayaking daily from the comforts of a cozy lodge is wildly popular!    So popular in fact, that we are now taking bookings for June and July 2013 - $100 off the current 2012 price if booked by 1 October 2012!   Look for a future yoga God's Pocket trip as well, as the yoga before and after kayaking was a perfect complement to keep us loose and ready for the day's paddling.   This yoga trip was so popular we had to turn away people who tried to book the month before the trip, so we do recommend booking early.   The lodge only has 7 rooms, and we have exclusive use of the lodge each June and July when our kayak groups are there.   The lodge is only reachable by boat or seaplane.

God's Pocket Resort is the only lodge permitted inside God's Pocket Provincial Park, a pristine island archipelago and world famous cold water SCUBA dive site, just offshore of Port Hardy, the main hub of northern Vancouver Island, in lovely British Columbia, Canada.   The prolific underwater life attracts all manner of marine mammals, including the humpback whales, Stellar's sea lions, harbor seals, Dall's porpoise that we saw this week, and the sea otter we saw last week there.   Other mammals we saw this week included a mink and several deer on the seaweed covered shore.

We were a widely divergent group who bonded quickly over the 40 min boat ride 23 July 2012 to the lodge aboard the lodge boat "The Hurst Isle" captained by Bill Weeks, and after settling our luggage into our cozy rooms, the warm up hike to nearby Duck Bay.    After a wonderful lunch we had a paddle talk on the sundeck by our capable guides, Sarah and Renee, then off for our first introductory paddle along the shores of Hurst Island.   Yoga then happy hour on the sundeck, followed by a sumptuous feast whipped up with loving detail by lodge co-owner Annie and a nature video of the underwater sea life of God's Pocket Provincial Park, made us all feel we had done 2 days worth of activity all in our first day!

Sleeping at God's Pocket is literally like sleeping in the cradle of heaven - the lovely silence perhaps punctuated by a whale's blow in the channel, the brilliant stars, the bioluminescence, the soft but firm beds with flannel sheets and comforters reminiscent of childhood.   Each night we'd sleep soundly knowing that morning brought steaming coffee and tea at 6:45 am followed by yoga at 7 am, then a hearty breakfast before we set off paddling for the day with a gourmet packed lunch and our experienced sea kayak guides.  

Each day's paddle brought sightings of humpback whales and the dramatic sound of their blows - the last day of paddling they were just meters away at one point!    We were thrilled to know from the lodge owners that the whales are returning in numbers not seen for decades.   We circumnavigated Hurst and Bell Islands one day and Balaclava Island another day, and paddled to a manned lighthouse for a tour another day, with visits to First Nations midden sites, a fish farm and unique intertidal areas along the way while guides gave talks on bull kelp and wildlife.  We learned there are several hikes on Hurst Island as well, one can do right from God's Pocket Resort.

Each afternoon our bodies unwound with the relaxing yoga on the sundeck after the day spent kayaking, then we talked over the day's adventures and observations over happy hour and dinner before collapsing in bed by 10 each night.   What a lovely way to spend a week - a dream vacation!    

We look forward to sharing this truly unique paradise with you June and July 2013!   Here's to many more adventures!

Sea Kayak Adventures dearly enjoys our tours at God's Pocket Wilderness Resort, a small lodge that was grandfathered-in during the establishment of God's Pocket Provincial Park. It is the only lodge on these secluded islands. Friendly owners Bill and Annie are our hosts during these kayak tours, and they always add a very special touch. Our first lodge-based trip of the year launched July 9, and happy guests relaxed for 6 days while enjoying world-class sea kayaking, hiking, and wildlife sightings. Our guides returned with glowing reports of wildlife and weather.

Dustin Chappell, one of our senior kayak guides, writes:

"It was a great week at God's Pocket with guides dressing up for Theme Nights such as Formal, Pirate Day, Fairies and Asian night. The wildlife didn't dissapoint either with appearances by a mother and calf humpback whale, a sea otter, and a friendly seal who even kissed our kayaks to welcome us back to this amazing area. The guests and guides enjoyed paddling, hiking and even some relaxing time in the sun. Annie and Bill were such amazing hosts that none of us wanted to leave this incredible place."

The rest of our God's Pocket trips are sold out for 2012, but we are already taking reservations for 2013! Here are a few more photos from the July 9-14 trip:

What a view!

Har! Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

Avast, ye scurvy dog!

Look at this wonderful sea otter at God's Pocket! Sea otters are slowly coming back to the area, after being hunted nearly to extinction for their fine pelts.

Seals make for fine sea kayaking companions! This one kissed Dustin's kayak.

Heartbreaker and sea kayak guide extraordinaire - Leah Blok in formal wear!

The New York Times recently published an article about the trend in travel companies to use buzzwords like 'eco-friendly,' 'sustainable travel,' and 'green' to attract business, while their operations are anything but! The article recommends thoroughly investigating potential companies and all activities, for what may seem green might actually harm local populations and wildlife. Tourism can bring in much needed money, preservation, and awareness for special places, but when handled improperly, can destroy that which it claims to protect.

The NYT article states, "The best sustainable tourism businesses not only recycle, conserve water and energy, and use locally produced goods, they also hire local employees, support community projects and preserve cultural heritage." We would like to use this blog and explain how, at Sea Kayak Adventures, we are doing just that.

When kayaking with orcas, you not only want THE best place and time to see orcas (Johnstone Strait in northern Vancouver Island, BC Canada June-Sept) you want the best guides in the business who can fully bring out the magic of the area as well keep you well taken care of.  We are honored to introduce our wonderful guides in BC Canada, who we truly feel are among THE best guides in the industry!

Kayaking with orcas in the sheltered waters of Johnstone Strait  is one of the planet’s most rare and wonderful privileges. Hosting guests in these magic waters is an honor Sea Kayak Adventures founders Nancy and Terry take very seriously. They have been fortunate to hear some of the oral traditions as recalled by First Nations elders in the area and foster the utmost appreciation for this priceless cultural heritage.

The First Nations bands of the area hold close ties to land and sea; orcas and other marine animals are featured in their stories with great prominence. Sea Kayak Adventures holds heartfelt respect for this longstanding relationship, and we urge all travelers to respectfully learn about the history of all sites you visit. On our BC kayak tours, our skilled guides will help show you historic cultural sites such as kitchen middens and cedar bark stripping left from generations of First Nations peoples, so as to offer greater awareness for the land and cultures that existed eons before we pushed off with our kayaks.

We also encourage all guests to gain a more thorough appreciation for the native Kwakwaka'wakw by staying an extra day in Port McNeill and visiting the U’mista Cultural Society at Alert Bay on Coromorant Island. Alert Bay is a 45 minute ferry ride (pedestrian friendly) from Port McNeill, BC, where our Johnstone Strait guests will stay for their kayak tours. We highly recommend scheduling an additional time before or after your trip to visit the town and both museums in the area. The U’musta Cultural Society has a wide collection of masks and ceremonial artifacts that were repatriated to the local First Nations band in the early 1970's. These priceless relics were confiscated by the government after banning the Potlatch celebrations intrinsic to the native culture. The “Potlatch Collection” is on display for visitors, and the center holds a gift shop with authentic Kwakwaka'wakw art and souvenirs.

In our last blog entry, we compared the 6-day and the 4-day orca kayak tours in Johnstone Strait to better understand the differences between the tours. As a followup entry, here is a rundown of the wonderful features of BOTH tours!

Highlights of Johnstone Strait tours:

• We paddle to the western boundary of Robson Bight Orca Preserve. The preserve is a natural area set aside specifically for these "northern resident orcas" - a unique subspecies of fish-eating orca found nowhere else on earth. In fact it is the only orca preserve in the world! No one is allowed to paddle inside Robson Bight, but it is a fascinating landmark. The orcas travel all along the Johnstone Strait coastline, both in and out of the reserve.
• Camping along orca waters with a chance 24-hours-a-day to see, hear and understand orcas and the rest of their marine environment. Hydrophones will be present so that you can listen to the underwater vocalizations of the orcas. Enjoy the evolved language of staccato snaps, clicks and pops of echo location from these intelligent mammals.
  
• Skillful guides provide the boats, gear, experience and instruction. Let us do the work of reading complicated tide and current charts and monitoring weather radios, so you can relax and enjoy the location. Sea Kayak Adventures supplies everything except your clothes! Enjoy roomy dome tents, top notch, hand-crafted Seaward kayaks, and sleeping bags with liners and pads. Wetsuit booties, chairs at camp and a library are also provided.
• Learn kayaking skills and how to leave no trace of your visit. We operate on strict “leave-no-trace” ethics – and have a wonderful time doing it! The guides are excellent chefs who will cook all of the meals and show you the ropes of eco-friendly camping. Guides will set out happy hour after the day’s paddle, and then prepare the first of many scrumptious meals in a dutch oven.
  
• Paddling through this marine paradise is a wonderful adventure even without whales. Though we see orcas on over 98% of our tours, Dall’s porpoises, seals and sea lions often join us as well. Oyster catchers, marbled murrelets, and rhinoceros auklets are readily seen, and bald eagles dot the trees. Keep a sharp eye out for deer or black bear foraging near the beaches as we drift past.
  
• Venture out on foot to explore beaches, tide pools and the rain forest. The tidal exchange reveals a variety of fascinating invertebrates as well as oceanic flora and fauna. 
  
• Driftwood campfires brighten the evening conversation. The guides often lead evening fireside stories of Indian legends or orca science.
  
• Unlike the San Juans in the summer, the beaches often are empty, the tourist-toting ferries are preempted by the occasional fishing boat, and you will be paddling along a roadless, uninhabited forested coastline. Visit Telegraph Cove to wander the docks, whale museum and shops.

Kayaking with orcas in Johnstone Strait allows for once-in-a-lifetime orca encounters every week from early July through mid-September (depending on salmon runs). Nature-lovers of all backgrounds venture to Vancouver Island’s inside passage, where over 220 salmon-eating orcas follow bountiful summer salmon runs through this narrow channel. The geography of the Strait ensures generally calm waters, which make for a paddlers paradise.

Sea Kayak Adventures offers two different itineraries on our Johnstone Strait orca kayak tours. Our classic, 6-day Orca Waters Expedition tour loops through killer whale territory in the Strait and up through the islands around Blackfish Sound. The 4-day Orca Base Camp kayak tour is held at our exclusive beach campsite, a short paddle from Robson Bight, the world’s only killer whale preserve. Both tours are suitable for novices in good health, as we paddle about 4 hours per day, broken up by lunch hour, on each tour.

How do you choose which tour is right for you?

Kayaking with whales sounds like an adrenalin-high adventure, akin to cliff diving or whitewater rapids sought by robust 20 year old thrill-seekers. Consequently, many of our guests are surprised to find our tours are suitable for novices of any age or even those with no kayak experience at all. Sea kayaking is a versatile sport that allows for wonderful wilderness adventures at any level. Experienced paddlers may choose open-ocean or rapids, but Sea Kayak Adventures specializes in bringing nature-lovers closer to wildlife, seeking calm waters. Co-owners Terry and Nancy dedicated their lives to finding the best places to whale watch that also host calm, sheltered paddling conditions. Many of our guests have little or no kayak experience, but seek the opportunity to see whales up close.

Sea kayaks allow for complete immersion in nature. There is no glass between you and the outdoors, and no motors to scare away animals. The gentle paddling of a kayak is largely non-invasive to wildlife. Flocks of birds that would take wing at a human on foot or a motorboat do not flee the sight of a kayak, allowing closer encounters. Pinnipeds like sea lions and seals find the kayaks a curiosity, and will even approach for a closer look. And while we proudly adhere to all Be Whale Wise regulations, a raft of kayaks tucked respectfully into the kelp bed may have extraordinary views of a passing pod of orcas as they make their way along the coastline. In Baja, dolphins often pass near or through our kayaks, and great blue and fin whale spouts may alert their presence.  In Patagonia, we float in our kayaks near gently breathing mom and baby southern right whales on a warm hiatus away from the cold of Antarctica.  Whale watching has never been so intimate!

Shallow-bottomed kayaks, which can float in just a foot of water, allow exploration of inlets and channels that host tidal life wonders and beaches inaccessible from boat. Akin to backpacking on the ocean, kayaks allow for expedition style tours – without leaving behind all of the creature comforts. The hatches of the kayaks allow for carrying a full set of camping equipment, cooking tools, and fresh food. Because of this space, your wilderness adventure won’t be sustained by jerky or trail mix. Instead, enjoy freshly prepared meals like lasagna or a salmon-bake, along with fresh salads daily!  We even bake cakes in dutch ovens on our tours!  And because these are guided tours, you can enjoy your wildlife vacation while letting our fantastic guides show off their culinary skills and do all of the cooking.

Join us to kayak with whales and experience in person – and at eye level – these ocean wonders in their natural environment. 

Baja kayakers are fortunate to have direct flights to the town of Loreto, the gem off of Baja’s East coast on the Sea of Cortez. The Islands of Loreto Bay are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Marine Park, and offer endless picturesque coastline for kayaking, camping, hiking and snorkeling. In past years, flights were limited to a single carrier just 4 days a week, but as the beauty of Loreto entices greater numbers of travelers, a new airline is expanding coverage to this sunny destination. Cal Jet Air will fly from LAX to Loreto each Saturday. With set and seemingly reasonable prices for this flight, Cal Jet Air has opened up many possibilities for would-be kayakers who may have been put-off by high prices on peak dates.

Alaska Air has also increased their service to offer Saturday flights to Loreto as well, making this seaside kayak paradise even more accessible.

Sea Kayak Adventures now offers new dates for our Holiday Kayak Tours to coincide with the Saturday flights:

• December 22-29, 2012 - 8-day Motorboat Supported Tour $1345/person
  
• December 29-Jan 5, 2013 - 8-day Motorboat Supported Tour $1345/person

BOOK NOW to reserve these low rates on airfare and to secure your Early Bird Special on our Baja kayak tours!

Kayaking with orcas lead Sea Kayak Adventures to Johnstone Strait, the northern section of Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage. Johnstone Strait in July-Sept is the best place in the world to kayak with orcas and see killer whales up close, due to the concentration of orcas in this narrow, sheltered waterway.  This unique subspecies of orca, called "northern residents," is found nowhere else on earth and eats only fish.  They congregate each summer in Johnstone Strait to feast on the prolific salmon runs concentrated by the geography of the strait.

This part of British Columbia, Canada also hosts a wealth of other life, from dolphins and porpoises to seals and otters. Below the waves, a myriad of fish, crustaceans, and invertebrates support this diverse ecosystem. None are more vital than the Pacific salmon, which plays a key role in sustenance for the entire ecosystem.  Bald eagles, orcas, bears and generations of First Nations people rely on the salmon which is why we must take care to protect them.

Kayaking with orcas and humpback whales often takes center stage on our sea kayak tours off of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. However, this picturesque wilderness also hosts a wide variety of other interesting marine mammals to delight kayak guests. Here are some of our favorite marine animals in British Columbia:

Harbor Seals: These social, curious pinnipeds are frequently seen on our kayak tours, and will even occasionally approach our sea kayaks for a closer look. These seals typically lounge on outcrops or shoreline in groups but are excellent swimmers and fishers. They are common both in Johnstone Strait and God’s Pocket.

Pacific White-Sided Dolphins: These chipper cetaceans roam Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage in pods searching for summer fish. They are very active and prone to great displays of acrobatics. Curious about ships, these dolphins enjoy bowriding and make entertaining escorts on whale watching tours. We see them frequently on our kayak tours both at God’s Pocket Resort and in Johnstone Strait.

Dall’s Porpoises: Every now and then, reports of entire pods full of “baby orcas” turn up in Telegraph Cove.  It’s easy to see why visitors might mistake a young killer whale for this small cetacean: Dall’s porpoises have black bodies with white sides and bellies – not dissimilar from the markings of their larger cousins. Despite a rather stocky appears, these porpoises are very fast swimmers and rather playful, even interacting with dolphins and boats.

Harbour Porpoises: This shy, gray porpoise is one of the smallest marine mammals. They travel in small groups, foraging for crustaceans, squid and fish, but rarely take part in aerial displays or acrobatics. They are sometimes called “puffers” because the sound of their breathing resembles that of a snorting pig.

Steller Sea Lions: This species of sea lion ranges down the Pacific coast from the Bering Sea, but in recent years the declining population was added to the Endangered Species list. Stellers are the largest sea lion species, with males weighing over a ton – three times larger than the females! We often kayak past sunbathing sea lions on our BC tours.

Kayak vacations increase in popularity as adventure travel becomes more accessible and affordable, even for families. Here are some great reasons to consider spending your next vacation on a kayak tour:

Closer to nature: Our kayak tours operate in National Marine Parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites – basically, some of the most beautiful and pristine wilderness areas on the planet.  The very best way to experience these natural wonders is without the interference of the industrial world (which is after all why you’re choosing to visit).  Kayaks are quiet, unobtrusive to wildlife, and will allow you to access beaches and inlets where even boats can’t reach.  Even better, the carrying capacity of a kayak allows us to bring some of our creature comforts – like gourmet meals with fresh produce – on our wilderness adventure. Rather than roughing it with beef jerky and freeze dried foods, as might be necessary for a backpacking or hiking trip, kayak vacations allow for a “camping plus” experience.

Guides: Have an adventure vacation – and all the thrills – with someone who can help you make the most out of the experience. Our guides know the weather, wind, and water conditions to plan for optimum paddling, camping, and hiking. They know where to find the best wildlife viewing sites, which beaches to camp at, and how far to pull the kayaks up at night.  They are wonderful teachers, naturalists, entertainers and cooks to boot!  Adventure doesn’t have to mean miserable or foolhardy!

Exercise: Many people spend a great deal of their lives bound to a chair and desk.  Though sometimes we may feel so exhausted from work that we just want to lie on the beach (and there is plenty of time and opportunity to do so on our Baja tours!), exercise can regenerate our bodies even more thoroughly than a period of idleness. A kayak vacation does just that! Moreover, for those who feel stuck in a monotonous gym routine, a week of kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling in fresh air will make use of those hard-earned muscles (or give you the impetus to get to the gym beforehand!).

Price: Our trips start at $895 for a 5-day itinerary, including hotel. Even with the addition of airfare above the trip cost, many folks would be hard-pressed to find a week’s worth of travel, lodging, meals and guided activities for this price.  Hotel and food alone would nearly equal the cost, and even with a meager budget for activities, most vacations far surpass our prices.  So why not leave the planning, packing, and supplies up to SKA? Just bring your clothes. It’s that easy.

Eco-friendly: We are often at our most wasteful during vacation, where we don’t have the ease and familiarity be eco-conscious. The steps we take at home, like recycling, re-using grocery bags, and watching our energy consumption, are nearly impossible from a hotel room. This year, keep your vacation in line with your eco-responsibility and travel eco-friendly.  Kayak vacation tours make the perfect vehicle for environmentally-conscious tourism due to their lack of emissions and low-impact. Additionally, SKA offsets 100% of the energy used on our tours and is a certified carbon-neutral company.

Thought that I would just give you all a little summary of one of the most incredible experiences I have had in all these many years. Took a trip with Sea Kayak Adventures, Inc.  

This was their 3 x 3 Combo to the Baja of Mexico which included 3 days of kayaking -- the SEA of CORTEZ, followed by 3 days of whale watching --- MAGDALENA BAY on the Pacific side. And they run a really good trip.

We were met by our amazing guides, Edgar and Axel in Loreto, distributed dry bags for our gear for the kayaking.  And I became "Cactus" Kay.  All bags contained labels of local vegetation/sea life/shells, etc. so we could easily tell what was ours.

Kayaks are state of the art doubles, top of the line gear.  We met our boats, all doubles, and ours became "Lemon Lightening".  This became a self fulfilling prophecy as Laurie and I always seemed to be out in front of the pack.  We had to blame it on the boat as I was the oldest in the group.  Twelve of us, a great, compatible bunch of people.  Youngest was 28, the oldest was ME!

Orcas and the San Juan Islands became synonymous for many North Americans due to the widely publicized killer whales that live in these waters. ­ However, many people don’t realize that a much larger population of salmon-eating orcas congregate just a couple hundred miles north of the San Juan Islands, in Vancouver Island’s northern Inside Passage in British Columbia, Canada. These “Northern Resident Orcas” number over 200 strong – more than twice the size of the population found in the San Juan Islands – and with a territory much more feasible to kayaking with orcas. From mid-July through mid-September, most pods congregate within a 40 mile channel following salmon runs in the world’s best-kept-secret orca-viewing site: Johnstone Strait.  The strait is only 3 miles wide at its largest point, making it a perfect venue to camp and kayak with killer whales.  (This is far easier than trying to find orcas among a group of scattered islands).