Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

It has been a long time since I have taken the time to make a post here. I think the age of Facebook took me that direction for posting travel information. But today I wanted to rekindle my old blog and pass along some fun information on recent travel and gearing up for the 2018 San Juan Island Kayak Tour season. Last summer was another great season for Discovery Sea Kayaks  and Discovery Adventure Tours . Background Information: My employment. Discovery Sea Kayaks  provides guided San Juan Island Kayak Tour experiences.  We operate in some of the best waters for whale watching and wildlife viewing. We operate from early Spring to late Fall, closing during the winter months. We offer half day , full day , and sunset kayak tours . Specialty tours are our San Juan Island Bioluminescence Kayak Tours and our 3 Day kayak and camping tours . Discovery Adventure Tours  is the newest part of our business. We offer quality bike rentals from downtown Friday Harbor, Wa....

It has been awhile since my last post. So I thought I would write a bit on the latest happenings. Spring has arrived on San Juan Island and I am back to work early this season. Kayak tours kicked off a bit sooner than normal this year. I assume the lack of good snow in the mountains and the early sunshine has something to do with it. So with Spring here we ( Discovery Sea Kayaks ) are open and running kayak tours. This is a great time to visit San Juan Island for a kayak tour. With less people on island there is a very charming small town feel. On the water the wildlife encounters can vary. Some days you might encounter killer whales other days watch as a pair of eagle fly over head. Last season we started renting bikes from our shop in downtown Friday Harbor. Our location is perfect for walking on the ferry and then renting a bike when you arrive in town. Being in the heart of town and close to the ferry makes it easy. I have all the bikes clean and ready to be rented. This se...

For those that read this post I want to be transparent from the start here. I am one of the owners of Discovery Sea Kayaks and wanted to take a moment to share some exciting news about the company. Firstly, the kayak season has started off with amazing weather. Most the days on the water this spring have be beautiful with calm seas. All of our kayak tours are operational and ready for people to join. We offer Half Day and Full Day kayak tours to the west side of San Juan Island. One of the most popular tours we offer is the west side Sunset Kayak Tour. San Juan Island sunsets are truly amazing and there is no better way to experience the sunset than by kayak. To round our our kayak tour offering we have 3 and 5 Day Kayak Tours. Camping on the surrounding islands is the best way to get a sense of the islands. Travel between the islands and enjoy the Pacific Northwest scenery. Our guides are very skilled on and off the water. You are assured a culinary surprise at each meal. When it co...

As fall rolls moves in on us in the Pacific Northwest many start thinking about the snow in the mountains and the upcoming ski and board season.  There are also those that love to ride year round and are preparing for the colder, wet weather.  There is a lot of fun to be had on muddy trails but as much as I love the Pacific Northwest riding in the winter.  I have a destination that offers great single track and warm weather.  Not only is the weather warm but the destination offers the perfect exotic travel that adds up to be a wonderful vacation. So what where am I talking about?  Thailand. Yep it is a long way from the US and you might even have to take a bit of vacation tie from work.  But it is more than worth the effort to ride amazing single track.  We have created a better way of getting you on the trails.  It is not always easy landing on the other side of the world and get on the best single track mountain biking in the area.  That ...

So it has been awhile since I have been updating my Blog.  With Facebook, Google+ and whatever else there is out there I try and maintain for my business Discovery Sea Kayaks , it is hard to do much more.  But I decided I wanted to reopen the use of my Blog to inform readers on all kinds of news, events and even some of my business going's on. I would like to start by introducing Discovery Adventure Tours or DAT as we call it around the shop.  DAT is a new business name that was developed to start diversifying the types of adventure tours we want to offer.  So Discovery Sea Kayak and DAT will be owned and operated by the same good folks, Richard Swanson and Jason Gunter. The new name just made sense to add other types of adventures. The first project DAT is taking on is Downhill Mountain Bike Tours in northern Thailand.  We will be there this winter offering 5 day vacation packages for those looking to get out on steep terrain and get loose on their mountai...

Earlier in the season I was able to spend some time on the water with videographer Chris West.  Today he sent me the video he developed from his time on the water with Discovery Sea Kayaks.  If you have never been to San Juan Island or have been here but not on a kayak tour.  You might want to check out the video. Some really great footage and images of town.   Here is a fun still shot from the evening paddle.

Last year I traveled with my good friend Colin Blevins to Chiang Mai Thailand.  We had one goal in mind, find fast and fun single track.  What we found was a thriving local bike community, great food and the single track we were hoping for. Early in the year Colin and I started riding together frequently and Colin would mention the idea of heading back to Thailand to find more single track to ride.  Colin has been traveling in Thailand for the last several years and had a bit of experience with some of the trails. On many of our rides I would just toss out that I was in for the adventure myself.  Not sure if either one of us was taking me seriously.  Well my kayak season was nearing its end and it was time to make it happen or not.  I figured it out and bought a plane ticket. It felt a little head first since I have never flow anywhere with my bike before.  But Colin had a good plan and I was confident. So we both purchased flights via Korean Ai...

Just wanted to put a note out there that the water and weather have been great for kayaking around San Juan Island.  I am a guide here in Friday Harbor Washington and we have been taking tours out daily.  Not sure if there are any readers here in to taking kayak tours, but if you are, stop by www.dskayaks.com and check out what we offer. For those with your own kayaks, it is time for a weekend getaway to the San Juan's for a bit of kayak fun.  Stop by the shop if you have any questions on tides and weather. All in all I just cannot wait to start seeing more kayakers arrive to the island as the weather progresses from Spring to Summer. Happy Paddling

I wanted to spend a m oment to write about my recent t rip to Baja for 10 days of kayaking. My goal is to not simply share how much fun the trip was, but also a good description of the logistics and planing for the trip. First off the trip was not a guided trip. We decided to rent kayaks and explore on our own. This is a good option if you have good experience camping in remote areas, good route finding skills over water and of course a good set of kayak skills. This is a fun way to do thing Let me add that even being an experienced kayaker, guided trips can be lots of fun. The trips offered by the various outfitters in the region seem to be pretty amazing and have a lot to offer to those of any skill level. So let me get started with the plans we made while still in the states. After selecting our dates and deciding on a general route we need to find kaya ks. With a bit of searching on the internet we found two companies in La Paz , Mar Y Adventuras and Baja Outdoor Activ...

Have you every wondered what it must be like to show up after booking a kayak tour and meeting the outfitter you have selected and not feel like basic safety protocols are being followed. I know that I may be a bit strict in my thinking here but really as a commercial outfitter you would think some things would be basic. Something as basic as wearing a life jacket (PFD) should be a must. I can hear some of you now. It is 90F outside and the water is 80F. That is true and on your own I feel if you do not want to wear a life jacket then that is your business. But as a professional outfitter you should be an example setter. In the Pacific Northwest where air temperature is not always that warm and the water is never warm. I still see images of people not wearing life jackets on commercially operated kayak tours websites. Coast Guard records will show that most kayak and canoe related deaths can be attributed to the person not WEARING a life jacket. Having it simply strapped to the ...

I just wanted to post a note that Discovery Sea Kayaks is looking for people for the 2011 kayak season. I know it is early to start thinking about 2011 kayak season on San Juan. But we get a lot of people that are passing though the area and should come out and get on the water with us if they are interested in getting a position in 2011 as a sea kayak guide. We are looking for outdoor minded people that understand the seasonal lifestyle. People that show up prepared to work long hours and day after day if need be. If you have kayak skills and interested in becoming a guide, get in touch. If you have strong outdoor skill and have guided in the outdoors, but do not have tons of kayak experience, get in touch. We have an extensive training period that will help develop on skills you have or new skills. We cover natural history and human history of the San Juan area as well. Guides must be responsible and punctual. A guide must be prepared to help out in anyway possible. Guidi...

I know that many may have forgotten all the mess last fall when NOAA announced the possible closure of the majority of San Juan Islands west side. The west side of San Juan Island is one of the best places to kayak in all the San Juan Islands. The following link is full of information from last fall that I posted here on my blog. There are links in the post that will take you to the Recovery Plan and info on the closure prospects. http://seayakwc.blogspot.com/2009/07/noaa-proposal-to-close-west-side-of-san.html So what is going on today? The San Juan Island Kayak season has been in full swing and the season has been busy. As a commercial operator that runs tours out of San Juan County Park we have agreed to new terms in our permit that is call the Kayaker Code of Conduct. This is good stewardship information that we pass along to every guest that we take to the park for kayaking. We collect signatures from each guest that they have received the information. If you are a kayaker ...

Finally our summer is in full swing and then today the winds moved in. It is still nice and warm, at least warm for the Pacific Northwest. But today the winds are strong and keeping people off the water. We do have a tour out today but we changed our kayaking location to get away from the wind. I had a really nice Half Day Kayak Tour out just the other day. The water was nice and the skies were clear. Really nice to be out there on the nice days. Looks like the wind will die down tonight and then it is looking really nice for the rest of the week. Getting ready to head out on the water. Nice and clear out. The Olympic Mountain are in the distance. Team work when paddling a tandem is a good idea. Well if you plan on getting on the water. Check out our web page: www.discoveryseakayak.com We are operating tours daily and can get you on the water for a great time.

Today is kind of crazy here in the little town of Friday Harbor. Lots of people came over to enjoy the weekend for the 4th of July. Plenty of fun things to do while they were here. Town hosted a wonderful small town parade. The evening was filled with music from Rock the Docks. I went to a friends house and BBQ'ed. His house is on the water so Robin and I took our kayaks to do some rolling practice. The evening was met with clouds, light rain and then sunshine again. The whale were in the area all weekend, so I am sure there are many happy folks that went out whale watching for power boat, kayakers that explored the west side of San Juan and those who visited Lime Kiln State Park. Discovery Sea Kayaks was busy as ever on the 4th and the 5th seems to be no different. Now I sit watching loads of people stage for the ferry to head back to the mainland. Back to their normal pace in life. It is nice that for a short time San Juan Island can offer a break from the day to day l...

If you are looking to stay in the heart of Friday Harbor and have a harbor view, check out 123 West. 123 West has a fun modern design with interior details you will love. From culinary kitchens to stunning vies of the harbor. You will be close to everything in town. They recently launched a new website and if you are planing on coming to Friday Harbor for a visit, you should check them out. 123 West San Juan Island On another note Kayaking have been great the past week. The Souther Resident Killer Whales have been hanging on the west side of San Juan Island almost everyday. Stop by the Discovery Sea Kayaks blog for pictures or book a tour. Thanks for visiting Jason

So I am starting the use the companies Blog a bit more. I will continue to blog here as well but I plan to update more kayak tour and trip information on the Discovery Sea Kayak Blog. So Stop by and check it out and bookmark it please. http://www.discoveryseakayak.com/blog

Summer is slowly working its way in here on San Juan Island. We have been running lots of tours to the west side of San Juan and have had early success with orca whale encounters. Remember if you are shopping for a Kayak Tour on San Juan Island that Discovery Sea Kayaks has the smallest group tours on the island. The main benefit to small groups is that you get great service from your guide and you travel with less impact on wildlife. Since we travel through prime killer whale feeding areas, we do everything we can to minimize impact. One of the best ways to do this is by reducing the number of boats in a group. I have been out having fun with a couple of our interns doings some fun kayak training. Yesterday we practiced towing exercises. Plus we working on off side rolls and a few other skills. It is nice to have a chance to help young paddlers develop their skills. Multi Day Kayak Tours seem to be very popular this season and it is a great way to see the San Juan Island...

Not only does Discovery Sea Kayaks offer the best sea kayak tour adventures on San Juan Island, check out our new website! https://www.discoveryseakayak.com/ We specialize in providing Half Day and Full Day San Juan Island Kayak Tours and Trips to areas where Killer Whales (Orca) are commonly seen. We launch our Kayak Trips in the heart of the wildlife view area for San Juan Island. No need to spend half the day kayaking just to get to the zone when you go with Discovery Sea Kayaks, we spend the entire day in the area. This increases your chances to have encounters with Killer Whales from kayak. If you are looking to go out for more than one day. Check out our Multi Day Kayak Tours . We will take you all over the islands in search of beauty and wildlife. Camp on outer islands and enjoy meals prepared by your guide. When I say meals, there are no dehydrated beans here. We prepare fresh foods using as much locally grown goods as possible. So be assured this is the top of the lin...

Last weekend I was out guiding a 3 day kayak tour. I took one of our new guides along for training. It was a nice small group of 4 people. It was really a great trip despite the rain. The first day was a nice long paddle day as we made our way to Jones Island to set camp. Soon after arriving at Jones Island the wind picked up and we were all happy that we were off the water. Katie and I set camp and started working on dinner prep. The guest took off for a nice hike around the island. Even with the winds the evening was amazing. Off the bed early to avoid the chill of the wind and get a bit of rest after a long day. Day two, Katie and I were up early and the guest got up slowly at their own pace. The day was shaping up to be beautiful. The sun was bright and the temps were warm. The day had little tide exchange so the water was really flat. We made our way across San Juan Channel towards Spieden Island. Once we reached the north shore of the island we slowly moved though amaz...