Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

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...