Sea Quest Kayak Tours
Sea Quest Kayak Tours
4.7
Eco ToursHiking & Camping ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursKayaking & Canoeing
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Join our biologist guides in the premiere orca whale waters! Our specialty is finding killer whales while kayaking. Our routes are carefully designed to maximize your chances for an amazing encounter! You may also see sea lions, porpoises, otters, eagles and much more. Our 40 years of working as biologists and educators in the San Juan Islands makes us the top experts! Stable, safe and fun for all ages! Sea Quest accommodates everyone from beginners to experts and custom tours to fit your needs. Families will appreciate our family tours – age 5 & up – with 3-person kayaks to seat kids between two adults. Sea Quest provides professional leadership, small group size, and a perfect safety record after 30+ years. Day-trips explore spectacular locations like Lime Kiln Whale Watch Park. Our 2, 3 & 5-day camping trips navigate to the remote outer islands. We were chosen for National Geographic's “10 Best Trips in the World for 2011” and USA Today's “World's Top 10 Adventure Bargains.”
Friday Harbor, Washington
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.7
766 reviews
Excellent
634
Very good
81
Average
22
Poor
15
Terrible
14
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zracoon
Sandy, UT613 contributions
Oct 2024 • Family
We went during the shoulder season, so it was kind of cold, without a lot of wildlife (no whales). But the guide (Heather) was excellent, the scenery was beautiful. We stopped on Turn Island and had an amazing hike, I strongly recommend taking the path around the island, it's lovely.
Written October 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawn P
Cambridge, UK4 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We were lucky enough to enjoy a bucket list trip to San Juan Island to go on the Bioluminescence night kayaking trip with Sea Quest. The experience was excellent from start to finish, we all felt safe even though we were not all experienced at kayaking. The bioluminescence was simply breathtaking and our guide Jeff was very helpful, knowledgeable and good company. We would definitely recommend.
Written October 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenn H
Whitewater, WI28 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The bioluminescence tour was AMAZING! Heather and Marco were the perfect guides for a group with diverse abilities going out into the night. They were patient and encouraging. The bioluminescence in the water was indescribably beautiful and magical. Every paddle action created a scene of sparkling diamonds in the water! The occasional jellyfish outlined in “lights” was a delight. Don’t miss this experience!
Written August 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re thrilled to hear that you had an AMAZING experience on the Sea Quest kayak tour’s bioluminescence adventure! It’s wonderful that Heather and Marco provided such patient and encouraging guidance for your group. We’re delighted that you found the bioluminescence and the glowing jellyfish so magical and beautiful. Thank you for your enthusiastic recommendation—we’re so glad you enjoyed this enchanting adventure!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
warblerwatcher
7 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Our guide, Jeff, was knowledgeable, kind, and professional. Tour included inexperienced kayakers and Jeff was awesome getting us set up and out in the water. Got to see bioluminescent phytoplankton! Incredible to see, and having an excellent experienced guide made all the difference. Highly recommended
Written August 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re thrilled to hear that you had an incredible experience on the Sea Quest Kayak Tour with Jeff! It’s fantastic that his knowledge, kindness, and professionalism made a difference, especially for the inexperienced kayakers in your group. Seeing the bioluminescent phytoplankton is truly magical, and we’re glad Jeff’s expertise enhanced the experience. We appreciate your high recommendation and look forward to seeing you on another adventure!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marc V
Zug, Switzerland22 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Caleb was a very good guide who had all the elements of the trip fully under control. He also knows a lot about the ecosystems in the San Juan Islands because of his studies.
We saw a lot of nature on our two-day trip. Seals, birds, raccoons, many aquatic plants and land plants.
The kayaks were very pleasant and easy to maneuver. We had fog with a lot of wind and waves between periods of wonderful weather.
We really liked it.
Thanks a lot.
We saw a lot of nature on our two-day trip. Seals, birds, raccoons, many aquatic plants and land plants.
The kayaks were very pleasant and easy to maneuver. We had fog with a lot of wind and waves between periods of wonderful weather.
We really liked it.
Thanks a lot.
Automatically translated
Written August 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re delighted to hear that you had such a great experience with Caleb as your guide on the Sea Quest kayak tour and that you enjoyed the natural beauty of the San Juan Islands. It’s wonderful that you found the kayaks comfortable and easy to manoeuvre, even with the varying weather conditions. We truly appreciate your feedback and are grateful for your positive remarks. We’re thrilled that you enjoyed the trip!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Irene M
3 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Cam was our FABULOUS & FUN guide for the bioluminescence & afternoon kayak tours!! He was well-informed, detail oriented & articulate in sharing information regarding the San Juan Islands, its history & of course its wildlife! All members of Team Sea Quest went out of their way to be helpful, friendly & most of all, make you feel safe & comfortable to experience this AMAZING adventure!
Written June 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic review! We’re thrilled to hear that Cam made your bioluminescence and afternoon kayak tours both fun and informative. Our Sea Quest Kayak Tours team always strives to provide a safe, friendly, and enriching experience, so it’s wonderful to know that you felt that during your adventure. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back for more amazing explorations around the San Juan Islands!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rldewolf
Circle Pines, MN66 contributions
Sep 2024 • Friends
We did a guided birding tour with Mark Lewis and he was fantastic!! He brought us to four or five different locations around San Juan islands and filled us in on the history and geography and flora and science of everything around us!!
Written September 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pam j
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Friends
Our group of 8 women had an epic adventure with our amazing guide Heather! From the BEST campsite with sunset views from our tent, to the expert navigation across the San Juan channels, to her fun hospitality. We’d pick Sea-Quest tours and Heather 1000 times!!
Written August 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re thrilled to hear that your group of 8 women had such an epic adventure on the Sea Quest kayak tour with Heather as your guide! It’s fantastic that you enjoyed the stunning campsite, expert navigation, and Heather’s fun hospitality. We’re grateful for your enthusiastic feedback and are honoured that you’d choose Sea Quest Kayak Tours and Heather time and again. We look forward to hopefully seeing you on another adventure!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Escape801479
4 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
We had never been sea kayaking, but our awesome guide Liam made it totally easy and fun. It was a beautiful tour with views and some wildlife. Another bonus was learning about the San Juan Island landscape, history, and lifestyle. Highly recommend!
Written June 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so glad to hear that your first sea kayaking adventure was both easy and fun with Liam as your guide. It's wonderful that you enjoyed the beautiful views, wildlife, and learning about the San Juan Island's history and landscape. We really appreciate your kind words and highly recommend exploring more with us in the future. Hope to see you again at Sea Quest Kayak Tours!
Written September 4, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cher
Los Angeles, CA2 contributions
Aug 2022
We would not recommend Sea Quest to any of our friends in the future. The bioluminescence kayak tour was very disappointing and this tour company made many mistakes contributing to our poor experience. To start off, it seemed as though the tour should have been led by two guides, but we only had one. He did the best he could, but I could tell that this was a two-person job.
Getting in and out of the beach was long and painful. For how much money we paid ($300 for 2 people), we should not have been subject to loading and unloading the kayaks ourselves. We all helped unload the kayaks before launching thinking this was the usual process. However, after kayaking, we were all exhausted and still instructed by the tour guide that we had to lift the heavy kayaks all the way from the beach up onto the truck…Meanwhile, next to us we saw that a different kayak company dropped their guests off at home first, then came back to have the employees put away the kayaks…
Secondly, there should have been some system on the beach to make it easier to get on the kayak. Instead, we were forced to choose between walking barefoot on sharp logs and rocks on the beach (where there were lots of spiders crawling around) or getting our only shoes wet. Another guest and I only brought one pair of shoes for our trip, so getting it wet at 10pm when you need them the next morning was a huge inconvenience, so we chose to be barefoot. It was very cold and painful.
To top it all off, the bioluminescent planktons could barely be seen. They were so dim that halfway through the tour, one guest asked when we were going to be seeing the bioluminescent planktons. The guide was also not very good at explaining where we were going. The whole time, I kept hearing guests ask “so which way are we going?” It seemed very difficult for one guide to keep 10 guests together, which to me seems like a safety issue when you’re out in the ocean at night.
As we finished our tour, an employee from another kayaking company told our guide that we were blinding everyone by having our white headlamps on. All other tour groups were instructed to only have the red light on so their eyes could be adjusted to the dimness and be able to see the bioluminescence more clearly.
At the end of our kayak trip, everyone looked like they were beyond ready to go home. This miserable experience was not what we signed up for.
Overall, we tipped the tour guide well because it wasn’t his fault. However, whoever is in charge needs to make some serious improvements.
Getting in and out of the beach was long and painful. For how much money we paid ($300 for 2 people), we should not have been subject to loading and unloading the kayaks ourselves. We all helped unload the kayaks before launching thinking this was the usual process. However, after kayaking, we were all exhausted and still instructed by the tour guide that we had to lift the heavy kayaks all the way from the beach up onto the truck…Meanwhile, next to us we saw that a different kayak company dropped their guests off at home first, then came back to have the employees put away the kayaks…
Secondly, there should have been some system on the beach to make it easier to get on the kayak. Instead, we were forced to choose between walking barefoot on sharp logs and rocks on the beach (where there were lots of spiders crawling around) or getting our only shoes wet. Another guest and I only brought one pair of shoes for our trip, so getting it wet at 10pm when you need them the next morning was a huge inconvenience, so we chose to be barefoot. It was very cold and painful.
To top it all off, the bioluminescent planktons could barely be seen. They were so dim that halfway through the tour, one guest asked when we were going to be seeing the bioluminescent planktons. The guide was also not very good at explaining where we were going. The whole time, I kept hearing guests ask “so which way are we going?” It seemed very difficult for one guide to keep 10 guests together, which to me seems like a safety issue when you’re out in the ocean at night.
As we finished our tour, an employee from another kayaking company told our guide that we were blinding everyone by having our white headlamps on. All other tour groups were instructed to only have the red light on so their eyes could be adjusted to the dimness and be able to see the bioluminescence more clearly.
At the end of our kayak trip, everyone looked like they were beyond ready to go home. This miserable experience was not what we signed up for.
Overall, we tipped the tour guide well because it wasn’t his fault. However, whoever is in charge needs to make some serious improvements.
Written August 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Cher,
We are sorry you had such a bad experience! We gave you a call; however, your name is not in our reservation system so please give our office a call to verify and so we can discuss further! 360-378-5767. Your story sounded like a multitude of factors lead to an overall negative experience so I would like to address them one at a time. We did speak with who we believe to be your guide to get their half of the story as well.
1. Group Size – We do have a limited number of guides and vehicles. Unfortunately, this does mean that occasionally we will have group with up to 5 kayaks per tour guide. Our average group size is 6 people. Most of the time trips run more smoothly with 6-10 people as this means that there are plenty of hands to move kayaks briefly (less than 5 minutes) up and down the beach. We always use 4-6 people which makes moving kayaks safe, easy and fast. Your guide Sam instructed all guests to help with each kayak as per standard operating procedures.
2. Group Management – Your guide Sam stayed in constant contact with the group the entire time. He put glowsticks on every kayak so he could visually see you! We have since made it a policy to assign numbers to each kayak and periodically do a periodic roll call so that everyone feels safer!
3. Walking Barefoot Over Logs – There were two things a play here. Number one is that it was high tide at the beach. This can happen on our bioluminescence tours because we run the tours predominantly around the full and new moon which are the phases of the lunar cycle which have the largest tidal swings. When there is limited or no beach, there is no way to launch the kayaks besides exiting the kayak in the shallows and carrying the kayaks over the logs. This is not hazardous provided you have the proper footwear. All our kayak guests are sent a packing list ahead of time so they can be prepared with the proper footwear such as closed toed sandals or other water shoes. We recommend the ATB Bootie by NRS. Every single Sea Quest vehicle is always stocked with extra loaner water shoes because it is very common for people not to read the packing list. We have a reminder email that is sent out 5 days and 1 day before every trip that refers them back to the confirmation email with the packing list that all guests receive! Sam offered you water shoes, but you instead chose to go barefoot.
4. Lack of Bioluminescence - Your tour was on the new moon which means you theoretically should have had the best bioluminescence display of the entire month! The bioluminescence was very strong that evening as reported by Sam and none of the other guest on the tour complained about the lack of bioluminescence on the tour.
5. Blinding white light – Red lights do not give you the proper depth perception required to safely enter and exit and kayak or unload a kayak from a trailer. As such Sam did the safe and reasonable thing. The guide from the other company apparently cared more about being tipped well than preventing the guests from injuring themselves. Sam should not have been shamed for doing a safe and rational maneuver. The average person eyes adjust to the bioluminescence in under 3 minutes after turning off their white headlamps.
6. Everyone looked ready to go home – After paddling around until after midnight who wouldn’t be a bit eager to get back to their hotel, grab some food, take a hot shower and head to bed! None of the other guests reported anything negative at all about this trip so it is more than likely that you were projecting your subjective state onto those around you.
If you have any further questions, considerations or complaints please contact me directly at 360-622-9663.
Thanks,
Ben Henkel - Owner
Written August 15, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We are visiting San Juan Island at the end of June for a couple of days. We would like to do one of the shorter kayaking tours, due to my husband's hip, and cannot decide between the morning or sunset options. What would you recommend for wildlife sightings and scenery?
Written May 22, 2019
Both the morning and sunset kayak tours have equal opportunities for seeing wildlife and scenery. Unlike terrestrial animals, marine wildlife activity is dictated by tides and currents rather than the time of day. We think you should make your decision based on your personal preference or convenience. Give us a call if you'd like to discuss this!
Written May 23, 2019
Hi there!
Can anyone tell me the best way to get to sea quest? Is there a specific ferry or shuttle/something that takes you there? (This will be my first time flying into Seattle, so sorry if this is a dumb question).
Written May 6, 2018
If you’re flying into SeaTac there are shuttles that can take you to the Anacortes Ferry terminal. You can look up the Bellair Airporter shuttle. It’s about a 2 hour ride. You can get tickets ahead of time and there are times listed for each departure. The Anacortes ferry will take you to Friday Harbor (~1hr10min ferry ride). The meeting place for the sea quest Kayak tour is usually right near the Friday harbor ferry terminal where the little traffic circle is. It’s a lot of traveling to get there so I hope you’re staying a few days!
Written May 7, 2018
Hi! We are interested in a 2-day kayak trip this summer with Sea Quest Expeditions - for the overnight camping, do they provide tents and other large camping items? We would only need to bring personal items and sleeping bag/pad, correct? Any guidance would be helpful. Thank you in advance!
Written March 1, 2018
Yes, that is true. Our website is a great place to find information like this and other tips to help you plan your adventure! Also, our website has an email contact form where you can ask questions and usually get much faster responses! Thanks for you inquiry and we hope to see you this summer!
Written March 2, 2018
Hi. Summer of 2018 we want to visit San Juan Islands. we are interested in a tour for a few days that visits different islands. Would like to kayak and hike, but also stay in lodging or even a yurt. Are there any tour companies that provide this type of tour? Any advice would be great. Thanks
Written August 18, 2017
We took the 3 day Sea Quest tour. We camped on Posey Island both nights. The guides were amazing and we had an incredible adventure. The night before and after the trip we stayed at Wayfarer's Rest, a hostel. It was really nice and convenient.
Written September 18, 2017
We are taking the 2 day trip this weekend and are really stuck about what to wear IN the kayak. Are you sealed in? Is it cold and wear warm pants or shorts? After getting in the water is it better to have wet wool socks or just be in water shoes? Any advice on this would be great.
Written July 21, 2015
I thought water socks worked best because your feet get wet when you enter and leave the boat. When in the kayak, you will be wearing a skirt and your feet will be covered.
Written August 19, 2015
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