Shearwater Adventures

Kayak Tours on Orcas Island

Browse Tours by Date

Featured Kayak Tours

Most Popular

$119

3 hours
Ages 7+

Deer Harbor Kayak

daily tours • April – September
Get a taste of sea kayaking while exploring beautiful Deer Harbor and the Wasp Islands on this easy adventure. Sheltered waters provide a great location for experiencing fantastic views and marine wildlife.

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New Location!

$119

3 hours
Ages 13+

Eastsound Kayak

June – September
Get a taste of sea kayaking while exploring the north shore and Point Doughty on this easy adventure. Near Eastsound Village, this is a great location for experiencing fantastic views into Canada and a variety of marine wildlife.

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$119

3 hours
Ages 15+

Doe Bay Kayak

late May – early September
Explore the “far side” of Orcas Island on this three-hour kayak adventure. Enjoy views of Mount Baker in the North Cascades, along with a variety of marine wildlife. Strenuous tidal conditions on some dates — call for details.

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$125

2 hours
Ages 15+

Bioluminescence Kayak

Experience magical, twinkling lights from the depths of the Salish Sea! Join us as we paddle after dark through the beautiful phenomenon that is bioluminescence.

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$155

6 hours
Ages 15+

Paddle & Picnic

mid May – mid September • Tu/Th/St
Pack your favorite picnic lunch and join us for a great day exploring the islands. Kayak to a small, uninhabited state park island or isolated beach. We have a long break mid-day to enjoy trails, explore tide pools if the tide is low, or just relax. After the break, we take a new route to loop back to the harbor.

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Custom

Custom Tours

Custom Tours are trips that we tailor to meet the needs of different groups and skill levels. Whether a private tour for two or a large group of friends, call us to explore the possibilities. Different timing, locations, and routes available.

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What sets us apart?

Shearwater is Orcas Island’s original kayak outfitter—sharing the fun of kayaking and the beauty of the San Juan Islands for over 40 years! Our commitment to guest safety, a quality experience, and respect for wildlife has been unchanged in that time. Join our small groups on beautiful routes in stable kayaks.

Every tour includes

- - high-quality, fiberglass, tandem kayaks
  - spraydecks for comfort & safety
    (keeps splashes & drips out of the kayak)
  - adjustable life jackets
  - light-weight paddles
  - custom, padded seat backs
  - dry storage bags
  - professional guide service

Shearwater Adventures

Shearwater Adventures has been offering a variety of sea kayak tours, instruction, and retail sales on Orcas Island since 1982. Over the years, we have introduced thousands of people to the joys of paddling in the San Juan Islands. Our focus has always been sharing the fun of kayaking and the beauty of the marine environment.

We use the best kayaks and equipment available. We have a dedicated staff of qualified guides, and we know the islands better than anyone. Kayaking with Shearwater is a great activity to experience during your visit to the islands. Join us for a kayak tour and a fantastic time on the water!

Read our Cancellation Policies for details if your plans need to change.

More About Us

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Getting Here

See Why Our Guests Love Us!

Wonderful Tour!

We had such a wonderful tour! Dan was a great guide and made sure we got to see as much wildlife as possible. You can tell he loves what he does and loves the islands which translates to an awesome paddle. Thanks for a wonderful trip!

– Cali W. | TripAdvisor | June 2025

Amazing Experiences

My husband and I did two tours with Shearwater, the bioluminescence and Deer Harbor tour. Both were amazing experiences. The tour guides were patient, knowledgeable, and really cared about the islands and wildlife.

– Veronica M. | Google review | June 2025

Fantastic Guides!

Great experience both days with both tour guides who were very knowledgeable, clear and thorough in their instructions and fun ! I especially enjoyed seeing and learning about the natural history of the islands. I highly recommend!!

– Anne E. | TripAdvisor | June 2025

Wonderful Experience!

We had a wonderful experience on our kayak tour out of Doe Bay! Jeff was an excellent guide and was very knowledgable about the San Juan Islands, wildlife, tides, and more. I would recommend Shearwater Adventures to anyone visiting Orcas Island!

– Dana C. | Google review | May 2025

Once in a Lifetime

Although we all had a bit of kayaking experience, we benefitted greatly from Jeff's expertise, clear instructions and calm demeanor. Once in a lifetime experience for our family visiting the PNW for the first time!

– Maureen P. | TripAdvisor | Apr 2025

Must do!

Excellent tour (Paddle and Picnic) and Elizabeth was a wonderful guide. Great wildlife sightings and it was just the right amount of effort to feel accomplished but not exhausted.

– Aaron L | TripAdvisor | Aug, 2024

Best of the Best

Thank you, Shearwater Kayak Tours for hiring the best of the best guides to give us the best of the best experience!

– Elizabeth G. | Google review | July 2024

Fun and so easy

First time kayaker but Guide Mason made it so fun and so easy. He taught us so much about the area and now I'm addicted to kayaking!

– Andi B. | Google review | July 2024

Phenomenal!

The sunset kayak tour was phenomenal. It was spectacularly beautiful and our guide, Mason, was kind, capable, and smart. I highly recommend this tour.

– Kimberly S. | TripAdvisor | July 2024

Delightful Day

A delightful day seeing wildlife (harbor seals and bald eagles) and enjoying the waters of the Salish sea.

– Paul G. | Google review | July 2024

Tons of Wildlife & Beauty

We had a great paddle, and saw tons of wildlife and beauty. I cannot recommend Shearwater Kayak Tours highly enough.

– Whitney P. | Google review | June 2024

Beautiful Scenery!

Great, knowledgeable and friendly guide. Very nice kayaks- I’ve never been so dry exiting a kayak! Beautiful scenery!

– Diedre A. | Google review | June 2024

Fun and Informative

Such a fun and informative daytime kayak tour with Jenna! Already planning the next one!

– Melanie G. | Google review | June 2024

Fantastic Afternoon

Really recommend going out with Shearwater if you are on Orcas. We saw tons of wildlife and just had a fantastic afternoon!

– Sara F. | Google Review | May 2024

Must-do experience!

The wildflowers, the wildlife, the stories from our experienced guide... everything culminating into an experience to be remembered for a lifetime.

– Mandy R. | Google review | May, 2024