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Shearwater Adventures

Kayak Tours on Orcas Island

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we offer guided kayak tours on Orcas Island — no unguided rentals

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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.

Shearwater uses 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!

We understand that travel plans can change. We give full refunds for cancellations up to 48 hours before our 3-hour kayak tours (5 days in advance for bookings of 5+ people). Cancellations up to 5 days in advance of our Paddle & Picnic tours are likewise fully refunded. Late cancellations are refunded if we are able to resell the spaces.

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See Why Our Guests Love Us!

Wonderful Experience

Our guide Dan was kind, conscientious and extremely knowledgeable about the flora, fauna and geology of the islands. We had a wonderful experience kayaking with Shearwater!

– Stephanie D. | Google review | April 2023
Highlight of Our Weekend

Fantastic 3 hour tour from Deer Harbor. The highlight of our weekend on Orcas. Really enjoyed the trip paddling around the islands past the harbor.

– Will S. | Google review | Sept 2022
Returning Paddler

Great kayaking trips! Have done several trips over the years and always first rate. The bioluminescence tour last night was amazing.

– Greg D. | Google review | Sept 2022
Can't Wait to Go Back

My boyfriend and I had a great time on our kayak tour. Bernard was a great guide and very knowledgeable about the area. We can’t wait to go back to Orcas and do another tour!

– Eilis J. | Google review | July 2022
Glorious

Glorious full day kayaking with Shearwater adventures and Michelle as our guide. The trip was beautiful with much wildlife and great explanation of the flora and fauna by Michelle. A few walks and a picnic including a quick dip on a hot day topped of a great days adventure.

– Rm1268 | TripAdvisor | July 2022
Go kayaking!

I would definitely do another outing with Shearwater. Very well run and excellent, stable sea kayaks. First rate!

– JMargo | TripAdvisor | June 2022
Great experience

Great experience, excellent guide, beautiful surroundings and just enough physical exertion.

– Don D. | Google review | May 2022
Amazing!

The wildflower kayak trip to Yellow Island was amazing! The wildflowers are just starting to pop and we had lovely weather. Jeff was an awesome guide and we learned so much about the area, history, and plant and animal life. Would 100% recommend.

– Kim P. | Google review | April 2022
An amazing afternoon

Corey was great to paddle with. He did a great job orienting us to the kayaks and making the trip perfect for our group. This was easily the highlight of our visit to Orcas and I can’t recommend it enough.

– Rnb120 | TripAdvisor| March 2022
Sunset Kayak

We loved our sunset paddle on Orcas! We had an excellent guide who got us comfortable in our kayaks and did a great job of helping us spot porpoise, seals, a bald eagle and star fish. It was absolutely gorgeous on the water!

– Gina E. | TripAdvisor