San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

James and Tiffan called in to report another whale sighting today. They were up on the north end of Cypress Island, near Towhead Island when K-Pod came by. I'm pretty amazed with how often the Orcas are being seen by our tours this year.

Our overnight kayaking program is in full swing now. The Sucia Island trips are more popular than we expected. Like Cypress Island, Sucia is one of those outstanding natural areas that sort of sell themselves.

Taiga and I joined a tour down at Deception Pass the other day. He's 3 1/2 years old and he did great out there. He particularly like the big kelp beds out at Rosario Head, and the Harbor seals. I love this trip, even more when I'm with my son! The 90 minute time frame of the tour is perfect for families with young children. Taiga loved the trip, and after 90 minutes he was ready to get out of the kayak and run around.

It kind of makes me dizzy, thinking about how quickly time is flying right now. Wasn't it just yesterday that we were in the midst of a late-April snowstorm? Now here we are celebrating the first day of summer! It must be a combination of a really busy start to our season while raising our two small boys that makes the days blur together.

At any rate, we've had some pretty incredible trips over the last couple of weeks. The Peregrine falcons are definitely well into the process of raising yet another set of chicks. Within the next two or three weeks we should see the fledglings out on nearby tree branches. We're so fortunate to have these birds nesting along one of our kayak routes, people often travel long distances to catch a glimpse of Peregrine falcons....we see them every day!

Our second Body Boat Blade class went swimmingly. We were up at Sucia and Patos Islands for three days. Our guides did an awesome job, picking up all sorts of new skills from Shawna and Leon. We focused a lot on navigation and risk assessment, and then did a lot of great situational rescue training. I was a lot of work, but everybody came away with a lot of valuable knowledge and new tools that will make them even better paddlers.

With the summer season gaining momentum, we're still pushing hard on our skills training. A few weeks ago we completed the first of two 3-day classes and next week we'll be out again for another 3-day session with the awesome coaches of Body Boat Blade International.

In between these formal classes we continue to hone our kayaking skills in the turbulent waters inside the Deception Pass Narrows, and we are constantly working on rescue skills in the dynamic conditions found there. We never take our guests into these kind of conditions, but it makes me more comfortable to know that our guides can handle themselves when things get rough.

Someone in our industry recently asked me why we spend so much time and money on this kind of advanced training for our kayak guides. Hmmm..... Would they ask the same of a white-water river rafting company? How about a guide service that takes folks up on mountain climbing expeditions? In my mind a professional guide, who is responsible for taking care of the well being of their clients, should be the most competent member of the group. I want guides who will keep my guests out of harm's way, be able to interpret the natural history of the San Juan Islands, and maybe tell a good story or two. A well qualified guide can do it all, and cook a great meal at the day's end.

If you are shopping around and talking to other kayak companies, ask them if they train and guide trips using immersion wear (especially dry suits). If not, then their guides simply cannot spend enough time messing around in the sea to give them the skills that I think are necessary to lead trips out here in the cool waters of the San Juan Islands. Call me a kayak snob if you like, but I sleep well at night knowing that our guides are good at what they do.

-Erik