Why Choose Anacortes Kayak Tours?

If you are looking at other kayak outfitters’ websites, you’re probably wondering how to tell us apart. With everyone claiming to be "the best kayak company", how can you know if you will get a unique kayak tour experience?

We think that we do a pretty darned good job, but we also feel that “the best” is a  subjective value, so here’s a few reasons why we feel that you would enjoy kayaking with us–

Location, Location, Location!

Anacortes Kayak Tours has trips that depart from both sides of the San Juan Island ferry route. There are a variety of choices that depart from Anacortes / Fidalgo Island, and also from Friday Harbor / San Juan Island. This means that you are sure to find a unique kayak tour that best suits your needs and interests!

Anacortes (Home Port to the San Juan Islands) is an easy 90 minute drive from Seattle. Located on beautiful Fidalgo Island, and connected to the mainland by bridges, you can drive directly to us. The west side of Fidalgo Island offers outstanding views of the Olympic Mountains and the rest of the San Juan Islands. A cluster of small islands, located just offshore of our marina, have incredible wildlife viewing opportunities, including Orca whales, seals, and the largest population of Harbor porpoise in the San Juan Islands.  These routes are exceptionally scenic, and we often have the shorelines all to ourselves!

Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, is one of the top tourist destinations in Washington State. All of our kayak tours depart from the San Juan County Park or from Roche Harbor on the scenic north shore of San Juan Island. On these trips you will be paddling into the federally proposed “Orca Whale Sanctuary” on the west side of the archipelago. (Note: although historically the west side of San Juan Island used to be where the majority of whale sightings occurred the patterns have changed and we now see them with equal frequency from all of our locations.)

Customer Service

Nobody can beat our commitment to customer service. If you have a question or a concern then we are here to help you out. We are a family-owned and operated company that values your business. We often balance preparing dinner for our young children while answering dozens of phone calls after business hours. We understand that being present for our customers is the top priority and so you will rarely find times when we cannot be reached. What this means is that on and off the water you and your kayak guides will have the support that you need. If something is not right then we will do backflips to try and fix it. That is our promise to you.

No Disappointments Necessary! — A worry free experience.

Plans change, things happen, and occasionally they just seem to go wrong.

During the busy summer months there are many days when the San Juan Island ferries run into problems. Sailings can be delayed without notice, sometimes for hours. With another kayak company if you miss your scheduled kayak trip due to these delays then you often have no other options available. With AKT you won’t miss a thing. We will happily transfer your booking to one of the many trips that we offer from Anacortes. Our 3-Hour and 5-Hour kayak trips depart just two minutes away from the Washington State Ferry Terminal, and our Deception Pass tours are just a short drive down the road. Your vacation time is important, let us do the worrying. Our priority is to get you on the water and having fun!

Unique Trip Destinations

If you would rather have a unique sea kayaking experience that doesn’t feel crowded, then Anacortes Kayak Tours is your natural choice. For 14 years we have been the only kayak tour company contracted by Washington State Parks to operate in Deception Pass State Park and our Anacortes Day Trips rarely share the water with other companies. For our overnight kayak camping trips we are the most widely operating kayak company in the San Juan Islands. Whether you are joining us for a short trip in Deception Pass State Park, kayaking around Burrows Island, or joining a multi-day kayak expedition throughout the San Juan Islands, you are sure to see the best that this remarkable region has to offer.

Locally Owned and Operated

AKT founders Megan and Erik Schorr were born and raised here in western Washington. They have been on the waters of the Puget Sound their whole lives, and have guided and kayaked along every nook and cranny in the San Juans for over 20 years. Living here in Anacortes provides them with the opportunity to raise their two sons with the same experiences that they have had. For them Anacortes Kayak Tours is more than just a business, it’s the natural continuance of a way of life. Nothing pleases them more than to be able to share the experience with others.