Frequently Asked Questions

For all of our Baja and British Columbia tours we use high quality, fiberglass kayaks, made by Seaward. Among other destinations we use a combination of Necky, Prijon, and Seaward kayaks. Our kayaks vary due to what is available in other countries and destinations. 

The majority of our fleet is comprised of tandems, as these boats offer the greatest stability, speed, and ease of paddling. There are typically a small number of single kayaks present on the tour, which will be utilized by the guides. Depending on weather conditions, and interest, they may allow guests to rotate into singles; however this will be at the guide's' discretion based on safety and the paddling objectives for the day. We also have a limited number of solo kayaks available to reserve and use throughout the trip (for an additional cost) for paddlers who have ocean kayaking experience.

For more information, check our our kayak fleet here.

Meet the SKA fleet

We have single kayaks available to reserve and use throughout the trip (for an additional cost of $100) for paddlers who have previous ocean paddling experience. If you would like to reserve a single kayak for your trip you will need to contact our Adventure Consultants to add this to your reservation and provide a summary of your ocean paddling experience.

To keep our group size small and our impact minimal, we typically limit our tours to 18 people or less. Our standard minimum to confirm a departure is 4 guests and one guide.

Our tour costs are based on double occupancy on any included hotel nights. Solo travelers who would like their own single hotel room can pay a single supplement or can be matched up with another solo traveler of the same gender if one is available and willing to share. If we are unable to pair you with another solo traveler, we must apply the single supplement charge to cover our hotel costs. Solo travelers will always have their own tent during kayaking tours, at no additional cost.

Sea Kayak Adventures will provide all necessary paddling equipment including: personal flotation devices (PFDs), all kayaking equipment, and neoprene booties.  Sea Kayak Adventures will also provide all necessary camping equipment for all camping tours, including: tent, cot, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner and pillow. 

At the orientation meeting prior to your tour departure, we will provide each guest with 3 dry bags (one 10 Liter and two 20 Liter). The guides will provide a full explanation of how to use and pack your dry bags.  That evening you will pack all of your gear for the kayaking trip into your three dry bags.  The rest of your luggage can be checked into the locked hotel closet the following morning before departing for your tour. Each set of dry bags will have a name (Sea Otter, Humpback, Orca) to help you in identifying your personal gear while out on tour.   While you will have a total of 50 Liters of space, it is important to embrace “packing light.”  This doesn’t mean that you have to pack light for your entire vacation, just think small and light for anything you plan to bring kayaking.  If you have any questions or need gear suggestions please don’t hesitate to call the office or shoot us an email.  We are happy to help!

Here at Sea Kayak Adventures our first and foremost goal is for you to have an enjoyable and safe experience. While most of our trips are suitable for beginners, some of our trips are more active than others and it’s important that you understand the physical requirements of the trip you choose. 

All of our sea kayaking trips are active adventures that involve some level of physical exertion and possible exposure to the elements including but not limited to wind, rain, heat, sun, cold temperatures and cold water conditions. Sea Kayak Adventures is able to accommodate people with physical limitations, disabilities and medical conditions; please speak with your Adventure Consultant if you think you will require any additional assistance while on the trip.  We ask that you consult your Doctor if you have health or medical conditions that could impact your ability to participate in an active and outdoor adventure. In general, all trip participants must be able to do the following:  

• Wear all protective and safety equipment that are required by Sea Kayak Adventures and recommended/required by industry wide standards.
• Load and unload, on their own or with the aid of a qualified companion, the bus and/or van providing transportation for Sea Kayak Adventures activities.
• Reach the water access points (put-in and take-out) on their own, or with the aid of a qualified companion.
• Enter and exit the raft, kayak and/or inflatable kayak on their own or with the aid of a qualified companion.
• Remain seated and balanced in a floating raft, canoe, kayak or inflatable kayak w/ the aid of adaptive equipment, if necessary.
• Float on their back when entering moving and still water.  The participant must be capable of turning from face-down to face-up in the water with the aid of a Personal Floatation Device and must be able to hold their breath while under water.
• Remain calm and keep breathing under control in the event of a swim.
• Climb into the kayak, with the help of another person, should an involuntary swim happen at any point on the water.
• Make progress toward the shoreline or a boat by swimming in moving water and must be able to exit the water and ascend the shoreline once reached.
• Participate as an active paddler when instructed by the guide for the duration of the trip. 
• Move about the campsite on their own or with the aid of a qualified companion on all trips that include overnight camping and/or lunch.

Physical Preparedness

Whether you are an avid sea kayaker, or it is your first time, you’ll enjoy these incredible trips, and share in our passion for adventure, commitment to conserving the environment, and relishing unique experiences. For those new to the sport, kayaking is easy to learn in the sheltered waters that we visit, and we provide all of the camping gear, kayaking equipment and guidance needed. In addition, we keep our groups small to allow you to not only travel intimately among nature, but to ensure you receive the necessary attention from our guides.

Please see our full Terms & Conditions HERE.

To book a trip with us, you can either call our office or reserve it online. If you choose to reserve online, you can use your credit card to charge the non-refundable trip deposit and obtain immediate confirmation. However, the confirmation becomes final only after you complete the online documents. Once you call or make a reservation online, you will receive a reservation email with detailed information. This email will also contain a link to complete the online forms. Final payment is due 60 days before departure, payable by check or credit card. A 3% credit card fee will be added to your invoice for the final balance only. If you choose to pay by check please subtract this fee from your balance due.

All our guides are certified in first aid and river rescue. Many have had advanced training specific to the wilderness environment in which we operate and are certified as Wilderness First Responders or Emergency Medical Technicians. Thus we are able to cope with most on-river accidents. If, in our judgment, evacuation is deemed necessary we have several options depending on weather and our location. Sometimes we are near remote ranches or roads that we can use to evacuate. On our remote wilderness trips we carry a satellite telephone and/or satellite texter. (Cell phones don't work in the remote areas where we travel.) We can use these to contact emergency transport, including helicopters. Evacuation, if needed, can take from as little as a couple of hours to as many as 24 hours, or in extreme cases, longer than this depending on the situation, weather and location.

This is an active trip that includes hiking and sea kayaking, so you should be in reasonable shape and have some sea kayaking experience. That said, people from all walks of life and all ages join our trips. We get a mix of couples, singles, families and friends, usually between 25 and 70 years of age. Everyone comes to have a good time and the variety of people and interests found on each trip makes it all the more fun. Our adventure consultants know that a primary consideration may be the mix of people on the trip, so we're happy to tell you who has signed up and help you choose a compatible group.

If you do not currently have a regular exercise program, we strongly encourage you to begin one. The trip is not extremely strenuous, but is quite active and physical by nature. The more prepared you are for the trip, the more you'll enjoy it, and the more you’ll be comfortable if there is windy weather. Walking a few miles per day, climbing stairs, working out with light weights, and other cardio and strength training exercises are all highly recommended activities. At the very least, we recommend that participants take long walks and condition muscle groups of the upper body and core by exercising for a full month prior to the trip, to avoid overuse injuries of the wrists and arms.

Yes, all of our tour pricing is in US Dollars.

Whether you are an avid sea kayaker, or it is your first time, you’ll enjoy these incredible trips, and share in our passion for adventure, commitment to conserving the environment, and relishing unique experiences. For those new to the sport, kayaking is easy to learn in the sheltered waters that we visit, and we provide all of the camping gear, kayaking equipment and guidance needed. In addition, we keep our groups small to allow you to not only travel intimately among nature, but to ensure you receive the necessary attention from our guides.

Contact your service provider for the best options for taking your cell phone to a different country. You are unlikely to receive cell service while paddling, but WiFi is available in many coffee shops in town. Your guides will be equipped with radios during the tour in case of emergency.

We know your Guide will make the biggest difference on your trip! Which is why we pride ourself on employing only the best local guides for all of the incredible locations that we visit. Part of this is to support our eco-tourism efforts, but we also believe that there is no better way to experience a new destination than through they eyes of a local! We find talented and skilled local guides, train and certify them, and provide a positive and consistent source of income to them and their families.

Most of our guides are with us for the long-term, despite the seasonal nature of the industry. Our top-notch equipment, unique itineraries, and perfected operations attract extraordinary guides, many of whom are highly sought after in the industry. Sea Kayak Adventures guides know their outdoor skills as second nature. Each trip will have 2-4 guides to assist, inform, and lead the way so you get the most out of your adventure. They love to share conservation, knowledge, games and laughter - and they’re great cooks!

As with all adventure travel, there is certainly an inherent risk that comes along with this sort of travel, as well as multiple external factors and variables that are outside of our control.  However, we do take every measure to ensure that you and your family are in a safe situation while paddling. We paddle large, expedition style Sea Kayaks. Their size, girth, and weight make them very stable to paddle. We have never experienced a situation in which a whale has harmed a kayaker in the water. The whales are very aware of their surrounding, and we maintain a safe distance at all times.

The bathroom facilities with Sea Kayak Adventures will vary depending on the destination you are traveling to. No matter where you might be camping, your guides do their very best to create a comfortable and private bathroom facility.

Baja Bathrooms:

To learn more about the bathroom facilities while camping in Baja, watch the video below.

Meet the Baño!

BC Bathrooms:

There will be a prearranged pit-toilet style bathroom at each camp. The "pit toilets" are typically located far enough away from camp to provide privacy. We will use a dry bag with all the toilet supplies at the head of the trail with the toilet at the end. If the bag is gone from the head of the trail, then someone is using the bathroom, if the dry bag is there, you are free to use the bathroom. Since these are bucket style pit toilets, we try our only human waste goes into the bucket. We ask guests to burn any toilet paper in a coffee can that is conveniently located next to the toilet. There will also be a trash bag available by for any additional trash that can’t be burned such as feminine hygiene products, wet wipes, etc.