Bioluminescence Kayak Tour in the San Juan Islands
Description
There are very few places in the world where you can experience the stars in the sky and illuminated water around you at the same time. Our trip starts off with a beautiful sunset paddle in Griffin Bay off of San Juan Island where we kayak among harbor seals, roosting birds, and other wildlife. Then as the night progresses, the environment around us becomes even more serene as the bioluminescent sea life comes to life. This is one of those experiences that you will truly remember forever. Please contact Outdoor Odysseys directly to complete your waivers prior to the tour. The last ferry leaves Friday Harbor at 9:50pm and our June, July, and August tours end later.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Since 1987 we've been offering bioluminescent paddling as part of every one of our multi-day camping trips. In recent years we've decided to make that experience available to guests who prefer a shorter trip or have a specific interest in night paddling. Join us for a beautiful night paddle in Griffin Bay off San Juan Island among the bioluminescent micro flora and fauna of the Salish Sea! We’ll launch at sunset and kayak among harbor seals and roosting birds as we wait for the light show to begin. The waters are most serene and vacant of other boat traffic at night, but reactivated by fish and jellies in bioluminescence. We have scheduled trips during the new moons for the best conditions to see the bioluminescence, but can put together custom departures if those dates do not work for your group. Find out more about our trip below and we hope to see you on your next San Juan Island Kayak Tour!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(41)
What a fabulous experience with our guide Maddie! Her safety and info briefing on kayaks was top notch and very helpful in feeling safe and supported on the water in the dark. The bioluminescent water was so magical! Best experience was in a quiet dark bay she led us to. The night sky was amazing with the Milky Way clear to see. Loved it! Highly recommend this tour.
Our guide Hannah was very experienced, organized and a great educator. And the bioluminescence is amazing!
This was an educational and fun experience. The brightness of the bioluminescent light was less than I expected based on the tour advertisement photos. The night was lovely and we saw shooting stars which added to the experience.
Very relaxing time! Guide was really good and the equipment worked well. We would love to do this again!
incredibly active bioluminescent creatures when we went out. our guide nathan did an incredible job introducing us to the aquatic creatures and the history of the island and its peoples.
We had an incredible time on the bioluminescence kayaking tour! Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable throughout the experience. Seeing the water light up with every paddle stroke was absolutely magical and something we’ll never forget. The guide shared interesting facts about the bioluminescence and the local wildlife, which made the tour even more enjoyable. We highly recommend this tour!
First the good parts - the equipment was good and well maintained. The bioluminescence was incredible. Just absolutely breathtaking! The first half of the trip was lovely until we got to the point of heading back. Our guide left a lot to be desired. He was very clear he is not a regular guide but just fills in as a favor and that was clear. In the pitch black he moved well ahead of the majority of the group. Our kayak fell behind and couldn't find the main group. When we called out he yelled back at us to "figure it out.". He had no idea where the boat were in the dark and we could not see any landmarks. And then heading back he seemed to head to the wrong dock and became irritated with the group as a whole when we followed him. I would strongly recommend that in night kayaks they have two guides (one in front and one in back) for safety.
Fantastic tour exploring bioluminescence by kayak! Our guide, Justin, did a great job, sharing interesting history about SJI and fascinating information about orcas as it was getting dark and then educating us about the bioluminescence once we saw it. Highly recommend this outing!
We had the perfect weather and the water was smooth. Once the moon went down the magic started. I was amazed!
Caroline from Virginia is a good guide. There is a 100 character minimum and I still have to enter s
