alcoons Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Is anyone able to comment on/have experience with the Cysteal Seas Kayaking Company that is located in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands (Wash)?Thanks in advance,Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2004 Share Posted May 1, 2004 I used to guide for a competitor of Crystal Seas on San Juan a few years back. At that time, they were a pretty small 1 or 2 person operation, and I know they have grown quite a bit since then (1997). Seemed to be fairly safety oriented, good gear, good client:guide ratio. I don't know what sort of experience or training their guides have. I believe the owner's name is Johan, and he was a fairly experienced paddler when he started the company.Hope this helps a little anyway!Alex at NESC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoons Posted May 2, 2004 Author Share Posted May 2, 2004 >I used to guide for a competitor of Crystal Seas on San Juan >a few years back. At that time, they were a pretty small 1 >or 2 person operation, and I know they have grown quite a >bit since then (1997). Seemed to be fairly safety oriented, >good gear, good client:guide ratio. I don't know what sort >of experience or training their guides have. I believe the >owner's name is Johan, and he was a fairly experienced >paddler when he started the company. >Hope this helps a little anyway! >Alex at NESC Thanks Alex. Yes it does help. Actually I have spoken to Johan a couple of times and he seems like a great guy and gives the correct answers. Can anyone recommend other good guiding companies/trips in the San Juans? Looking for a 4-6 night kayak camping trip in the San Juan's area....done the north east corner of Vancouver Island and further north. Also considering Tofino area.Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 You may wish to check out Body,Boat&Blade internationaly known guides/instructors. I have never taken any trips with them, but have met Shawna and Leon at Sweetwater and they are both top notch intructors, their trips tend to be more like instruction/trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 What sort of trip beyond camping are you looking for Al? There are many many companies in the SJI, so there are many choices. If you want a heavily natural history oriented trip with fairly mundane and basic paddling in big honking doubles, Sea Quest Expeditions is one such. The guides are natural historians first, paddlers second, or sometimes third. I would second Mike Sabin's suggestion; Shawna, Leon and Brian at Body Boat Blade are awesome folks with lots of experience and the right attitude. They are paddlers first and foremost,I do not know what sort of wildlife empasis they have, if any. Outdoor Odysseys on San Juan Island are best known for very personable knowledgable guides and amazing food. If you are looking for orcas, stay on the San Juan Island side of the archipelago, if you want good paddling expereinces the Orcas Island area is probably better. More diversity and some spectacular scenery and paddling environments- current etc. If you are really looking for a "wilderness experience", you may want to consider going up into BC, particularly the west coast of Vancouver Island. The San Juans are beautiful, but they are developed with big trophy waterfront homes in most places kinda like Bar Harbor area, and you will probably see many other paddlers, depending upon your time frame.Good luck- if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or at the shop.Alex L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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