Guided Kayak Wildlife Tour in the Santa Barbara Harbor
Overview
Experienced local guides take you on an unforgettable Santa Barbara kayak tour spotlighting one of California's most thriving marine regions. Learn about Santa Barbara’s natural history and marine ecology, as well as local trivia during this fun and exhilarating day on the water. This 2 hour paddling adventure offers spectacular views of the city and beaches from a unique perspective on the water!
Inclusions
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- All associated kayaking gear (wet suit, PFD, helmet, paddle, etc.
- Knowledgeable guide and discussion of natural history/marine ecology
- Spectacular views of Santa Barbara
What to expect
Itinerary
Start by getting outfitted with paddle jackets, PFDs, a paddle, and a kayak. Your guide provides a paddling demonstration and safety talk, then makes sure you are comfortable in your boat. Set out on the water from the boat launch and paddle through the harbor, passing other boats, the historic wharf, under the pier, and along the beach. Along the way, look for wildlife like harbor seals, sea lions, brown pelicans, sea stars, cormorants, and seagulls. Expect to paddle approximately one to two miles (1.5–3 km) along the coast before returning to the boat dock where your tour ends.
Stop At:
• 219 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3581
• Santa Barbara Harbor, 132 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2363
Start by getting outfitted with paddle jackets, PFDs, a paddle, and a kayak. Your guide provides a paddling demonstration and safety talk, then makes sure you are comfortable in your boat. Set out on the water from the boat launch and paddle through the harbor, passing other boats, the historic wharf, under the pier, and along the beach. Along the way, look for wildlife like harbor seals, sea lions, brown pelicans, sea stars, cormorants, and seagulls. Expect to paddle approximately one to two miles (1.5–3 km) along the coast before returning to the boat dock where your tour ends.
Stop At:
• 219 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3581
• Santa Barbara Harbor, 132 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2363
Additional information
- If your contact number is international please include your email address in the comment section.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Minimum numbers apply. Our kayak tours require a minimum of 2 participants to run. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- If you are a single traveler, please feel free to call our office to confirm availability
- Children under 5 are not permitted. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult in a double kayak.
- Although we offer dry bags to help keep gear dry, everything that comes on the kayaking trip runs the risk of getting wet. We therefore recommend that you only bring personal gear that can get wet or damp during the trip. Items that must stay dry such as cameras or other electronic devices, change of clothes or personal belongings should stay in your vehicle.
- Near public transportation
- To ensure proper equipment, please provide your heights & weights. Thank you.
- Double kayaks are automatically provided. Singles are available for odd number parties. Guests over 230lbs will be provided a single kayak.
- Guests under 18 years of age MUST have a parent or legal guardian sign their release forms. If you need this paperwork sent to you ahead of time, please contact our office.
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Santa Barbara Adventure Company is actively following regulations and directives of county, state, and federal authorities to mitigate the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. The health and safety of our guests and staff are our top priorities.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Cheriserobles
July 2021
I loved it my very first time ever kayaking and won’t be my last. It was a great option for beginners just getting to know your level of endurance and strength as well as the ocean and sea life
I loved it my very first time ever kayaking and won’t be my last. It was a great option for beginners just getting to know your level of endurance and strength as well as the ocean and sea lifeDeborahArjasbi
July 2021
We recently celebrated a family birthday on Santa Cruz Island. The highlight of our visit was the Kayak tour led by our wonderful guide Aaron Kreisberg. He shared his extensive knowledge of the island wildlife with our group. "A truly amazing experience" Thank you Aaron,
We recently celebrated a family birthday on Santa Cruz Island. The highlight of our visit was the Kayak tour led by our wonderful guide Aaron Kreisberg. He shared his extensive knowledge of the island wildlife with our group. "A truly amazing experience" Thank you Aaron,Ryan_G
June 2021
My wife and I had so much fun on this trip! Our guide Kyle did a great job teaching us how to kayak, accommodating the different comfort levels people had and explaining the history of the area. We saw lots of wild life ranging from sea lions to pelicans to even a species of crab that our guide h...
My wife and I had so much fun on this trip! Our guide Kyle did a great job teaching us how to kayak, accommodating the different comfort levels people had and explaining the history of the area. We saw lots of wild life ranging from sea lions to pelicans to even a species of crab that our guide had not seen before. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in kayaking. It will not disappoint.Tray_R
June 2021
You have to get Shawn he was our guide he was amazing with his knowledge base of the area and took us to some really very cool fun ocean kayaking spots it was totally A-blast and he was part of the fun of it
You have to get Shawn he was our guide he was amazing with his knowledge base of the area and took us to some really very cool fun ocean kayaking spots it was totally A-blast and he was part of the fun of itLizzK1458
May 2021
My brother and I did the Discovery Sea Cave Kayak Tour. This was definitely a trip highlight for us! This company was very thorough and safety conscious. Everyone was provided with sanitized mandatory safety equipment (helmets and PFDs) and optional attire (wet suits, paddling jackets, water shoe...
My brother and I did the Discovery Sea Cave Kayak Tour. This was definitely a trip highlight for us! This company was very thorough and safety conscious. Everyone was provided with sanitized mandatory safety equipment (helmets and PFDs) and optional attire (wet suits, paddling jackets, water shoes). Everyone was given instruction and made to feel comfortable. Our guide was Dustin and he was excellent. He was attentive and knowledgeable, his enthusiasm for his job contagious. And finally, kayaking through the sea caves, seeing the marine life, learning about the flora and fauna, and just being out on the water were wonderful. We would definitely come back.moirae659
April 2021
Wow... how do you even leave a review for one of the best times of your life? We had booked this trip many months ago before the second wave of Covid shut everything down. Thankfully they had an amazing Covid procedure in place and I was able to save my credit for when camping opened up again. ...
Wow... how do you even leave a review for one of the best times of your life? We had booked this trip many months ago before the second wave of Covid shut everything down. Thankfully they had an amazing Covid procedure in place and I was able to save my credit for when camping opened up again. When it was time to reschedule I was anxious about calling them... that's what I get from being in a generation who hates talking on the phone! 🤣 but my fears were quickly subsided when a young man answered the phone and helped me reschedule. I believe his name was Dustin (sorry if it wasn't 😅) and he normally didn't work the office but due to bad weather he was stationed there for that day. He quickly scheduled me another kayak adventure and was ever so pleasant to talk to for a few minutes. Alright, tour review time! I reiterate the fact that I really dont know how to tell anyone about one of the best times of my life... the views are just so immensely spectacular there are really no words to describe. You really just need to see it for yourselves... so if your reading this looking for a sign to go... THIS IS YOUR SIGN! What I can tell you about is my tour group, it consisted of a lovely family from New Mexico and a bad ass independent woman who just moved to California and at the head of it all was our tour guide Marc (with a C). My wife an I have been to about 20 National Parks now and done probably a gazillion tours and I have never met someone like Marc (with a C). You know that cool person you were in school with or worked with or whatever and you just were like "wow I want to be that person's friend"? That is Marc. He just seeps the aura of awesomeness! Not only is he cool and awesome but he's also friendly! Within minutes we were already chatting about our lives and future goals. As if that wasn't enough... get this! Marc (with a C) is the most intelligent tour guide I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He and the genius kid from the family from New Mexico had hours of conversation about the flora and fauna specific to Channel Islands. Most of the tours I've been on have been with tour guides who aren't really passionate about what they are doing and seem to be just stating facts from a flash card. Not Marc, he will tell you all the different scientific names of seaweed, birds, barnacles, fish, etc around the island. And then he'll talk about their eating habits and why they might have almost gone extinct. But not like he's reading a note card he has stuffed in his pocket. This dude is passionate! And to top it all off... this guy makes you feel safe! If you are feeling apprehensive about your well-being I urge you that you shouldn't let that stand in the way of getting the tour.. This was my first time ocean kayaking and my wife's second time kayaking ever! And let me tell you not once in the 3+ hours did I feel in harms way. You will be completely geared up with helmet, wet suit, life jacket and more if you choose. Also, the tour guides are trained to help you get out of any trouble if by some happenstance you get into any... I know for a fact Marc( with a C) would've carried us all on his back and swam 20 miles if something were to happen. So, if you're reading this and my first sign wasn't enough here is your second sign to get a tour right away. Thank you to Adventure Co. for working around Covid and a big thank you to Marc (With a C) for an absolutely amazing experience!