Location
We are located on a small island peninsula on the south side of Kachemak Bay, a 35 minute boat ride from the Homer harbor. We are off the road system, yet conveniently close to the community of Homer which has all the essential services you might need.
Weather
The Kachemak Bay area is known as the Banana Belt of Alaska. Our climate is mild, and on many warm, sunny summer days a guest or two can be found taking a nap in the sun after lunch on the beach. Our area is protected from the day breezes and even though it can rain, rarely do we have a rain out day. The mountains behind us hold most of it off before it can drench our cove and island system
Water taxis
We book the water taxi for you at a discounted price. We work primarily with skipper Dave Lyon with Ashore Water Taxi and either notify you on the water taxi location via email or talk to you on the phone about where to meet your boat when you get to Homer.
Group size
We keep our groups very small and intimate. Usually we take out 4 to 8 people on kayaking trips, and a maximum of 6 on our photo safaris and side-seeing trips. We keep our accommodations to two cabins, so our guests can enjoy the serene Alaskan experience away from the crowds.
Wildlife you can expect to see
Rarely does a day go by when we don’t see sea-otters, seals and porpoises. We have an active eagles nest close to our beach and there is always lively activity in and around it throughout the summer. You have a good chance to see humpback whales, orcas, various seabird and shorebird species, water fowl and a huge array of inter-tidal zone creatures at low tide.
Safety of a guided kayak trip
We are the pioneers of eco-tours and guided kayaking in Kachemak Bay, and have guided in the area for over 25 years. We have a perfect safety record and never had anyone even tip over. We are located in the most protected waters of Kachemak Bay. Our kayaks are top of the line for stability an performance. Many of our visitors have never kayaked before, others are seasoned kayakers and we make sure that no one goes away disappointed. We have taken out toddlers and seniors and our small groups and emphasis on safety makes everyone feel comfortable.
What you will see on a kayak trip
Our focus is on shoreline exploration. We stay close to the shores and islands and have learned that the slower you go, the more you see. This diverse place offers and abundance of different marine mammals, flora and fauna of the islands, geology and archeology. On any day we could see humpback whales or sea lions, definitely otters, porpoises and seals, plus many different kinds of seabird and shorebirds. Sometimes we also see orcas. We live in a hot spot for the inter-tidal critters where one could play for hours. At low tide you get a close look at the colorful spectrum of sea stars, octopus, anemones and many other inter-tidal critters. To see more about what to expect on your kayaking trip, click here.
Kayaks
Our top of the line Easy Rider fiberglas kayaks are very stable, glide through the water smoothly and the seats are very comfortable. We generally use double kayaks but also have some single available.
Trip duration
For a day trip, our guests meet the water taxi at 9AM and leave Homer for a 30 minute scenic boat ride to our place in Little Tutka Bay. We start out with a short introduction on kayaking techniques and safety tips before we launch the kayaks. After paddling for a couple of hours, it is time to stretch our legs on an island beach and have lunch. After lunch we paddle for another hour or two. The water taxi returns to Homer at about 5PM. We offer half day kayak trips for those who are limited and the water taxi will get you back to the harbor in Homer at 1PM in time for lunch in town. However - we highly recommend the full day trip, as we cover so much more of what this area has to offer. We paddle slow and easy and take as many breaks as our guests want to take.
Lunch
One item on our lunch menu is our delectable signature beach-soup made with fresh seafood and beach-vegetables we collect with our guests in just a few minutes. The Food Channel has done a special on us preparing our beach soup and lunch is one of the highlights our guests rave about. In addition to the soup we also offer snacks, fruit, cookies and homemade bread.
Kayak rentals
Our overnight guests have the option of renting our kayaks after having taken a guided tour when we show them were to go and what to look for.
What to bring for a day trip
• Full water bottle
• Layered clothes and rain gear
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Camera
• Some folks like to bring their own rubber boots as well. (We can provide you with boots if you do not have them. Wet or dry suits or are not needed) we provide all other gear, including dry bags and life vests.
What to expect on a photo safari
We’ve catered to national geography photographers several times and provide our service to the Cannon Photo team. Many amateur photographers have taken pro quality photos with us because the subject matters are so varied and accessible. Whether you want to shoot wildlife, scenery or close up inter-tidal zone creatures, you’ll be thrilled with the opportunities you find.
Accommodations
We are located off the road system, accessible by boat and have two log cabins, both located by the waterfront with a view of the cove and surrounding forest. One has a queen size bed and 2 futons, the other a queen bed in a separate room and a futon in the main room. The cabins have monitor heaters, refrigerators, kitchen ranges, coffeemakers and are equipped with cooking gear. Bedding and towels are also provided. The cabins have drinking water spenders and wash-water barrels. The private outhouses of the cabins have a beautiful view of the forest, and we have a private wood fired sauna/bathhouse we heat upon request for our guests. Our place is tucked into an enchanted virgin forest right by the beach.
In short, our accommodations are a step up from your typical rural Alaskan facilities. Our lifestyle reflects the magic of this serene setting. You are close to nature and still have comfortable, clean and tidy living quarters, with a view unmatched. Rick has guided for years for the most exclusive wilderness lodges in the region, and has always applied high aesthetic and sanitary standards to Seaside Adventure's operation.
We encourage you to consider visiting this incredibly beautiful, rich place. Time and again our guests are enchanted by its natural beauty and uniqueness and our lifestyle with its elements of pioneer tradition they experience when visiting the island. Many keep coming back regularly, from professional photographers, to families with small children, to doctors, lawyers, seniors and outdoor enthusiasts. However, if you feel you can't be without modern plumbing, you might check out the Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge. They are the only accommodations in the area who have full plumbing in their cabins. Their contact is www.tutkabaylodge.com
What to bring for the overnight stay
· Food
· Beverages
· Hiking boots
· Slippers
· Layered clothing
· Rain gear
· Gloves
we provide bedding and towels
Bringing the children
We often do refer to our island world as magical. It truly is a wonderland made for kids and adults alike. It tends to turn grownups back into kids. The inter-tidal zone is incredible (Kachemak Bay is considered the richest marine ecosystem of its type for north pacific waters. There is just so much subject matter).
It is so captivating that my granddaughter who just turned fourteen (heaven forbid) has been coming up every summer since she was 9 and can't imagine a summer without being here! Looking out on the cove I can rely on seeing our Oldman the otter at some point during the day, and the seals come around regularly, the harbor porpoises are in off and on almost every day and Octavian the octopus guards the beach for us! Edgar J Swoop the eagle that lives on the island can be seen anytime of the day he may be swooping down to the water surface to catch fish! When the actor Jim Carey went kayaking with us he said he felt like he had stepped into the Discovery Channel. Kids love it here and it was really made for them as you will see when you and your family come to visit! Andy (we call her gator girl, because she's the navigator whenever we travel) loves to be the kids ‘guidette’ while they're here! When our chores are done she will grab anyone who will go and take them to the buoy swing, or swimming in the back lagoon (supervised of course, and all the kids do it and it's very shallow and calm!) I bet that the kids won't get enough of the inter-tidal zone critters- they are just that way! Just know that there is plenty to keep them enthralled. Check out our little slide show at http://picasaweb.google.com/aseasideadventure/ASeasideAdventure
Bringing a toddler
Yes, the little critters can have their own spot although sometimes they feel better starting in Mom or Dads lap. We raised our two boys here on the island and they were in Kayaks before they could sit up. It was so cute to watch them go through their stages of growing up and graduating from the back hatch in the singles to their own seat in the doubles and on to their own singles. We are in very protected waters with lake kind of conditions, yet we can enjoy the incredible marine eco-diversity of the area. We've had people bring their one year olds to grandma in her nineties! We have very stable double kayaks and we stay close to shore. We have been the first ones guiding in this area and have done it for over 25 years, and we have never had any one tip over. About seventy % of our guests have never kayaked before and are amazed or at least quite surprised at how comfortable they feel after only a few minutes of paddling. All our tours are guided and I would be the one to take you out. I've been kayaking and generally on the water all my life. Safety is our number one priority and I have been trained in risk management. We used to also manage a ski area for several years and between the two we have a spotless record.
Fishing
The waters of Kachemak Bay are rich in seafood. Halibut, salmon, rockfish and cod are abundant. You can fish from shore or from a kayak, a memorable unique and traditional way of catching dinner. We can also arrange for half day and full day fishing charters for you. Rates wary, depending on what you want to do.
Books on the marine environment
Guide to Marine Mammals of Alaska by Kate Wynne (2007)
Marine Mammals of the Eastern North Pacific by Sea Grant Alaska (2000) [brochure]
Guide to the Birds of Alaska by Robert Armstrong (2008)
Checklist of Birds of Kachemak Bay, Alaska (2008) [brochure]
Birding Hotspots – Homer, Alaska by Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival [brochure]
Shells & Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest: A Field Guide by Rick Harbo (2007)
Beachcombers Guide to Intertidal Marine Invertebrates of Southcentral Alaska by Conrad and Carmen Field (2008)
Alaska’s Seashore Creatures by Carmen and Conrad Field (1999)
Coastal Fish Identification – California to Alaska by Paul Humann, Ned DeLoach, Ken Marks, and Michael O Connell (2008)
Deposits and cancellations
Our standard policy is to ask for a 50% deposit at the time of booking and the rest 30 days before arrival. We accept Visa, MasterCard and checks.
Day trip cancellation fee is $50 per person for less than 30 days prior to the scheduled trip.
Fees for accommodation with activities cancellations are 25% of total reservation cost 60 days prior to the arrival date, 50% of the total reservation cost for cancellations less than 60 days, 100% less than 30 days prior to arrival.
Weather cancellations are made by the Seaside Adventure staff. We will do our best to reschedule a trip. If this is not possible, all payments are refunded in full.
Trips altered by weather are not subject to a refund.
Travel insurance is recommended. Travel insurance products can be found online at: www.travelinsured.com, www.travelguard.com and www.accessamerica.com.
Where to get supplies
Homer has a Safeway store located on the left off the main road leading to the harbor, and a grocery store called Save-U-More off the same road on the left. We also have Ulmers Drug and Hardware on Lake Street, a left turn off the main road. Among many other things they offer sporting goods. Homer has some very good restaurants where you can get high quality take out to bring across, so you can dine in style without having to cook.
