Monterey Bay Kayaks

Decided to do a kayak experience in Monterey because of the beautiful ocean scenery but instead went on a night kayaking experience to see the bio-​luminescent in the Elkhorn slough since they only have it available certain times of the year.
We arrived about 10 minutes earlier than the meeting time, our tour guide was there and showed us the gear that we would be wearing and using. Since it was a night time kayak, she suggested that we wore one piece wet suits. It took a few moments to get changed and then we were acquainted with our kayaks which were tandem. After a brief introduction on how to paddle and get into our kayaks, we were off. Took us a while to get used to paddling to go where we wanted to at first, we had to get a line hook up to our guide to get us out of the harbor.
Looking back at it now, next time I come here I think I will get a day tour so that I can experience the nice scenery and the animals going about their day. At night, visibility was not that great and all the animals were sleeping so we didn’t get to see any of them unfortunately. Also since it was at night time, there were a lot of pesky mosquitoes flying around and I got bit quite a few times. Also since it was at night there was no light so we couldn’t take any pictures of video of our experience. This is not to say that it was a very unique experience. I’ve never done anything quite like it and I don’t regret doing it.
If you are heading up to the Monterey area, I highly suggest coming here and going on a tour. It is a truly unique experience and you will see that there is a lot of wildlife that is being preserved here!

We did the 2.5 hour Elkhorn Slough kayak tour this morning at 10am and had the time of our lives. Katie, our guide, was super intelligent, exciting, fun, and passionate about marine life. When we arrived (20 min early), we were quickly outfitted in rain pants, jacket, and life vest (too warm today for a wetsuit or water shoes). There is a locker available for shoes, but we just left them in our car (bring flip flops for the walk through the gravelly parking lot down to the area where you will take off in the kayak). While we waited, we had time to browse the outfitting store, buy some souvenirs, and use the restroom. The tour started promptly at 10am. And, even better, my wife and I were the only tour attendees. So, we got a private tour! The tour itself was phenomenal. We saw tons of sea lions, otters, seals, egrets, pelicans, geese, and cormorants. My wife and I are total beginners when it comes to kayaking, and we were totally fine the entire time. I had a waterproof bag for my iPhone that I wore around my neck. But, for whatever reason, I didn’t get that wet in the kayak so wound up keeping it in my life jacket pocket for quick access when taking a picture. I brought binoculars and strongly encourage them. You will see even more detail with a simple pair of binoculars. I also recommend sunscreen for your face and feet. Even if it is cloudy, you will get a sunburn without it. As I mentioned earlier, our guide, Katie, was superb. We were very interested in whatever our guide was sharing with us. I am glad that we did the morning tour because the water was extremely calm. I strongly recommend this company for your kayak tour. The scenery is spectacular and the guides are extremely knowledgeable.

I shared a double with our tour guide Daniel. He was very helpful and knowledgeable, and made the tour very easy and fun.

We came for the sea otters and we weren’t disappointed. We appreciated being outfitted with life vests, wetsuits and wind jackets on a gray, cool day for our first experience touring the Elkhorn Slough. Our guide, Violet, took us through a brief orientation on the beach, making sure we were familiar with the equipment. She then got our group launched into the harbor and off on our tour.
We immediately saw a raft of otters and three different varieties of marine birds. In the next two plus hours we became more proficient handling our double kayaks and learned quite a bit from Violet about the wildlife we were encountering.
We had a great time. Violet was as good as it gets; the equipment was first rate; and the wildlife was plentiful.

I did a guided kayak trip this weekend. It was excellent! Definitely worth the time and money. My guide Kate was friendly and very knowledgable and enjoyable to spend part of the day with. Everyone that works there is super friendly and helpful. They provide all the gear– wetsuit, life jacket– so you don’t need to bring anything and they made sure you were dressed appropriately so you didn’t get cold out on the water. (Also, the shop sells a ton of cool outdoor gear if you feel like shopping.) Monterey Bay is amazing– we saw sea otters with their babies, seals, sea lions and starfish. Kate made sure we got to see everything while respecting the animals and their protected status. And the kayaking was not too hard or strenuous and 2 ½ hours was the perfect length of time. Make sure you take a trip with them when you’re in the area!

My girls tried kayaking for the first time at the Elkhorn Slough. Ana, our guide, was terrific with them! She taught them how to handle a kayak and talked to them about the wildlife around Elkhorn Slough. We loved the experience. We can’t wait to go back to Elkhorn Slough and using Monterey Bay Kayaks again!

Great day out !!! Ordered online and got nice discount that was offered at the time. Everyone was very helpful. Brian did a great job setting my son and I up with our gear and making sure we were good to go !!! Overall great time will be back for sure… Next time SUP :-)

I loved this experience! MBK provides all the equipment — tandem kayak, paddles, wetsuit, wind jacket, life preserver. They also provide basic instruction on the beach before embarking, giving everyone a chance to introduce themselves, then sit in the kayaks for orientation.
Our guide Kate was terrific! She led us through the waters kelp around Cannery Row, then back through the harbor, providing commentary and insights along the way. We saw lots of sea otters, seals, seal lions, pelicans, other sea birds, starfish and «sea bunnies».
I was expecting that some of the 2.5 hour tour might be strenuous, but it was completely relaxing and fun. The kayaks are stable, easy to maneuver, and move easily through the water. This is a great activity for families, groups, etc. of all abilities. MBK is on my standing list of fun things to do in Monterey!

This is a 5-​star outfit for kayaking. I had a great 2-​hour private class with Joel Leker at Monterey Bay Kayaks yesterday. The booking and planning was clear and simple, and Joel was ready and waiting when I arrived early. Joel was helpful in discussing what to expect in the class, and how to get through the necessary preparations (parking, changing, wetsuit selection, storing valuables, etc.), and getting gear to the water (I used mostly my own gear). We started by running through some recovery techniques on the beach, then practiced on (and in) the water. We paddled a little between self-​rescue practices, and Joel gave very helpful guidance and practical advice, as well as interesting local information of interest to kayakers. The tuition and exercises were clear and thorough, and just what I had signed up for.
Joel is very welcoming and friendly, and has a great sense of humor, patience and encouragement. It was pleasure to work with him, I felt safe and in very good hands with an experienced and thoroughly capable instructor. The private tuition is very good value and I’ll sign up for more.

First time kayaking and was awesome! Arrived early so not many people were there. We had the handsome instructor all to ourselves lol. Knowledgeable and helpful staff. We had full gears and wasn’t expensive from what I remember. Visiting Monterey, I’ll definitely have to come here again :)

Had a GREAT time kayaking. Luke is a great guide, very knowledgeable about the area and the animals. We saw and smelled tons of Sea Lions, the otters were out floating on the kelp which enhanced the experience. Monterey Bay Kayaks provided everything I needed as this was my first time in a kayak. Although we were on the water for 2 hours, it was a very relaxing and the paddling didn’t wear me out.

Full gear provided — wetsuit, wind jacket, life vest. Our guide was very knowledgeable for the 2 hour coastal wildlife tour. We circled the bay and stopped for lea lions, otters, and birds, coupled with the cool ocean breeze!
They offer single and double ocean kayaks, and begins the session with a quick safety rundown. I would recommend arriving 40 minutes early to park, sign waiver, and gear up. Don’t forget to bring water!

We visited the Elkhorn slough location and our tour was led by Aaron. We were impressed by the attention to detail and the great tour we experienced with our 12 and 9 year olds. We saw a lot of otters and harbor seals as well as a variety of birds. Probably our favorite was seeing live sand dollars!
We recommend this tour and the company. Do an early tour, and then you can go back out on your own. The kayak tour included free rental for the rest of the day.

These guys are great. We were visiting Monterey for the weekend and my wife and I wanted to brush up on our kayaking skills, so we signed up for the Intro to Sea Kayaking, even though we had taken a previous class in Moss Landing. Our instructor, John was great. Our group was just three of us and John. We had a great time and spent more than 2 ½ hours on the water, we saw lots of wildlife and got a chance to get a ton of refreshers on our kayaking skills. We even got in a little practice with exits and re-​entry.
After the class we asked John to show us some of the used kayaks that the have on sale MBK. These guys are great. Friendly, knowledgeable and the truly enjoy their jobs, which made the experience that much better. We will definitely come back.

Came here over the weekend for a bioluminescence tour! Our tour started at 8pm and around 7:40pm Violet (our tour guide) called to make sure we were on our way and to give us direction as it was dark and the place would be hard to find then.
I’m not sure if we were suppose to arrive earlier? We got there right at 8pm and Violet had already set up our kayaks. She was the only one working and we were the only ones in the tour that night. Violet was super nice! She opened the office door since a few of us needed to use the restroom (even though there was a public restroom) and waited for us, and after that she helped us get fitted into our gears (yay! kept us warm throughout the entire time we were out in the waters) and gave us a quick demo on how to kayak and use the pedal. We got into our kayaks and Violet, this tiny girl pushed our kayak into the water by herself! What a trooper! Even though we had flashlights and glow in the dark sticks, Violet made sure we stick together so no one gets lost. If one kayak was further behind, she’d tell the other kayaks to wait and she would give the further kayak instructions on which side to row so their kayak can get to her. So helpful!
The tour was pretty neat! We were able to touch sand dollars, starfish, and saw crabs, sea otters (right next to our kayak who kept following up for a super long time too! haha), and of course the bio luminescence! It was so cool! Violet was very knowledgeable. She informed us about the current and explained to us about the different species under the water, about the sea otters, crabs, starfish and showed us where its stomach/​anus is, the rays (it was so cool to see it move!), and of course the bioluminescence and explained how it produces its light. The moon was a bit too bright but Violet tried really hard to find a dark place for us so we can see the sparks. We finished around 10:30pm (we went overtime) but Violet was great. she did not rush us or make us feel bad or anything at all. She was smiling and friendly and accommodating the entire time! She was great and I learned a lot from her that night!
Overall, I had a great time and I would recommend having Violet as your tour guide and for people to check out the bioluminescence tour. They’re magical and so pretty! Thankful that God created such pretty living things on land and under the sea for us to enjoyl! :)

With no kayaking experience at all, my husband and I set off on the 2 ½ hour Monterey Bay tour. It was great! Kate, our guide, did a great job putting everyone at ease and giving us lots of facts about the animals we saw – sea otters (including a baby!), sea lions, seals, and lots of birds – as well as the kelp forests and the Bay. We had a fantastic time and got pretty good at the kayaking by the time our tour ended. We were happy that we did the tour over renting a kayak and going on our own. It’s worth it to go to all the places where the animals hang out, to get so much information, and, if you’re new to kayaking, to learn from an expert.
We went on a Thursday morning, and there were still a couple of open spots on our tour. I think they take a maximum of 8. We borrowed wetsuits, windbreakers, and lifejackets, and I was glad we did – it gets cold out there! It’s fine to go out barefoot, so I wouldn’t worry about water shoes, but do remember to put sunscreen on your feet and any other exposed skin. Hats are also a great idea.
They have a store with everything you might need. I purchased a waterproof bag for my iPhone, and it worked surprisingly well. A few pictures were a little blurry, but they were mostly good. It also comes with a strap to wear around your wrist or neck. My husband bought a strap for his glasses; it really wasn’t necessary, but he didn’t want to worry about them falling off. Anything you take has a good chance of getting wet and/​or getting dropped, so better safe than sorry!

Family of 4, (kids 8 and 10) and we had a great time. Worth the price and the drive. I recommend the 10 – 12:30 tour because you can beat the beach traffic and everyone’s «fresh». One anomaly to be aware of: I reserved online and got a confirmation email that implied I would receive a second true confirmation email. I didn’t, but I just called and double-​checked our reservation was secure. Everyone I interacted with was great, especially our guide.
There were SO MANY ANIMALS to see! I had no idea they were all hanging around in the slough!

My wife and I were on a trip to several a cities in Nor Cal and one of the things that was recommended was to go kayaking in Monterey Bay. We were both incredibly pleased with our experience with Monterey Bay Kayaks.
One thing that was great about MBK was that everything was included. Depending on the weather and conditions, you may want to wear a wet suit, windbreaker or both. All of these are included with your kayak tour. No additional fees for additional equipment.
Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about all of the animals and plant life that we saw while on our tour and when she was unsure of something, promised to look it up for us once back on land. She took us right along side a popular spot where hundreds of sea lions were just hanging out on the rocks. Some even swam along side us which was really cool!

We paid $ 60/​person, my boyfriend and I shared a kayak and went for the 2.5 hour tour. Just a warning: if you’re not regularly physically active (like myself), consider yourself warned! By the 1.5 hour mark, I was SO TIRED I just wanted to go back to land. Then by the 2^nd hour, I barley had any energy left to paddle back to land.
The tour itself was great. The tour guides are very informative, knowledgeable, funny/​entertaining, and helpful. No complaints here! They seem to genuinely love what they do which is always great energy. I saw many YouTube videos of otters interacting with people and climbing on kayaks, and was pretty disappointed when I realized we were not allowed to go anywhere near them. Far enough that I couldn’t even really see them that well. Won’t dock off points for respecting the otters (as they should), but wanted to give a heads up incase someone out there was booking this tour with the same expectations.

Sea otters were my favorite animal in elementary school, and my favorite part of this tour was getting to see a momma otter up close, cradling her baby on top of the water (I almost died from cuteness overload). Our tour was 2.5 hours long, $ 60 per person, and took us around the bay to see the otters, sea lions (some of them are HUGE, and hidden away on the most surprising parts of the pier!), harbor seals, shorebirds, and we even saw a few jellyfish floating around in the water… Don’t lean too far over the water to see them, though; you might fall in and get stung!
We kayaked all the way to the aquarium area (the kelp forest is quite something) with our guides, Garrett and Clay, who were very experienced and knew the answers to all the questions we asked them! On the way back, we got to go up close to the walls and see some barnacles, crabs, and even hold a giant sea slug (when they get nervous, they let out a beautifully dark purple ink!) and a starfish.
Tips:
— They say to arrive 20 minutes before your reservation time, but I would recommend getting there even earlier. You have to allow time to pay for parking, check in (and fill out a form), apply sunscreen, change into a wetsuit (they provide changing rooms), go to the bathroom, etc.
— This may be common sense, but make sure you apply sunscreen even if it’s cloudy! I thought I wouldn’t need to, but the sun came out soon after we began and I ended up getting sunburned pretty badly.
— Bring a waterbottle with a hook that you can clip on to a rope!
— Don’t worry too much about footwear — the beach is right out back, so you can just take off your shoes and store them in their storage space with the rest of your items.