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| Home Page | ||
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| @ | FAQ's | |
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| Contact Us | ||
Q |
Do I need to be experienced to go on one of your guided day tours? I've never been in a kayak before... |
A |
Our guided day tours are perfect for trying kayaking for the first time. Many people on our half day or even full day kayak tours are trying kayaking for their very first time. |
Q |
How physically fit do I need to be to go on one of your kayak day tours? |
A |
You should be somewhat active to enjoy kayaking......but this is relative as some clients who consider themselves fairly fit have trouble picking up good technique while some who were afraid of holding up the group find they take to paddling quite naturally and end up surprising themselves and others. |
Q |
How far do you paddle the kayaks on these guided day tours? |
A |
On half day tours the distance varies... We usually head west toward the Sawtooth Mountains and swing into the Harbor on the way back... We may paddle as many as 5 miles or as little as 2 miles. On the full day tours we'll want to see the sea caves we use as our turn around spot. After lunch we use another sea cave the opposite direction as our turn around spot. Seeing everything planned on would be about 6 miles of paddling..split up with a break for lunch. This is a beginner pace under average paddling conditions... |
Q |
Do I need to make a reservation? What if I need to cancel? |
A |
We welcome walk-ins on our tours. Many of our tours, trips and classes fill so you might be out of luck. If you wish to be more spontaneous during a visit to the area we can't argue with that. If you are coming to the area specifically to go kayaking with us...obviously you should reserve your place. We will only save spaces for those who commit themselves with a reservation and 50% deposit. We can not refund the 50% deposit if you cancel beyond 30 days prior to our reserved date....unless we are able to fill your spot. Note that if you are reserving for a group of 6 with a 50% deposit and show up with only half your group....you forfeit the deposit on 3 of the 6 we expected and will need to pay the 50% balance on the 3 who are going. |
Q |
How old do you need to be to go on a kayak day tour? I want to take my kids kayaking...... |
A |
Taking younger kids kayaking is a great idea... I wish my parents had introduced me to the sport at a young age! On our Scheduled Tours we have a minimum age of 14 years. This does not mean younger kids aren't old enough it is just that mixing adults with kids younger than 14 can lead to problems... We do just as many custom tours during any given season as our scheduled tours and this is what you need to think about if you wish to introduce younger children to kayaking... We recommend younger kids best try a half day tour to make sure they will like it if much younger than 14.... We have 7 as our absolute minimum age even on our custom tours. For more details on youth groups and family tours click HERE... |
Q |
How many people are in a group on your guided kayak tours? |
A |
We specialize in small groups... 6 is our normal maximum on a scheduled kayak tour or lodging/kayaking package. We take just 5 on our Isle Royale adventures with the guide making the 6th person which allows us to camp at the non groups sites...on the water. Of course we offer tours to plenty of larger groups as well... camps, church, scouts, corporate team building, family reunions, bachelor parties, we've done them all. Our maximum custom large group size is 24 with 12 or 18 being advised for a quality experience. The larger group tours usually need reservations made well in advance to make sure we have adequate equipment and staff. |
Q |
I'd like to take one of your Isle Royale Kayaking Adventures but wonder about required experience? |
A |
We recommend anyone considering taking one of our Isle Royale trips has kayaked enough to know they will enjoy kayaking for a 6 or 7 day trip. It is not a good choice for trying kayaking for the first time. You don't need to be advanced and the distances are fairly short each day..to allow time for hiking, fishing or further paddling once we make camp. Contact us if you are considering an Isle Royale trip but wonder about the extent of your experience. |
Q |
I want to rent a kayak....we just want to go on our own.... Can we do that? |
A |
Safety of our customer's is our first priority...followed by concerns for the care of our rented equipment. For use of our kayaks on Lake Superior we require that you have learned safe kayaking practices. Comments like "I've tried kayaking before and I'm really not too concerned about tipping over" or "I'll just stay near shore" indicate a total lack of required experience! Being familiar with how to deal with a capsized sea kayak and the relevant safety judgment that goes with this knowledge is what we seek for renters of our gear. Lake Superior is cold! Challenging conditions can develop quickly. A No Fear attitude without the knowledge and gear appropriate is dangerous. It can and has been fatal to kayakers...including right out in front of our Grand Marais Harbor. For more details go to our Rental Page |
Q |
What if it's not a nice day when I am signed up to go kayaking with a reservation...will I get a refund? |
A |
We go on our kayak tours rain or shine.. canceling only for dangerous weather. We find that going kayaking in a rain is much better than hiking or other activities people frequently do in the rain. We provide gear to stay warm and have a good idea of when it is just not going to be fun....or non safe in which cases we refund any paid deposits when we have to cancel the tour. Sometimes we try to reschedule if it is desired but it is not always possible with other reservations. For those who decide in advance they will not enjoy kayaking with other than the perfect day...we recommend you don't reserve in advance and just chance we will have an opening on the day you wish..with that perfect weather. |
Q |
Will I get wet and cold? What if I tip over...aren't kayaks tippy? |
A |
Generally you will be quite warm during the tour. You will usually end up getting a little wet..water dripping off your paddle, sweat from being geared up for the cold water when exerting yourself on a warm day. We use a variety of kayaks and most are quite stable with a few higher performance but our introductory beach orientation makes kayaking quite comfortable for most everyone. Really big guys with lots of upper torso mass will find the feeling in the kayaks the least stable...smaller people will have no trouble at all...really no matter what is is getting used the the indendent lower body...upper body concept and a first timer can feel great in a fairly responsive kayak. The chance of capsizing is small but of course each year we do have people capsize...this is one of the reasons we offer guided trips. Our guides are well trained and practiced in rescue techniques and will have any one who capsizes back in their boat and since we wear wetsuits you will be quite warm...after the initial cold experience of the capsize. We have an average of 5 to 15 people capsize during any given season...a very small percentage. |
Q |
What do I need to bring to go on one of the kayak tours? |
A |
We provide you with the kayaks and other gear on our guided tours...kayak, paddle, a sleeveless long legged wetsuit, paddle jacket windbreaker, spray skirt and PFD as well as any dry bags you need for lunch or camera etc... You ideally will provide a swimsuit for under the wetsuit, a longsleeve synthetic top which might not be needed but is nice to have, a hat for sun protection, footwear that can get wet..sport sandals, tennis shoes, water shoes, sunscreen, a lunch for full day tours, water bottle and of course the desire for an enjoyable time. Note...we offer those taking any of our guided activities a 10% discount on things in our store on the day of the tour. Such as disposible waterproof cameras, long sleeve tops and both Chaco Sandals and NRS water shoes. |
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Phone: 218.387.2360 or 800.720.2809 ... Email to: fun@superiorcoastal.com