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San Juan Kayak Expeditions

Our Guides

OUR GUIDES

Through extensive experience and knowledge, each carefully chosen guide is put through rigorous training and an assistant-guide apprenticeship program. When your guide is ready to lead your trip, you can rest assured that he or she has a solid foundation of experience and knowledge to make your trip safe, educational and adventurous. All guides are CPR/first aid certified and have taken Leave No Trace Awareness course.

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Cole Wilson

General Manager

Hailing all the way from South Georgia, Cole is back for his fifth summer with San Juan Kayak Expeditions! After guiding for four summers and spending a few winters running twenty day canoeing expeditions for at-risk Florida youth for Outward Bound, Cole tried his hand at a number of local jobs before coming back as Operations Manager.for the 2021 season. Cole graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education from Georgia College in 2016 and has been living on the island ever since. Cole is also an American Canoe Association Level III kayaking instructor and a Wilderness First Responder. When he is not in the office, you can find him pouring beers at the local brewery or biking around the island. If you’re lucky, you may even get him on a tour!

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Jury Rubeling-Kain

Guide / Naturalist

Jury (30 yrs.) will be returning for his second season as a guide with SJKE, he is returning after moving to in Missoula, Montana where he has been working in conservation and restoration in the Bitterroot Mountains while completing a multidisciplinary degree (Russian, Journalism and Geography) from the University of Montana. Spending most of his twenties traveling the globe, working seasonally, and chasing his curiosities Jury has always held the San Juan Islands has one of his favorite places… the community, the wildlife and most of all the paddling are next to none. He looks forward to sharing with you what he finds so special about this incredible region.

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Nathan Greene

Shop

Nathan has paddled Puget Sound for over 25 years, albeit mostly on bits of driftwood for the first half. At Cornell University, he studied Science of Earth Systems—sneaking off to Hawai‘i Island to avoid the winters and teach a field research program. Nathan has kayaked the northern Waipio valley coast of Hawai‘i, the Ligurian coastline in Italy, some random ponds in upstate New York, and many beaches in between.

This summer, Nathan lives near False Bay on San Juan Island, where the wilder waves and wind of the Western shore keep him endlessly rocking on foam. He loves welcoming guests into outdoor spaces and letting them explore their own outdoor beauty. For wildlife cameos, geology facts, or random childhood stories from the islands, paddle close!

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Noah Baum

Guide / Naturalist

Noah is very excited for his first season with San Juan Kayak Expeditions! Currently he is a Senior at Western Washington University. Since COVID-19 began, he has been back on the Eastside of Washington with the rest of his family, working at Raider Boats. He is incredibly stoked to be able to expand and share his knowledge of the San Juan islands, while also being able to avidly explore them for the summer, with you! During his spare time he can be found climbing, hiking, camping, and being in, on and around the water.

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Caitlyn Blair

Guide / Naturalist

Heyo! My name is Caitlyn Blair, I am a student at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at WWU, graduating in Spring 2022 with a major in Marine Ecological Studies, Place-Based Education, and Community Engagement, as well as a minor in Salish Sea Studies, and Education and Social Justice. I am originally from Colorado, but am a long time lover of the Salish Sea. For half my life, I dreamed of kayaking through islands and channels in the San Juans, and I am more than excited to begin my second season as a guide. I enjoy anything water related, especially swimming or snorkeling. My favorite sea creature is the iconic and beautiful Orca whale, but I also have a soft spot for anemones. I can’t wait for summertime so I can show excited people my very favorite place!

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Izzi Lavallee

Guide / Naturalist

Izzi is water-lover and environmental educator who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She currently studies with the ocean as a graduate student in UW’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and holds an BA in Coastal Marine Resilience from WWU’s Fairhaven college. Previously, she worked in a diversity of marine-related roles such as a Dive Master in Mexico, environmental educator at the Padilla Bay NERR, and underwater cinematographer for Children of the Setting Sun Productions. When she’s not on the water or studying for school, Izzi enjoys painting, hiking, open-water swimming, and making tasty meals with family and friends. In truth, her passion for marine flora & fauna is only dwarfed by her passion with cooking delicious foods. Paddling together is sure to leave you feeling nourished in both body and soul.

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Claire Kennedy

Guide / Naturalist

Claire hails from the great state (depending on who you ask) of Wisconsin and after earning a degree in Environmental Science, she booked it on out of there for the West Coast. She has spent the last seven or so years beeboppin’ around the West Coast as an Outdoor Educator and Kayak guide because working indoors for too much time makes her itchy. She loves living on San Juan more than barnacles like living on rocks and is happy to share its beauty.

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Sean O’Connell

Guide / Naturalist

Sean began his guiding career 8 years ago with Bicycle Adventures after embarking on a self-supported meandering 5,500 mile bicycle ride which led him from Seattle, WA to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. It was this trip and its transformative impact on his life that led him to guiding and ultimately living on San Juan Island. Having called these islands home for the last seven seasons, Sean is connected with both the local community and environment. He is passionate about sharing and protecting the beautiful and unique ecosystems found here, and has participated in various restoration projects with local organizations such as the San Juan Preservation Trust, Conservation District and UW Friday Harbor Labs Eel Grass Restoration program. 

Having grown up in Southern California, the ocean has long played a role in Sean’s life. He grew up body surfing and spear fishing the CA coasts, is a certified SCUBA dive master with dives logged all over the world and since moving to the San Juans, an avid sea kayaker.  He is very excited to be leading both day and multi-day tours this year and sharing his passions with his guests.