Do you love working outside, watching wildlife, talking with interesting people from around the country and world, and sea kayaking? For the right person being a naturalist sea kayak guide is an incredible job. Olympic Kayak Tours (OKT) guides excel at a wide variety of skills including teaching natural history and sea kayaking, leadership, marine navigation, and sea kayak safety and rescue.
OKT is a eco-tourism sea kayaking concession that operates out of beautiful Fort Flagler State Park on Marrowstone Island - connected by bridges to the Olympic Peninsula. We have the sheltered waters of Kilisuit Harbor to our west which teem with birds and seals, and the rugged Admiralty Inlet to our east, a major passage for whales.
Duties:
Lead safe educational sea kayak tours during the day and night.
Assist with maintenance of kayaking equipment and facilities.
Have excellent customer service and communication with customers and park staff.
Assist with renting out of unguided recreational kayaking equipment and stand up paddleboards.
Compensation:
$22-24/hr dependent on expertise + tips.
Housing:
Staff housing is available.
Season:
Application is open until filled. Work is available until mid-October. Guides need to commit to working until Labor Day at a minimum, and preference will be given to those who can work throughout September. Because of the large amount of skills that need to be learned new naturalist expedition sea kayak guides will only be considered if they are available for full time work. Experienced expedition sea kayak guides are welcome to have part time work on a variety of schedules if they want it.
Sea Kayak Guide Training:
Being a sea kayak guide is a physically and intellectually challenging profession, and it involves lots of responsibility and independence. For the right people, that's part of the appeal.
Trainnes will study sea kayak techniques, marine weather and tidal currents, sea kayak safety and rescue, leadership, expedition behavior, and group dynamics, radio communication and emergency management, trip planning, organizational logistics, equipment maintenance, as well as natural history. Guiding trainees will work in one-on-one or small group sessions with the founder, as well as shadow tours led by the founder, they will need to complete readings in their own time and be highly organized and motivated.
Trainees will be tested and then audited on their first tours. They will not be able to lead tours until they have possess a first aid and CPR certification, and have passed the new WDFW Sea Kayak Guide Whale Watch Operators test. The goal is to get you guiding as quickly as we can while ensuring quality and safety, and we will support prospective guides to achieve this.
Perks of guiding with us:
- Be paid to go kayaking!!!
- Receive an education in sea kayaking skills from technical paddling skills including: strokes, braces, rescues. Also marine navigation, marine weather, route planning, marine radio protocols, expedition dynamics and leadership, etc. Experienced sea kayakers or particularly adept learners can also learn rolls and kayak surfing. This education combined with the experience of guiding for a season would enable someone to participate in a sea kayak expedition anywhere on the planet. The education received is very similar to that covered in courses by organizations like NOLS and Outward Bound that cost several thousand dollars.
- Enhance your knowledge of the Salish sea marine ecosystem, and get to observe marine mammals and sea birds in their natural habitat, including whales, seals, eagles, and much more. For those interested in natural science these kinds of observations will enhance your knowledge of animal behavior and may lead to new questions and hypotheses.
- Get access to “pro-deals”, (i.e. discounts for outdoor industry guiding professionals from major brands).
- Become more physically fit.
- Meet people from many different walks of life from around the country and the world.
- Earn tips which do not need to be shared with the company and can be significant. (If lead guides are on over-size trips and receiving the assistance of an assistant guide it’s a common courtesy to “tip out” the assistant if they perform good work, but that is a personal decision and not a company policy).
- Get to help shape people’s perceptions of wildlife and the marine environment.
- We are aware that our guides are our most important resource and we will train you extremely well to excel in what is hopefully a dream job.
- Get paid to participate in benefits for non-profits.
- Be able to borrow a kayak and equipment in your off-time.
How to apply:
Please include a resume, as well as a cover letter, professional references, and the date you are available to begin. Be sure to include detailed information about your experience with sea kayaking or other human-powered craft, or marine travel, as well as general wilderness and backpacking experience, and details about your fitness and how many pounds you can lift safely. Please also include details about your familiarity or lack thereof with coastal Washington fauna and flora. Please include one or more photos or videos of yourself in an outdoor pursuit. Please send this application and any questions to
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Seasonal
Pay: $22.00 - $24.00 per hour
Expected hours: 30 – 40 per week
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
Schedule:
- Evenings as needed
- Every weekend
- Weekends as needed
Supplemental pay types:
Shift availability:
- Day Shift (Preferred)
- Night Shift (Preferred)
- Overnight Shift (Preferred)
Work Location: On the road