Blue Water Ventures - Santa Cruz, California

Belinda

A truly great experience! Me and three other friends booked a kayak tour for the Sea Otter and Harbor Seal watch. Sam was our tour guide for our 3 hour paddle and he made the trip very enjoyable with his knowledge of the wildlife and his great humor. It was my first paddling tour experience and it was a lot more than I expected. We paddled around Moss Landing and saw many jellyfish, seals, sea otters, and pelicans. It was a fun experience that I recommend to anyone looking to do something new! Special thanks to Kim for coordinating the tour!

Cynthia Joy

I went for my first kayaking experience with Blue Water Ventures, and I LOVED it! Our naturalist was Sam, and he was knowledgable about the local wildlife and habitat. We had about a 35 minute lesson on do's and don'ts and prepped our gear. I highly recommend them, such thoughtful people and lovely to make the experience very special. We saw a lot of Sea Otters, cranes, Harbor Seals and one very smelly Sea Lion. I wasn't tired afterwards, very glad that I had sunscreen. Please do yourself a favor and do this activity!

Sheena Logothetti

Amazing! My first adventure with Kim Powell and Blue Water Ventures was a local paddle in Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing. I am an experienced paddler and took my young daughter on a tour with Kim. I was so impressed with her naturalist expertise (her knowledge of wildlife from microscopic organisms to marine mammals is fantastic), fun energetic personality, and creative activities for kids and adults that I have since organized 2 private family tours with friends.

After my first day trip to Moss Landing, I decided to travel with Blue Water Ventures to Baja on a winter adventure to see baby Gray Whales, swim with sea lions and snorkel with whale sharks. As an experienced solo traveler, I was hesitant to travel with a group but this trip was SO MUCH FUN!!! Kim has the unique ability to create incredible wildlife viewing and interactions that please novice as well as very experienced wildlife adventurers. Perhaps even more incredible is Kim's ability to create a fantastically fun group dynamic...as a born skeptic of group activities, I was surprised to find myself completely bonded with new friends in our 8 day trip. In short I had a blast. So much so that I have repeated the same Baja trip and could not recommend it highly enough.

Highlights of Baja include: incredible baby whales...touching them is life changing, snorkeling with the largest fish in the world, the whale shark, snorkeling with baby sea lions (imagine underwater golden retriever puppies!), beautiful blue sea and comfy tent camping, wonderful food and daily happy hour.

Jenna Slovis

There is a reason I keep returning to Blue Water Ventures trips lead by owner/naturalist guide Kim Powell. Not only does she run the most amazing outdoor, eco-friendly and wildlife "interactive" adventures, but her passion for sharing her love and knowledge of nature is infectious and unrivaled. I purposely hold vacation time and eagerly await next year's new offerings. If you happen to be traveling through Santa Cruz, make sure to join her on a day kayak trip - migrating grey whales or the sea otters and baby harbor seals of Elkhorn Slough are not to be missed. Kim is a gem, make sure you are fortunate enough to have an adventure with this incredible woman!

Kresta Painter

Blue Water Ventures should be your first choice for the best naturalist led sea kayaking in Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, Baja, Belize, and beyond. The owner, Kim Powell takes a regular sea kayaking trip and knocks it up a notch with her professional and passionate crew of guides who are not only talented paddlers but are also adept at making you feel comfortable and confidant while at the same time giving you an opportunity to explore.

The first trip I did with Blue Water Ventures in Elkhorn Slough was incredible. I was impressed with the in-depth knowledge each guide shared about the natural history of sea otters, harbor seals, and migratory birds as well as the wetlands ecology.

Individuals, families, groups, elementary schools... everyone will have fun with Blue Water Ventures.

Jill N

My very first adventure with Blue Water Ventures was an afternoon paddle. As a brand new kayaker I was really nervous, but Kim set me at ease and I had such a great time that I went home and immediately booked a 3 day camping and kayaking trip with BWV.

Since that time, I have traveled with BWV and Kim Powell both locally and abroad. Be it in Santa Cruz or exotic locations like Tonga or Belize, I have always felt safe and in capable hands. Kim is easy going with a great sense of humor. The guides she hires are capable, good fun and good cooks. All the events I have attended have attracted really great folks, with many being return customers. Over time I have made friends I hope will last a lifetime.

Kim is not only great on the adult trips, but she's also amazing with kids. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for the ocean and it's inhabitants is infectious, and she pulls in people of all ages and gets them excited about the ocean and its inhabitants.

Kim and crew are great!

Diane Anest

Kim and BWV are wonderful hosts for exploring the Santa Cruz/Moss Landing/Monterey Bay areas. I have been on several kayak trips and can't express the wonder of this area! A couple of weeks ago we kayaked at night on Elkhorn Slough and saw the amazing bioluminescence activity! Magical! Getting up close and personal with otters, seals, pelicans and all the living things in the slough is a treat. Kim and her assistants are knowledgable and devoted to the area. If you live here or are visiting, make time for this adventure. You will not be disappointed!

Sofia Prado

Booked a tour for Elkhorn Slough with family and we all had an amazing time!
All of us were beginners and had never been kayaking and our guide Niki, went above and beyond to help us figure out our bearings. We saw sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals and plenty of birds