Tim Thomsen

Tim  has been a resident and avid kayaker in the San Juan Islands for thirty-four years. He has owned and operated San Juan Kayak Expeditions for thirty-one years and has logged over 15,000 miles paddling in the San Juans!  He has personally guided over 450 three and four day expeditions!  His experience with orca whales in local waters is unmatched.  In addition to paddling in the San Juans, he led his own 6 day expeditions in Baja’s Sea of Cortez for thirteen winter seasons.

*San Juan Kayak Expeditions offers something no other sea kayak outfitter can: an owner/guide who has been leading multi-day sea kayak adventures in the San Juans for 31 years!  Tim puts each of his carefully chosen guides through a rigorous five week training program.  When they are ready to lead your trip, you can rest assured that they have a solid foundation of experience and knowledge to make your trip safe, educational and adventurous.

Tim is also a sea kayak sail inventor and patent owner!

A Washington State native with a degree in horticulture from Washington State University, Tim speaks semi-fluent Spanish and plays classical guitar and alto recorder.  In the off-season Tim builds driftwood birdhouses and plays some serious table tennis and swims three days a week.  He has completed one marathon and several triathlons. Tim is also a world traveler. He has spent past winters traveling and kayaking through diverse and exotic regions of the globe.  His latest expedition was a three week exploration of Nicaragua with wife Sally.

“The first morning we were a group of beginners who didn’t know each other. Under your patient guidance, we were soon a well oiled team with excellent safety, paddling, and camping skills. Thanks, Tim, for a great trip. Your knowledge and experience made this a safe and educational three days for us!”
Bob Nowlan/Debbie Stout
Astoria, OR

Anna Nation

Anna has a joint Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in East Asian studies with a minor in Japanese from both Wisconsin’s Lawrence University and Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.  She is proficient in both the written and spoken language, and has worked in Japan as a translator.  She has led snowshoeing trips in the mountains of Nagano, Japan, as well as canoe and backpacking adventures.  You will be happy to have her along on your trip, as she has taught animal track and scat recognition classes insuring that no grizzly bears will be sneaking up on your campsite(just kidding – we don’t have bears in the islands)!

Anna was on the Lawrence University Rowing Team, is Wilderness First Responder certified and, for you rock climbers, is Type 1 Belay certified.  As you can tell from the photo on the right, she is also an outdoor gourmet cook!

Anna leads our All-Women trips, coed multi-day trips as well as half-day, full-day and sunset tours, and makes them, according to one client, “funner than fun”!

“I had a wonderful time on your trip! It was absolutely amazing! Your incredible knowledge and expertise, combined with a warm heart and a great sense of humor made this an experience I will never forget! Thank you!
Audrey “Scotti” McGowan
Portland, OR

“We had a great time kayaking with you! Thank you for sharing your expertise and sense of fun with us.    I hope I can keep a little of your joy of life now that I’m back at my daily grind. You have a true gift for creating a sense of trust and community among perfect strangers. Good luck and light winds.

Virginia Mohl
Red Lodge, MT

R.P. Oates

R.P. comes to us from North Carolina via Colorado.  Along the way, he received a Bachelor of Science then a Masters of Science in Chemistry at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and is currently pursuing a PhD. in Applied Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. His research is bringing nanotechnology to the mainstream of cancer diagnoses and treatment.

R.P. has sea kayaked Virginia’s intercoastal waterway and river canoed down chutes that “may not have been suitable for aluminum”!  He plays alto recorder, piano, guitar, banjo and mandolin(he brings his recorder and mandolin on trips)!

R.P. “appreciates the world from a rich spirit,” and has learned during his “short stint on earth, that experience is the best education.”  R.P.’s down-to-earth, adventurous nature,  clever sense of humor and vast accomplishments help make our sea kayak  trips stand above the rest!

“We just wanted to give you extra thanks for working so hard paddling so my wife could feel more secure and enjoy the beautiful scenery during the 3-day trip we took with you last week. Although neither of us was very experienced at kayaking or seamanship we felt safe paddling in the ocean under your experienced and observant leadership, and were very pleased with the individual attention you gave us. We’re glad we took this trip with you instead of the other tour operators. Best Regards and Happy Paddling!”
Jeff & Alicia Bastl
Chicago, Illinois