Shelter Island Kayak Tours

If it was possible to give a business zero stars I would, seeing that I didn’t even have the chance to go on a tour due to some of the worst mentality in business I have witness recently. I had called and emailed shelter island kayak tours and although no one answered I listened to the message which said the guide was currently out on a tour and that to rent kayaks one should go to burns road by 1130. So I payed $ 20 and hopped on the ferry for what I hoped was going to be a lovely afternoon to celebrate my wedding anniversary. When I arrived there were three other groups of people camped out waiting. A total of two hours passed before all of the parties had been forced to retire. I was furious but also felt bad for my companions who were in Similar predicaments. It was one of the guys birthdays and they had drove 2 hours just for the kayaking. Moral of the story is please have some respect for your customers and update your website and phone messages or you are no longer offering services or have the decency to call someone back. You lost a lot of business today.

We didn’t ask much, just to rent a double kayak for a couple of hours. But when we arrived at the shack, Jay was there to greet us, penned out a map for us, and took us to Tom at the launch point. Our self-​guided trip was great, we saw a lot of wildlife and really expensive real estate (!). They are very low-​keyed and I would definitely rent form them again.

Our guide Tom was great and gave us a wonderful tour around the east side of the island. We saw some Ospreys and also landed at Taylor’s Island which has a really interesting history!
SIKT were very accommodating when we needed to change our reservation time and also in arranging payment for our tour. Overall it was a wonderful introduction to kayaking (we were both first-​timers!) and a great way to experience the Mashomak Island Reserve.
Thanks!

Jay, your guide, operates out of an unassuming sleepy little shack adjacent to a restaurant called Planet Bliss.
He’s been written about in so many magazines and books — - I don’t think there is a kayak season where he doesn’t get offers to be on television. However, very few people are savvy enough to seek him out.
Not only does he have extensive kayak knowledge, but he also doubles as a local historian and naturalist. All his info is relayed to you in a caring grandfatherly tone that you might have to row closer to to hear.
It’s okay if you suck at kayaking like me. Jay will give you expert training tips (if you swallow your pride and just ask). I bumped into Jay throughout the whole entire trip and he assuaged my chagrin by letting me know it happens all the time.
Mashomack Preserve, acquired by The Nature Conservancy in 1980, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It has just as much biodiversity and varying verdant shades of green as the heather of Scotland.
I love how the trees towered above me because I was so low on the water. The twinkling sunlight against the rippling water gave me an overpowering sensation of wonderment as I lifted my head to watch an osprey (with a six foot wing span!) carry a large stick across the great, expanding wilderness.
Definitely an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.