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Kayaking Morro Bay
Kayak Morro Bay if you want to see the wonders of the Bay from the best seat in the house, in a kayak. Kayaking Morro Bay with an expert nature guide from Central Coast Outdoors ensures you will see the wonders of this extraordinary National Estuary. You can kayak Morro Bay in all its moods, sharing it with harbor seals, sea lions and sea otters, as well as literally hundreds of species of birds, including several rare and endangered species.
The waters of Morro Bay are protected from the open ocean by a scenic four mile long sandspit and the weather is moderate year round, creating an ideal place for beginners, families and experts to kayak. Our experienced and knowledgeable guides enhance any excursion you'll have on the water with us. Come with us kayaking Morro Bay and experience one of the best kayak trips in California.
Our classic half day kayaking tour of Morro Bay is our most popular Morro Bay guided kayak tour, and with good reason! A fun filled morning of paddling through waters rich in bird life visits an oyster farm, harbor seals, a heron rookery, and we have chances to see otters. After taking all this wildlife in, we beach our kayaks on a secluded part of Morro Bay's outer sandspit for a fun dunes walk to a hidden Chumash shell midden. A short walk past the midden, we come to the Pacific Ocean and unparalleled views up and down miles of isolated beach.
Back on the bay side of the dunes of this Morro Bay kayak tour, you'll either return to your kayak for the short paddle back to the kayak docks or linger a while longer for a gourmet picnic lunch including complimentary locally produced wines and beers and a selection of sodas, juices and bottled waters. The picnic lunch is highly recommended and the perfect way to round out one of the best kayak trips in California. This Morro Bay kayak trip is designed with beginners and family groups in mind and includes basic paddle and safety instruction at the start of the tour. The sandspit protects Morro Bay from the ocean and large waves.
Our Morro Bay short kayak tour is an action packed guided kayak tour designed to optimize your time on the wildlife rich waters of Morro Bay National Estuary. We don't visit the sand dunes on the west side of Morro Bay (as we do on our Kayaking: Morro Bay Half Day Classic Tour) but there are plenty of birds as well as other wildlife to see and fun to be had for beginners and experts alike on this California guided kayak tour. Concentrating on the east side of Morro Bay, we'll visit an oyster farm, harbor seals, a heron rookery and we have chances to see otters. This guided kayak tour is designed with beginners and family groups in mind and includes basic paddle and safety instruction at the start of the tour. The sandspit protects Morro Bay from the ocean and large waves. 
Come join us on this Morro Bay kayak tour for a magical blend of moonlight, peaceful water and sea kayaking on Morro Bay. Leaving a short while before dusk in sea kayaks, we'll ride the tide to explore different hidden corners of Morro Bay. After the sun sets, the full moon illuminates our way and we'll tune into the sights and sounds of the bay at night. You won't believe how much bird and wildlife activity there is out there in the evening until you experience it for yourself. A mug of hot chocolate (fortified with schnapps, if desired) and cookies rounds out this truly unique Morro Bay kayak adventure. If the evening is foggy, the full moon won't be as spectacular, but the sense of peace on the water at night is still well worth it This tour can also be done on dates not listed below as a starlight or partial moonlight tour.
Meeting times at the docks are approximately 2.5 hours before sunset. 2012 - Dinner and Sunset Paddle Meeting Times
If you'd like to extend your Morro Bay kayak adventure with us, adding a hiking eco tour in the afternoon is a great way to do so. Our Morro Bay Kayak and Hike Tour does exactly this - it combines the classic half day Morro Bay kayak tour above with a great two to three hour eco tour hike after lunch. After the Morro Bay kayak tour portion of the day we usually hike a relatively easy and little known trail north of Cayucos that takes in beaches and bluffs. When the wildflowers are in bloom, we may hike a different trail just off the bay that is a little hillier, but which showcases an extravagant display of native wildflowers and affords a view of the Morro Bay that is hard to beat. Private Kayak Tours on Morro Bay
All of our Morro Bay kayak tours listed above are typically open to anyone and you may end up sharing the tour with other people. However, if you prefer to do one of our regular kayak trips as a private tour or if the timing of one of our regular Morro Bay kayak trips does not work for you, we are happy to accommodate you. With our Morro Bay private guided kayak tour program, you can select from a tour length (two or three hours) and tell us what time of day works best for you, or you can select from one of our regular trips with set meeting times and be guaranteed no one else will share the tour with you. Note that the three hour private kayak tour typically visits all the same places on the bay that our Kayaking: Morro Bay Half Day Classic Tour (no lunch version) does. The two hour version typically visits just two out of the following three locations (heron preserve, oyster farm/harbor seals, sand dunes). Of course, if you have an idea for a private kayak tour on Morro Bay that doesn't quite fit into any of these categories, give us a call! We'll be happy to try and put something together that fits what you are looking for. The chart below gives per person costs for various group sizes and private kayak tour options. If you'd like to set a up a private Morro Bay kayak tour with us, please call us direct at 888-873-5610.
What is provided on your Morro Bay kayak tours?
On all our guided kayak tours of Morro Bay we provide kayaks, PFDs (life jackets), paddles, waterproof fleece lined lap blankets, dry bags (on request), snacks and water. The guide(s) also provide basic paddle instruction and provide commentary on the ecology, history and wildlife of Morro Bay while you are on the water. On our lunch and dinner Morro Bay kayak tours, a scrumptious meal is also provided. Do you offer kayak rentals?
Although we provide kayaks for our guided kayak tours on Morro Bay, we do not provide kayak rentals direct to the public separate from our Morro Bay guided kayak tours. If you'd like to rent a kayak, we suggest renting kayaks from the rental facility at the Morro Bay Kayak Shack on State Park Road in Morro Bay: 805-772-8796. Do you do large group kayak trips on Morro Bay?
If you have a student group, a family reunion or some other large event and want to get out kayaking on Morro Bay - give us a call! We've accommodated many groups like this on guided kayak tours and can comfortably put up to about 50 people on the water at a time. We are highly flexible and can work with you on guide to client ratio as well as food and duration of your Morro Bay guided kayak tour to fit your time and budget. Do I need to have prior kayaking experience?
Absolutely not! Our kayak tours and kayak trips on Morro Bay are designed to accommodate beginners as well as experienced kayakers. In fact, about half of our participants have never even kayaked before! The best Morro Bay kayaking tour for beginners is our Half Day Classic Tour. Because wind can make kayaking challenging for beginners on the bay, our Half Day Classic Tour starts in the morning, when the wind is usually the lightest. Do you have a minimum age?
No. As long as the young ones can sit relatively still in a kayak for the paddling time, they are fine. We've been taking our daughter kayaking since she was two. Really young kids (age 0-2) usually sit in a lap of an adult while somewhat older kids (age 3-8) can sit in the front of a tandem with an adult in the rear. Kids age 10 and up have the option to go in a single, but we always make sure they understand that they will have to paddle the whole way if they want a single. We have appropriate PFDs available for all age levels. Our ability to take kids of all ages kayaking on Morro Bay makes our guided kayak tours among the best kayak trips in California for families.  What kind of kayaks do you use on your kayak tours of Morro Bay?
We use traditional "sit inside" recreational kayaks on our Morro Bay kayak tours. These tend to be drier, more comfortable and perform better on the relatively flat water of Morro Bay than "sit on top" kayaks. Recreational sit inside kayaks are also wider and more stable than narrow touring sit inside kayaks. Recreational kayaks tend to have more open cockpits for ease of entry and exit compared to the smaller cockpits of touring kayaks. We offer single or double kayaks, depending on your preference. Are there big waves? Will I get wet?
There are no large waves, but you should expect to get at least a little bit wet. Morro Bay is a great place for kayak trips in California because it is protected from the large waves of the open ocean by a four mile long sandspit. It is like kayaking on a small to medium sized lake, except there are some tidal currents. Occasionally, if it is breezy, small waves may kick up on the bay and you might get some spray in the boat. However, it is highly unlikely large waves will break over the boat to soak you. Water often drips off the paddles into the boat as well. To protect you against spray and paddle drip (and to keep you warm), we have waterproof fleece lined lap blankets available for your use. See gear section below for our recommendations on clothing. Do I need special gear on your kayak tours of Morro Bay?
No. Although you will get a little wet, wetsuits or other special gear are not required on our Morro Bay kayak tours. We also have waterproof fleece lined lap blankets to help keep you warm and dry. Our recommendations:
What is the weather like? What time of year is best?
Morro Bay is a great year round kayaking destination. The weather is mild all year with daily highs rarely outside the mid 50s to mid 70s range with most days having highs somewhere in the 60s. Spring days are often breezy and in summer there is often fog for at least part of the day. Fall tends to have the warmest and clearest weather. In winter we may encounter rain, but a significant number of winter days on the bay feature still water and crystal clear air. Winter is also the best time to see the incredible diversity of migrating birds that call Morro Bay home for that part of the year.
Do you kayak if it's foggy?
ABSOLUTELY! Although most people understandably prefer sunny skies, kayaking during foggy conditions on Morro Bay is often a magical experience. The wind is usually less strong when it's foggy and the bay feels very quiet and intimate. Most of the wildlife is typically close enough that you can still see it. Furthermore, the fog is notoriously hard to predict and sometimes comes and goes multiple times during the course of a tour, which can be quite dramatic. And somehow being on the water when it's foggy seems better than being on land. When the coastal areas of SLO County are socked in by fog, there is no place we'd rather be than kayaking on Morro Bay! What is your cancellation policy for bad weather (rain or high wind)?
We certainly don't want people to feel like they have to go out in bad weather or they will lose all their money. If the weather is bad on the day of your kayak trip, you have three choices. First, continuing with the planned activities (perhaps with alternate activities worked in). Second, transfer with no additional fees to a trip in the future. Third, cancel entirely with a $15 per person cancellation fee. We always wait until the day of the trip to make this decision because weather forecasts are not always 100% accurate. On kayak trips, if the weather is so bad that we think going out would be a safety issue, we will cancel the trip with a full refund. Note that fog or cooler weather are not considered bad weather for purposes of this policy. Are your Morro Bay kayak trips considered eco-tours?
Absolutely. Morro Bay is a wonderful place for an eco-tour, especially by kayak. Our guides will explain about how the estuary works and will identify birds and other animals for you. But taking a kayak ecotour on Morro Bay doesn't mean you can't have fun! There is plenty of time for romping on the sand dunes and our gourmet picnic lunch will spoil you. Ecotouring and fun on Morro Bay are what we are all about.  Morro Bay National Estuary Program
Learn more about this unique eco-system by visiting the Morro Bay National Estuary Program or by stopping by their visitor center in Morro Bay at 601 Embarcadero.
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KAYAKING: Morro Bay Short Paddle (Family Friendly)
