We booked a sea caves kayak tour with Rustic Makwa over Labor Day weekend, and my experience could…read morehave definitely been better. The good - Our guide was excellent - he showed great care in talking about safety while on land, he was patient with the people on the tour who were new to kayaking, and he made sure to lead us to all the sea caves and point out great pictures spots without making the tour feel rushed. The experience on the water was good, and the beauty of the sea caves is just breathtaking. The bad - The communication prior to the start of the tour. We arrived at Meyers Beach around 15 minutes before our 3 PM tour (per the instructions in the confirmation email), and we did not see anyone there associated with Rustic Makwa. Time passes until 2:55, and we still do not see anyone. I check my email: nothing. I eventually call the phone number on the email, and I am assured the guide is "on his way, will be there shortly after 3". We waited until about 3:10, and nobody had arrived. I call the number again and am told that the guide will be there by 3:20. We wait until 3:30, and I text the number: I am told the guide is close by. Finally, around 3:40, just as we are about to leave, our guide finally arrived. Apparently, the guide was waiting for the winds to die down a bit before starting the tour - hence the delay. While I appreciated the tour's commitment to safety, the lack of communication was disheartening. There were only three groups on our tour. The time it would have taken to update us on the tour's current conditions/status (via email/text/phone call) would not have taken long. I understand the weather is unpredictable, and it isn't easy to make the call sometimes on whether or not tours can safely be conducted. However, providing information and updates (without having me chase the information down) would have allowed us to better use our limited time in Bayfield by not having us wait in the parking lot area for almost an hour.

This place was the only Kayaking service still running in October. I did have an issue with this…read morebeing my first time kayaking and I was really far back in water in the group. Leader should have looked back and waited as I was learning how to propel and maneuver a kayak for the first time. We had a great time. The Meyers Beach tour is over by Sept, and the Red Cliff Sea Cave Tour is the only one left. While this was great, I would like to go to the other tour cause I think they have more sea caves. We did get to see how serene everything is, and got very fortunate with the calm waters and warm weather 2 weeks into October. The massive arch at the end is great and the lead takes photos for everyone. The kayaking into the caves is exciting and a little creepy. It's challenging to take photos and kayak.

Here is my google review…read more Would not recommend. Beware! They are NOT an approved kayaking company by the National Park Service. They rented my son tandem kayaks to go to the Apostle Islands. They gave him a broken radio, no bilge pump and no cockpit cover. They ended up refunding him after he told them that the National Park Service and L5 Kayak expert they ran into told them that this company was putting them at risk for injury or even death. They refused to allow me to talk to the owner. They are comfortable renting broken equipment, allowing you to kayak in a tandem without a cockpit cover so that it fills with water and then not supplying the required bilge pump to get the water out. Go on the National Park Service web page and find a kayak group that meets standards- stay away from this company as it could put your life at risk. The company responded to my google review with this lie "We provided your son and his friend with a detailed two-hour safety course before their rental, clearly demonstrating how to safely use a tandem kayak as intende, with two people paddling together. Despite this, they made the unsafe decision to paddle solo from the back seat and load gear (including beer) into the front cockpit -- a configuration we specifically warn against and prohibit in our waiver. Even though they knowingly violated the rules and misused the equipment, we still issued a full refund as a courtesy. We did this not because we were at fault, but because we recognize that Lake Superior is unforgiving, and we want all our guests to stay safe, even when they make poor choices. We sincerely hope future renters follow our safety training and use the equipment as instructed. We are always here to help, but we cannot prevent incidents when guests ignore the guidance they are given" This is a lie. My son and his friend rented 2 single kayaks. The company gave them 2 tandems. The ranger and another L5 kayak expert saw them before they launched and recommended they not go because they were rented improper equipment. They never even loaded them. What beer?! They are lying to make the reader think they are safe. Please call the Bayfield National park service yourself and talk to the rangers there. They are very familiar with this unsafe and deceptive company. Don't rely on social media. Talk to the experts yourself. You can email or call the park service and they will advise you.

Beware. 2 different canceling policies on web site. Then when you call them on it they tell you…read morethey are done with the conversation. Shady company

Here is my google review. This is the same company…read more Would not recommend. Beware! They are NOT an approved kayaking company by the National Park Service. They rented my son tandem kayaks to go to the Apostle Islands. They gave him a broken radio, no bilge pump and no cockpit cover. They ended up refunding him after he told them that the National Park Service and L5 Kayak expert they ran into told them that this company was putting them at risk for injury or even death. They refused to allow me to talk to the owner. They are comfortable renting broken equipment, allowing you to kayak in a tandem without a cockpit cover so that it fills with water and then not supplying the required bilge pump to get the water out. Go on the National Park Service web page and find a kayak group that meets standards- stay away from this company as it could put your life at risk. The company responded to my google review with this lie "We provided your son and his friend with a detailed two-hour safety course before their rental, clearly demonstrating how to safely use a tandem kayak as intende, with two people paddling together. Despite this, they made the unsafe decision to paddle solo from the back seat and load gear (including beer) into the front cockpit -- a configuration we specifically warn against and prohibit in our waiver. Even though they knowingly violated the rules and misused the equipment, we still issued a full refund as a courtesy. We did this not because we were at fault, but because we recognize that Lake Superior is unforgiving, and we want all our guests to stay safe, even when they make poor choices. We sincerely hope future renters follow our safety training and use the equipment as instructed. We are always here to help, but we cannot prevent incidents when guests ignore the guidance they are given" This is a lie. My son and his friend rented 2 single kayaks. The company gave them 2 tandems. The ranger and another L5 kayak expert saw them before they launched and recommended they not go because they were rented improper equipment. They never even loaded them. What beer?! They are lying to make the reader think they are safe. Please call the Bayfield National park service yourself and talk to the rangers there. They are very familiar with this unsafe and deceptive company. Don't rely on social media. Talk to the experts yourself. You can email or call the park service and they will advise you.

Terrible communication. Txt only dispatch. They have a similar name to another company and sent me…read morearound three spots and no showed every single one of them.

Had a wonderful trip our first time sea kayaking, would definitely do it again! Jared was a…read morefantastic guide, and enjoyed the experience of a small operator vs a big group. The sea caves are gorgeous and other-worldly. Highly recommend!

We were lucky to have a very calm day on the water, making the tour beginner friendly. The tour…read morewill be in a tandem kayak. For the 8 am tour we were the first people out on the water which made the experience extra peaceful. I highly recommend doing this! Jared is really friendly and gives great local suggestions. He also will take pictures and videos for you that turned out great

I've kayaked with Trek&Trail three times! Love them. Well organized, good experience. The sea…read morecaves are amazing!

Just returned from a fantastic four day three night trip in the Apostle Islands. Everything was…read morewonderful including the food, the guide, the campsites and this time around even the weather was great. A perfect adventure with a very reputable company. Highly recommend.

I went recently on an overnight kayaking trip with my two sisters - joining six other visitors, and…read moreled by two guides, Maddie and Karalyn. My experience level is kayaking a few times a year on lakes primarily, though I have done ocean harbors and coves also. Our group included some with more and less experience than that. The guides ask for your input ahead of time on what experience you are looking for, and dietary restrictions, which is great. Based on the weather forecast, our guide recommended we consider tandem kayaks. We normally prefer single kayaks but took the advice and were so glad we did as it absolutely helped in powering through the wind and waves of Lake Superior (and the presence of the rudder meant a relatively low amount of coordination required between the two paddlers). The Lost Creek team also quickly acted to put together a plan B when our initial trip to Sand Island was nixed due to a small craft advisory. We ended up going to Basswood island instead. I appreciated the water exit training we did before the trip. The food provided throughout was excellent. Our sights included a seastack, an arch, and a shipwreck. Most of all, the guides ensured we had a fun, safe adventure!

This was a great paddle out to the caves near Meyers Beach. Abby and her associate were very…read moreprofessional and provided all the necessary safety precautions and kayaking techniques. I've kayaked AK, HI and the San Juans (WA) and this was the best! It's a very short bus ride to Meyers Beach so you don't waste a lot of time getting on the water. As a side note, I later learned from another type of boat tour on Madeline Island that there are a few pretenders in the kayak tour business but Lost Creek is considered by locals to be one of the best!!

We went on a 5 hour tour with the captain, Marlin. He was very informative and good natured. He…read morereally turned the experience into an extraordinary experience. the scenery was gorgeous!

We had a fantastic time. There was a small group of us, and…read morethat's cause it was the end of the 2nd week of October. We got to actually sail the ship and enjoy being 'sailors.' I think our sailor/tour guide's name was Matt and he deserves recognition. He takes great photos. The cost was worth it for me because of the experience, and the small group size. This does cost more than the Apostle Islands Tour, but it's almost like a private sailing session. I would advise sunscreen due to exposure, even if you're not white. We were fortunate that autumn had a late ending, until the start of the 3rd week of October. Peak colors and perfect weather.

We booked a Friday morning kayaking tour of Devil's Island. On Thursday night they sent us an…read moreemail saying they were having some electrical issues but would keep us posted if it would affect our tour. As we never head another word, we arrived at the scheduled time only to be told that our trip had been canceled and they wouldn't be able to reschedule us on Saturday, Sunday or Monday (when we had to return home) and no other kayaking tours in the area were still running. As no other customers arrived for the tour and the wait lists were full, it was pretty clear that the other people signed up for our tour had been notified of the cancelation in advance. As we drove over 500 miles to kayak the sea caves, this was EXTREMELY disappointing and they made absolutely no effort to help us find other arrangements. At the end of the day, it turned out to be a blessing as we wound up booking a last minute wonderful private speed boat tour of Bear and Devil's Island with Rift & Ripple Island Tours that turned out be be cheaper, covered a lot more ground without battling challenging waves with a kayak, and still provided an intimate tour in and round the best sea caves in the area. I would definitely not book Aposte Islands Kayaking again and would highly recommend Peter & Ashley and Rift & Ripple Island Tours instead.

From the owner: Apostle Islands Kayaking offers two guided tours for kayakers of any experience level of the most…read morebeautiful hidden gems the Apostle Islands have to offer! Our 3-hour Red Cliff tour will get you up close and personal with incredible red sandstone cliffs, a historic shipwreck, wildlife, and panoramic views of the islands. On our 5-hour Kayak and Cruise Adventure, you'll head out into the islands on our powerboat and get the chance to paddle along otherwise inaccessible shorelines with some of the most gorgeous sea caves, cliffs, rock formations, and hidden beaches in the entirety of the Apostles.