Native-led kayak tours where the Russian River meets the Pacific.
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Visit WebsiteThe guided ecological estuary tour at Jenner — paddling where the Russian River meets the Pacific, harbor-seal haul-outs in winter (hundreds of seals at a time), and the deepest cultural-ecological context of any kayak tour on the California coast. Native-led.
WaterTreks EcoTours is led by Suki Waters, a Kashaya Pomo descendant who has been a kayak instructor and ecological educator since 1979 — the depth of place-based knowledge is the editorial differentiator no other operator on the coast can match. WaterTreks specializes in the unique estuary where the Russian River meets the Pacific at Jenner, a Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary site of harbor seal haul-outs, salmon migrations, and one of the highest concentrations of marine bird species on the California coast. Suki's tours pair kayak instruction with the ecology of the place — the Native plant uses, the geology, the seasonal patterns of the wildlife.
Tours run seasonally with rentals available year-round at Jenner, walking distance from where the Russian River widens into its tidal mouth. The signature offering is the guided ecological tour — two to four hours on the estuary, beginning at the Pomo land that became Sonoma Coast State Park, ending at the haul-out beaches where seals (often hundreds at a time in winter) sun on the sandbars. Beyond the day tours, Suki runs the Living Classrooms Project for school groups, bringing K-12 students to learn the estuary firsthand. WaterTreks is also the operator of the seasonal bioluminescent algae kayak tour at Jenner — a different format from inland Russian River, with the open Pacific behind the kayaks. The cultural depth and conservation focus distinguishes WaterTreks from any commodity kayak rental.
Suki Waters is the founder and owner of WaterTreks EcoTours in Jenner and a member of the Kashia (Kashaya) Band of Pomo Indians, whose homelands reach down to the mouth of the Russian River. She spent part of her childhood on the river and coast — learning to fish, harvest seaweed, and read the estuary's wildlife — and has worked in outdoor recreation, interpretation, and safety since 1979, following her grandmother into a State Park interpretive docent role in 1987 and later training kayak guides for the Sierra Club. She launched WaterTreks in 2005, partners with the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and runs the Living Classrooms Project, pairing paddles past the harbor-seal haul-outs with the ecology and Kashaya history of the place.
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WaterTreks EcoTours is led by Suki Waters, a Kashaya Pomo descendant who has been a kayak instructor and ecological educator since 1979 — the depth of place-based knowledge is the editorial differentiator no other operator on the coast can match. WaterTreks specializes in the unique estuary where the Russian River meets the Pacific at Jenner, a Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary site of harbor seal haul-outs, salmon migrations, and one of the highest concentrations of marine bird species on the California coast. Suki's tours pair kayak instruction with the ecology of the place — the Native plant uses, the geology, the seasonal patterns of the wildlife.
Tours run seasonally with rentals available year-round at Jenner, walking distance from where the Russian River widens into its tidal mouth. The signature offering is the guided ecological tour — two to four hours on the estuary, beginning at the Pomo land that became Sonoma Coast State Park, ending at the haul-out beaches where seals (often hundreds at a time in winter) sun on the sandbars. Beyond the day tours, Suki runs the Living Classrooms Project for school groups, bringing K-12 students to learn the estuary firsthand. WaterTreks is also the operator of the seasonal bioluminescent algae kayak tour at Jenner — a different format from inland Russian River, with the open Pacific behind the kayaks. The cultural depth and conservation focus distinguishes WaterTreks from any commodity kayak rental.
The guided ecological estuary tour at Jenner — paddling where the Russian River meets the Pacific, harbor-seal haul-outs in winter (hundreds of seals at a time), and the deepest cultural-ecological context of any kayak tour on the California coast. Native-led.
Suki Waters is the founder and owner of WaterTreks EcoTours in Jenner and a member of the Kashia (Kashaya) Band of Pomo Indians, whose homelands reach down to the mouth of the Russian River. She spent part of her childhood on the river and coast — learning to fish, harvest seaweed, and read the estuary's wildlife — and has worked in outdoor recreation, interpretation, and safety since 1979, following her grandmother into a State Park interpretive docent role in 1987 and later training kayak guides for the Sierra Club. She launched WaterTreks in 2005, partners with the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and runs the Living Classrooms Project, pairing paddles past the harbor-seal haul-outs with the ecology and Kashaya history of the place.
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