By The Sea Kayaking
By The Sea Kayaking
4.9
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About
By-The-Sea-Kayaking, located in the picturesque seaport village of Victoria-by-the-Sea on the south shore of the Prince Edward Island, has been offering kayaking tours for almost a decade. Kayaking is a wonderful way to explore nature with family and friends and is suitable for all ages. No previous experience is required and we have single and double (two-person) touring sea kayaks.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.9
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JaneB
Calgary, Canada8 contributions
Jun 2023
We had a fantastic afternoon with Paul and Sarah from “By The Sea Kayaking”! The combination of kayaking and clamming was a definite highlight of our trip. We appreciated Paul’s knowledge base, enthusiasm, and his great cooking after the paddle, even accommodating my lactose-free need with his yummy coconut-milk based chowder. I would highly recommend this company!
Written June 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan B
159 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Great experience, one of the highlights of my entire PEI trip.
The only potential downside is the kayak ride for those who are either inexperienced or lacking stamina. The ride is fairly physical, but it's not too bad at the same time.
The digging part is so much fun, plus you randomly find other sea creatures. The clam chowder afterward was so good, and it was nice just sitting on the grass, listening to his stories.
The remaining clams we brought back were used for a baked clam dip, which was also terrific.
I highly recommend this excursion for any family (maybe not the best for wee little ones).
The only potential downside is the kayak ride for those who are either inexperienced or lacking stamina. The ride is fairly physical, but it's not too bad at the same time.
The digging part is so much fun, plus you randomly find other sea creatures. The clam chowder afterward was so good, and it was nice just sitting on the grass, listening to his stories.
The remaining clams we brought back were used for a baked clam dip, which was also terrific.
I highly recommend this excursion for any family (maybe not the best for wee little ones).
Written May 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
littlebeth1979MB
Manitoba13 contributions
Jul 2019
My husband, two children (7 and 12) and I partook in this sea kayaking and clamming adventure. This was one of my favourite things we did on our whole trip. The guide was great, very knowledgable, and the clamming was so much fun!! We found a lot of clams, I think the guide was impressed that people from the prairies were so good at clamming! The bonus was the delicious clam chowder that he made when we returned to the beach!
Written April 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danielle L
35 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
What a great time spent looking for clams, paddling on the sea and meeting great people. Mr. Paul and Lea, our guides, were amazing. The kayaks loaned are of good quality. I really enjoyed the little kitchen time to prepare the caught clams. I highly recommend
Written August 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Catherine B
2 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
was not hard, for a 60 & 70 yr old, and it was a lot of fun learning to dig for clams. These are huge clams. About 5 inches across. Paul is a great guide. He’s very laid back and has lots of knowledge about the area. The people on our tour were great to hang out with. Paul makes a wonderful clam chowder! Highly recommend going out with Paul. The little town of Victoria has some cute shops too!
Written August 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MLV
Simcoe, Canada125 contributions
Sept 2021 • Couples
Paul accommodated our short notice request to kayak. We left around 230pm and were back around 5pm. It was low tide, very calm waters, and we kayaked out to the Tryon Bar. We walked around, explored for bar clams, and enjoyed searching the sands for star fish, crabs, beautiful vistas, and more. All the equipment was in great condition and Paul was very knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend.
Written September 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KLKG1234
Vancouver, Canada23 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
Our family had a fantastic experience on the clam tour. At first we had pondered over the price but now realize it was worth every penny. Despite a bit of wind when kayaking to the sand spit we made it and had so much fun looking for clams - my kids would have stayed for hours! Once back at the base we were treated to the most delicious clam chowder that we were able to help make. Such a great trip - would recommend to anyone and would definitely do it again if we go back to PEI.
Written August 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Outdoorpartner
Layton, UT1,713 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
The kayak, clamming, and chowder outing was the highlight of my vacation. The cost was $90 (cash only) and lasted about four hours. Paddling out to the sandbar was a good work out. At first it seemed like we were just paddling straight out to sea - but as the tide went out more and more sand became exposed.
We got out of the kayaks and began raking. I dug about 10 holes for every one clam I found - but I did find six clams. It was such a thrill to feel the “thunk” against the rake and then see the shell! There were crabs and starfish; I also dug up a snail-type shell. Our group found more than enough clams so the smaller ones were thrown back before we paddled back to shore.
We then cooked the chowder beside the dock. Everyone gets involved with sorting, stirring, rinsing, etc. I did not realize what care you need in making chowder so no sand gets in it. The owner Paul really organizes the cooking efficiently.
The chowder was so delicious I had three helpings. It was very Thai forward - using coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I had worked up an appetite by paddling and raking, but the chowder flavoring was so unique that I would have loved it had it been served at a restaurant.
Paul does an excellent job on this most unique PEI experience! Highly recommended.
We got out of the kayaks and began raking. I dug about 10 holes for every one clam I found - but I did find six clams. It was such a thrill to feel the “thunk” against the rake and then see the shell! There were crabs and starfish; I also dug up a snail-type shell. Our group found more than enough clams so the smaller ones were thrown back before we paddled back to shore.
We then cooked the chowder beside the dock. Everyone gets involved with sorting, stirring, rinsing, etc. I did not realize what care you need in making chowder so no sand gets in it. The owner Paul really organizes the cooking efficiently.
The chowder was so delicious I had three helpings. It was very Thai forward - using coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I had worked up an appetite by paddling and raking, but the chowder flavoring was so unique that I would have loved it had it been served at a restaurant.
Paul does an excellent job on this most unique PEI experience! Highly recommended.
Written July 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emma M
Charlottetown, Canada38 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
My friend and I do this every year, they views are beautiful, the prices are great and the equipment is top notch!
Written August 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
busymom154983
Brantford, Canada84 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
Perhaps I was expecting too much after reading all of the wonderful reviews here, but I was rather disappointed with our experience with By-the-Sea-Kayaking. We booked the clam digging excursion for our family of 6 (2 adults, 4 kids ages 5-11) on our recent visit to PEI.
As we were coming from New Brunswick, a combination of getting lost in Moncton, wrong directions, and construction delays made us about 15 minutes late for the departure time (apologies again, we HATE being THOSE people!). Paul graciously waited for us, and we were all suited up with life jackets and 'skirts' for the kayaks as quickly as possible. We were all in double kayaks, with my husband and myself each with one of the younger children, and our 11-year-old twins together in a third. There was also another family of 4 in double kayaks as well.
The paddle out to the sand bar was about 20 minutes or so (I believe about 2.5 km), into the wind, which was a bit tough, especially for the twins. The rudder on my husband's kayak broke, and so he had to kayak out to the sandbar without a rudder. Luckily he is a fairly experienced paddler and it wasn't too far, so he was able steer himself with just the paddle. During the ride out, Paul was very, very far ahead of us, and did not check in with us at all during the twins' struggles to paddle and my husband's difficulty with the rudder. In fact, I'm not even sure he would have heard us if we had called out, and we all felt a bit stressed feeling like we needed to try to keep up to him. Fortunately we all made it out to the sand bar, but it was a rough go, and some assistance would have been appreciated.
Once on the sandbar, we received a very little bit of direction on what to do, and were more-or-less left to ourselves to figure out what to do. Paul told us to look for the divets in the sand and dig about 3-4 inches down, but that was about all of the tutorial he provided. He largely stood off to the side and left us to discover and have fun on our own. Digging for clams was a lot of fun, though...a bit like treasure hunting! It's almost like finding gold when you finally find one! The setting was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had a lot of fun digging with the rakes and discovering creatures on the sand bar...we found some crabs and a few small blue starfish in addition to the clams. The 'lunch' that was provided was a small selection of juice/water bottles, and a few cubes of cheese and crackers...a welcome and tasty small snack, but not really enough to be called 'lunch,' particularly for a large crowd.
The paddle back was much easier, and the kids enjoyed watching and helping to make the clam chowder. The chowder was not a traditional cream-based chowder, but rather made with tomatoes and coconut milk. Paul explained that he switched recipes this year to accommodate those with dairy sensitivities, which we thought was awesome since most of children do not drink cow's milk! The clam chowder was tasty, though the kids found it a tad spicy.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the clam-digging experience, though we were disappointed with the service we received. Perhaps he was just frustrated with our late arrival (though, at nearly $100 for each of the 6 of us, waiting 15 minutes seems to be a minor nuisance in a service industry), but we found Paul to be rather gruff, particularly with the children, and not nearly as helpful as we would have expected. I think I would try another company next time.
As we were coming from New Brunswick, a combination of getting lost in Moncton, wrong directions, and construction delays made us about 15 minutes late for the departure time (apologies again, we HATE being THOSE people!). Paul graciously waited for us, and we were all suited up with life jackets and 'skirts' for the kayaks as quickly as possible. We were all in double kayaks, with my husband and myself each with one of the younger children, and our 11-year-old twins together in a third. There was also another family of 4 in double kayaks as well.
The paddle out to the sand bar was about 20 minutes or so (I believe about 2.5 km), into the wind, which was a bit tough, especially for the twins. The rudder on my husband's kayak broke, and so he had to kayak out to the sandbar without a rudder. Luckily he is a fairly experienced paddler and it wasn't too far, so he was able steer himself with just the paddle. During the ride out, Paul was very, very far ahead of us, and did not check in with us at all during the twins' struggles to paddle and my husband's difficulty with the rudder. In fact, I'm not even sure he would have heard us if we had called out, and we all felt a bit stressed feeling like we needed to try to keep up to him. Fortunately we all made it out to the sand bar, but it was a rough go, and some assistance would have been appreciated.
Once on the sandbar, we received a very little bit of direction on what to do, and were more-or-less left to ourselves to figure out what to do. Paul told us to look for the divets in the sand and dig about 3-4 inches down, but that was about all of the tutorial he provided. He largely stood off to the side and left us to discover and have fun on our own. Digging for clams was a lot of fun, though...a bit like treasure hunting! It's almost like finding gold when you finally find one! The setting was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had a lot of fun digging with the rakes and discovering creatures on the sand bar...we found some crabs and a few small blue starfish in addition to the clams. The 'lunch' that was provided was a small selection of juice/water bottles, and a few cubes of cheese and crackers...a welcome and tasty small snack, but not really enough to be called 'lunch,' particularly for a large crowd.
The paddle back was much easier, and the kids enjoyed watching and helping to make the clam chowder. The chowder was not a traditional cream-based chowder, but rather made with tomatoes and coconut milk. Paul explained that he switched recipes this year to accommodate those with dairy sensitivities, which we thought was awesome since most of children do not drink cow's milk! The clam chowder was tasty, though the kids found it a tad spicy.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the clam-digging experience, though we were disappointed with the service we received. Perhaps he was just frustrated with our late arrival (though, at nearly $100 for each of the 6 of us, waiting 15 minutes seems to be a minor nuisance in a service industry), but we found Paul to be rather gruff, particularly with the children, and not nearly as helpful as we would have expected. I think I would try another company next time.
Written July 31, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lisamc2018
Toronto, Canada
Hi! My husband & I are heading to the East Coast this summer and your adventure looks interesting. Looking at cost, timeframe, location, booking details. Thanks, Lisa
Written April 7, 2018
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