Great way to experience Vivid from a new perspective A really beautiful way to experience Vivid. Shannon was a wonderful guide and always kept us safe.

A beautiful early morning kayak Sydney Harbour experience Sydney Harbour Kayaks Breakfast Kayaking Tour was a hit with a small international corporate group recently. From Shannon personally meeting the group on their arrival to the care he took of our guests as they paddled out onto Sydney Harbour in the early morning light, the delicious breakfast, the stories he shared and the ease of their return to the wharf . everything went perfectly smoothly. Nothing but genuine smiles and compliments from our guests for a beautiful morning. Thank you so much Shannon!

A must do experience My son & I did a 3 hour kayak safety course with Sydney Harbour Kayaks, and I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone starting out in this recreational activity! Our instructor, Angela, was absolutely brilliant, providing professional training while at the same time keeping it fun!

Excellent first time kayaking experience Excellent 3 hr training and guidance. The guide was so helpful, full of useful tips and very supportive. I am 64 and this was my first kayak experience. I'll be back.

One fine day... Perfect autumn day, great friends, quality kayaks and the super knowledeable guide Angela made it a fabulous day. Thanks Ange!

Magical Middle Harbour Eco tour - up into the mamgroves My third time doing the Middle Harbour Eco tour which takes you away from the harbour and bright lights and info the mangrove creeks - amazing to ind them in the middle of urban Sydney. We went out with Kate, the owner and had a fabulous morning kayaking and excellent morning tea away from it all. Kate had many tales to tell about the harbour and creeks - a truly fascinating and enjoyable experience. A must do!

Great morning kayaking This tour is well organized, safe and very scenic. We enjoyed the morning tea and the tour of the mangroves.

We had the most beautiful day on middle harbour with Kate and Ruby guiding us on our kayaks. The history and stories they shared added to the experience. We loved the mangroves creek and the unexpected surprise of how quiet it was. A delicious morning tea and swim. What could be more perfect. Thank you

Perfect way to start any day It was magical to be out on the water when the harbour is waking up and awesome to have such a knowledgeable and passionate tour guide!

A fantastic team experience A fantastic team experience with stunning harbour views. The kayaking was easy to pick up, well-organised, and encouraged great teamwork

Forget YouTube videos - this is the real deal I did the kayak safety rescue course. Although I have paddled for over 30 years and have a fleet of kayaks and skis which only other paddlers can understand, there's always something new to learn. And I did learn in a great and welcoming environment. Trainer was excellent. These guys know their stuff, and it was valuable hands-on experience which cannot be replicated by watching you tube videos. Even though I have never come out of my kayaks (excl skis) I now have a better idea what needs to be done if someone else or I need help. I have some practice to do for a solo effort. Year round, Middle Harbor is the greatest place in Sydney to paddle. With planning you can avoid the outrageous Council parking fees.

Perfect team building activity We had a team offsite in Sydney and decided to take the team kayaking. Shannon and his team were great! It was easy, relaxing, and an educational tour. It was just what our team needed.

Sydney Harbour Tour review We enjoyed our kayak tremendously, the harbour tour offers incredible views of the city's centre including the bridge and the Opera building. The ferry traffic ads some excitement to the kayaking. Our guide Shannon took great care, shared some interesting information with us about the harbour and it's surrounding. The breakfast with hot coffee along the way was very welcome on the cold morning when we did our tour. Thank you for a great experience Shannon.

Such a fun paddling experience! Such a fun paddling experience!
I took some friends who had never paddled to Sydney Harbour Kayaks for a free lesson. They loved it and so did I. The instructor was reassuring to my friend who was anxious and looked after everyone with great diligence. We then had lunch at the Moroccan restaurant next door - the experience filled our cups.
Thankyou!

Shannon took us on an amazing tour through the flooded Gunbower Forest spotting emu, koala, and heaps of birdlife.

Do it. Awesome sundowner paddle with Sydney Harbour Kayaks! Loved seeing the sights around Middle Harbour, and the top-quality equipment made it all super easy. The snacks and cheeses were delicious, and Shannon kept us entertained with great yarns along the way. Would 100% do it again – 10/10 experience!

Great for beginners. Great experience. I joined 3 others for the 3 hour free lesson (plus$60 rental fee) which gave us an introduction to all basic techniques. Iba was excellent. Patient thorough and ready to give one on one help when necessary. Highly recommended.

Fantastic way to experience Sydney There were so many good things about our paddle with Sydney Harbour Kayaks that I don’t know where to start. Two of us showed for the morning start where we learned that we are the only ones for the trip. That was a nice surprise as some tour companies try to reschedule or cancel if there are not enough participants. Shannon was our guide and he quickly got us on water with no drama. It helps to have previous kayaking experience. Our kayak was new and very stable which made it comfortable going through ferries’ wakes. Shannon is a paddling Wikipedia about Sydney, particularly its water aspects. We enjoyed his talk very much. We made it quickly to North Sydney where our guide set up excellent beach breakfast. I wish I had asked Shannon what coffee beans he used because coffee was to be remembered. We really felt we got a personalized tour as the route was adjusted/extended once we showed we could keep the pace. Overall a great experience that I would recommend any day. Thank you Shannon.

Great experience kayaking in Darling Harbour The family did the kayaking in Darling Harbour and really enjoyed it. There was no session available when we first looked online but the company set one up for four of us with an instructor in double kayaks so two people in each. We really appreciated this. The instructor was really helpful and encouraging and got some great pictures. You could kayak up close to the boats and out towards the bridge. Don't worry if they are a few minutes late we waited near the meeting point, the maritime museum staff told us where to wait.

Introductory kayaking course We did an introductory course with Ebi who was an excellent instructor
He went out of his way to make sure we got the most out of this course
Thanks!

A wonderful day! We had a perfect day exploring middle harbour and Scott's Creek with our guide, Eba. We are so lucky to be able to escape into nature, so close to the city. Eba provided a lovely morning tea on a secluded beach and was great company. Thanks for a beautiful day!

We had a sensational Eco tour up into several Middle Harbour bays, in a very small group. Our guide was amazing, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable of the waterway. Thankyou!

My family and I booked a tour at Darling harbour and it was the best experience. Learnt a lot and had a great time. Shannon is professional and very understanding. Overall, defiantly recommend and worth the try !

A Great Half-Day of Kayaking on Sydney Middle Harbour I had a very enjoyable half-day kayaking around Sydney Middle Harbour and highly recommend this tour. Our guide, and kayaking companions, made the experience fun and memorable.

The kayaking around the middle harbour was bracing, our guide's knowledge of the area provided interesting sights and commentary. I especially enjoyed the paddle through the mangroves. I liked how the tour was a mix of faster and slower paced paddling. I had previously joined the Beginners Tour with this provider, though no experience was necessary for this tour, and even managed to get some more tips on my paddling technique and kayaking skills. Morning tea with dip, cheeses, fruit and coffee (on a cold winter's day) was perfect, enjoyed from a scenic vantage point.

Can't wait to join another kayaking tour with this provider.

Excellent course for beginner paddlers As someone who used to go kayaking occasionally, many years ago, I went to SHK’s Beginners Course to get a refresher on best practices. This was a really good course, run busy a very adept and knowledgeable instructor, very good at communicating the concepts and practices, and keeping everyone in our group on track despite our wide range of competency. Definitely recommend for people getting started, who want to try it out, or brush up on best practices while out on the water. I’m going to do the Water Safety course next, so I can go out on longer trips with confidence. Thanks SHK - see you again soon!

Wonderfull Kayak Trip If you want to find unusual tour activities, please use this tour, I got a guide named Iba, he is from the Maldives.
And he explained very perfectly about our tour.
And we really enjoyed the wonderful trip on the day.
Thank you to Shanon and Iba. Until we meet again on the next trip.

Couldn’t recommend enough Did the 3 hour beginner course. Instructor was lovely, teaches a lot in the 3 hours, and overall experience was very good!

Great day out A great day out. Lovely to paddle among the mangroves. I was looking forward to trialling the Mirage and it didn't disappoint.

Moonlight Sea Kayaking Experience Was marketed as a Vivid Tour but only covered Darling Harbour and Harbour Bridge from the distance. I did not rate this as a Vivid Tour
Original session was cancelled same day after I had started my trip to the city requiring rescheduling - reason given "no guide available" but the person making the call was the guide.

I did the 3 hour safety course with Ben this afternoon. It was really worthwhile and I feel so much more confident having learnt how to rescue a fellow paddler as well as self rescue. Ben is a wonderful teacher, very experienced, patient and supportive. I highly recommend this course!

After a hectic few weeks at work, this was the perfect team activity to de stress and remind ourselves how fortunate we are to live in such an amazing place. Middle harbour was like a mill pond, the ocean was crystal clear and we even had the bonus of an unexpected visit from a sea turtle. Shannon is a great guide and only too happy to share his knowledge, his passion for his job is there for all to see. Thoroughly recommend this activity and the team at Sydney Harbour Kayaks.

Sydney Harbour up close A fantastic experience! Being on Sydney Harbour on a kayak felt very special at that quieter time of morning. Admittedly the weather was perfect which helped! Shannon was a great guide and was expert at judging when to paddle subject to the other boats / ferries etc. We even paddled right underneath the Bridge. Breakfast/coffee on a small beach (Lavender Bay) was just at the right time. Double kayaks were great and we felt comfortable the whole time. Well recommended!

Unprofessional and unsupportive I went to the Sat 27/1 Middle Harbor Eco tour by myself. Despite informing the staff my limited kayaking experience and not a strong kayaker (only done this once or twice). I was put in a solo kayak because the other 4 people were a family.
From the start, the guide consistently raced ahead, maintaining 15-25m ahead of the group. This gave the impression of impatience, which raised concern about the purpose of having a guide for safety when they remained so far ahead 90% of the time. The only time the group stayed closed was when we were in the mangroves, and there was limited open water.
Being alone in my kayak, I struggled to keep up constantly, especially as the other participates were paired up. I was expected to be as fast as them and the guide. Throughout the entire journey, I had no opportunity to rest and just flat and enjoy the view.
During river crossing to the opposite side, the guide urged the group to paddle quickly as a group due to potential dangers from passing boats/ships. However, the guide and the double kayakers immediately sped ahead, leaving me behind and struggling once again. This was dangerous and unprofessional. Was it hard to slow down and make sure the group stay together and safe?
Paying for a tour felt futile when I consistently felt stressed, tired and made to feel inadequate with my speed.
I was shouted at to ‘paddle faster!’, ‘put your muscle into it!’ were accompanied by an overall lack of consideration and understanding. While I understand my slow speed was holding the group, this should have been taken into the consideration from the beginning. Eventually, I yelled back ‘it is not the spend, it is my strength!’
What was intended to be an enjoyable trip turned into a nightmare kayaking boo camp.

Great day on the water Great tour guide who made us all feel very comfortable and in good hands. Really enjoyed the history and great fun for the kids (10 & 13) who want to do it again. Thank you for the experience.

Fun family adventure! We had a marvellous paddle on Darling Harbour during the Sydney Festival. Shannon and Miranda were our trip guides, both friendly and professional. Shannon had lots of information to share about the area's history and things that we were seeing. It was fascinating to paddle in amongst the boats and get up close to items of interest. And it was great fun to paddle over the ferry wake (at a safe distance!)

Water wonder Had a great time, was wonderful being on harbour, felt safe the whole time, city gives another perspective from the water as well as a workout. Thoroughly enjoyed

Harbour tour Great and for me different view of the harbour. Shannon took good care of everyone and provided a safe and interesting tour.

Could rate highly enough - it was brilliant! We took interstate family on this kayak tour of middle harbour and loved it! Kate is an excellent guide, the morning tea was wonderful and the whole experience very special.

Corporate Team Event We booked Sydney Harbour Kayaks in Darling Harbour (Maritime Museum) for our EOY Team Event this year. Shannon was an amazing guide who knew the history of the Harbour and ships giving us an informative tour as well as making sure we were all safe and sound. His assistant Charlie was very personable and social with the group. We thoroughly enjoyed our time, with a pitstop at lavendar bay for a nice picnic with fresh fruits, cheese and crackers. Kayaks were 2 per boat. Would definitely recommend and come back.

Work Xmas Party Fun For our company Xmas party we combined the team photo challenge and made it 'deluxe' by adding afternoon tea. Everyone had a fantastic time and loads of fun was had by all. Plus we got some fantastic photos via GoPros to remember the day . Highly recommend!

Amazing experience in Sydney Amazing view with perfect weather to have a free-kayaking lesson.
The teacher - Charlie was calm, nice, patient and very easy to understand. He gave a lesson with simple but principal techniques in kayaking.
I also met new cute friends.
Totally satisfied with the lesson.

Scenic kayak on the harbour Great experience out in the water. Not only stunning views but also knowledgeable local info and friendly conversations along the way. Small group so still felt personal.

Had a fantastic sea kayaking safety lesson, free of charge. The rain didn't dampen how much fun we had. We even managed to pick up some invaluable rescue techniques. Highly recommended. Kudos to Ben and the team for the great time we had!

Great experience My husband and I had a fantastic experience today touring the harbour at sunrise.

Shannons tips and induction on using the kayak was very thorough and helpful.
His knowledge of the harbour was very insightful and educational.
We felt very safe with the team during this tour.
The package also included a picnic breakfast which was well earned and a great way to refuel for our journey back.

Highly recommend :)

Safety class excellent Safety class excellent. Program built confidence in using kayak skirt, assisted recovery, solo recovery and bracing techniques. Thanks to Ben.

Great experience, especially if you're interested in marine life. The experience was great. The kayaking in the harbour was fun to do and we had great views of the bridge. The guide had very interesting facts about the conservation of the marine life in the harbour and was very friendly. Breakfast was very nice, too!
Worth every cent!!

Awesome Experience! We recently attended your Free 3 hr introduction to kayaking course and had such a fabulous time! We always felt safe in the hands of our guide who was very knowledgeable and fun. The kayaks where easy to use and comfortable to sit on.
Thanks again Sydney Harbour Kayaks, we will be back!

Kayaking adventure The tour was absolutely amazing. You get to experience Sydney from a viewpoint that would not be possible otherwise. The sea kayaks are very good. The tour guides provided me with a lot of splendid information about the bay and the marine life.

Excellent learn to kayak lesson The introduction to kayaking was an excellent course. Paula was a fabulous instructor, explaining all aspects of kayaking from how to hold the paddle to the correct method of paddling and how to be in control of the kayak. We had kayaked before and we were surprised at how much we learnt during the morning. Amazingly the lessons are free, you only have to rent a kayak if you do not have your own.

So many surprises in this wonderful half day paddle. This was my gift for my partner. I went along so we could enjoy it together. I had never kayaked and had a moderate fear of water. I was assured when booking that the utmost care in safety was undertaken and rarely did people fall in. I also have a bad arthritic shoulder and knee.

A recipe for disaster? Possibly, but we both had the most wonderful, mystical, sun drenched day.

Ann Marie (our guide) took my limitations in her stride without over managing. She got us all in our life vests and off our group of 7 went. She knew her way around Middle Harbour and would stop at numerous points, giving us some great Middle Harbour tid-bits as we floated beside her.

Easily the highlight was cruising through the mangroves near Fig Tree Cove -mystical, and like we were 'borrowing' a half an hour from a secluded secret from a Sydney of decades gone by.

The morning tea that followed straight after was welcome and generous. "That all came out of your kayak, Ann Marie??"

I was amazed that we had paddled 14km by the time we returned to the Spit. I would absolutely recommend this half day on the water - both for locals and visitors. Oh, and the shoulder did far better than I thought it would go!

Excellent kayak safety training course I did the FREE Kayak Safety Lesson. The 3 hours flew by and it was very helpful. The instructor (Ben) was very patient, pleasant, friendly and helpful. He explained everything very clearly and was always on hand to guide us if required. The location is almost perfect for this sort of training, with all of it being done off the beach right in front of the shop in picturesque Middle Harbour. Be prepared to be wet for three hours (dress appropriately). Thankfully they have a single hot shower for afterwards. Thanks Ben and SHK for a fantastic lesson that was better than I expected.

Great experience The leader is friendly, nice and experienced. The tour is in small group with only two participants that day. It’s awesome. Middle harbour is also a nice place to get into the nature of Australia.

Both kids and adults LOVED this excellent school holiday tour across the harbour! The staff were very friendly and informative guides - we would highly recommend as a fantastic school holiday activity! We can't wait to do another longer one tour.

Loved the mangroves Being winter the demand for this tour wasn't as high as during the summer, but the weather was awesome and my small family group had the full attention of the guide. We also had the pleasure of kayaking the mangroves, before then heading to a quiet and pretty beach for morning tea. Paula the guide was super friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend this trip and company for a relaxing, informative and enjoyable trip.

The views were breathtaking and Shannon was extremely helpful! Highly recommend. The harbour was amazing although it was raining on our private tour it did not stop us from having a wonderful time. Shannon was incredible!

Such a great day out in sydney harbour, Shannon looked after us so well, he gave us all tips and helped everyone in our group to paddle and be safe, we got all the way to balmoral and back.

The whole experience was fabulous. Thanks to Shannon and kate.They were pretty good whole time ,as it was my first experience in kayaking.Vivid Sydney Was icing on the cake. Shannon provided us coffee and cookies on the board as well , just imagine having coffee and watching splendid fireworks ????. Highly recommended ☺️????????????????

Vivid Sydney night tour We did the Vivid Sydney night time harbour tour and it was fantastic. The equipment was top notch, the kayaks great, even the platform to get on and off made it very simple. We loved it - especially having hot chocolate and the delicious snack box which watching the wonderful elemental display. the project onto the vampire was our favourite vivd sydney and watching it from the water . thanks - it was a great trip.

Sydney Vivid What a brilliant experience! It was awesome to not only kayak at night with a well equipped and enthusiastic crew, but to enjoy the vista of Sydney Vivid from a completely unique perspective. Thanks so much.

VIVID Moonlight Tour The VIVID moonlight tour was absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the amazing experience!! The highlight was watching the light show at the end with a hot chocolate in hand!