Explore. Inspire. Protect.
KAW is a small, values-based sea kayaking company in Seward, Alaska. Our company culture is deeply rooted in our personal core values, desire to protect the natural world and fostering a supportive and inspiring work environment. Each summer we hire 15 sea kayaking guides and 2 Logistics Coordinators. Guides run half, full & multi-day tours in Resurrection Bay & Kenai Fjords National Park.
Seward is a premier adventure town, with incredible trails easily accessible from our front door. Paddle & work in the Kenai Fjords National Park with abundant wildlife & large tidewater glaciers!
About Kayak Adventures Worldwide
When looking for an employer, it's important seek out one that aligns with your personal core values! Here's a little about us:
Kayak Adventures is a small, values-based sea kayaking company in Seward, Alaska. We believe that our business profit is secondary to: the safety and education of our guests, the health of the wilderness environment we enjoy, and the health and safety of the wildlife we visit. Therefore we seek a clientele that desires information and education, rather than just access to wildlife and wilderness areas. We focus on our company culture which is deeply rooted in our personal core values, including our desire to protect the natural world and foster a supportive, inclusive, and inspiring work environment.
We strive to be conservation leaders for all of Alaska. As members of 1% for the Planet, in the past 10 years, we have donated over $100,000 to local non-profits working towards conservation efforts in the state. We ask guides to take an active role as purposeful educators, supportive team members, and stewards of the natural world.
Each year, we hire 13 - 15 sea kayaking guides to run half, full & multi-day sea kayaking tours in Resurrection Bay & Kenai Fjords National Park. We also hire 2 Logistic Coordinators to help manage the team, book guests, and handle other backend tasks of running a small tourisms company. Our tours are educational-based and focus on environmental preservation and Leave-No-Trace practices. Our goal is to inspire our guests to join us in reclaiming active stewardship of our natural world.
We run the most extensive paid guide training in the area, which is required of all employees (new and returning guides), and lasts for about three weeks, starting in late April. It's a lot of fun and offers incredible opportunities for growth! We focus on climate change communication, purposeful interpretation of the natural world, and creating a dialogue with guests.
KAW is all about our community. In 2021, we started the first-ever, Seward Farmers Market, as a way to put tourism dollars back into our community, and build climate resilience. We also started a sister company, Seward Wilderness Collective, dedicated to inspiring climate change communication in tourism and community programming. We are a caring, adventure fueled family that loves trail running, backpacking, packrafting, and playing outside every day. We enter each day full of humility and gratitude for the opportunities that this magical place, Seward, Alaska, provides us.
Kayak Adventures values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, BIPOC, LGBT individuals, members of ethnic minorities and marginalized communities to apply. The outdoors are for everyone, you are welcome here.
The Employee Experience
All guides are welcome to live at the kayak shop, in downtown Seward. In 2023, we completed building a new staff housing / operational building onsite, that provides us with 8 single bedrooms, a communal kitchen, two bathrooms, and a wrap around deck for guides to enjoy. The original kayak shop building also has 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a communal kitchen. We are excited that this new building allows us to provide all guides with their own bedroom, something that is very uncommon here in Seward. We have always been big believers that in order to make guiding a sustainable career path, in an industry that asks so much of your social energy, it is important to have a space to recharge and call your own, (rather than a bunkroom or dormitory). This is a huge benefit of the job here at KAW, as the friendships that are built throughout a summer together are life-long! The shop is within walking distance to downtown, lots of local trails, and Resurrection Bay. Some guides choose to live in off-site housing, which is a great option as well.
We are a tight knit community here at KAW, and guides are expected to help each other out and lift one another up. It's not uncommon for a guide to jump off the couch to help load boats, assist in unpacking an exceptionally wet trip, or cook a hot dinner for a group of guides still out running an evening trip. The community & kindness we show one another is truly what sets us apart.
Building a supportive, uplifting & inspiring team is one of the greatest joys of working at KAW for the summer, and we look forward to you being a part of it!
Ideal Candidate
- Positive attitude & an unapologetic desire to grow, learn & share the outdoors with others!
- Strong work ethic.
- A very social & outgoing personality.
- Kindness, purposefulness, and desire to change the world.
- Good degree of physical fitness with solid upper body strength.
- Interest in making the outdoors more inclusive & approachable for others.
- Inspired by collective climate action.
- We hire based on company culture, so if your core values align with ours, we will train you to be an amazing guide!
Room and Board
Housing is provided onsite. All guides have their own bedroom. Some trips include food.
Employee Perks
- Pro-deals on outdoor gear.
- Continuing Education Scholarships.
- 5-day Guide Training Expedition in Kenai Fjords National Park.
- Outdoor Certifications: ACA, NAI, LNT.
- Access to one of the most beautiful places in Alaska.
- Comp tours for other outfitters.
- Free housing.
- Opportunity to be a part of a community actively working to shape the future of tourism in Alaska.
- Epic 5-day End of Season Trip somewhere in Alaska!
Getting Here and Getting Around
Guides are welcome to drive, but do not need their own car to get around the small town of Seward. KAW has a communal guide car that guides are welcome to use around town. We also have a number of shop bikes as well. Each year about 50% of our guides have their own vehicles.
For Fun
Seward is a premier adventure town with world class trails, waterways, and mountains, all within walking distance of the shop. Come for the job, stay for the community and sense of place.
How to Apply
If our company culture seems to align with your personal core values, we’d love to hear from you. Building a supportive, uplifting, and inspiring team is one of the greatest joys of working at KAW for the summer, and we look forward to you being a part of it. Please contact the owners, Hannah + Trent, via email at fun@kayakak.com, for access to the application. This will most likely be the hardest job you'll ever love.
We require all guides to send in a completed application with references and to take part in an interview process. We collect applications until January 15th each year. Don’t wait – give us a shout now to access an application, as we review them and hire on a rolling basis.
Kayak Adventures values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, BIPOC, LGBT individuals, members of ethnic minorities and marginalized communities to apply. The outdoors are for everyone, you are welcome here.