“Our guide, Michael, was low key, had an extremely pleasant nature and put safety first. Although we had kayaked before, it was not over long stretches of open water but Michael was careful to keep everyone together (and he consulted weather reports and tide conditions continually). It can’t be easy to please seven different people but Michael did an excellent job in giving us our alternatives for each day’s activities and then seeing that everyone was happy.”  – 2010 3 Day Kayak Tour

Michael is a native Washingtonian and, in his own words, “mis-spent his youth sailing small boats around Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.” He graduated from the U of W with a PHD in geo physics concentrating in a study of glaciology. As a father he purchased a bigger sailboat and raised his children by looking at tide pools and sailing various places between Seattle and Alaska, mostly in a series of gales. When he is not kayaking he teaches math and oceanography. He spends his spare time visiting his older son in China and sending money to his younger son for college.

His favorite kayaking moments are kayaking with whales in the San Juan Islands and paddling around icebergs in Greenland. Michael is happily married to Magda (another Outdoor Odysseys guide ) who he cheerfully admits, “is better looking and has a spiffier Eskimo roll!” Michael has worked for Outdoor Odysseys for three years and has lived on San Juan Island for 20 years.