Apostle Islands Kayaks-Madeline Island

John Smith

Our first day on Madeline Island was overshadowed by the horrible experience we had with Ed and Apostle Islands Kayaks. The real mistake was not driving away the moment we showed up due to his odd demeanor, instant political commentary and him describing his plan to bring large sums of money back to Cuba (where he spends part of the year). His lack of planning led to 2 hours of wasted time shuttling from his house to the park where we walked down to the water to prepare for departure. By the time we were pushing off, no one in the group was happy or excited for the tour and even left some to question whether going with Ed was a safety concern (a mother of teenage girls who wasn’t going on the trip asked my wife and I to exchange cell phone numbers in case something went wrong with her daughters while they were out on the tour). The lunch on the shore was more of Ed continuing to share questionable statements and make others feel uncomfortable. By the time we made it back, we couldn’t get out of the kayaks fast enough to get out of there. My advice to the owner Ed is to retire and close the business or pass it along to someone else with the capacity to run it properly. Perhaps many years ago this tour was good and you were in a better place to manage it, but based upon our experience - that is not the case currently. Bad guidance, rude behavior and borderline safety concerns prompted me to take more of my time to write this review, so that others don’t waste their time or money like we did on this tour.

Emily Peterson

I could look pass a lot including the lack of time management, inability to read the group or his personal feelings on politics but when my 14 year old niece told me he made comments including, "I have 4 daughters and I'm just gonna have to take you home with me." Or "Oh I'll have to be sure to get plenty of good photos of you with those baby blue eyes." NOT APPROPRIATE on any level. It's disgusting and if I would have heard it or she told me when we were still around him it would have been addressed. If I could give 0 stars I would.

Stephanie Selig

Ed returned my call in the evening; better service than expected! Ed obviously wants everyone to have a good time. Both when we were in the kayaks on the water AND the next day when we were NOT SORE because Ed taught us how to paddle correctly. Highly recommend.

Gregory Thom

Fantastic kayaking experience. Ed is a wonderful person. Very friendly, great with children, full of fascinating stories and knowledge of the Apostle Islands. I highly recommend booking a kayaking excursion with him.