About us
Celebrate on the water with us.
Meet Your Captain
SurfWhisperer, founded by Captain Batyr Galeev, is a family-run boat charter and wakesurf school on Lake Union and Lake Washington.
From the Black Sea to Seattle
Captain Batyr didn’t learn boats from a manual. He spent 14 years running large passenger vessels and managing a marina on the Black Sea, starting in Sochi in 1998 — thousands of guests, every kind of weather, every kind of day on the water. Later he sailed halfway around the world, crossing from Turkey to Australia through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Today he holds a USCG captain’s license and brings all of that experience to every session in Seattle. When you’re learning to surf behind our boat, you’re in the hands of someone who has spent his whole life reading the water.
A True Family Business
This isn’t a franchise with rotating staff. It’s our family on board — including Captain Batyr’s daughter Varya, who helps run sessions all summer. We keep it small on purpose: your group is the only group on the boat, and your captain is the owner. That’s why the details are always right — the wetsuits fit, the water is cold, the wave is dialed in, and your free Insta360 video is transferred straight to your phone on the way back — relive it, edit it, and post it wherever you like. Just tag @SurfWhisperer or #SurfWhisperer when you share.
Why Riders Stay With Us
Most of our guests are total beginners — and most of them are riding the wave in their very first session. Then they come back, bring friends, and bring their kids. Hospitality is the family trade: we’ve been welcoming people on the water for over 20 years, on two continents.
Ready to meet us on the water?
Beyond SurfWhisperer
Captain Batyr Galeev is also the creator of Captain6PackBot, an online training platform designed to help future captains prepare for the USCG OUPV (6-Pack) Captain’s License exam. Built from real-world boating experience, the platform is available in both English and Russian.
Captain Batyr is also an actor at Theatre33, a bilingual community theater in Bellevue, Washington. 🎭 Come see a show on land after your day on the water.