La Jolla Kayak Reviews

We did the half day bike and kayak trip and had a blast. The guides definitely make the difference and seem to know their stuff. Friendly staff, reasonable prices, and awesome views.

We rode 5' swells, experienced the kelp beds, & splashed with the seals. Truly Amazing!!!

Be careful if you're doing the snorkeling with sharks expedition! They will still take you out when they know the water conditions are bad and you won't be able to see more than two feet in front of your face! We were out for about 30 minutes of a scheduled hour and a half tour and said forget it due to not being able to see a thing. The will not refund your money so just be careful and maybe ask about the conditions before you go out. I paid 350.00 so my family could put on snorkeling gear and swim in the ocean!

Good service. I screwed up and made my reservation for the wrong day but the desk staff still got me set up with what I needed. Thanks.

Great tour, saw lots of fish and sea lions. Tour guides were friendly and informative

We had great guides, and it was the nicest way to see La Jolla, seals, caves, sharks!

Had an amazing time and the best tour guide ever! Bri you rock girl! Thank you so much for such a fabulous day.

Saw some sea lions, did not get attacked by a shark. Had fun even thou I got a bit sea sick in the small boat when we were just floating listening to the guide. Warning, apply lots of sunscreen on all exposed skin. The kayaks are open top, cover your legs with sunscreen really well!

Great tour highly recommend!!!!! Just be prepared to be bring extra cloths and maybe slippers and lastly shout out to Sam for being a cool guide!!!

Super fun tour !! We did them in a double kayak with the company Bike & kayaks and we liked it a lot, the tour lasted 2 hours and the instructors were two very friendly and quite funny girls. It was the tour of the 7 caves but we could not enter any due to the weather, although the day was perfect no tour group was entering. From what we saw more or less all the tours are very similar, so it doesn't matter which company you take them with. We bought it by Gruopon and if you save a good one unlike buying it right there. You rent lockers to leave your things and a charge of 10dlls for how to use the equipment apart from the tour payment. But is it worth it. Only the water is FROST !!! So watch out for the falls. Children and adults can do it is not as heavy as you might think. We were lucky to see dolphins !!

Sam and Jake were fantastic guides and the cliffs are beautiful

The staff is very nice and the things are very full

I have done two kayak/snorkeling tours through La Jolla Kayak on my trips to San Diego. The guides are super knowledgeable on the local ecosystem and gave great insight and instructions. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

My friend and I had a fantastic time going ocean kayaking here for my birthday!!
We had the perfect guides; Josh Thomas & Morgan.

Josh is an experienced local; hilarious, knowledgeable, and super fun! He helped me surf my first wave by kayak. My cheeks were sore from smiling at the end.

Highly recommend taking a tour with them!

Me and my girlfriend went on the snorkeling tour with Shelby as our guide. She's chill and really nice. It was amazing seeing the beautiful fish underwater and seeing the sea lions hanging out on the shore. When you come to San Diego take a short trip up to La Jolla and try the activities La Jolla Kayak has to offer. You won't regret it! We'll be back

Had a fantastic time with Omar and Alex on a trip to the caves, learning all about the La Jolla area and wildlife. Highly recommended, well organised, equipped and a good time had by all.

Very knowledgeable guides who are always looking out for your safety.

Friendly knowledgeable staff who made the experience seamless.

Wow what an incredible morning! Never been on a kayak and I'm not especially athletic, so I was a little nervous about feeling clumsy or behind, but I didn't need to be. LJK's staff was amazing, and our guides, Eric and Jack, were especially friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Their stories and local information really enhanced the experience and gave us good opportunities to catch our breath. Being on the ocean was exhilarating. The wave swells were too wild to go in the caves, but that made it fun in a very different way.

This was just a ton of fun and a new thing that I will put on my list to do with out of town visitors!

Absolutely the best kayak tour I've ever been on!! Alex was great! Very informative about the surrounding area, underwater reserve, caves, sea life, and so very personable! I highly recommend this tour and Alex as a guide. Thank you for an awesome start to my last day in San Diego. (Photo of Sunny Jim was taken prior to the kayak tour but will be seen during the tour)

I would highly recommend this it was so much fun! We were a group of 8 of mixed ability and did 4 double kayaks. The guides were very friendly and knowledgeable and everyone was able to do everything and I loved when they took us through the cave and seeing the sea lions. I will definitely be back to do the snorkel tour. Very beautiful place!

On the website it says rent is for 2 hours. Once payed online and show up to pick up kayak there - they say it's 1.5 hours.
Showed them screenshot of website where it says 2 hours rent - they don't care.

A little too choppy today so no snorkeling. This outing was not for someone who gets sea sick. And you need to be in fairly good shape. Our guide Flynn was excellent. He was knowledgeable, friendly and an experienced kayaker. He shared his love of la jolla with us.

This business is half the cost of another one I called. Staff is patient, helpful, and friendly. We had strong waves and wind, yet were still safe enough to paddle in the cave, which is beautiful! There are sea lions around, and we saw dolphins swim close to us.
For those who want to do this, but unsure they can, I say try it, you may enjoy it. If you change your mind during the tour and want to go back, a staff member will go with you to ensure your safe return.
One in our group became seasick and needed to return.

Used La Jolla Kayak for Snorkel package. Staff was extremely helpful, the gear we received was well maintained... We went during December, the staff was able to provide very accurate details about weather, wave and diving conditions. 10/10 would recommend them to friends for any of their services.
They open shop at 8am, no other gear rental place in the La jolla area opens that early.

Great fun entertaining and informative tour on the water. Caves are cool as are the sea lions.

The guide I had for the cave tour was really good. I must say the cave itself was a little underwhelming though.

Did a kayak and snorkel tour here. Everything is included, including the kayak, wetsuit, and snorkel. The guide was pretty entertaining and knowledgeable. The tour was about two hours. It was kind of expensive, but you can save some money by doing two-person kayaks, which end up being a bit cheaper per person.

Really great experience, had the most amazing time! I highly recommend.

I went on a snorkeling tour with this company while in La Jolla on vacation and had a blast (and saw lots of aquatic life -- leopard sharks, string rays, bat rays, and all the fish). Friendly staff, knowledgable and competent guides, and good equipment. Would highly recommend.

First of all, the tour never happened. I made an online reservation and paid but they canceled it because a big group was coming in and they couldn't accommodate us. Thats fine but they never told us. They claimed that they called and emailed me. I checked both in front of them and showed them there was nothing. She didn't seem apologetic at all. She was like "we called and sent an email, we can move you to a different time or give you a refund." Where was the "sorry"?

Had so much fun! Big thanks to our tour guides Cory and Matt. The water was great and so was the adventure. I'm ready to do it again, but maybe do some snorkeling. Strongly recommend La Jolla Kayak!

We did the kayak tour. It was absolutely amazing! Our guide was great too.

Awesome experience, wonderful guides and great equipment. Definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to kayak or snorkel La Jolla Cove!

Cave tour very disappointing. The guides said it was too rough to go inside. While the other companies were escorting their kayaks into the cave our guides were teaching the group how to stand on a kayak. If I wanted to stand I would have rented a SUP. I booked the tour because I wanted to see the cave. All the other groups blue boat and red boat tours were going in. This tour is not for someone who has kayaked before. You can see the caves from the shore. Rent on your own and follow the other boats.

Highly recommend. Our tour guide, Sam, was awesome! Very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time!

Seven cave kayaking tour is the best. The tour guides are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

I just did this run with my partner, and I cant speak for him. I can only speak for myself, but I had a horrible experience. I would like to mention that the staff is incredibly friendly and professional in-store. That said, the kayak trip out to the caves was miserable for me. I am a beginner (this was my first time out), and I struggled.

First, out guides who were friendly did not do a good job of keeping the group together. There were two of them, and they both launched ahead with the stronger tour members. I was fighting just to stay within sight of the group, but no one came to collect of or coach me.

They gave us a few pointers but assumed we all understood and felt confident. I was the last person to meet the group at the different points, and I could tell the others in my group were growing impatient (understandable as I was having a hard time!), but both guides stayed with the group. Neither of them came to check on me or help me with my paddle position. I finally gave up and joined a tour that was coming in after ours.

I recommend that La Jolla Kayak urge tour guides to have a guide stay towards the rear of the group to keep everyone together.

Plus, scheduling got a bit jumbled at the cave, and there were 3 other groups at our exact meet-up, and some of us became a bit jumbled.

We had the best experience on our kayaking adventure with our guide patrick!! We got to kayak into a cave and next to wild sea lions sunbathing on rocks. During our kayaking tour Patrick informed us about the land and interesting facts about the coves. Patrick gave great instructions seeing that we've never been kayaking in the ocean before. He was very nice and eager to get us closer to everything we wanted to see while still being safe. We would definitely recommend the la Jolla kayaking tour with Patrick!! Thank you for a wonderful experience!!

Had a fun time renting some kayaks and paddling around in the bay

The guides Jake and Emma were funny and very helpful. The kayaks were very exciting and fun!

Very fun tour, tour guides were amazing and made the trip even better. They were very outgoing and gave a lot of history around the area.

Great kayaking and snorkeling outfit in La Jolla. Online reservations make the process quick and organized. Staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We did the sea cave tour - it s a slower pace, but great way to see the coast and some beautiful and fascinating geological features. Lauren and Eric were are guides - both were excellent!

After going on multiple tours, Josh is by far the best tour guide I ve had and would certainly pay extra to have him again.

Had a great time with both tours we had (kayak and bike). If you are heading to San Diego make sure you hit this place up.

Staff was amazing very funny and informative. Had a great time

If you are looking for a great bike tour of La Jolla go here! It's about a 2 hour tour and you get to see so much! We ended up being the only couple who booked the 2:00 tour on a Saturday afternoon, Carson was out guide and he was awesome. We got to see things we would have never known about. We were able to stop and take some great pictures, couldn't have asked for a better experience for our first visit to La Jolla.

My family and I attempted to do the Leopard shark snorkel excursion and I was not a fan at all! I am writing this review for all the first time snorkelers and parents because when I was researching I didn't find enough reviews. Before I made reservations I called a billion times and asked all sorts of questions, I told the staff that it was the first time all of us would experience snorkeling and she assured me that the staff would walk us through it all and be by our side until we felt comfortable enough in the water, this was far from what we experienced. Initially the staff seemed super friendly and gave us all our equipment which included: snorkel mask, fins, and the option to wear a wet suit. I don't remember both of our tour guides names but I do remember one being Emily, only because that is the name of one of my sisters. We walked about a block and a half to the beach and upon our arrival the staff gave us one tip to put our fins on and walk backwards into the water and left everyone on the beach and jumped in the water. I was stunned, they didn't allow any time for questions, there were multiple people in our group still on the beach and not once did they ask if anyone had any questions or anything they just left everyone. From what the operator told me when I called I expected them to walk us through everything, such as tips for how to use the snorkeling mask, how to use the fins and guide us into the ocean not just leave us on our own to fin for ourselves. When we finally got all our gear on we all went into the ocean and kept getting knocked over by the waves, the water was pretty rough and the fins don't make it easy to walk into the ocean at all. I felt panicked as a parent, as the waves were going over our heads and we were walking backwards and thank god we all wore life jackets. After about 30 minutes of trying to get to the deeper part of the water where the rest of our group was my mother, son and myself finally walked back to the shallow area of the beach and threw in the towel. Our reservation was for one hour but Emily approached us about 20 minutes before the end and asked how everything was going and when I mentioned I felt like I didn't know what I was doing she did offer to help me get back in the water but by that point I was done so I politely declined. There was another young boy maybe 9 or 10 with his father in our group who made it out to the deeper end of the ocean and he even said the water was too rough and for a moment he didn't feel confident himself when he was trying to get to the deeper end. He told me he recently went to Hawaii to snorkel two weeks prior and the water was clear and calm and it was a beautiful experience but he was also dissatisfied with his experience. He said he couldn't see anything other than seaweed because the water was too murky. He also mentioned it was a waste of his time and money and left about 20 minutes early. I would not recommend this tour for young children or first time snorkelers at all. I would recommend that you buy your own snorkel mask and fins and practice in a pool so that when you do go snorkeling you feel confident! I hope this review was helpful!

Had an amazing experience kayaking with this company. It was my first time kayaking but it wasn t too scary because Adam took such good care of us from beginning to end. You can tell he really enjoys his job ..he s very personable, knowledgeable, patient and was okay with over-explaining things so that we all felt comfortable. The day we went was a little chillier than I would ve wanted and the waves were SUPER choppy and rough so we weren t able to go into the caves but Adam gave us an opportunity to jump off the kayaks into the water, we got a great history lesson on La Jolla, the marine life in the area, cliff jumpers, Blacks beach and more. We also got wetsuits which were only $10 to rent and def came in handy because our whole group ended up flipping over into the water because of how rough the waves were. If I m ever back in San Diego I m definitely going to go kayaking with La Jolla kayak again. Thanks again Adam!!

Had a great experience! We really enjoyed our Kayaking tour! We were disappointed to have our snorkelling tour cancelled due to poor visibility but they lent us snorkel equipment so we were able to go on our own! Our tour guide was great too!

We chose the wale watching kayaking tour. Our guide was great and we saw wales. Success... The kyaks were in descent shape, the tour took about 3 hrs, and we paddled for about 1.5 miles into the ocean (+1.5 back). Being in reasonable shape is required and definitely expect to get wet. Bag your cellphone if you bring it. Leaving it at on of the shop's lockers is probably a better option.

The staff was friendly and helpful, but the staff at the waterfront was useless. Having to go back to the store to check out is silly if you already have staff right there on the waterfront anyway.

Staff were nice and offered plenty of knowledge on the local history and local food joints, but kayaking/snorkeling tours not worth the money. In my experience with the cove snorkeling tour it was disappointing and not much of a tour, but rather more just people splashing about sometimes seeing an orange fish or a sea lion. Guides did not show us any neat rocks, sea stars, anemones, etc. like it is stated in the tour description. If you want to snorkel, I'd suggest renting the gear instead and asking for recommendations on good places to safely snorkel.

So much fun. The guides were great. Can't wait to do it again.

Excellent experience. Well worth it. Billy and Garrett we fantastic. We saw Sea Lions and Pacific Dolphins were coming up all around us. Highlight of our trip so far! Highly recommend

This was my first time kayaking ever and had a blast. Every encounter with staff was pleasant and friendly. Our instructor and guide was Omar. He was absolute a pleasure to be around. His demeanor and attitude made us feel safe and well informed. He also was very patient and funny. I highly recommend La Jolla Kayak to all. A great experience for sure !

Took a kayaking tour of the caves in October with 2 guides called Steven and I think Chris. They were both excellent, professional, funny and made every effort to speak to everyone on the tour.

We visited the caves and were given in depth information all the way from start to finish.

The price was reasonable and around that time of year we didn't need to book, just walked straight in.

Would highly recommend them.

This place is well run, even when they are busy they are accommodating and get people equipment and on their way quickly which is exactly what you want when you are trying to get out in the water. They also offer go pro rentals and sell all the last minute things you forget.

The tour and guides were great in providing a fun experience and knowledge along the way.

My sister, friends, and I go here ever year for our kayak rentals and visit the caves. Staff is always helpful and friendly.

These guys are super nice and happy to work here. Look at my video on YouTube. San Diego Johnny Surf. "Kayak rentals"

The guides were amazing but the tour itself was disappointing. I took the sea cave tour. I didn't see a single fish through out the tour and we didn't enter the caves too (which is understandable coz the waves were too strong). If you want a nice little tour with kids, it might just be adventurous enough.

Riley & Hailey were great tour guides! Tons of fun facts. I had never been kayaking before and it was a blast! It's definitely a workout but so worth it. We saw a sea lion in the cave. So cute!

Tour guides were excellent and we had a blast! I would defintely come here again whenever we decide to come back to San Diego!

It bad weather l, didn't get the chance to inside the cave.

The tour guide had a great attitude and had a wealth of information to share about the area. The weather was nice with the views of wildlife and scenery even nicer. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Love the tour and our guide! (Wish I could remember her name) but she was very nice and patient with me having some snorkeling issues. We were able to get in the caves and was beautiful! Recommend the coast snorkel tour because you can keep the gear for the rest of the day. The other employees were funny in the sense that we would need to go back and forth to get an answer to any of our questions but overall good service for price.

very nice ppl. the tour guide is super friendly. you can tell they enjoy their jobs. Renting a kayak to go alone or by yourself with a friend is great too. the waters are calm. Perfect for beginners on through. beautiful scenery especially if the season is right and you can go through the caves. Which I missed this year. Hope I get a chance next time I'm there.

I got stung by a bee in the waters here. There are bees that migrate over this beach specifically it seems as I haven't seen them in many over places.

Good prices. Nice tour. They let us keep our suitcase there during the tour.

Great for a family. Our tour guide,Justin, was awesome. He made sure we were all doing ok and that we were having a good time.

Highlight of our trip to California!!! Cassie is a awesome guide and extremely knowledgeable of the area! She made the tour very fun and engaging. Make sure you ask about Kelp when touring with her. She will turn you into a Kelp lover. You will meet and suit up at the business. You will then have a short stroll to the beach. You can wear flip flops but it is suggested that you remove them before Kayaking. You can however wear water shoes for the entire duration of your tour. There is a slight possibility that you may not be able to enter the caves. It all depends on the waves. All in all it was a blast and there is a lot of fantastic restaurants nearby. Grab a bite to eat after your tour! HAVE FUN!

Super cool instructors, very happy, the kayak tour to the caves was a lot of fun and swimming in snorkel was the best, watching fish was a lot of fun

Went to La Jolla kayak and definitely had a good experience. I would come back again, I would recommend this business to my friends and family. Make sure to ask for Hailey as she was totally radical dude. we came I guess when it was kinda slow in the afternoon 11:30-12:00 an scored a private tour! We were told and shown way more than we could've asked for. Super sick, if your reading this and your not sure or you're on the fence, don't trip, the tour is sick, book it quick!

Had a great time. Guides were very fun and knowledgeable.

Go far into Pacific and jump into cold water if you know swimming. Don't forget to bring a pair of new clothes

Jake and George were great tour guides!! Kayaking around La Jolla was fun especially into a cave, tour guides take you through. Safe, great views. You learn a lot about the ecological area and residents like Dr. Seuss. Worth every dollar, not a kayaker... book one double kayak with a friend.

Great experience! The staff were really awesome and helpful. We did the kayak and snorkeling tour. Once we got out to the caves we got off the kayaks and actually went snorkeling into the caves! We saw a few sea lion and different kinds of fish. Definitely recommend.

I wish I could share the same wonderful experiences those before me shared in their reviews but I can not. My husband and I had booked the tandem Original Kayak Cave Tour at 1100 on Saturday, October 24th. We arrived at 1040 and proceeded to check in during which time I asked the young lady whom was assisting us if I could use the restroom because I really needed to pee to which she responded that we don t have restrooms here . I proceeded to explain to her that it was a matter of urgent need and she simply reiterated the same response. That we could either see if one of the restaurants near by would allow me to utilize their restroom or that I could walk back to the beach and use the restrooms there. I was baffled. I left the check in office in search of a restroom and was willing to forfeit our paid reservation as a result of it. My husband and I walked all the way back to the beach to utilize the restrooms there and eventually made our way back to the shop just in time for 1100. We checked back in at which point I questioned the same young lady where do personnel here utilize the restrooms, do you too have to go down to the beach? . I was told that per the owners policies restrooms were not available for use. Now, I understand that there are certain protocols regarding Covid-19 that need to be followed, however, you are running a business with at minimum of 7 tours daily to account for 10 kayaks and you can t afford to provide your paying customers with a restroom? That is UNACCEPTABLE to me. If you are going to remain open during these times and are profiting of those who have decided to book with you, (we paid $80 and some change), the least you can do as a business is provide your paying patrons with a restroom.

We got through the check-in process and proceeded outback only to discover that if we wanted a locker we were suppose to have paid for it back up front where we checked in. I should not have been suprisse but we were never offered such service by the young lady that checked us in.

As for our experience at sea our guides, James and Spencer were ok. I felt that they could have done a better job of keeping the group together while being more engaging. There were instances when we were near other tour groups and their guides appeared to be a lot more engaged with their groups than James and Spencer were. We were rushed through the cave process and there wasn t proper organization either. I also found it hard to hear them when at sea.

Due to the poor customer service I do not recommend this establishment, and will never be utilizing their services again.

They are a little overpriced but the Groupon deal is pretty fair. Their service is fantastic specially if you are not expert in kayaking they will help you out

Our tour guides omar and Lexi were great and got us close to a baby humpback, a truly mahical experience. I highly recommend them for your kayak tour

Fantastic and very patient guide.....I got a lot sea sick but the show went on and we managed through.......Very informative, gorgeous scenery, and lots of wildlife!