Surfs Up! and other San Diego, CA Sports Travel Tips

Theme: Surfing

Ok I'm a girl from Michigan so I know nothing about surfing, except that is was SO MUCH FUN! There are so many surfing companies that for about $60 you can get a private 1 hour instruction which is pretty much all you need to figure out surfing. If you take a friend its even cheaper. I surfed with Hike Bike Kayak San Diego on Ocean Beach which was an awesome outfitter and my surfing instructor was very patient and was just as stoked as I was when I actually rode a wave. I do recommend that you don't do this activity after sea kayaking because you need a lot of arm strength to pull yourself up on the board so you don't want your arms to be worned out from a day of paddling. I also had my lesson early in the morning when all that was on the beach were die hard surfers willing to brave the cold morning water. I recommend doing your lesson at this time so you don't have to worry about watching out for kids and folks swimming. Also the surfers that are out that early are usually pretty nice people and they respect that you are trying to learn. When I finally caught my first wave, many of the surfers out there cheered for me which was such an awesome feeling.


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Website: http://www.hikebikekayak.com/

Theme: Kayaking/Canoeing

Sea Kayaking was a lot of fun. I first tried sea kayaking in Thailand and have been hooked ever since. In La Jolla, many outfitters can set you up for a tour through the La Jolla caves that line the coastline of the shore. They are these beautiful caverns where you can see small crabs climb up the walls and they even have a history of being involved in helping bootleggers hide whiskey during prohibition. Be careful that you go with a company that has an experienced guide and I wouldn't recommend this activity if you don't know how to swim. Definitely make sure when you are out to wear a life vest and helmet because it is very easy to be tipped in the kayak especially when trying to maneuver in the caves. In one cave the bottom of my kayak got caught on top of a rock near the coastline and then a big wave came crashing through the cave while I was trying to paddle off the rock. Needless to say my kayak was taken by the wave and then flipped right on top of my guides kayak and then I fell out of the kayak into the ocean and hit my head on a rock and bruised and scratched my arm and leg over the rocks. If it weren't for my helmet, I could have been pretty hurt. My first trip by myself and I almost killed myself. Also while out in the ocean you will see wildlife, including pelicans, sea lions bathing in the sun on the cave formations and even tiger sharks swimming under your kayaks. If you are truly adventuresome at the end of your tour have your instructor show you how to sea kayak surf which was almost as fun as the tour itself.


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