We arrived at the address of their main location and put on the gear they provided to keep (most of) our clothes dry. I was also able to put my travel purse into a water-tight bag and secure it to the kayak to keep with me. Otherwise, there were only cubbies (no lockers), although they did offer to hold my purse behind their desk.
After a kayak instruction, safety, and boundaries briefing, we picked out oars and took ourselves across the street to the beach where another employee helped us shove off.
We saw otters and sea lions! As instructed, we stayed far enough away that none of them looked up at us (part of the safety briefing). Even so, I've never had such an unobstructed view of these little guys! It was awesome! The sea lion barking and grunting launched some family memes and references for many years to come, I'm sure! LOL!
We all thoroughly enjoyed the self-directed nature of this tour. All the staff were friendly and welcoming. Out of the week's worth of activities, this was the family favorite!