A few of my friends (5 of us in our group) and I were in San Diego for Pride weekend. We decided to start our trip with brunch in La Jolla and the kayak tour through Everyday California. When I originally started planning a kayak tour, I found three companies offering tours in La Jolla. At first it seemed difficult to choose between the three, but Everyday California was recommended to us by a few local San Diego friends so that’s who I booked with. The tour I booked was called “SEA CAVE KAYAK TOUR.” I already knew in advance that there was the possibility of not entering the caves depending on the water conditions.
After we had brunch at the Shorehouse Kitchen, just down the street from Everyday California, we went back to our car to grab our bathing suits, sunscreen, phone protectors, etc. Bring a few dollars cash if you plan to tip your guides. Walking into Everyday California’s shop was impressive. They have a lot of apparel, gear, and accessories for sale. Everything from t-shirts to sunglasses. We checked-in at the front desk and signed our waiver (digital) on an iPad. The check-in took a few minutes for each person, but was straightforward and simple. While you are at the front desk you can rent lockers for your valuables, clothes, shoes, etc. We rented two lockers since there were 5 of us and that seemed to be about the right amount of space.
After check-in, we ducked into changing rooms to get into our bathing suits. We applied plenty of sunscreen. If you forgot sunscreen, there is some for sale inside the shop. We placed all of our valuables, clothes, etc. into the lockers and went to get sized for our life-jackets. Once everything was in place, we met in front of the shop to wait for our guides.
It was a bit confusing for me to decide what to bring on the kayak, so I am going to tell you exactly what to wear/bring! Apply your sunscreen before you leave the shop and leave it behind in a locker. You won’t be on the water long enough to worry about reapplying. Wear a conservative bathing suit. Leave your speedo at home! You’ll want to be comfortable. Feel free to wear a t-shirt or rash-guard shirt (water-shirt) if you want to keep the sun off or if it’s cold. I wore my rash-guard under my life-jacket and that worked pretty well. If it’s on the chilly-side, the shop offered wetsuits if you want to go that route. We did this tour in July, the water was cold, but we were fine in our bathing suits. If you wear sunglasses, which I did, bring the cheap ones. Leave your Ray Bans at home! You can wear beach sandals/flip-flops when you leave the shop if you like. It’s a few blocks walk to the beach. However, we went barefoot and that seemed fine. When you arrive at the beach, there is an area to place shoes/sandals if you wore them. You won’t be taking them on the kayak. You can bring your phone with you to take pictures, but you must have a waterproof case/lanyard for it or you will ruin/loose your phone. I thought ahead and purchased the “floating waterproof phone pouch by Cambond” on Amazon prior to our trip. The Cambond cases are easy to use and keep your phone dry. The cases also have an attached lanyard so you can easily carry it around your neck. You may have to take your phone out of the case on occasion to get a decent picture, but put it back in the case immediately after you get the shot. That’s it!
After you meet your guides in the front of the shop, you receive a brief introduction and then walk to the beach. You will not have a kayak, paddles, etc. when walking to the beach. You receive all of the equipment (aside from the life-jacket) at the beach. Our guides were Josh and Andrew. They were both super nice, friendly, and willing to answer any questions. It was clear from the start that they both wanted to make sure our safety was their highest priority during the tour. Now, it must be said that Josh is quite handsome lol!
After a short walk, we found ourselves at the beach where you are issued a paddle. Our guides gave us a brief safety talk before getting our group organized into teams for those of us who were doing tandem kayaks. Before we knew it, we were walking up to the kayaks and receiving instructions on how to break through the crashing waves and into the open water. It was a bit jarring at first to feel the cold saltwater, but you get used to it quite quickly. These are sea-kayaks. You sit above the water and generally stay dry. However, there will be some spray, splashes, etc. where you get a bit wet. It’s nothing to worry about, but that’s why you are wearing a bathing suit! My kayaking buddy and I paddled out into the water and headed for our meeting point, a buoy just a short ways out from the shore. Once every one from our group was in their kayaks and at the meeting point, Josh and Andrew joined us to give us some final instructions before we began paddling.
Along our route, we Josh stopped our group a few times to talk about the ecology of the area. He touched on everything from environmental issues to wildlife. Josh knows his stuff! Eventually, we found ourselves near the sea-caves near some cliffs where a group of sea-lions were barking away. It’s here that I want to note that there is no guarantee that you will enter the sea-caves. The water inside the caves can be quite turbulent and dangerous for kayakers. Lifeguards make the decision about whether or not the kayak tour operators can enter the caves or not. Fortunately, our tour had a brief window where Josh was able to take us into the caves. However, the lifeguards closed the caves shortly after our tour went through. Honestly, I would have been just as happy doing the tour without entering the caves, but it was an added treat.
Near the sea-caves it becomes crowded as the other kayak companies are also conducting tours and attempting to enter the sea-caves. It’s a bit of organized chaos for the lack of terminology. One thing I noticed was how large the other kayak tour operator’s groups were. Everyday California had our group of kayakers quite small so it was easier to talk to our guides and felt more managed.
After everyone in our group ducked into the caves for a moment, our group coalesced and we headed back towards the originally meeting buoy. We received some brief instructions on how to return safely to the beach where staff would greet us to take the kayaks back onto shore. It was quite fun getting pushed by the waves back to onto shore. But it’s here where you’ll want to be careful so you don’t overturn your kayak in the crashing waves! Once back on shore, you return your paddle to the rack. This is the best time to take group photos, photos with your guides, and photos with the ocean in the background.
After grabbing a few photos, we walked back to the shop where we changed back into our street clothes and did some shopping. It’s important to wait to do your shopping until after your tour because you will receive a discount for the shop once you complete a tour. This is your opportunity to leave a tip for your guides as well. There are envelopes and deposit box for tips.
I loved my experience with Everyday California. Everyone we encountered was so friendly and helpful. Throughout our tour I felt like we were learning about the area while having fun. Most importantly I knew we were in safe and capable hands! The only thing I would do differently is to arrange a private charter tour instead of a public tour. I would rather have just had our guide and our group of friends on our tour so we could do our own thing. It would be worth the added expense. Either way, remember to try and get Josh as your guide!!!