Hot Wax is absolutely amazing! My husband and I have always wanted to go kayaking on one of our…read moreEmerald Isle trips. Hot Wax provided all of the equipment we needed! A standard 1 person kayak for me and an anglier kayak for my fishing hobbist husband; which included a rod holder, anchor as well as paddles and life jackets for both of us! Lani and Mike were super great at communicating with us on delivery timing and answering any questions that we had!  We will absolutely be using Hot Wax in the future and recommending to our family and friends!!  Thank you so much again Lani and Mike!!

If you're looking to find a great surf and kayak shop, this is the place. I met Mike & Lani just…read morebefore a strong storm was forecast to hit. I'd thought I'd beat the storm, but it was already pushing waves over the docks. They let me postpone my excursion for a few days until the weather improved, then helped me out again. Both Mike and Lani know surfing, it's in their blood. They are well connected to the community and are just great people. Great selection and their store has most anything you'd need to kayak or surf. I enjoyed looking around in their shop. It's actually cheaper for me to rent from the Hot Wax Surf Shop than to haul my own kayak to the island. I can't think of a better place to go for rentals, accessories, and good solid advice.

Amy was a great teacher. First time we kayaked and we had no issues. We were all a bit nervous…read morebut we ended up having a great time. We did the 2 hour trip and kept watching the clock...next time we will do the 4 hour.

If I could give zero stars, I would. This company refuses to refund a customer's money if they…read morecancel within 24 hours of the scheduled activity, even if thunderstorms are forecasted! What is a person who lives three hours away supposed to do, drive all the way out there and then find out that the trip is cancelled and we wasted our whole day?! They offered us a gift card, but I don't want to do business with a company that has such unfair policies. Good job, Paddle NC. Way to be thieves.

Had a fantastic experience with Olympus! We had three straight days of diving with them and have no…read morecomplaints! Our entire crew on the Midnight Express (Captain Jerry, Dylan, & Zach) provided extensive briefing and clearly took safety and customer experience seriously, while still keeping things lighthearted and fun. They were accommodating, helpful, and made the entire time feel easy and stress-free. While we had our own gear many divers rented and the rental gear was in great condition with everything being very well organized. The boat was also excellent--clean, comfortable, and, best of all, had plenty of room to set up your gear without feeling like you were falling all over each. They had plenty of drinking water on board and water for cleaning your mask. The best touch was the freeze pops that they handed out at the conclusion of your dive day! The dives we did were great! Fun exploring the wrecks and lots of aquatic life to enjoy! Overall, a very well-run operation with a great crew, quality equipment, and a comfortable boat. I'd absolutely dive with them again and would recommend them to anyone looking for a professional, accommodating, and enjoyable dive experience. We will be back soon!

This absolutely the best dive center in Eastern North Carolina! The staff are so professional,…read moreknowledgeable and courteous. I began diving with them in May 2025 and each and every visit to the pro shop is awesome. There is no better captain, boat or crew around. Every dive is an amazing adventure and makes you yearn for the next dive! Enthusiastically recommended for anyone wanting to dive regardless of experience!

Randal and Crysta were amazing! So nice and helpful. I would recommend this outfit anytime!! In…read morefact, I want to work with them!! Lol Doreen B.

Short Version: There's a strong trend in the reviews for this vendor. Many people get their boats…read moreand have a good time. But Crystal coast Boat Charters has a problem with communication, and if anything at all goes wrong, you'll find yourself wondering what just happened and be left without a boat. We booked a boat for rental on Friday, May 28, for our family coming in to town for Memorial Day weekend. We had a couple calls with Krista over the next couple weeks, up until two days before the rental. During that call she told me the person who was bringing the boat (I think she said her husband, but not sure if I remember that right) had a broken phone, but that she promised to get me "some phone number so you could reach him." Not exactly confidence inspiring, but stuff happens, so I rolled with it. I went back to other reviews after the crash and burn and found this broken phone thing was a common issue that they still haven't fixed. The day of the rental came and I finally received a phone call about an hour before our rental time. The gentleman who called me was bewildering at best. Instead of clearly telling me what was broken and whether it could be fixed soon, I got a bizarre set of contradictions ranging from, "I have a guy in Swansboro hooking me up" (With what? A new boat? A part?), to "I'm trying to just delay an hour" and then ending with, "I'm shootin for the stars, man, I just dunno. I'm a nice guy, though, I'm an owner operator." It was difficult to get further details out of him. As we got closer to delivery time, I texted. No response. Then I called at the time he was supposed to deliver the boat. "Sorry man, I'm not 1000% sure it's going to happen today." I said "ok, if it isn't, then do you know anyone else that rents boats?" Instead of responding to the question, he said "Gimme a few minutes man, I'll call you back." When he called me back, he said, "We got it and we'll be at X launch point in 30 minutes." When I told him, "We ordered it for Y launch point," he replied, "Well that's news to me!" But we expected to meet him there in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, I received a vague text message, "The hub is done sorry I will call you." I tried calling him and he stopped picking up the phone. Not knowing exactly what that text message meant, I texted Krista indicating what a stunning failure this had been and received a text full of excuses. Mechanical issues are out of people's hands. I get that. But communication is fully in the business's hands. Bottom line: this company is a slap dash operation who won't take responsibility for their failures, and will just stop talking to you when everything founders.

Absolutely amazing! What a great Captain, teacher and guide…read more After years of taking my son fishing with his (very well meaning) Grandpa who has all of the nicest rigs and boat, etc.. etc... and dreams of his glory days as an offshore fisherman, my little man was so sad that he had never caught something "he could eat" (really he hadn't caught anything I'd allow him to eat from the backwaters of marinas with oil and God knows what in the water). Chris was astounding. He was so patient and thoughtful with my little fisherman (age 8). He took us to several spots, knew the waters well, the fish types and sizes legal for keeping and gave so many wonderful tips and tutorials along the way. My little guy doesn't like strangers and immediately loved Chris. He's already asking when we can go back out with him!

Booked a trip with my wife that don't have much fishing experience. She had a blast and enjoyed…read moreevery minute of the trip. Couldn't recommend Chris enough.

I have to admit that I was 1,000% completely wrong about the folks that trusty sale and paddle. I…read moreshould have taken more time and actually spoken with them to work with them about correcting issues before blasting out. After meeting and speaking with them this morning and working with them to resolve the issues, I will say that I was way out of line. They are both incredibly easy to work with and had to buy it just taken the time to speak and work with them in the first place everything would have been great. I adjust my review to five stars and hope that they will accept my apology and know that I am truly sorry. These folks are really truly great to work with and I highly recommend. And on the side note never respond to issues out of frustration and anger so you don't make yourself look like an ass like I have..

Captain Tony took me, my son and Grandson on a personal tour I will never forget. It was a personal…read moreexperience to close an important chapter in my life. I am from Maryland visiting my son. If you wsnt a scenic personal tour, Captain Tony is the man with his company to call.

My family has booked a tour each summer for the last three years and each time is fun, easy, and…read moregeared to our interests. We love to go shelling and both Captain Jess and Captain Tony work hard so we have a great experience. The communication about the tour, what to expect, what to pack, where to meet, etc. is all clearly communicated ahead of time. The day before the tour the Captain calls to touch base and work out the final details. All you have to do is show up and enjoy the experience.

Great experience. Captain Mark held a wonderful ceremony for my mother. He was thoughtful and…read morerespectful. We greatly appreciated his efforts and would highly recommend H2O.

I've had the pleasure to book an excursion with Captain Mark yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised…read morehe met us in the free parking lot! I felt totally safe and prepared for the trip ahead, being given a thorough safety briefing. He was able to answer my multiple questions during the entire trip, concerning the history of the horses and people who lived on this beautiful barrier island. His expertise in maneuvering the boat around the wakes let to an extremely comfortable ride. We had a fun and will definitely be back next year.