Renting a boat is a great way to explore Lake Cachuma! Cruising around the lake gave us a…read morecompletely different perspective, and it was a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours with family and friends. The boat itself was very easy to operate. Even if you've never driven one before, it's pretty straightforward--just steer and move forward or reverse. Before we left the dock, the staff thoroughly explained how to operate the boat and went over all the safety rules. The guys at the dock were friendly, patient, and very helpful, which made us feel comfortable before heading out. We rented a 12-person pontoon boat for $190 for 2 hours, plus a $15 fuel charge. A $750 credit card deposit is also required at check-in. The only downside was the rental process. We tried to rent a boat on Saturday around 11:00 AM, but were told there were no boats available. The staff simply told us to come back later but couldn't give us any estimate of when a boat might return. We came back again around 3:00 PM, and unfortunately there were still no boats available. Since rentals are by the hour, there should be an approximate return time for the boats so customers don't have to keep making unnecessary trips back to the rental office. Fortunately, we checked again on Sunday morning after checking out of our campsite and were finally able to rent a boat. Once we got on the water, everything went smoothly, and our entire group had an amazing time.

Love the service, pricing, family friendly experience and convenience to our home in sb. Recommend…read morefor a long weekend.

One of the best campsites Ive had the chance to camp at. We booked site #453 and it was right by…read morethe northeastern part. Its right by the water, which allowed for beautiful views the entire time we were there. Be warned, it can get super windy since most of the campsites that are close to the water are on a bluff, which lead to our campsite being windier than those that were away from the water. The campground itself is mostly dirt and the camp roads need some TLC but the grounds themselves are well maintained. There are a couple of restrooms throughout the campsite and the toilets are flushable. They have a showers that cost $1 for about 3 minutes of very very hot water. We wernt able to change the water temp so that was unfortunate. Now lets get into our campsite. As mentioned, it was by the water and there were some trees nearby but they provide little to no shade. A couple of campsites further south was a campsite that was identical to ours but with lots of shade. I would recommend at least 2 canopies to stay cool in the summer heat. We were able to make both a wood fire and use our propane stove, so i'm glad there were no fire restrictions in place. (Make sure to check local fire restrictions during fire season!) This was mid August and we camped Monday-Thursday and we found the campground to be fairly quite at night. Make sure to secure your food at night as there are LOTS of raccoons. On our second night I was woken up to an entire family looking through our belongings. Thankfully, all other campers were respectful of quite hours and we slept good all three nights. Another thing we were not prepared for was the amount of hornets/wasps. Every time we cooked breakfast our campsite was swarmed by them to the point were we were getting uncomfortable by the amount that had spawned outta nowhere. I would advise taking something to deter them. There's a camp store by the entrance of the campsite, they have all the essentials with a slight upcharge, but thats expected since the other closest stores were 20-30 min away. They also have a gas station there that was fairly priced and had all the essentials(Beer, food and ice). Passing the store and heading towards the campsites, theres also a docking station where you can rent boats, Kayaks, etc. The rangers were all kind and on the last day when we were leaving, my car battery had died and they were kind enough to give us a jump. I cant recommend this spot enough, there's plenty to do within the campground and its perfect for a quick getaway.

Quick stop at Lake Cachuma while on our way we only had about 15 minutes to use the restroom and…read moretake a quick look around. Even in that short time, the lake was stunning. The water was such a beautiful deep blue, and the whole area has a calm, scenic feel. It definitely looks like a great place for camping or spending a full day outdoors. Next time, I'd love to come back and explore more.

Needed some work done on my sons bow, Tom was very accommodating. He gave shooting instruction as…read morewell. Tom went out of his way to explain what he was doing with the bow to he and my son. Even offered to teach me anything I wanted to know about bow tuning.

Friendly, great service. Appreciated all the help for a newbie like myself. Nice guy!read more

This boat ride around the marina and the ocean was great…read more Nice Captain, solid boat, no issues, basically calm seas and enough wind. Saw 50 dolphins due to the Captain knowing where to go. This is a great way to enjoy Santa Barbara for a small amount of money. Totally do it.

We had the most incredible experiences with Captain Martin -- seeing hundreds of dolphins swimming…read morealongside the boat, snorkeling and eating fresh seared scallops that he dove for at Santa Cruz Island, watching humpback whales breach dozens of times as we crossed the channel -- just amazing!! Fun and trustworthy captain who goes the extra mile to create memorable experiences.

The Best ziplining experience we have had!…read more I learned about Highline Adventures sometime last year, and knew I have to come here to do the longest and fastest ziplines in California! The best and cheapest way to book is directly with them. They do offer 15% military discount, which makes a pretty good difference. For ziplining, they offer 2 options for regular zipline across 3 different lines that they have. You can either ride the military HMMWV up, or hike your way to the top. They both cost the same, which I found surprising. Besides that, they also offer Sunset and Moonlight options for sunset hour or night time. We were going to opt for the hike, which requires no guide. You just follow the path and signs along the trail to go up to the top. However, for some reasons, they didn't offer that on the day that we chose to go. When you arrive, you check yourself in at the main building. Your driver and 2 guides will meet with you and drive you to the top for the first and longest zipline. Along the way, you make the first top at the base of the 3rd and last/fastest zipline to be fitted with a harness. I have had the "pleasure" of trying and wearing multiple different harnesses on different occasions, trust me when I say, theirs are the MOST comfortable and BEST harness you'd ever put on. It provide full support and sitting position if you choose to sit while ziplining, no need to worry about the harness pulling or tightening up your groin area. Besides zipline, they also offer suspended obstacle course and suspended net play. The latter only has a minimum age requirement of 2, so perfect for the little kiddos to come here and play. Overall, very well run and thought-out courses that's perfect for the whole family! We can't wait to come back here again to try out the other activities that they offer. Highly recommend!

Ziplining review! Highline is very easy to get to. Thought we would get lost but we didn't. Signs…read moreare clear, had a restroom we could use before, check in was quick and we got right to it. Jumped in the car and went up to the top! Awesome views up there and Brittany took a great pic of us. So much fun to go down and I want to do it again! Spencer, Elijah, and Brittany were amazing guides! It's such a cool experience and they made us feel so safe. It's crazy because you're so high up. It was an awesome time. Definitely recommend and they made the process so smooth. Had a great time talking to our guides. They were very efficient and we had an awesome time. It was our first time ziplining and it definitely set the bar very high.

Amazing opportunity and efforts from local high school…read more ICYMI, Cabrillo High maintains a small aquarium as a mechanism for their student population to learn marine science, management, and all sorts of responsibilities that you would want your graduating high schoolers to have under their tool belts. This is a facility that most Midwesterners or folks like me in the desert have the opportunity for. The aquarium is run by students (overseen by faculty). My niece invited her out of town family to visit one of her activities that gives her a lot of pride, and rightly so. There are tidal fish, sea stars, anemone, jellyfish, and a small shark hatchery that are managed. We were able to go during the feeding period to feed the aquatic attractions. The kids were able to use the touch tanks for a more tactile experience. I am quite impressed with the efforts, because maintain salt aquariums like this take a lot of work for bigger for profit aquariums, but the Cabrillo Conquerors are learning what it takes to do that. They are providing their school and a community a service, individual customer service, just some life skills that we don't always see in extra curricular activities. It's not huge, but it is a very interesting facility that Cabrillo High and Lompoc have giving limited access to the community. Small but mighty, and just a surprising little aquarium.

Went to a free open house night at the Cabrillo high school (go conqs!) aquarium for…read moreSharktoberfest! It was SUPER packed, and for a good reason. I don't think I've ever heard of another high school having such a big, expensive aquarium like this one. The students were running the show, and they were extremely knowledgeable about all of the creatures that they had on display. They even had a touch tank filled with starfish, sea urchins and more! The jellyfish were my favorite sea creatures to observe. Did you know they eat little shrimp? I didn't until last night! It was super fun and you should check this little place out!

Located on Stearns Wharf pier at the end of the pier…read more Rental : crab net $15 for 1hr./$35 for 3-5 hours. Fishing pole $20 for 1 hr. /$45 for 3-5 hours ( 1st .cup of bait free) We didn't have enough time , to rent a pole . I was just perusing by the door and overheard the owner's conversation with a young teenage boy . The owner was thoughtful in his professional advice gave many great information about fishing techniques. I can see the passion and the willingness to share his knowledge

It's a very nice bait and tackle shop for a pier with a knowledgeable fisherman running it. He…read morequickly asked where I was used to fishing (east coast) and said due to water temperature and the fish population squid was a good choice. This is the second pier in CA I'd heard this and caught two sharks at the other pier and a kingfish and flounder at this one. He also explained he was unable to offer hot coffee but where to get it.

This outfit is built on camaraderie and a love for nature and adventure. You sign a waiver for a…read morereason too. Even on a calm day there are small rolling waves that could tip you or shove you into a rock/wall if you don't heed your guide. Tour lengths vary from 2 hours to 4 to all day. At our 1pm slot there were about 15 people signed up and we were immediately split into smaller groups of about 6-8, each with their own private guide. They prefer to have you in doubles but we had two people, one male and one female, who were by themselves and were assigned singles without issue. The pre-game orientation takes about 30 minutes and covers do's/don'ts; equipment; and balance and paddling. Our guide, Rachel, was the bomb - her instructions were textbook but also peppered with little personal observations and advice too. Her sense of humor carried just the right balance of being earnest yet lighthearted. The Channel Is has a number of shallow sea caves around its perimeter but they don't promise you any entry. We were blessed with a stunning day - upper 70s and very calm winds, so calm that you could easily see through clear waters, down at least 15 feet to the rocks and kelp below. That enabled us to see a few fish during our journey too. Even the guide mentioned that a day like this comes along only once every couple of weeks. The best part, is that it enabled us to enter every cave along our 1 hour 15 minute paddle which took us about 1/3(?) of the way around the island. We visited four caves in total, including one that is on the "top-100 of the deepest sea caves accessible by kayak." Because of the swells, Rachel positioned herself about 50 feet inside as a soft marker beyond which we couldn't go. The reason was that further in the slow rise/fall of the sea would cause you to strike your (helmeted) head on the cave ceiling as the cave slowly grew smaller further in. No problem with that limitation! Kayaking back was super fast (20 min) since we had a mild wind (and current) behind us. ADVICE: definitely bring Teva's or water shoes because you will be stepping in about 1 foot of water at launch and exit. The path to/from is rocky so barefoot is not a comfortable option at all. Some folks had tennies and those got soaked of course. Also, invest in a waterproof pouch with lanyard for your phone. They sell them here but these are $5-7 on Amazon. The cool thing about those is you can completely use your phone through the plastic window of the pouch (your fingers can still make the phone work). And if your phone were to fall in the water (while in the pouch) the pouch floats. Almost everyone tipped their guide and it seemed the soft rule or practice was about $10/person. Rachel beamed with gratitude which was so sweet. Finally, hats AND sunscreen are strongly recommended - you're getting double the intensity, from the sky and then reflected sun off of the water.

Thank you to our kayak guide Cullen! It was fun to explore the sea caves of Santa Cruz Island…read more Cullen was thorough with safety, knowledgeable of the wildlife, and attentive to us throughout the experience to make sure we were all having fun and being safe. The 2.5-3 hour adventure was worth it. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in kayaking, but they also have a shorter trip!