tl;dr: I had a fantastic experience learning to surf with Manly Surf Guide and would recommend it…read moreto anyone for the value, supportive environment and surf! First-time surfer doing the Beginner Surf Adventure Value: $89 for 4 hours of surfing, lunch and small class sizes on a beach that's not as busy as the most popular beaches (Dee Why for our day). Lunch was filtered water, bread (of various kinds), three kinds of sandwich meats, sliced tomatoes, spinach and various sauces and spreads. Also, sunscreen. Please apply abundantly to exposed skin, not fit for human consumption! Staff: Very friendly and supportive. A quick lesson on surfing in the morning followed by pointing you to the best waves. Very useful since they'll make sure that we catch a good one and not just the first one that picked us up! Even more helpful was that they gave us directions on when to paddle and when to stand up. There's also no pressure. It only got better when Ryan joined in on the lessons in the afternoon. He was standing closer to the shore, watching how people were doing and giving people advice and bringing people out to fix those mistakes right away. Logistics: Meet at Manly wharf at 9:30am in the area right before the Corso. Additionally, if you miss the initial pickup time at Manly, it seems like they will make a second trip to pick up the latecomers. Transportation to the beach is via an 8-person Toyota Tarago van (about 2005-ish) with functioning seatbelts and enough surfboards on top that even the car could surf (I kid! Only 10 surfboards!). A bonus little scenic route along the coast on the way back to the ferry to showcase all the other beaches in the Manly area as well as a group picture in front of the statue of the Duke, the first person to surf in Australia. I would've liked a list of things to bring. The shortlist off the top of my head is a towel (I forgot that!), beach sandals (I forgot that!), a camera if you wanted to take pictures after in a wetsuit and with the board (can store securely in their van while surfing) and money (cash or credit). Disclosure: Ryan encouraged me to post a review. However no incentives were offered and all opinions are my own. All customers were provided with a coupon for self/friends/relatives for future lessons - $89 was already a good deal but what about after another $15 discount? :)

If you want to learn to get up and surf--even if only for a few seconds--Manly Surf Guide is a…read moresafe, chill bet. Here's what you get: - a coach or two who will give you that figurative and literal push you'll need to surf - lots of time on top of (and probably also in) the water - relaxing, no pressure, small set of classmates - ridable waves - the gear you'll need: stiicky-waxed surf board, wet suit Here's what you don't get: - ultra swanky bus ride from the HQ to the beach -- think big VW - luxury HQ -- come to think of it.. I don't know that we saw the HQ, but we did go to a dude's large, rented out garage which served as the storage/store front of MSG - gourmet lunch -- ryan will make some fresh sandwiches, and offer you vegemite - decline. ;) Bottom line: You'll be in for a good ride with Manly Surf Guide. It might not be fancy, but it feels justttt right.

Dishonest. Do your self a favour and avoid these clowns. I spent over $10,000 dollars at this…read morestore. The vtx dive computer that I purchased didn't work from the start. They refused to exchange or refund and now just lie about the details of the purchase. Disgusting people and service.

My experience at Abyss learning how to scuba was fantastic.. small group, great and knowledgeable…read moreinstructors who are patient and explain things very clearly and always have an answer to all your questions. The photographs and videos taken during the course were also really cool to have as a memento of an incredible underwater experience! The course is very well structured and I really got the best value for cost. Keep up I highly recommend this school to anyone looking to get their Open Water dive certification. Thanks once again to my amazing instructors Jarrad, Honeron, and also thanks to Rosa for the pictures! If I lived in Sydney I would definitely sign up to do more dive courses and join the dive club... Sadly I live on the other side of the world!

Yaaaayyy! Our eldest child finally turned 15 so we can take the family out together kayaking at…read moreMiddle Harbour ... children under 15 need to be accompanied by an adult, so the maths simply never worked out for this to be a family event until now. What a great spot. Pick up your craft at the southern end of the bridge - complete with all the safety gear - and head out for some fun and exercise up the harbour. Some sleek and sporty kayaks are on display at the site - one of which is now in our garage! - but for rentals the options are a little less ambitious: plastic or composite. Fine for family fun though, and probably a lot safer for the kids than the less stable alternatives. We're happy to rent on our own, but you can also join classes or group paddling tours, learning the basics or up-grading your skills to get out on a touring or sea kayak. In fact some of the tours almost work our cheaper than straightforward rentals, but you're dependent on moving at other people's pace.

I feel like paddle boarding has been trendy for a while now, and it took me until now to try it for…read morethe first time. Since I spent the afternoon last week on the Spit to Manly walk, I wanted to have my first time paddle boarding on the calm waters of the area by Clontarf beach. So I chose to rent my paddleboard from Sydney Harbour Kayaks. Another plus of renting from here is that they are the least expensive when compared to other rental outlets around the city. It's $20 for a one-hour rental and $30 for two hours. I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather as much as possible by choosing two hours. I was given a very short introduction by the kind staff about how to paddle and then I was on my way. The wind was actually really strong that day, making paddling a more arduous task than usual. Blowing against the direction I wanted to go, the wind constantly pushed me towards the shore and pushing me off the board twice. Finally I made my way to the beach and chilled there for a while. Right before they closed, I struggled to paddle myself back to shore. Though my struggles at sea weren't their fault, I kind of hoped that I would have been briefed more thoroughly on how to maneuver the board in strong winds. I'll definitely be hiring a kayak next time.

This is the second time I have dived with Dive Centre Bondi. They didn't disappoint. It's been a…read morefew years since I have dived in Sydney but the experience was just as good as the first visit. I joined a guided shore dive at Little Bay led by their instructor Vanessa. Although the dive was full they managed to squeeze me in at last minute notice due to a diver not turning up in the morning. It was a great dive with lots to see. Amongst the animals we saw were - Wobbegong Sharks, Bull Rays, Cuttlefish and countless other colourful fish. It was a great day out, thanks for the dive. I'll be back. I can highly recommend this company for anyone looking to try out Sydney diving.

Terrible experience with them. Scheduled for scuba diving, but the equipment was not up to date. I…read morekept tilting because the weight was not distributed well, and the goggles were leaking water all the time. Went back, as the guide did not have the patience. He asked the store to schedule me for another time, and they said they would call me back because they needed to find an instructor. They never did, nor did they return any of my money. They are just there to collect your money and not care about your enjoyment, thinking you're there temporarily and won't see you again, so they don't care about your experience. I will never, ever use them again if I go back to Sydney.

I booked the twilight bridge climb and I am still not quite sure what possessed me. Let me explain,…read moreI am in my mid sixties, fat, out of shape and deadly afraid oof heights. It didn't look so bad on pictures, but once I saw the bridge in person and in particular how tiny the climbers looked on top of the bridge, that was the moment fear set in. And it got worse during the preparations. You don't just walk in and climb on up there. You need to have instructions, pass a breathalyzer test, change into a special suit, get a radio, headphones, attach your glasses, hat, jacket and whatnot all to your suit and step into a heavy harness. By that time you'll start to sweat because this suit is like a plastic bag and hold in the heat. You also get to practice a climb up some ladders... oh yay. As a scaredy cat in regards of heights, I was placed up front so our guide could keep an eye on me. Good thing too. The rest of my group consisted of 20-30 year old athletic types... great. So you step on out of the building onto a catwalk and get hooked onto the safety line. This already made me regret things as I looked down onto the street below. Then our guide starts to run, yes run on this narrow catwalk... aaarggghhh... I did finally catch up with her but only because she was waiting for our group. Surprise, let's climb up 4 ladders with 25 steps each back to back... man I was huffing and puffing. Thank goodness you get to wait until everybody is up. Then you climb and climb and climb on up the stairs. I did my best and did keep up, but I was really trying hard. I gave it my all. At about 3/4 of the way, my legs were turning into jello, almost to the summit I thought I was going to throw up, but luckily we stopped to take pictures as a group and then as individuals. I recovered during this little rest. We had climbed up during daylight, by the time we reached the summit the sun was setting and the the view was spectacular. Unforgettable. Recovered due to the short rest and with the promise of no further climbing, but rather descending from here on, I was feeling much better. Thirsty, drenched in sweat and wishing I had used the restroom before the climb, but otherwise ok. Well now we had to cross from one side of the bridge to the other... at the summit, over several lanes of traffic and railroad tracks, and you can see straight down... for me, the scariest part. Then finally the descent. By now it was getting quite dark and we needed to turn on our lamps. The descent was much quicker than the climb of course and I was eager to get out of this hot suit, get a drink of water and use the rest room... no such luck. Now one has to painstakingly unbuckle all the equipment from the suit. Eventually you get to change back into your regular clothes. And just when you think you are done, you have to stand in line for the photo purchases. I had prepaid for the pictures, but still had to wait because the staff will pick out the pictures that feature you and put those with the group and scenery pictures. I do have to say our guide took fabulous pictures and they were worth the wait. Yes, I know I don't describe this adventure as a wonderful experience, it was quite strenuous, but also exciting and the view alone is absolutely worth it. Also the staff was very encouraging and if you have fear or physical concerns let them know so they can help you along the way.

My family and I did the sunset bridge climb and it was a fantastic experience. First, I sincerely…read moreappreciate how seriously they take safety. They take you through a series of procedures to make sure that you are prepared to do the climb as well check all of your equipment and that you aren't bringing anything you shouldn't onto the bridge. The attitude is still very positive and the employees do an excellent job balancing checking safety with a jovial attitude and maintaining the excitement of the adventure. Our bridge guide was Rhys and I cannot say enough good things about him. He did an excellent job sharing the history and fun facts about the bridge and Sydney while taking very good care of our group. We bought our nine and 11 year old sons with us and he was incredible with them answering their many questions and encouraging their enthusiasm. I have wanted to do the bridge climb for several years now and this experience surpassed all expectations. Anticipation can oversell the actual experience, but not this time. Thanks to Rhys and crew, we had a great experience.

This pool is great- the staff are grand and the water is warm in winter and refreshing in summer!…read moreAlways crystal clear and clean. Really safe venue and nice to go to. They have swimming lessons and a small gym

We just recently became patrons with our little girl who takes swim lessons there…read more The quality of the lessons are superb. We've been to different pools, but here suddenly she flourishes in the pool. The pool is quite modern, with an indoor slide and a little adventure world for the little ones. There is an outdoor pool, everything is still pretty new and clean. At time you can't find parking at their car park, which is frustrating as street parking is rare. The only downside is the staff. Arrogant pushy unfriendly girls working at the reception and the school. I nearly slapped one little tart who came and started to tell me off about something she got wrong. Not sure where they take their attitude and confident from that this is how you talk to clients. Thus my 2 star rating. The clientele is made up of Chinese, Indians and Caucasians. So don't expect a fistfight. Last not least. The coffee shop seems to be serving Caucasians first. So depending if you like that sort of behaviour, could be good or bad.

Absolutely wonderful place to take surf classes, can't recommend highly enough. Let's go surfing…read moreMaroubra has really friendly staff who want to help you to get stoked about surfing or improve specific facets of your surf style. Lars, our instructor, was knowledgeable, super friendly and patient in helping us learn to surf and move to tackling larger waves along with giving us important information about rips and surf safety. Our two hour class had 4 people at differing levels so got a lot of time enjoying personal instruction. This course really got me excited about surfing and confident in handling waves up to 3-4 footers. Was a super enjoyable time. The lets go surfing Maroubra location also has changing rooms and storage for your kit/gear while your out in the water.

We had a great experience. We did a private dive with Jimmy with our family - a shore dive off of…read moreShelley Beach. We were mostly new divers but had a wonderful time. Would reccomend!

Amazing crew. My two sons and I went out with Jimmy and Jordan and had a great Discover Scuba dive…read moresessions. Terrific guys, great staff, easy reservations, great gear! Highly recommend!