We got in touch with Captain Sean to help celebrate my girlfriend's 30th and had a fantastic time!…read more We set sail in the morning to the Channel Islands, then kayaked through sea caves, snorkeled in the kelp forests, hung out with the seals, and chilled on the boat with a some drinks, sandwiches, potato salad, and cake. Captain Sean also didn't blink an eye when I had a couple dietary restrictions in terms of provisioning the boat. Overall the experience was definitely an adventure we'll remember and we're already itching to find a way to get back in the sea again.

People were friendly and informative! We saw whales, a massive school of dolphins and seal lions…read morethey were knowledgeable and attentive.

We had a great experience with Island Packers Cruises two days in a row! I booked our day trips…read morewell in advance to Santa Cruz Island (Scorpion Anchorage) and Anacapa Island. We got super lucky with the weather and both sailings went smoothly. Island Packers staff members were friendly and knowledgeable about the channel and islands. We also got to see so much marine life! Both days we spotted humpback whales, which the staff were quick to point out. We also got to see two massive pods of common dolphins! This was such a cool experience, especially since they love to play in the boat wake. Overall, Island Packers provided a seamless, well-organized experience.

I used this company 3 times to get out to 3 of the 5 islands that are part of The Channel Islands…read moreNational Park and every experience was very good. First day I took this ferry out from Ventura Harbor to the Santa Cruz Island and it was about 90 minutes and we got to see plenty of dolphins and whales. And if wildlife is spotted, they make it a point to stop so we can watch the animals up close! Note that day trippers and campers are all packed onto this ferry. Second day, I took the ferry from Ventura Harbor to Santa Rosa Island and the ride out was 3 hours, so plan for that. Again, we saw quite a lot of wildlife. We also on the way back, got a really nice look at the Painted Cave. Third day, I took the ferry from Oxnard Harbor to Anacapa Island and it was about an hour. This was a much smaller ferry, limited selection in their galley. Again, saw plenty of wildlife and got a nice video of a humpback whale. All 3 experiences were excellent and would use them again. Note that ferry ticket isn't cheap, so plan for that. Also not the different harbors that have ferries out, lots of options. I would definitely use them again next time I return!

We had an amazing time with Capt. Dan in Oxnard and out on the ocean. He entertained us with tales…read moreof his ocean adventures and his life on land. The boat is lovely and our group of 5 had an amazing time out on the water. We were very fortunate and got to cruise with a pod of dolphins for 45 minutes. I cannot recommend him highly enough. I will definitely be seeking out the Captain next time I'm in town.

Captain Dan took us out to scatter my father's ashes. He is great captain. He has great stories and…read moremade the trip enjoyable. I look forward to chartering his services and the Ciao Bella for a fishing trip soon. Five stars all the way.

I love the Ventura Harbor and it's my most frequented harbor in Ventura county. This one feels like…read morehome and has that nostalgic feeling since I've moved here as this was always the place I'd escape to for some good eats and seaside vibes. There is so much to love about the Ventura harbor. They host great events here and there is always something going on. I love when they hire live music on the weekends so that when you're walking around you can enjoy the tunes. A great selection of restaurants here and some nice variety. I love that the harbor has Mexican cuisine, seafood, brunch spots and Greek food. Also some newer spots with arcades and beer have popped up which is great for pulling in a larger crowd/audience. This harbor has always seemed relatively safe to me. I don't see much of security or law enforcement presence but I appreciate that as it just is on the safer side. Like anywhere be aware of your surroundings but I'm happy it's always a safe and family oriented spot. Plenty of parking, easy to get to from the freeway. It's a perfect tourist destination but also locals love it here as well. Cute shops, especially their clothing and pottery store. There is a lot to see at the Ventura harbor but it's also quaint and cutesy. Not too big and you can see everything in about an hour or two depending on your pace (and spending) lol. Happy that the Ventura harbor continues to thrive, really a great spot.

We used to very much enjoy visiting this area for its eateries and entertainment venues…read more It turns out that they now are charging for simply parking. We turned right around and went back home. Not going there any more! Forget that noise. Too many businesses buckle and dimeing. Gouging were they have no business charging. Not a recommendation!

I just purchased my first sailboat - and it's big. (My rigging guy patiently explained that…read moreusually, you buy a 25 foot boat in your younger days, then move up gradually). Well, my circumstances dictated a larger first boat. Insurance was difficult to obtain, and when I did, they asked for 30 hours of sailing and a sign off from a licensed captain. Captain Joe of Far West marine agreed to be my mentor, and I could not be happier; an expert sailor, an intuitive teacher, and an interesting person to spend time with. We have finished our insurance requirement and I feel like I've made a good friend. Im sure we will sail again in the future.

I recently bought a 27 foot yacht but had no clue how to drive it. I had a few "expert" friends…read morevolunteer to teach me but the size of the boat was bigger than anything they had experienced so they kept crashing into stuff and causing all kinds of problems. I quickly realized I'd need professional training or else the boat would never be enjoyed and might as well be sold. Luckily, I was able to find Captain Joe online. Joe is everything you would want in a marine mentor or coach. He's extremely knowledgeable but also patient and knows what to say and when to say it so you learn while also feeling safe . After a few hours under his tutelage we went from not even being sure how to really start the boat to being able to pull it in and out of the slip ourselves, get it to the ocean , get it on plane, drop anchor. He also went around and did a basic safety check of everything on the boat and gave some recommendations for a simple maintenance plan . Joe is also full of good stories so it's fun just to hang out with him. I'd definitely recommend far west marine for anyone interested in getting into nautical piloting and seamanship .

Enjoyed our kayaking time with Ventura Boat Rentals! Truly inexpensive for a double kayak for the…read morehour. Ladies were truly helpful! Would do this again!

The lines can get long & a bit slow moving on weekends, holidays, or during the summer, but I…read morehonestly think it's worth it. Once you are able to get your boat, kayak, etc. and you're set loose throughout the harbor, it's a wonderful experience. We came here on Mother's Day and rented one of their swan paddle boats. We had to wait around 20~30 minutes from when we got in line to when we were on our rental, but then had a wonderful hour paddling around the harbor. Really no complaints. And I will say that the entire staff was friendly and accommodating. They were doing their best to get people out on the water, docked back in, & all that. They were just swamped with people. I don't know if I would say they were understaffed as there's just limited doc space that more employees running around would just cause more issues. I just want to call that out. Be patient. They really are doing their best to get people out & enjoying themselves.

We took the ASA 101 Sailing Course with Capt. Dan and it was absolutely superb! Wiley is a lovely…read moreboat and the perfect vessel to train on. Capt. Dan was incredibly thorough, communicated directly, and is an excellent teacher. He also did a terrific job of tailoring the lessons to the skills of his students. Any day out on the water is a good one, but the four days we spent with Capt. Dan were truly some of our best on the water to date! Can't wait for the 103!

We Had An Awesome Time! June 2025…read moreCaptain Dan and his Bosun, Dennis provided an exceptional sailing trip to Anacapa Island for us. We enjoyed the sail over to the island where we anchored and had a delicious Mediterranean style lunch. We got to see a lot of Sea Lions, a few dolphins, and a huge Mola Mola Sunfish. My future daughter-in-law took her turn at the wheel and really enjoyed being able to do that! We had some pretty big waves on the sail back to the harbor but Captain Dan's and Dennis's sailing expertise navigated us back to the harbor safely. We highly recommend sailing with Sail Channel Islands

Had a great time with our grandsons on a half day charter. Doug knows the Channel Islands well.read more

An incredible experience! Doug is a knowledgeable Captain who expertly navigated around the Channel…read moreIslands. He brought us to a quiet cove to enjoy lunch (and swimming if desired), showed us sea lions basking in the sun, sea caves where kayaks were exploding, dolphins, and other sites. Being out on Doug's boat for the day was a wonderful experience that our family won't soon forget. Definitely recommend having Captain Doug show you around the Channel Islands.

This is long due review. You should be WARNED that whatever is discussed with MICHELLE! If it's not…read morewritten even if she VERBALLY says it. She is not up to her word. she will change her mind Problem is that she is very moody and changes her mind instantly including the day of your event. Could even cancel your event! She doesn't care! Apparently has done that before! She also gets involved during your event as if she's the " event planner" when her outfit is not a fit or appropriate and should be dressed more properly! At least you're the owner and the least you can do is DRESS PROPERLY! Even if the space is nice, you don't want to deal with the headache and stress with this lady. Do yourself favor and find something else! RUN I was helping my friend find a venue for an engagement and unfortunately she stumbled upon this one because of the pictures! Again don't be fooled! IT WAS booked unfortunately Some things that were AGREED Upon before signing the contract were changed! Including the day of the event. It was agreed there florist can arrive early to set up. As I was helping the florist set up. Only certain number of people were allowed to get in! We were given at least one hour before contract was signed and she declined that the day of the event. so to save time, we needed more people to set up before guests were allowed to come inside. So she has her workers count and say only this amount of people are allowed and they were asking people That were setting up to leave ! EXCUSES ME! When are we gonna finish setting up if you didn't allow us the time there you had AGREED ON! That caused unnecessary confusion to the guests and stress for the bride and groom. It was also discussed that you are able to use the upstairs room for the prayer until the bottom one is ready as she had another event in the morning before our event and again we're not allowed to get in one hour before as she had agreed so had to rush and set up. Well! Guess what happened. When guests arrived. She only allowed certain number of people go inside when these people have driven for hours to respect the bride and groom. She left them outside until the main event started Downstairs. Why did it matter is my question! Why MICROMANAGING EVERYTHING. MICROMANAGING AT ITS FINEST! few days before the event, MORE surprises with additional charges that had never been clearly communicated beforehand. Even simple technical requests came with unexpected costs and restrictions, making coordination unnecessarily complicated. It was asked from a DJ to come as the sound system there wasn't going to be the best. When she was informed, she YELLED at the person over the phone and refused! The DJ apologized saying I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. He refunded saying good luck dealing with this human being! Communication with management ( MICHELLE) was inconsistent and at times unprofessional. After asking for an inappropriate offer from the bride, the tone noticeably shifted, and flexibility became minimal. This made the planning process more difficult than it needed to be. This is a business! I don't understand how It's run when the customer is always treated this horrible! How is she still in business! It surprises me! To add to the frustration, one of our event items was "discarded" the very next day without any notice or opportunity for pickup -- something that should not happen when dealing with personal property. We were told we threw it away! Ummm obviously it's ours and we're entitled to it and clearly brought it with us. So what I think is that she kept it to use for her future guests and overcharge because that's her motto! You paid for the food and any left over she kept and there was lots of it! Probably to treat her staff or for herself in the expense of other people. Unsure why! Even the cake! I'm so confused! If it wasn't tight with timing! We would have chosen another venue! NEVER AGAIN.

We had a beautiful holiday event here that we may well repeat. It was a round success. A little…read morechallenging to plan but my time was limited. Incredibly beautiful, quaint and perfect for a party of 50. Food was delicious.

My family wanted to do something completely different for a change. We have been to Magic Mountain,…read moreDisneyland (expensive too), the movies, BBQ at the park and the beach. We went online to look for something and my son who loves to fish saw the website for the Breakwater Charter. I'm not a fan of boats or the water, but I'll try anything once. Well the kids and the wife LOVED the adventure! We sailed with Captain Bob and had a blast. The water was not to bad, my son fished with Capt Bob assisting (instead of at the jetty). The rest of the family and a couple friends had a wonderful time just enjoying each others company, no cell phones, no tablets and no TV, it was heaven being out on the open water. We got to see the seals playing, other boaters relaxing too and fishing and kayakers. The Islands were magnificent and a sight to see. We are planning another boat trip soon, this was truly a fun and happy experience for the entire family.

From the owner: The Breakwater is pleased to share a new season of Island Adventures and Sportfishing in 2016. We…read morewant you to join us in the fun! We offer a wide variety of Island Adventure trips to the Channel Islands for single day Fishing, Kayaking, Snorkeling, Hiking trips and more. Our boat is the perfect private getaway for a family or group of friends. The Breakwater is available for private charters, with accomodations for up to 6 people. The advantage of a private charter aboard the Breakwater provides passengers with all the necessary amenities offered by larger sport fishing vessels, but gives you more room to fish, less tangles and leaves you with a more intimate experience. Whether it's fishing, taking a tour around the islands, spending the day with friends or family or even a burial at sea, the Breakwater will create a memorable day on the water. Call us today to book your trip at: 805.302.9240