First time at Rusty's Surf Shop in Del Mar and such a great experience. We were in the area for lunch and ice cream and decided to wander in because our girls have been really excited about boogie boarding... and to be honest, we know absolutely nothing about it. We also love supporting small businesses when we can, so this felt like the perfect stop. Right when we walked in, we noticed how clean, organized, and well-stocked the shop was. There's a ton to choose from, which could feel overwhelming, but the two women working behind the register immediately stepped in and made the whole experience easy and actually really fun. They took the time to understand what we were looking for -- something beginner-friendly that the girls could enjoy without it being too advanced. One of the boards the girls were drawn to was actually more high-performance, and instead of just selling it to us, they guided us to a better option. Honestly, they saved us money and probably saved us from a frustrating first experience. They walked us through how to properly size the boards, explained what to look for, and even set everything up at checkout -- attaching the leash and showing the girls how to use it. They also gave a few quick tips that made us feel way more confident heading to the beach. That kind of service is rare. We also picked up a rash guard for my husband (great quality, he loves it) and a cute little shell bracelet that was perfect for the beach vibe. Is it the absolute cheapest place you'll find a bodyboard? Probably not. But the quality, the guidance, and the customer service more than make up for it. You're not just buying a product here -- you're getting help from people who genuinely care that you have a great experience. We'll definitely be back next time we're in Del Mar. read more

Rusty Surfboards Del Mar - Purchases pink and teal boards. - Sporting Goods Near Me - Del Mar, California

See all

Rented a surfboard and wet suit for the day. Took less than 2 minutes to get and return at the end. Smooth and reasonable pricing! Would 100% recommend. read more

They were very friendly, real calm atmosphere. Helped with questions I had, but didn't hover over me.

I've purchased two cans of Blackseal cement from Rusty Del Mar. The first was already opened and about half empty. I figured stuff happens and a couple ounces of wetsuit cement isn't a big deal. I purchased another can on 9/11/24. 4:55 P.M. Cashier:Kris Associate: Aaron. This can was also opened and about 3/4 empty. SurfRide in Solana Beach doesn't have this issue. The cans are always sealed and 100% full. Do better guys. read more

I love this place! Every time I've been here the staff members have always been super friendly and helpful. Today I went in regarding my wetsuit and it's warranty they helped me get my wetsuit packaged up, got me a service ticket for it and went across the street and got it shipped out all in the quickest 30 minutes of my life. Prices can be on the higher end but the quality and variety in all their products makes it worth it. Come shop here! read more

Got friends in town who want to hit the beach? Style them out here. They do boogie board, surfboard, and wetsuit rental at really reasonable rates. $50/day for surfboard, $25/day for the others and you're not getting the bottom of the barrel equipment that some other shops rent out. If you're a tourist or have never surfed before they also do lessons, but for locals the best part about this place is the apparel. They've got really rad merch and there's always usually a sale rack outside so I've pick up some pretty sweet deals on board shorts, sandals, etc. I don't really surf in Del Mar all that often, but when I do I always make sure to pop in here to see what I can find. read more

See all

Sam is sooooo helpful! Even checked in the back for me when I couldn't find my size in sweatshirt! Such a sweet girl. Will be coming back!

What an awesome surf shop. Came here a couple weeks ago with my girlfriend and purchased a hat. I didn't like the color per my girlfriends suggestion. Came back today and kindly explained to Ella. She allowed me to select a new hat without any issues. She was very kind about it. I will come back here again !!!! Thank you for being cool. I am loyal customer. read more

So I'm not used to great customer service in shops like this but wow this place actually has it down! I was buying new yucca fins for the first time and I of course got the wrong size so I returned them for a new pair and then realized I got the wrong flex so I returned those too all within a week lol they never gave me a hard time and made it a seamless process! One of the girls also went out of her way to show me EVERY color way they had lol read more

Rusty Surfboard shop in Del Mar features surfboards and other items for surfing by the brand Rusty. Rusty is actually a well-known surfboard shaper whose products grew out of his great designs and dedication to the sport. You can identify a Rusty board by the big R logo. Rusy is now a full-line of surf-wear and accessories for men, women and children. It rivals Roxy and Quicksilver in many ways. The shop also carries other name brands such as -Billabong, Lucy Love. Electric Grapevine, Quiksilver Edition, 7 Diamonds, Istatic Clothing Co. to name a few. The shaper's name is Rusty Preisendorfer and you can find his boards all around the world. read more

See all

$10/hour for a board and $5/hour for wetsuits. Right on the beach and parking is super easy. It's right at the end of a residential street where I always park, so everything is walking distance. I only come here for my rentals. Welcoming and knowledgeable staff who really go out of their way for you. Last time I was here, they were closing at 5 and I didn't realize how fast the time went while I was in the water. It was already 4:55, and when I called, this awesome guy who was closing the store offered to wait for me for another 15 minutes. TEAM RUSTY FOREVER! read more

We've always had a great experience here. The rentals are reasonably priced, and customer service is on point. There's a guy who has been there every time I've gone in - I'm assuming he's either the owner or a manager? Such a sweet person - always greets everyone with a smile and has been super helpful every time we've come in for a rental for ourselves or someone we've brought along. Great vibes, great shop! read more

Amazing selection! It was very hard to chose a shirt. Oh yeah, scores a free sticker too. Thanks!

I was in today to buy a wetsuit for a friend for Xmas. I was helped by Nick Holdman who was incredible! He took his time and explained to me all about the differences in the wetsuits and made a great recommendation for me. I so appreciated his expertise and his honest and level headed approach. For all your surfing needs, talk with Nick. He is simply the best!!! read more

Sadly disappointed in the level of Customer Service. I came in to buy a 10 foot leash & then shirts on the sale rack caught my eye. Unfortunately, the shirts ran small & were very see through (something boys don't have to deal with). I thought a souvenir t-shirt would be nice. Larger sizes were inside & I found an identical one in my size that was darker. I asked the young surfer boys working if it was on sale or if there was a discount available. They said they weren't sure. I said well can you please confirm with your Manager. They said no, Zach Groban will get mad if we call him. I said you won't even attempt to find out. They both agreed no. I then said OK I'll take my business elsewhere. #Customer #Service #Training #Lacking = #Lost #Revenue read more

Gianna summed it up the best. Great shop. Great prices. etc etc. I'll add to the staff comment...I'm obviously a tourist. However, I pride myself on not looking like one most of the time. However, seasoned staff can always spot em..and usually give the kind of treatment warranted for them. Not so here. The staff is friendly and helpful and genuinely interested in what's up. Great shop and I'll always pop in when I'm going through DM. read more

Went in to get flip flops since the dog ate my favorite pair over the weekend (dog is lucky she is so darn cute). They had an awesome selection, and decent prices and the staff was super laid back and friendly. read more

LOVE Rusty Del Mar! The staff is super chill and super friendly. I also love their selection of girls clothes and the WALL of flip flops. I bought my favorite pair there and haven't seen them anywhere else. They also have a sweet selection of guys sweatshirts...ranging from thin and san diegan to thick and warm. OH and their boards are pretty cool too ;) read more

I will ABSOLUTELY be back to Rusty Surfboards. The people working here were incredibly friendly! They gave my dog a HUGE treat, provided me with tons of information about surf rentals or lessons and have very cute merchandise. I walked away with a $20 shirt and $40 sweater, comparable to the merchandise at Sun Diego and more reasonably priced. They had awesome music playing and the shop was laid out in a very shopper friendly way. They were very attentive to the many customers coming and going as I shopped. 5 star impromptu visit for sure! read more

Rusty Surfboards Del Mar - Sporting Goods Near Me - Del Mar, California

See all

I live in Seattle, but grew up in Solana Beach, learned to surf at Pillbox (it'll always be Pillbox to me) and will always have a spot in my heart for Rusty's. I recently placed a complicated order - I had a gift card that couldn't be used on the site - but Weston couldn't have been more accommodating. He not only helped me use the card easily, he called right away when my preferred size wasn't available. Everything was very neatly packaged and mailed out promptly - he even threw in stickers my daughter immediately put on her Baker board. Exceptional service is increasingly rare, but when a shop takes fantastic care of you..even when it's a relatively small out-of-state phone order...that deserves recognition. Thank you Weston and the rest of the Rusty's crew - I'm so glad you're still going strong and hope next time I can shop in person. read more

We stopped into Rusty's after lunch on our way to Del Mar Beach. We used to live in Del Mar and have shopped here many times over the last 30 years. In a COVID environment, the entrance was designed to really encourage/expect all visitors to wear a mask. I could tell they were mindful of how many people were in the store and the entrance caused us to pause to ensure we could come in so I don't know if they were limiting shoppers but it seemed like if they had to they would. The store always has great stuff and we found cool Salty Crew long sleeve shirts for our boys, a hat for my husband and a great Oneill top for me. The service was very helpful. They have dressing rooms. They installed plexiglass at the cashier area. It's a small store and there were no issues with distancing while we were there for about 20 minutes. It was great to be back to Rusty's and thanks for the cool gear we picked up. It's one of our "must go to" stores when we are in Del Mar. read more

Perfect store!!! I loved the custom service and the new workers the especially the new blond!!!

Great shop, great prices, friendly staff.

Great selection of boards for the size of the shop, my only critiuqie is I wish there was a larger selection of mid-lengths. I'm pretty much riding just Rusty boards 80% of the time so I'm a little biased, but over all nice selection of beach needs . I will always stop in there if I'm in Del Mar. Friendly staff with no attitude (that is a biggie, since not ever shop is like that). read more

Renee B. is crazy. Some colors just sell better than others, that's why some are on sale and some are not. This place is always friendly and helpful. I got some kick ass rainbow sandals here the other day. Great place for surf lessons too! read more

Took surfing lessons here and the instructor, Peter, was absolutely so amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and very kind! 10/10 would recommend!! read more

This was the first time I've been to Del Mar in 15 years. I grew up there and always had fond memories of shopping at Rusty. Needless to say, I was super excited to get the take a walk down memory lane & shop here. We hauled tail from Pt. Loma to get to Rusty in time on a Sunday (my last day in town). We walked in at 4:45 knowing they closed in 15 minutes. Ordinarily I wouldn't do this, but it was the only time I had to shop there. There were two guys working and there was no greeting. When I say no greeting, I mean zero acknowledgment of our entrance into the store (and we were the only ones there). There was no "Can I help you?" or "Do you want to try those on?" When a few other people walked in after us, I saw the guys rolling their eyes at each other. My husband and I both picked out a couple of t-shirts and I waited in line to pay. After they rang up the customer in front of me, they informed him that they were out of bags. The customer said "ok" with some puzzlement. The employee said, "Well, we closed five minutes ago, so..." These guys were all upset that people walked in at closing time (because someone had left the door open). I understand this is a surf shop, but seriously? I've witnessed better customer service at gas stations. I'm not really sure what the other yelpers were referring to when they said that seasoned staff can spot tourists and give them the kind of treatment warranted for them? Perhaps this is what I received, but it doesn't make sense to me. Money is money and business is business. I gave them two stars because of their customer service. read more

The guy at the store was really nice. I took off the price tag of a t-shirt that I bought a size small and he let me changed it for a different one without a problem a couple of days after. He also gave me some tourist advice about places to visit. Also, they have great surf stuff. read more

My family and I stopped by to get a couple of shirts for an event that evening. We walked in the store the staff ignored us, no " Welcome to the store." No greeting at all. A couple walked in and the staff GREETED THEM. " Welcome to the store, let us know if you have any questions." We ended up purchasing several of shirts that day. I felt uncomfortable that I had to walk out the store right away. I had to have my husband check out. I will not refer or tell friends to stop by because these two employees that decided to greet certain ethnicity of their race. I believe if you work at a place and you deal with customers the number one key GREAT CUSTOMER service no matter what ETHNICITY YOU ARE. That is how uncomfortable we felt. And that is why I needed to write this review. read more

Always helpful staff, small shop but well-stocked, good job walking the line between catering to tourists while still feeling like a local shop. read more

We looooove going to this store. Sometimes they have really great sales on bikinis and clothing items for kids. We bought two surfboards and a paddleboard here = very satisfied customer =) read more

Best surfboards in Del Mar! Must go, and must buy. Ask for Morgan. He's the best. Thanks guys! :D

Best service ever!! Loved this place, as soon as I walked in I was asked if I needed help finding anything and the employees were so genuine and nice I think their names were Olivia and Zach! HIGHLY recommend read more

Rusty's has great merchandise, but even better surf lessons! I have taken three lessons from them with different instructors every time and they have always been fantastic. Definitely recommend! read more

We were in Del Mar recently and arranged with Rusty Surfboards to give surfing lessons to our two grandchildren. The instructors were knowledgable, patient and friendly. Both instructors were terrific, and my grandchildren had a great time. The staff in the store were all helpful, making sure the wet suits fit well and helping in any way they could. I highly recommend Rusty Surfboards. read more

Super helpful and incredibly attentive staff both times I've wondered in. The women's clothing is cute and prices are really reasonable. The prices are actually similar if not cheaper than the larger Sun Diego clothing store that carries similar apparel. We brought in a puppy today and they happily welcomed us - even fed her treats!! I also loved how laid back the staff are...ready to help but also not pushy at all. Can't wait to come back for a surf lesson. read more

Great place. They have used boards too. Lots of gear and even clothing. Easy parking under the store.

Zac the owner is Mr. Del Mar! He is one of those people who is a genuinely interested in most of everyone he meets. RDM (Rusty Del Mar) is definitely worth a stop to shop. Ask Zac about anything in the local area and he will have some great insight. read more

As a Del Mar resident, I love the fact this store has stood the test of time. The guys are great, I always get greeted with a warm hello, even if I'm pulling in something off the sale rack...conveniently located right outside the door. read more

This store is RAD, if ever I need anything they go out of their way to help and offer great advice for specialty items when I need them. Whether it's a new skeg, a new leash, a gopro camera or a new wetsuit, I'd rather spend less time hunting and gathering at other stores in PB or Mission Beach. My time is precious and I'm not gonna waste it with other stores or with people talking about products that don't surf. I find peace of mind in the experience and knowledge of Zac and his assembled crew at Rusty's Del Mar. read more