Recently I had good reason to go to Ballena Bay Isle Marina twice within a month. My boat is pretty big (57') and I was nicely accommodated at one of the refurbished docks. This is a delightfully busy marina with lots of hand-launched vessels, personal watercraft, all manner of sailboats, and every conceivable powerboat. The staff are super friendly and always on hand to help. The fuel dock is a bit tight (for a big boat). Some of the docks are a bit rickety. But it is clear there is an investment in the facilities and some of the former neglect is being replaced with first-class marine materials. Pier 29 Restaurant has an amazing selection and the food is well prepared, well presented, and reasonably priced. DO NOT MISS the Moroccan Restaurant tucked around the back (Saturday night pre-fixe dinner is the best deal in town). There's also a mom-and-pop shop near E-dock. The Ballena Bay Yacht Club is welcoming and inviting. There's even boat rental. Great spot for a weekend away. read more

As a vendor with a yacht detailing company (Salty Sparkles Interior Detailing), I am routinely at this harbor. The office staff are extremely helpful and friendly. The slips are slowly being replaced. The views are unbelievable, the peninsula and San Francisco can't be beat at sunset. Everyone seems to love this place including the liveaboards. I have met people at the yacht club and they are so nice, I'm thinking about joining even though my sailboat is in Half Moon Bay. I would seriously think about moving my boat here if you are looking for an East Bay location thats safe and peaceful. read more

Safe Harbor Ballena Isle - Walking path at Ballena Isle. View of San Francisco. - Boating Near Me - Alameda, California

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Traveling sailors should note that this marina does not provide guest slips when the marina is closed, so don't plan on going here on any holiday, even if you book ahead of time and arrive ahead of time. It seems odd that this would be the case since they also close every night...It's surprising they advertising guest slips at all. We recently tried booking one night for the Thanksgiving holiday and despite our offer to meet and provide our documentation and payment ahead of time, when the marina was open, they were not at all accommodating. We requested the booking on the Dockwa network and had to wait 2 days for the bad news, further limiting our options. Spare yourself the wait and trouble and book at one of the many friendly marinas on the Bay who are supportive of getting out and exploring by water! read more

The front office staff is wonderful. Great customer service. However this marina is practically a dump. The docks are falling apart. Im sometimes afraid that the dock will fall apart when I walk on it because it doesn't seem stable. Yesterday we had some super high 35knot winds and I saw one part of the dock get covered in water. The women's restroom/showers are always somewhat dirty. There are ants everywhere. I even brought some back to the boat because I didn't realize a few had crawled into my gym bag. I don't understand how women could use these restrooms/showers and not pick up after themselves. I'm cleaning the restroom myself because someone decided it would be a great idea to give themselves a haircut. There is hair all over the place. I gave this place 2 stars because the front office staff people are very nice. read more

Safe Harbor Ballena Isle - Super windy! - Boating Near Me - Alameda, California

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I have lived in this marina for over ten years. For most of this time it has been a very beautiful place and an exquisite location. But due to neglect the once lush vegetation which surrounded it has decayed. The docks were poorly constructed and are disintegrating underfoot. The walkways have been bulldozed for five months for improvement, and meanwhile I undergo weekly power and water shortages without warning. What's left of the landscaping is in freefall. The saving grace used to be the slip fees which remained almost level. But now with everything disintegrating they have raised the liveaboard fees by $100.00 per month. It used to be such a beautiful place, but now is in such sad shape. read more

While paying to rent a slip, and with permission, my sister left her truck in the parking lot while moving. They had her email address, as the slip fee was never late. Had my sisters truck towed. I just had to take a day off work and spend close to $2000. To get the truck out of impound. After being loyal tenant and customer for years, and after making arrangements in advance, and it's not like those parking lots are filling up. Really ? And not so much as an apology. Treating people this way tells a lot about the management. read more

Ballena Isle Marina has made great strides to modernize the marina under safe harbor -- our dock is a newer addition and it is wonderful. You cannot beat the location on the south shores of Alameda (I do not miss the estuary!). Office staff are helpful, professional, friendly and personable. Maintenance crew also great and work hard for all of us. the ballena bay yacht club and pier 29 restaurant are great places to spend a weekend afternoon. Overall the vibe of Ballena Bay is splendidly laid back. If you need a hip yachting scene, look elsewhere...otherwise, this is the place to be in Alameda. Such a wonderful spot. read more

Had lunch at pier 29 and was interested in the particulars of Safe harbor marina. On their website practically no information available. No pictures of facilities, showers, restrooms, etc. No financial information whatsoever. Apparently you have to email them. Sorry, not interested. Don't want endless sales people and emails. Every other Marina around is very open about costs, etc. up front. I guess if I have to ask , I shouldn't be there. Fine by me. I'll stay elsewhere , no problem. Cheers! read more

Ballena Isle is the ONLY marina in Alameda on the bay side of the island! Other marinas are on the Inner Harbor (across from Oakland) and require slow speed cruising for a couple miles to get to open water. At Ballena Isle you can head directly for SF and the central bay. The docks are in decent shape, and with the economic down turn there are a lot of open slips. This is a great place for dry yachting and spending a weekend since it is quiet and protected. Alameda shops and restaurants are nearby, and there is a decent restaurant on site. In our parents generation this was a destination that included a pool and tennis courts, but not anymore. The staff is friendly, the grounds nice, and I have enjoyed many years berthing my boat at this marina. read more

The staff was very nice on the phone BUT the entrance to the marina needs dredging. Very shallow! We tried to get in last weekend and ran aground right in the center of the entrance way. We were only sailing a 37 ft boat with 6.5 ft of draft. Yes - we were near low tide, but it was a +1.4. There should have been room. How can the center of the entrance way to a marina - the one place that needs depth - be so shallow?? Very strange. Surely they should be aiming for 10ft at low tide?? Minimum. At the central channel, entrance to a marina. Thanks read more

Maybe a good location but this is the worst managed marina in the bay area and anywhere else I've been in the U.S. starting with the present harbor master. If the new owners do not make the necessary changes no strctural changes will make a difference. And still considered the trash heap in the bay. read more

I agree with Jim T on one thing: it is the only marina on the Bay side of Alameda island; it really is great to be "sails up" 5 minutes after leaving the slip. And yet, after about a year, we're leaving, because the maintenance has been so inadequate. The maintenance staff is also responsible for the buildings that surround the marina, and the corporate owners (Almar Marinas) is simply not providing enough money to adequately staff the property. Specifics: --Several items that we reported when we first arrived a year ago never got fixed. These included the lock on our shore power outlet and an extremely shaky dock. --At one point, when we were considering living aboard, the office staff sent us to look at an available slip with a concrete dock that was completely broken and hanging at an angle, held only by a couple rods of rebar. That was "available?" --Just recently, our water spigot didn't work. Turns out it was broken 2 weeks before by the maintenance staff doing something else, and they had not even created a work order for it. A month later, talking with the office staff, there was STILL no work order, and still no water. The office staff are friendly and helpful, and I think the whole staff does about as well as they can. This place needs a commitment from Corporate so the facility can live up to its location. read more

This marina is in a fantastic location but it's a big DUD! The docks are wobbly and dangerous and they are patched together with scrap materials. The staff, especially the maintenance staff is rude. Power and water are intermittent. The showers are disgusting and patched with junk yard scrap like the docks. Everything in this marina has been patched by an armature maintenance staff and is marginally functional if functioning at all. The yacht club is a great yacht club and there's a sailing school with a lot of nice new, boats that give the place a more upscale initial impression than is the case. Most of the marina is empty. (for good reason) I won't be staying here again and I wouldn't recommend anyone keep even a toy boat in this place. What a shame this place had potential. read more

This Marina lives by their Safe Harbor Marina name, they are a Safe Harbor. Wonderful and attentive team. Great tenants whom we get to visit with often at Marina sponsored events! Warm, welcoming and tranquil... so blessed to be part of this dynamic community! read more

Buyer Beware! This marina is falling apart. The marina has been neglected for over 25 years. Docks are condemned and breaking apart at the ends. When pylons break and fall, management will leave them to float around and hit your boat. If you complain about anything, you are on a short list for eviction. The dock gates are often left open, so if security is important to you, keep looking until you find a marina that cares. You will be invited in with smiles, but soon after harassed about every small thing. Again, if you have a problem with anything, you must say nothing or they will evict you. Is that illegal? No, it's not. Written into the contract is a clause that allows them to dissolve the contract for 'no reason'. Sadly, we lost the one great harbor master most of us had seen in our boating history. Mark left and his replacement RIsa is a liability to this marina, you, and your boat. It is also one of the most expensive marinas in SF Bay. The management here will happily take your money, offer you live aboard, the works.. and then kick you out 2 months later using their 'no reason' clause. There was such a lovely community there until Risa showed up and proceeded to be nice to some people and alienate others for arbitrary reasons. The rumor is if she doesn't like your shirt, you're out. If she doesn't like your boat, you're out. If she doesn't like your hair, you're out. If you say anything, she will explain how 'in demand' slips are and that she will simply replace you. If you take your boat here, you will have a bad experience. read more

Great location with nice office staff, but the owners would seem to care less about the place considering how diliapidated most of the facilities are. Not just the docks that are obviously completely unuseable, but most of the docks in use are dangerous. Many of the electrical outlets do not work, or what is worse, kind of work. It could be a really fantastic place. We go there because the surrounding area is fun and interesting, including a short dinghy ride to a beach and park, a short walk to downtown Alameda, and a very short walk to Abighail's Moroccan restaurant (can you say belly dancer?). read more

We were just evicted for complaining about be how totally inflexible the staff is. Asked for a key to the heated restroom and was told we are only allowed to use the RR they assign us. An unheated dump with one stool and one urinal. 2 months ago we could use any bathroom we choose. Asked for 1 additional parking sticker and told NO you only get 2, no exceptions. They sent out an email showing a cartoon cop reaching for his gun and warned us that there is now security at night. Sounds like we could get shot pretty easily. Risa the Harbor Master and has been there for awhile now and we have never met or seen her. She seems to avoid any contact with her customers. Management seems to think that parking and security are the major issues of the day. The lock on the gate were we go down hasn't worked in months. Anyone can get down to the boats but the bathrooms are sure secure. They tried to have a swap meet last spring and it was a huge cluster**** If you can't manage a swap meet how can you run a marina? Boaters Beware: Management's attitude is that they are doing you a favor by letting you keep your boat in this marina. Question nothing, ask for nothing, or you will be out. read more

Connie lied about the cost, lied about reserving me a slip, and then her boss was extremely hostile. I went down to the dock and talked with some live aboard people, and they said their experience hasn't been great either. read more

I have lived in a townhouse on the marina for over 20 years and have kept a sailboat in the marina for many years. I have watched as the marina has gone from decent and well-maintained to the dump it is today. The maintenance staff is very friendly and do their best, but they are paid peanuts. The whole place is in shambles, docks totally failing apart. Other marinas owned by the same company are well-maintained and have beautiful amenities, such as Oxnard and Ventura, but obviously the owners do not care about this marina. I cannot understand how the city of Alameda allows this! Its a shame! read more

Very poor conditions for Live-Aboards or even Cruise-Ins. Docks, slips and pilings are rotted, twisted & unsecured as they are pieced together with makeshift scraps from the half-ass amatuer maintenance crew. The dock boxes are broken, most without lids & many slips have loose cleats or are without rub-rails. The gate-houses are completely rotted through the wood beneath them & filled with cobwebs. Electricity seems to be a daily issue along with running water for Live-Aboards, no wifi & most electrical panel boxes; for which the shore power outlet is housed, are without covers, some sit on rotted kneeboards which are slowly sicking into the waters below. Restrooms & Showers are in pure disgust, housed in termite infested outdated units with dysfunctional stall doors, missing tiles from floors & walls, no air-circulation & has continuous plumbing issues with excess water-back up due to sludge build up & faulty drainage systems. Requests & demands from paying tenits or visitors are never met till months-on-end. Heaters never shut off in the office spaces, leaving tenits to resort to opening windows & mailboxes have gained fatigue through neglect of upkeep & weather damage, leaving the locks hard to open. Trash cans which surround the gate houses & headways are never managed & constantly left overflowing of garbage, spreading litter & debris accross the surrounding waters, grounds & parking lots. The office staff is very unorganized at record keeping & work orders are never fallowed up or even seem to be documented. the maintenance staff is extremely rude & unprofessional, has a reputation for poor morality & unskilled for the tasks they are presented. Most notably; the maintenance staff is often overheard talking about they're genitals, cursing foul language down the halls, or towards one-another from accross docks with complete disregard for others, only to indulge in they're poor attitudes & work-ethics. They ride around in a beat up little golf-cart, which has sustained heavy wear & tear through the years & makes loud rattling noices, disturbing to the entire marina in the early morning hours. Very unsettling. Unfortunately its the only Marina in the East Bay Greater-Oakland-Area with availablity on the bay side, well now you know why... Its clear too see the Harbor Master is not doing enough here, saving money for Corprete benifits only to put this beautiful location at risks of long-term deterioration is obviously not in the best interests for the power-boating/sailing community. I would not recommend this place to a dying rodent. read more

Everything you have read about this facility is true , it is falling apart. My wife was injured tripping over the decaying piers. The parent company is Alamar and they clearly do not give a @#$%. Additionally this marina is what as referred to as "hot". That is the rate of electrolysis is out of control. Your zincs will not protect you. My out-drive looked like it had cancer within months. Cost me 10K to repair. It is as the first review says the closest marina to the bay in Oakland ... but beware. The staff is generally nice but it varies. The restaurant is great but believe what you read here, the place is falling apart. read more

I had the displeasure of having a guest slip here for fleet week. This place is so run down and I'm pretty sure I saw human feces on their docks!!! And when I tried to find any staff at all you would have thought everyone went home for the holidays, terrible marina don't ever go. read more

The best marina location in the east bay area. It's a cozy little cove with immediate access to the bay. Staff is wonderful, always very nice to me. Docks need work. I like the club; look like an old fashioned throw back - lots of wood, etc. It's friendly too. read more

The bathrooms here are disgusting, the staff (when I finally found them) was abrasive and our friends that have a slip at Ballena Isle resent it. The Yacht Club looks like it couldn't pass a health inspection and the food was terrible. Stay away from this place! read more

I am giving two stars for the customer service I received from Cindy :) She is sweet and knows a ton of good places to eat around the island. However, the reason the marina get two stars is because the manager, Melissa, is a rude and twitchy. She has absolutely no people skills. Maybe she was just having a bad day, but hey rolling your eyes at a customer usually rubs them the wrong way. Suck it up and be courteous enough to demand a file after I leave. The docks are quite old but the marina has a pretty great sunset. read more