I don't leave Yelp reviews that often, but I purchased a groupon for two 2 hour paddle boarding lessons as a surprise for my boyfriends birthday. Let's just say we both had a blast! My boyfriend is asking if we can go back tomorrow! read more

Surf Ballard - Mastering the paddle board and the Sound. - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Seattle, Washington

They were super-nice and helpful to us, which was especially appreciated since we're pretty new to SUP. Do be aware that you're going to have to carry your boards from their shop down to the water, and it's a seaweedy beach. But if you can deal with that, you'll be paddling in a great spot with plenty of boats and wildlife to watch. read more

The staff and owner were very helpful and friendly. You can leave your keys with them, which is very convenient. If first time sup I would watch the video they have on website before. Or you can watch it there. I like that it's a very short walk and you are in the water!! Once you are done they have a changing room and a outside shower you can rinse off on. They also have some apparel , sunscreen and sunglasses for sale. Its a cute little shop. read more

This place is my go-to for SUPing. Shilshole is awesome and you can see some amazing sealife- seals, huge jellyfish (don't fall in!), etc. depending on when you go. The weeknight evenings are awesome, very calm vs. a Sunday afternoon full of boats. I've always done rentals, I think it's an hour and then just the other day I did a lesson on a Living Social. FYI, I would not pay full price (I think it's $70) for a lesson....you can figure it out, trust me. And it's really hard to get in on the schedule anyway....and with the finnicky weather, it's risky. Make sure you call to reserve a board on hot weekends!! You cannot just show up and get a board on a warm weekend. Owner Andrew is always very friendly and helpful....it's a great beach escape out there. read more

This was my first experience paddle boarding . The staff was really nice. The boards and paddles were worn but worked fine. They had an instruction video that wouldn't play so we just went for it. It wasn't too difficult, super relaxing! Overall, a pleasant experience. read more

Purchased a deal for Surf Ballard on a daily deal site for a 2 hour stand up paddle board rental. Made reservations ahead of time (highly recommended if you are going on a weekend). Parking was pretty limited in their lot (I'd venture to say it was nonexistant but I believe that there were about 3 spots, all filled) but we didn't have a problem finding street parking just a little ways away. Came into the store, the owner had us fill out some paperwork. He asked if we had ever done SUP and neither of us had so we watched about a 5 minute video on the basics. It was very informative and talked about everything from carrying the board, to launching, to riding. You do have to carry your board across the street and down to the beachy area. To those complaning about it- what did you think when renting? You get a personal carrier? Not a big deal. We launched our paddles and were a little uneasy in the beginning. The fact that it was cloudy and gray and we weren't ecstatic about the possibility of getting wet may have had something to do with it. After a few minutes, we got the hang of it and weren't as nervous. The sun even came out and wind conditions were perfect. We misunderstood the directions for what way is best to go, so we didn't get to see the lighthouse or the park. However we still enjoyed the experience and seeing the pretty homes along the bay! I would have gladly paid to extend the time but there was a class going out after us so that wasn't a possibility. You get a 5 minute grace period when returning your board, otherwise you are charged extra. Overall, the experience was good, service was friendly, and price was right. read more

Andrew and his team are awesome! Rented SUP's for my company summer picnic and everyone had a blast, from teenagers to a 90 year old gal!! Highly recommend! read more

I just had a very brief conversation that was the worst customer service I may have ever encountered. I work in retail, so customer service is my life. Here was the conversation...Me: I was wondering if you have a reservation available for 1 person for Stand up paddle boarding tomorrow. Surf Ballard Guy (SBG): We aren't open Tuesdays starting this week. Me: Okay, are there any other days you aren't open now? SBG: (in total disgust) UH!! MY GOD! No. Me: Thanks. Bye. Unacceptable. Won't be going there! read more

Although I've driven by this shop several times I was prompted to try Surf Ballard when I saw a daily deal for them. I had only SUP'd once prior so I'm a relative beginner. My wife and I ended up reserving a rental SUP for a Sunday. The staff was laid back but very busy on this particular Sunday. The location is good, directly across the street from a drop in area. On this Sunday there were lots of boats coming and going right by the drop in area which made the water a bit choppy for beginners like us, but we got into the swing of it after a few and were off an running (by running I mean paddling). To make a long story short, we lost track of time on the water (even though they hand out water proof watches) and were late to turn in our boards by about 25-30 min. The staff seemed a little annoyed (rightfully so) and explained the rental was for 2 hours and asked why we were late. I apologized and offered to pay for an extra hour or two of the rental which was quickly turned down. We were lucky because they had a cancellation so it didn't delay another group of renters, but I felt badly because something like this could make their shop look very bad for the next customers. I really appreciate them being so understanding and not charging us, even though they rightfully could have and I wouldn't have put up a fuss. As I mentioned we're just getting started with SUP but we really enjoy their service and will definitely come back as well as tell our friends about the shop. Thanks again Surf Ballard! read more

Just took a SUP lesson this weekend from them. I'd tried before in Hawaii without success but these guys had me up and going in minutes. I'd rent from them any time. read more

My daughter and I rented paddle boards from surf Ballard. The young man that helped us was AWESOME! I wish I got his name. He was super helpful telling us where to get in the water, how to carry the boards and which direction we should paddle due to the weather current. I will definitely visit them again and highly recommend them. read more

I used a LivingSocial deal where it lets you and another person paddle board for 2 hours. My first paddle boarding experience was a blast! Got to see a seal up close and was able to paddle even with my lanky arms. For beginners, it is probably not possible to paddle to the lighthouse and back especially with the wind blowing towards you. This was a problem that I had when going back to shore because it would make paddling more strenuous. Thankfully, the owner of Surf Ballard was understanding when we came back 10 minutes late because he realized that the wind currents were picking up. Overall, the service at Surf Ballard was okay. The owner can be seen as rude because he's not the typical "happy-go-lucky" person that you would expect in a service oriented place, but nonetheless he was still very helpful when I had trouble carrying my board back to the shop. A major gripe that I had was having to carry our board to the bay. I'm not saying that the employees have to personally carry the board to the water, but it would have been nice if they provided a cart of some sorts to help alleviate some of the strain on our arms. It was already hard enough to try to paddle against the wind, but to have to also carry 2 heavy boards back to the shop is pushing it. Verdict: Great deal for getting amazing views and for first time paddle boarders. But I would recommend only going here if you have a deal, and/or for special occasions. read more

To the point of the other reviewer using the analogy about if you rent a bike do you expect them to ride it up the hill for you? This is not a very good analogy. You can't use a paddle board on the ground. So a more correct analogy would be do you expect a bike rental shop to put the bike on the ground for you so you can ride it away! Paddle boarding is popular enough and this location has no competition so that means the owner can afford to be "abrasive" sometimes and provide a level of customer service lower than what many customers may expect. If a competitor comes to market with a location closer to the water and/or better customer service at the same price, then this guy's paddle board business will die. But he seems like the type of person that doesn't care. I'd suggest going to Lake Union where you can take a swim if you want and don't have to carry a big paddle board a block and a half. If you want to do the Sound, kayaking is the better option as its much more efficient so you can explore much farther. . read more

If I could give this company no stars than I would rate as Zero and not compassionate at all. I bought the tippr coupon and it was 2 days before the expiration date and explained that I would like to ask for a credit of the amount I paid $35. My intent was to donate that certificate to a non profit organization. The front desk person said they would get back to me and did not. I then reached out again one of the owners and basically said they could not do anything about it. No customer service at all and I was only asking for what I paid to then give back to the community. Thanks for nothing. I would not recommend. read more

Let me start by saying I loved Paddle Boarding and I will be back to try again. But now let me tell you why I took off one star. We got coupons from Tippr and planned to go on Sunday. I called Saturday evening and booked 4 boards from 11-1 Sunday morning, the guy seemed busy and I didn't get to ask as many questions as I would have liked, but I did ask if a lesson was included in the rental. He said yes. Sweet! 4 newbies ready to try it out arrived early Sunday. Turns out the cool community coffee place upstairs closed down, boo :( Then the guy Andrew arrived late and when he asked who was having lessons and I told him we were. He said no. He said whoever you talked to before was wrong and they didn't do lessons, that there was a 2 week wait to get lessons for 4 people! WHAT!? that's not what we wanted to hear (especially after driving over from Issaquah!) Luckily he asked around and 2 ladies offered to take us out. Thank you Kathrine and her friend. Those ladies were awesome! And no one fell in! Started by Shilshol and went up to the Ballard locks and back. We saw seals, salmon, herons and other sea life. I was great fun and the weather was wonderful! We didn't even use wet suits! So if you go, make sure you know if you get a lesson or not, if you need it. They also have clothes and surf board rentals! read more

I'd like to start out by that the staff was absolutely wonderful. The ladies working were so kind and understanding. The owner, however, was terrible and ruined the entire trip. We booked our reservations over a week in advance, as we were excited to try out a new activity. When we showed up, they didn't have any boards returned. Half an hour of waiting later, still no one had returned their boards. While this wasn't the fault of the shop and more the fault of the reservation before us, the way that the owner handled it was terrible. First he sent us out to the beach to hopefully intercept someone with a board (how were we to know who was there with Surf Ballard and who wasn't?! The boards aren't specific). When that was unsuccessful, I walked back to the hut to see what our options were. I was open to a partial refund or a discounted day to reschedule, etc. The owner was frustrated, understandably, but then became unreasonable and took it a little out on us. He said that he could let us stay out half an hour later... which would have been ok with us, but we still didn't have boards so a half an hour of nothing is still nothing. He then said he would give us $5 off, but the reservations we had were worth $120 (paid $60 on a groupon, but still!). $5 wouldn't have even covered the gas we had spent on driving down here. His solution was to give us broken boards ("be careful. I'm not supposed to give these out and the fins are fragile"). I had a paddle that was missing 1/4 of its surface covered in gorilla glue or similar epoxy/filler. We noted that we were all beginner boarders and were given advice to go out to Discovery Cove. So we did, and on our way out, it was lovely. However, the winds picked up (it was evening, and really we should have been smart enough to check the water condition ourselves, but we were newbies and were assured it would be fine), and we could not overcome the waves on the way back. It took us 4 times as long to come back as it did to go out, and because of this, the owner wanted to charge us over $100 in late fees! Because we went to the cove on their recommendation! It should be noted that we asked if the water should be calm, that we were beginners, etc, and we were assured we would be fine. When we got back, the owner was "doing us a favor" by only charging us $40 in late fees instead of $100. We were FREEZING (were told we didn't need wetsuits--mistake), exhausted from overpaddling against waves with broken equipment, and then got hit with a fee that wasn't even our fault. We would have made it before closing had our reservation time been honored. If you're an experienced person who just wants a board, this might be the place to go. But if you're a beginner, steer clear, or at least do your darndest to avoid the owner (as other reviews seem to note, as well). Nothing about this place is welcome to beginner paddle boarders. read more

Rented paddleboards with the family. Great time out on the water today! Saw a seal and salmon spawning. Friendly and courteous customer service in a nifty little joint with lots of character. Would definitely go again. read more

This place is awesome. I booked a reservation the night before without a problem, got there early and wiggled myself into a wet suit and booties (all rentable). Most everything is self explanatory, though I would keep in mind that the struggle is real when the wind is against you. read more

I love Surf Ballard! I'll be the first to admit that I'm biased, as I run Makai Coffee Club upstairs. But seriously, the guys really know their stuff and are awesome to just hang out with. They're also all ridiculously good-looking. Dug the pug is the mascot on their logo, and his status is well deserved. Come out and watch some surf movies! read more

I rented from here when I first moved to Seattle . Was surprised there was no water safety info provided. Two weekends ago I helped rescue 2 renters from Surf Ballard, a fairly common occurrence from what I hear from other paddlers. Wind and waves were intense, not a time any inexperienced paddler should have been out. These 2 were just in street clothes and not wearing their PFDs. I watched them both flip their kayaks as soon as they came out of the cove and tried to turn into the marina. They both lost their paddles and one got separated from her kayak. She later explained that she was too cold to swim and just couldn't move. I paddled out to her and pulled her on to my board, a sailboat came around and picked up the other person and then came to get her. Yes, they made a bad decision to go out. But I also consider any place that knowingly contributes to putting people in unsafe situations is completely irresponsible and partially to blame. Tried to go talk to the guy, you can guess from his responses to other reviews how that might have gone. If you only take one thing from this - always wear a PFD and dress for possible water immersion here. Even on a hot day, the water here can be dangerous. And learn about cold water safety. read more

Nice shop. Did the Kayak rental and it was a breeze dealing with them. Also a great location to paddle out being so close to the locks and discovery park. read more

My husband turned me on to a GroupOn for this venue. $38.50 for a 2 hour stand up paddle (SUP) lesson for one. I've never been paddle boarding before, but have always wanted to try it. I was hesitant in choosing Washington Surf Academy (also called Surf Ballard) after reading other yelpers' experiences, but decided to give them a try anyway. I'm really glad I did. This experience exceeded my expectations from beginning to end. I booked my lesson for this morning, a few days in advance. Andrew (I think he's the owner) was polite and professional. Our group of 10 students were fitted for appropriate size paddles and boards. They offer wetsuit rentals for $5 if you want that. If the sun is out and the water is calm, skip the wetsuit. It was cold this morning, but within 10 minutes I was sweating and panting. Paddle boarding is quite the core workout! The instructors, Logan and Julie, were very down to earth and attentive the entire session. They had us up on our boards and paddling like pros very quickly. We saw bald eagles, herons, lots of crabs, jellyfish, star fish, and other marine life. A harbor seal followed us for part of the journey. I was so enamored with the SUP lesson, I ended up renting a board for another 2 hours as soon as we got back. It cost $40/ 2 hours to rent boards. Andrew told me if you are a frequent flier (I might be), you can buy a card for $250 that lowers the rental to $22/ 2 hours. After 4 hours of SUP, every muscle in my body is sore and I can't stop smiling. Some tips to make your experience go smoothly: 1) Be there on time. Better still, arrive 15 minutes early to get signed in. 2) Have your voucher and release form ready to go. You need to bring the actual voucher so they can scan it. The acknowledgment email isn't the same thing. 3) Listen to the instruction. They know what they are talking about. 4) Bring your own water. They don't sell beverages and on sunny days like this, you definitely need to hydrate. I highly recommend Washington Surf Academy for SUP newbies and seasoned pros alike. So fun!!!! read more

Bought a Groupon for two hours of paddle board rentals for two people. I've done this before but my friend has not. Groupon says they will give you a basic technique and safety instruction. We arrived early, but didn't get any technique or safety instruction. This was fine by me but my friend was nervous. Gave us boards that had JUST been dropped off by another group. My board was COVERED in sea weed. Would have been cool if they had rinsed them off considering you have to carry them to the water, but since we were getting in the water anyway I just rinsed it myself when we got there. we ended up having a great time and 2 hours was plenty of time to not feel rushed. Beautiful sights! read more

Andrew the owner is very responsive and Hasna as the SUP Yoga instructor is really good. My first time was last week and it was the best thing I did. I'm coming back again next week and will probably do SUP and/or SUP yoga with them for a few times this summer. I'm hooked!!! read more

took a lesson here just for fun with a friend and thought it was actually worth the while. came away with lots of useful tips and nice to be able to ask questions about technique, etc. the guys leading the lesson were great - looked the part (tanned and surf-y) and acted the part (laid back, knowledgable, patient). they offer wetsuit rentals for $5 which i recommend for anyone going after work hours and after the peak of summer. i didn't rent one and my kneecaps started shivering during the second hour...^.^ would i rent from them again? for sure. :) read more

Not impressive customer service. When I tried to ask a question, the owner/manager barely acknowledged me. He strikes me as someone who loves to paddleboard, but not someone who loves owning a paddleboarding shop an dealing with customers. He just honestly isn't that friendly; although his other employees were really nice. My main complaint is that its hard to tell if you will actually get to go paddleboarding without physically driving over there. You can't call in and actually talk to a human being; the voice recorder just tells you to go online. So, we went online and the time slot we were interested in said "7/7". We (mis)interpreted this as meaning that 7 boards were available. We called to verify but, of course, no one answered the phone and the recorder directed us to go online. So, hoping we were interpreting this correctly, we drove all the way there to have him tell us that meant that 7 out of 7 paddleboards were booked; AKA, we were out of luck. We waited around on the waiting list but never got to go, so we spent a ridiculous amount of time on a beautiful sunny Seattle afternoon waiting around in his shop. This would have been completely avoided if the website made any sense. If a time slot is full, it should clearly show it that way so that you don't drive across town for nothing. When we nicely informed him that his website was misleading and that we tried to call in but couldn't get through, he was defensive. The other employee said we should have just emailed him; this is not intuitive at all - how were we to know that the shop checks its email regularly enough to have our question answered quickly? On a positive note, the shop sells really cool gear, nice (though expensive) clothing for both men and women, waterproofing accessories. They show you an informative video before you go out on the water. Also, they'll loan you a waterproof case for your phone so that you can bring it with you when you are out on the water so that you know what time it is. I might try it again next summer; hopefully by then the kinks are worked out in their online system. read more

Nice guys, local business, great customer service, laid back atmosphere.

It's a surf shop that is friendly to beginners, so few are. Thanks guys for making my outing so enjoyable.

Cute local surf shop across from Shilshole Bay. Got a great deal on a groupon for a paddleboard rental, and now I'm going to give the SUP yoga classes a try. Easy check in, check out process, and you can use the changing room to swap out your gear for a paddle. Kudos to the team on their educational video :) read more

The owner and his staff at Surf Ballard most definitely wears a hang-ten attitude. Extremely friendly, easy-going, and out-going. They were very informative as far as how we should treat our keys and cell phones while out on the water. We had a group of 7 people, all except one didn't purchase the Living Social deal for Stand Up Paddle boarding. The owner was generous enough to let my friend rent at the Living Social deal's cost. Surf Ballard definitely gave ALL of us the greatest first experience. read more

These guys blow. They are very rude and unappreciative of your business. To get to the beach you have carry the board across the road and then across a parking lot and then down the steps to finally get to the water. Never again, read more

The real deal, for surfers, by surfers. Have a question? They have an answer. Great boards, great suits, and good people.

I went paddle boarding here during the summer with a friend. I didn't have a reservation, but the staff was accomodating and worked extra hard to get me a rental. One of the instructors was there for board yoga, we had a very interesting conversation - very friendly staff. The only reason this was not a 5-star experience is because the Ballard Locks has a lot of boat traffic, making it more wavy, thus making it easier to fall ;-) read more

Last year (2011) I bought a deal on one of those sites like groupon or living social or some such thing and never used it because they were booked full for every weekend for the rest of the summer. This year I looked at my deal, 2 hour lesson, tour, and rental, and realized it said, "this deal does not expire". Woo Hoo! Time to paddleboard!! I booked the lesson and although the shop was not happy about the deal, they honored it because...well...there it was, in plain writing, "this deal does not expire". This is a precisely timed expedition and if you are 5 minutes late, you're making 10 other people wait for you, plus the shop owner has to get back in time to open the rental shop. I saw a lot of reviews of people mad that the group left without them but it says very clearly when you book your lesson to be there 15 minutes before the lesson. Don't make your tardiness other people's problem. It shows a serious lack of concern for others. The lesson wasn't much of a lesson. It consisted of about 2 minutes on how to stand up on your board and how to properly paddle but honestly, that's really all you need to know. The excursion was fun but I'm looking forward to doing this again with a rental and at my own pace. I felt pressure to paddle faster and harder because the group has to kind of stay together. There were two guys who led the excursion, Andrew (I think the owner) and another young guy (can't remember his name). One was much more patient than the other but in general both were perfectly nice. In general, the shop was clean, the equipment was in good shape, the guys are nice (and they really appreciate of tips). I'll be back to rent again soon. read more

Best shop in town with a great staff and quick, easy access to Puget Sound for paddleboarding.

Really helpful and friendly staff. Paddle boards were exactly as you'd expect rentals to be. Pretty convenient location with good parking. Water is a short walk from the shop. read more

I adore this place for a Sunday morning retreat on the sound finding my santosia in shavasana during paddle board yoga. This has become a tradition of me and a close friend and we look forward to it and are sad summer is almost over. The rentals are we cared for and staff very helpful. They teach you proper technique and I feel like a pro now I had to buy my own paddle board read more

Great shop, the best surf shop I've found in Seattle. Knowledgable guys and good selection. Nice spot too. And yes, things changed a bit. Their new hours are posted right on their website however, so you can't be too upset about that. Winter is slooooow for everyone in any retail shop, so it makes sense that the shop is open select days only. read more

Though I was new to paddle boarding, I wasn't keen on getting a lesson; my experience with lessons has been that the slowest learner sets the pace for entire group, wasting time others could be spending practicing the actual activity. Fortunately this wasn't my experience at Surf Ballard. We did a brief introduction to the sport followed by getting up and going; the staff then spent the extra time necessary on the water with the folks who required the additional instruction. I got my full 2 hours' worth on the board, and had a great time chatting with the staff and fellow SUPers while on the water. read more

I enjoyed the stand up paddle boarding but not the staff. The guy seemed like he had a job that he did not enjoy but was still there doing it anyways. After using my credit card there my bank sent a letter and a new card saying there was some problem where I used my card. My balance isn't the best but the board I had was fairly wobbly, I stand 6'2" and 210lb, not sure if he really thought through what board to give me. The only helpful thing about this place was the website and some information they have on SUP. read more