Rachel is awesome! Super knowledgeable of the ocean, water, marine life, and history of the area…read more What a rad human being to have guiding the tour. As it turns out, all of the harbor seals, and sealions have names. We befriended one named Steve, he is much better at swimming than I am. He also taught me secret techniques to paddling. This one Pelican named Parry got into a barking match with some sealions, which is a fight he wasn't gonna win, let's be honest. Though I was hoping to see an M-A-N-A-T-E-E ... next time! If you're gonna go down on Haley street, where the dogs are easy and the sun is cheap, you never know just who you'll meet, on Haley. (But hopefully it's Rachel from the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, and you get her kayak tour; shout out!)

A heartfelt thank you to Santa Barbara Adventure Company for creating such a memorable birthday…read moreexperience for our daughter. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. We had a fun ferry ride to the islands and even got to slow down to watch a large Sunfish (Mola Mola) snacking on some jellies. I recommend getting in line early to secure the best view seating on the ferry. Our kayak guides, Chuck and Adam, were exceptional--knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They made the entire trip both fun and informative, while ensuring we always felt safe and well cared for. We were fortunate to have perfect weather and warm water, which allowed us to explore all seven sea caves--many of which are inaccessible during high tide or rougher conditions. It made the experience even more special. Having lived in Santa Barbara for 22 years, this was my first time visiting the islands, and it was truly unforgettable. The pristine landscapes, abundant sea life, and even spotting several tiny island foxes while enjoying our picnic lunch, made it an unforgettable adventure. We can't wait to do it again--highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and exceptional experience!

Joel and Cooper, thanks for the great ride yesterday (03-31-2025) through the channel! You were the…read morefriendliest crew. The whales decided to take a day off, but sea lions and bottlenose dolphins swimming near and around the Sunfish was priceless! Choppy waters, Joel, you maneuvered with ease. It was a fun morning! I look forward to another chance to see the gray and humpback whales! Thank you for being the best crew! I hope to join you again! Book with Channel Islands Expeditions! I can't wait to experience one of your other adventure options.

Smooth training on how to do the work and easy layout on the boat. Food was delicious and…read moreaccommodating. I would reccomend this experience to those who are fascinated with the unusual, wildlife or history. The team/crew also had good communication between themselves or the passengers.

This is my go-to adventure on a sunny morning in Santa Barbara. I joined the monthly member club…read moreyears ago and would go kayak a few times a week. It is hard to maintain with my work schedule, so now I sneak in a workout every so often which is great because you can pay by the hour for any activity. Try the single, tandem kayaks or paddle boards. After you sign the waiver, you just got check in and put your things in the locker and walk to the dock. It's that easy. Grab your equipment and go! The latest workout included sea lions, pelicans, cranes, and waves from other boaters and water activists. Have a great time with friends or relax on your own. It's worth the fun!

I was searching online and happen to see there was a Groupon for this place which is a great deal…read morefor first timers. I had to call the store to figure out how to apply the Groupon code when booking. It took two tries as there are two codes on the Groupon but at least one of them for accepted. The place was easy to find once you find a parking space. That was a bit difficult either find a spot in the parking lot to the left or tiny parking lot in the right closer to the store. There are complementary lockers onsite to put your belongings in during the tour which was nice. The tour guide gives you a quick tutorial how to paddle for beginners. They go over the map where the tour will go and you are off. There was just 3 of us in the group and we got a choice to paddle out to the ocean or stay in the harbour. We went out to the sea. Our guide was super nice and took photos of us during the tour and emailed or can air drop them at the end. The views were nice as no clouds that morning. We saw a few sea lions and tons of birds. The only recommendation I can say is to update the description as one of the reasons I selected this place was because it was one of the few that advertised a tour for 2 hours. Our tour only lasted 1.5 hours.

Thank you to our kayak guide Cullen! It was fun to explore the sea caves of Santa Cruz Island…read more Cullen was thorough with safety, knowledgeable of the wildlife, and attentive to us throughout the experience to make sure we were all having fun and being safe. The 2.5-3 hour adventure was worth it. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in kayaking, but they also have a shorter trip!

I was originally assigned to be in Nora's kayaking group, but I was later reassigned to Marley's…read moregroup. Despite my initial confusion, this reshuffling was sorted out quickly for me. Our guide Marley was fantastic and helped keep calm during moments of chaos (i.e., me flipping my kayak over by leaning too hard). Going through the caves in a kayak was more challenging for me than I anticipated, but these were lessons well learned. I am not sure if it was the ocean waves, or the shock of falling into the ocean multiple times, but I gradually developed a motion sickness (ocean sickness?). We were advised and welcomed to "feed the fish" (i.e., vomit into the water), which I needed to do often. Marley was also well-prepared and provided me with so much ginger candy to help with my nausea. The ginger candy did help, but "feeding the fish" probably did more to relieve my nausea. Although I "fed the fish" many times on the kayak tour, I still had a wonderful time exploring the island by sea. Given that it was my first time kayaking, it could have gone much worse.

Got scuba certified here a few weeks ago with James and cannot recommend the whole experience…read moreenough! I was someone who had some concerns about diving but with James help I completed my certification with a new love for diving.

From the owner: Dive Santa Barbara has been serving California divers for over 35 years. Whether you are Looking…read morefor a SCUBA certification or for high quality SCUBA gear, we are here for you. We have been your local PADI Dive Shop ever since our founding over 35 years ago. We have a large inventory of all of your scuba diving essentials. We are located in Santa Barbara, California right next to the pubic boat ramps in the harbor.

First off, the actual kayaking experience was nice, decent price and well built kayaks but they…read morecould use a hose off between use. But, the staff member mike really needs to work on his customer service skills. When we walked in he didn't greet us at all and told us to "come to the window" as if we should already know where to go (it was our first time) then when the iPad was not working properly he made no effort to apologize or give a solution. He was also rude and off putting when I asked for a rash guard. I wanted to stay warm in the sometimes chilly ocean and when I asked for the shirt his reply was "you won't get rashed up kayaking" as if that was a dumb request to make. Like I said before, kayaking was a nice experience but mike really needs some work.

The time on the listing is wrong. We came an hour and a half before the closing time listed here…read moreonly to find that they stopped giving out paddle board rentals. No where on the website does it say that they would stop giving out rentals at a certain time. It only says that you must return the rental before closing hours. We were really disappointed...

Chartered the sunfish for a two hour sunset whale watching cruise last night and it was incredibly…read morefun!!!! Roger was a terrific captain. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and just all-around awesome. Cheyenne was terrific as well. My group of 10 could not have had a better time. We weren't even sure we would see whales and we saw tons of them and we saw about 100 dolphins and adorable sea lions and other fish just swimming around our boat. What a phenomenal experience! So highly recommended!!!

If you're thinking about taking this tour just do it! From the moment you arrive these guys treat…read moreyou like your best friend visiting the islands for the first time. They show you all the cool stuff answer all your questions. It's been a few days and we're already missing them! They are truly lovely to chat with. When it was time to hit the activities they went to work showing their skills and knowledge. FYI we're vegetarian and the lunch was lovely- so make sure you order that too! Thanks Captain Dan and crew! It was a bucket list day we won't forget!