Newport Aquatic Center

This place is a joke of an establishment. All of the equipment is run down and management is beyond rude. Save your money and go elsewhere

I came here to kayak and it was fun! We went out for almost two hours but they only charged us for 1 hour which was great ha. It’s good to come early in the morning so you don’t get too sunburnt. I tried the double kayak which was perfect because something you feel like your arms are about to give up. It’s so relaxing and fun.
The employees were really nice as well and they gave us nice easy directions.

This review is for the moonlight paddle with Danny.
Thanks so much to Danny and his skilled fellow paddlers for giving my boyfriend and I such a memorable experience. It was absolutely beeeeautiful to be out on the water after dark. It’s amazing to see a totally new perspective of the area in which you grew up. Plus, it was a blast learning about a boat (an outrigger canoe!) and sport neither of us had ever experienced.
Although December could be chilly, we found it a perfect time because of the holiday lights. We were lucky with the good weather and felt fine with a jacket and pants, since rowing will warm you up.
Highly recommend for a unique and fun active experience. We felt totally comfortable and safe with Danny. He was an amazing host!

Had the best day here. Free parking, extremely low cost rentals for kayaks, and very dog friendly. Despite some reviews, i found the staff here to be exceptionally helpful. It was a busy day so I didn’t even have to bring in the kayak after finishing up because there were people ready to load in. Equipment was clean and the water was beautiful. The local birds are a bit traumatized on account of my overly curious dog who proved that he was ready to put his life preserver to the test almost as soon as we got in the kayak. It was just a lot of fun.
If you are new to the water, this is a great place to start. It will give you instruction. The water is still. And you cannot tip these kayaks over.

I’ve been coming here for years to kayak and once paddle board Back Bay and Newport Harbor. Situated on the lower half of Back Bay across from the Back Bay Science Center. It is about 30 minutes to San Diego Creek or the entrance of Newport Harbor. If you want to explore Newport Harbor, there are probably other places you might want to check out, but this is the upper most and best place to rent kayaks in Back Bay.
Back Bay is the premier bird habitat in Southern California and in July the estuary is spawning season for round sting rays, which you can watch schools dart through the water. During sting ray spawning season I would avoid paddle boarding in Back Bay, but I also find the broad on shore breeze and down current make paddle boarding unenjoyable anyway.
Prices are reasonable and are worth supporting especially since it’s home to UCI Rowing. There are plenty of lockers (bring a lock) and staff is friendly. Obviously don’t go into Back Bay right after it rains or you will be in 20% of Orange County’s urban runoff.

Calmer water here since it’s more of an estuary. Lots of wildlife too! Crabs, jumping fish, birds even baby stingray!
Members and nonmembers rent the gear at the main building. If you’re not a member, fill out a waiver form on the side table first to save yourself some time. If needed, restrooms are on the back end of the building.
I came here since I’ve always wanted to try Stand up Paddleboarding and wanted to try on calmer waters before braving the ocean. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! Almost fell twice but didn’t, yes. Very slow pace but it’s relaxing. Wear lots of sunblock as I got pretty bad sunburn. Also, mind the signs! Do NOT go through the smaller channels as these are protected areas for the wildlife. Stay in the main channels and waterways.

Great for kayaking anytime since there are no waves here, easy to access and park. They have a gym and other activities if you are a local. Very laid back, they will let you go over your «1 hr kayak rental», don’t stress about it. 1 hour is not going to be enough if you want to go around Balboa Island or something, so start with 2 hours rentals and enjoy! And bring water, it’s hotter here than on the ocean, you can barely feel the breeze.

I SUP and Kayak. Nice place Newport Beach Back Bay is and I don’t have to worry about sharks in the ocean… but now thinking about it I wonder if they go from the Ocean to the bay to nap? Scare myself and now i’ll be watching every ripple in that very calm bay.
But hey this is a great place to rent water stuff, they can train you on it too and there is a rowing team (s). But I’ll be honest I’m not sure the point of rowing teams when you get put a little tiny putput motor and go like 50x faster than you could if you were a strong rower.
Well if the Greeks and Romans did it. it must be good

Whether you are a member or not, rentals are the same price. We came here to go stand-​up paddleboarding and were looking for Pirate Coast but found out that they moved locations to the Dunes. No matter, rentals are $ 20 per hour and they even give you an extra few minutes to get situated. My +1 has never been paddleboarding before but instead of the typical instruction you might get with other places, NAC just has you sign a waiver, leave an ID and lets you go on your way. They did tell us that we had to paddle out on our knees at first but that was after we had already boarded facing the wrong way. The locker rooms and indoor bathrooms are for members only. Individual memberships start at $ 500/​year and $ 750/​year for families. We didn’t see any incentives for members. There weren’t any reduced fees so other than funding the conservancy, there’s isn’t much to this membership.
There are public bathrooms around the back but they are poorly maintained. I went to use the facilities and found them dirty and the ground was littered with toilet paper. They also have porta-​potties on the beach as well. There’s a covered patio area if you want to sit for a spell and eat but they don’t sell food so you’d have to bring your own. It was hot when we went so that wasn’t really something we wanted to do. They don’t have public areas for rinsing off sand either. You’d have to borrow a hose from someone who is using it to rinse off kayaks or paddleboards. I’ve been to better places for what they charge but this place does have free parking.

LARGE FAN OF STANDUP PADDLE BOARDING! Ohhhh yeah! This was sooooo much fun! We cruised around for about an hour. It took less than 5 minutes to get acclimated to the board, and once I stood up I was ready to roll. The lines can get a bit much, but I think it’s dependent on when you get there. Parking is free! At $ 20/​hour for paddle board rental, it’s pretty affordable!

Friendly staff and crowd

Staff is awesome! Great vibes and awesome atmosphere! If you want to have a great time out on the water then the NAC is the place to be! Long story short the NAC is awesome!

The parking is free which is always a plus especially in Newport! The man who assisted us at the beginning was really sweet and patient and got us right in the water. There was a lady who was checking us out who was kind of rude and short with us. She even demanded that we load the kayak back on the rack. Which was fine but it was in her tone she was really dry and unfriendly. We apologized for not knowing as it was our first time there but she responded with you should’ve known it was on the waiver. This place would’ve gotten a 5 star if it wasn’t for her rude behavior!

Free parking, hell yeah!
Service was fast and we were able to get out onto the water immediately. The staff could be a little brisk at times but that doesn’t really matter when you’re there to just get out onto the water.
Getting soaked is basically a given and the water can get quite shallow in certain places, but it’s a pleasant and generally smooth experience.
15 dollars an hour for singles, 20 for doubles!

Free parking, helpful staff, reasonable rental prices (comparable with others in the area), and lots of space to paddle in – great workout. We have rented both kayaks and SUP boards here, and recommend it often. In the summer, it can get veeeeery hot with little to no breeze, so go early!
Minus one star just because other spots are prettier. It’s tucked into a cool neighborhood, though.
Like others have said, we weren’t charged the extra hour when we came back a little later.
Bring lots of water no matter what time of year! Bathrooms and showers are available. You can park on the «beach» if you bring your own boards or kayaks for easy loading/​unloading. The only thing they’re strict on is making sure you have your leashes on when paddleboarding – not a big deal. At least you don’t have to wear the life vest (it just has to be on your board).

I was a first time kayaker, so I didn’t really have any expectations. $ 15/​hr for a single kayak and $ 20/​hr for a double– seems decently priced… I think.
I’m not sure if I’m spoiled by going to the beach often, but I don’t think the scenary is all that spectacular. It isn’t bad, just meh/​average. The immediate area includes the shore, a cliff with rocks, docked boats, plants, cautionary buoys, and of course murky, slightly green-​tinted water.
My biggest beef about this place is the fact we have to carry the kayak to the shore ourselves AND when we’re done, we have to rinse/​clean it and carry it back to the wooden racks (and tilt the kayak on its side). The only water-​transport related rentals I’ve rented before this are boats and paddleboats, and they NEVER make you do any of that. The $ 20/​hr we pay here is strictly for use of the kayak, life vest, and ore around the bay… not for customer service.
What’s the point of having a staff if they’re not going to help patrons clean up and take out/​put away the kayaks??? Those kayaks are heavy and difficult to tilt to drain out the water and sand as well as place back on the wooden racks. The whole cleaning and carrying process took a good 15 minutes and luckily I had 4 friends with me, and we helped each other out (I can’t imagine doing all that by myself).
Also, the staff member who watched us carry the kayaks to the shore rushed through the instructions on how to properly use the ores. My friend had to ask her questions to clarify things like: are people in double kayaks supposed to synchronize the rowing?
On a positive note, I like the little area with a hose and rubber mats where we can rinse off our feet, legs, and hands… which is convenient after we become sandy/​dirty from lifting and cleaning the kayaks.
I might go kayaking again, but not at this location.

First time here with my friend to rent out SUP/​kayaks 09÷10÷14. Price reasonable and free parking is nice. Water is shallow but a bit stinky when you first get into your kayaks but it’s only first couple minutes. It’s a nice facility with organized staff. Perfect for new beginners… summer camps activities for kids and family! We will be back until we become intermediate paddle boarders.haha.

I was born and raised here. Moved away and come back every summer. This summer was the first time we decided to join NAC just for the month of July. We non-​stop kayaked & paddleboarded! Great facility and friendly, helpful staff! It’s a great place for the family to hop on the water and do their thing. Plus they have indoor rowing machines and a workout room. A great place to join, especially if you’re not a local and visiting for more than a couple weeks !
Thanks for making our summer even better NAC!!!

I came here to kayak with my family, and it was really fun :)
I don’t know the prices since my parents paid, but the whole experience in general was really laid back and chill and they didn’t really give us a lot of restrictions compared to other kayaking places I’ve been. The ocean is pretty peaceful here and you can pretty much go wherever you want as long as you come back in an hour, but they’re not strict on time limits, either.

$ 20/​hr for a double kayak. Not a bad deal!
+ They have showers & lockers!
+ Nice scenic route
+ They have a private parking lot! No fuss having to drive around looking for meter parking or anything.
One negative, I didn’t like was how you had to dock the kayak back yourself after finishing. Not everyone is strong enough to carry/​drag that thing back especially not 2 small asian girls lol.