OEX Dive & Kayak Center

Bought a voucher for SUP but $ 15/​hr prorated at 15 min increments is still a decent deal. Employees are very chill. Don’t expect any instruction… almost self serve. Location is beautiful but parking is a hassle esp late morning and after on the weekend. Lots of ppl there for lots of water sports but still ample water space to paddle. Locker $ ⁵⁄₂ hr rental w passcode. Note: if it seems too easy to paddle out, u prob should expect a vigorous workout back w the headwind.

Oex is an awesome place, bought my fishing kayak here. These guys really know there stuff. The selection of kayaks, replacement parts and accessories is second to none. If you want a kayak this is the place to go.

Cheap kayak rentals. They let me know that it’s windy so kayaking will b tough. I did it anyways. Great workout :). They also rent sailboats, paddle boats, speed boats, pontoons, seadoos, and many others.

I saw a deal on Plum benefits for kayaking at 25 dollars per person. My fiancée’s birthday is this coming Saturday and I thought it was an awesome opportunity to go here. We are staying in San diego for the weekend. I called OEX to check on availability and he said there was one spot at 11:30am on Saturday the 27^th. He then asked where I heard about the company. After I told him how I bought the deal he said sorry we need to fill out quota for the weekend with full price tickets. He said I would have to pay full price. I asked him if we could go after 12 noon on Monday. He mentioned I could only go Monday the 29^th at 11am. the website showed all times open also for that day. He mentioned you need to call 2 weeks ahead of time to book a kayak. «There is no where in the fine print that mentions this 2 week time period. Needless to say the reviews on the actual cave kayak look awesome, but the way they handle deals is extremely bad business practice. Don’t offer deals that you are not happy with the price of. There a couple very similar bad reviews on here. Didn’t mention the person’s name I talked too, cause I feel horrible writing bad reviews. I will take this review down if you fit me in this Saturday or Sunday?

Great experiences with OEX. I got a sweet deal on my Tarpon 130T and went back again for a few accessories and they had the longer Thule carriage bolts for my Glide and Set needed for the new Xsporter with the larger aero bar. Go there for your kayak and SUP needs!

This was a groupon my wife and I found sitting on the couch watching the finale of The Bachelorette. We thought twice about it given we owned our own kayak and were going to bring it with us. Some of the guys we talked with thought having the experienced guides escort us would be a great way to see the La Jolla caves and marine life. So apprehensively I decided to go along with the tour. I can’t express enough how Trevor and Austin provided an informed and educational tour of the caves and life living beneath our man powered boats. They both were helpful and without pandering were thoughtful for all of the 14 people on our tour. I’ve been on guided tours before, and these guys and the folks at OEX La Jolla Kayak were top notch.

It was my first time kayaking. Overall it was an awesome experience. The rafts are 2 per person. The company provided you with life jackets and helmets. I should have rented the dive suite for $ 10 (pretty reasonable). There were two tour guides, Duke and Chris. They really know their stuff. They provide clear direction throughout the tour. They really worked well together. We kayaked through caves, and even above 30 ft water where they allowed us to swim a bit. We saw sea lions and tiger shark (harmless animals). I’m one scary person but this experience was amazing. I will definitely return.

We had our first SUP lesson here using a Groupon. It was a chilly late afternoon on a weekday, so the bay wasn’t too crowded. Our instructor was great and kept a close eye on those who were struggling in the group — that included me in the beginning, but eventually I got the hang of it. I, proudly, did not fall in. But I was also moving very slowly and carefully. Our group of ~10 varied in age range from tweens to grandparents.
Leave everything in your car if you can — they have a small closet where they keep the paddles for you to lock up your car keys, but not much space for larger items.

Used Travelzoo special and got $ 25 deal for the 90 min La Jolla Seven Sea Cave Tour for each person. I called on a Thursday because I wanted to make sure there were openings the following Tuesday for 5 of us and asked if I may buy 5 coupons to use all at once. The guy on the phone said there was only one opening @ 10am that day that had enough spaces to accommodate us. He said if I buy the coupon and call him back before they close @ 5pm, he’ll book us. It all went as planned.
No problem at all checking on the Tuesday we arrived. Parking is a problem, however. They don’t have their own parking even though there’s a parking lot right next to the store. You’ll have to give yourself time to find street parking. This was the only downside to our trip but thankfully my husband found a spot just down the street.
Our main guide was Molly and the backup was Ryan. They were both super friendly, easy-​going and very knowledgeable about the La Jolla eco-​system and had lots of anecdotal stories about the houses on the cliffs. They made the trip worthwhile!
Kayaking in the ocean was a little scary. Going out against the waves then coming back in with the waves were probably the scariest part for me but there was someone from the company with us the whole time to see us through the waves. I was in the back of the kayak with my 12 yr son and since he wasn’t paddling as hard as I was, my arms were in so much pain afterwards but it was worth it! Fair warning: you will have to paddle though it’s not non-​stop, there are frequent breaks. For someone so out of shape, it wasn’t easy but even I was able to do it.
You will get wet on this adventure. wear swim suit, rash guard and slippers. They let you go in the water toward the end if you choose to. I chose not to. ;)
–don’t bring anything valuable with you; you’ll get wet.
–the store will hold your keys for you.
–there are cubbies to leave your stuff in
–remember to leave a generous tip in the tip jar!
–they sell underwater cameras for $ 15+tax. bring one with you if you can buy it cheaper somewhere else.
–if you’re prone to motion sickness, take non-​drowsy dramamine. i took a dose about one hr before going out and i still got a little queasy. remember you’re in the ocean!

Do not use Groupon for this! I bought the Groupon and called to make my appointment only to learn that they will only book you for the earliest possible time slot (9 am) if you use a Groupon voucher. Also they only accept 2 Groupon vouchers per day on weekends so chances are the weekend you want is booked. The man on the phone assured me that this information was clearly stated on Groupon. I double checked and of course this information is NOT on Groupon OR on the official company website. I’m not sure if I will return the voucher or not, but I am frustrated because I was so excited to go and now my group isn’t sure there is a time that will work for all of us. I just wish something had warned us about the rigid and inflexible schedule before we all purchased the voucher.

This was by far my favorite part of coming to San Diego. The guides were extreme history buffs, so if you find those sorts of things interesting I would recommend Ryan & the Rescue Swimmer dude (forgot his name.)!
As far as there being very large groups, I would EXTREMELY recommend taking the 9AM tour. Our group was small compared to the other groups that came out 40 mins after us. The guys weren’t joking when they said it gets chaotic later on. Which it did, lines of groups were waiting to get into some of the caves, but since we went at 9AM and got there before anyone we NEVER had to wait. We saw Sea Lions, Dolphins and those bright orange fish (forgot the name sorry!)
Our tour compared to the others seemed by far more interesting and fun. I just noticed other tours wondering around, waiting… waiting… and their tour guides abandoning the groups. We always had someone there to keep us entertained and there was never a dull moment. I will definitely be back to whale watch this winter!

Although a Groupon deal, or was not a «cheapened» short or «less than» tour. Jenna and Katie were awesome! Friendly, safe and conscientious!
The day was perfect so Jenna swam us into the caves, we saw tons of sea lion, garialdi fish, and learned about the 4 micro ecosystems, the houses on the cliffs and more! I am out of shape and over 50, and was worried about my first kayak trip, it was great! My daughter rowed hard, but I was able to enjoy the 90min tour without discomfort.
I think there are four important FYIs. 1) it is all tandem rowing so if you’re an «odd numbered» group know you will be rowing w a stranger. 2) the rigor of the trip, and the ability to get in the caves is wind/​surf dependent, not guaranteed. 3) it is a heavily visited tourist area, so there are tons of snorkels, swimmers, and kayak to kayak other visitors. It did not at all impact the pleasure of my trip, but be aware:) 4) parking is a pain but not impossible. So plan on being in the shop 45 min early you need that to park and register and walk to beach. Great day, great staff, great tour! Thank you OEX!

We did the kayak caves tour and had a great time. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable about and experienced with paddling as well as friendly and safety-​minded. I don’t remember all of their names — there were four of them — but Lucia was one of them and she was super cool. I liked the guides a lot. The info about the houses and wildlife on the tours was fascinating and they did a great job with it!
I couldn’t figure out whether to give this three of four stars, and this is why: we had an awesome time but the tour was not what we expected.
Pros: We got to see some really cool wildlife really close-​up — big jellyfish, leopard sharks, and tons of cute sea lions! — and enjoyed paddling together. The beach and coastline is really beautiful, and the way the waves crash up into the caves makes the scenery all the more majestic. The guides were fun and knew a lot about the surroundings, which made it even cooler to look around and think about what we were seeing.
Cons: We did, however, expect a kayak tour THROUGH the caves, and were told that we would get to paddle inside. What we didn’t realize is that the weather conditions would have had to be pretty much perfect in order for them to actually let us do that, so we didn’t even get to go near them. I can understand why, though, because our group was ginormous and many were first-​time paddlers. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it was frustrating for those of us who have kayaked before to be corralled into a small space with a large group of people smacking into each other. We could barely hear the guides over the clunk of kayaks hitting one another, which was almost constant because we were confined to small areas while paddling!
My suggestions would be to make the groups smaller and to separate groups by experience so that the more experienced paddlers can do some more interesting things… and don’t call it a cave tour if all the guides do is point at them as we paddle by at a safe distance! We probably would have just taken kayaks out on our own if we knew it was going to be like that.

Thanks to a handy Groupon, my friends and I found ourselves the day before our San Diego half marathon enjoying the morning taking paddle boarding lessons.
What a great location to take SUP (stand up paddle) board lessons! You set off right in a secluded bay, so there are not too many wakes to trip you when you take your first chance balancing on a paddle board. It didn’t take us long for us to becoming accustomed to balancing and learning how to turn, thanks to our helpful instructor, Kara (or was it Kerry?). Apparently, she is also certified in teaching yoga on paddle boards as well, which sounds even more enticing to me! I wish I lived in San Diego so I could take advantage of yoga on paddle boards. She gave me brochures though with the website
, just in case I am in town and wanted to give a try! She’d definitely be great for that too!
Paddle boarding aside, OEX seemed pretty hard core with their kayaking stuff. I’d be interested in trying one of their kayaking tours since they are so heavily outfitted with kayak gear and knowledge of the area. This is definitely a good place to check out and rent gear or even take lessons!

Decided to take a weekend away by myself in SD for a little R&R and some ocean adventures. Parking is a bitch but the awesome staff make up for it– OEX was super flexible with scheduling and moving me because I came a few hours early. Jenna was an awesome tour guide— what could of been potentially uncomfortable turned out to be a really awesome experience. I not only felt super safe alone but she made it really fun and engaging (not to mention was able to do a head stand #talent)
Overall great vibes & a great experience– will absolutely recommend to my people.

–got living social deal of a 90 min kayak guided tour for 25 bucks pp
–we couldnt book for June until a certain day and when we called, they only had one time available on a certain day
–they do have a disclaimer that you may NOT go through the caves, depending on weather conditions
— they didnt teach much about the animals, as the tour description indicated, it was maily interesting facts about the caves, etc
–guides were nice and attentive. i fell from my kayak and they immediately came to help me get back up!
–wetsuits are strongly recommended as the water is cold!
overall, its a nice tour if you’ve never done it, although ive done it on my own in the past, and wouldnt do the guided one again

My friend and I purchased a Groupon for a beginner SUP lesson. Our guide gave out instructions to the entire group then approached each individual multiple times throughout the lesson to make suggestions to improve our form and method, which was very helpful. The 90-​minute lesson was also separated into increments of 3 so that we were not overwhelmed with information but were allowed time to apply and master the layers of instruction we were given.
The lesson was a blissful reminder as to why I love living in San Diego. We got lucky with a cloudless but slightly breezy day. We also saw a harbor seal while paddle boarding!

Couldn’t ask for better service. Bought a pump for a bait tank for my new kayak and got a great price and all the service has been great. Called and spoke to CJ and he was helpful and knowledgeable. Can’t ask for more than that!

This was a great tour! We had Tristen as a guide and he was fantastic! We actually got to see some dolphins that were playing in the area as well as a sea lion!
Highly suggest this kayak rental place!

Very fun and educational 90 minute kayak tour. Our guides were entertaining and interesting. It was cool to learn about the various wildlife living in the La Jolla Marine Reserve.
The kayak tour includes one trip through a cave. That was the best part of the trip. My wife and I saw two sleeping sea lions while we paddled through the cave.
Potential downsides: finding parking before your scheduled tour. Follow their advice on getting there up to 45 minutes before your scheduled tour.
Potential upsides: you might see a leopard shark or get really close to some of La Jolla’s resident sea lions.

Bought a Groupon for unlimited Standup Paddle Boarding fitness classes for a month. They included SUP Yoga, yoga on a paddle board! That was cool and a different experience. I was so afraid that i would fall in the water, but the poses they make you do are simple and they won’t try to make you do a difficult balancing pose on the board in the middle of the water. You paddle around a bit, do yoga both on the board and on land which was cool to do yoga outside in the elements.
They also offer a surfer sculpt class on the paddle board, but it included running on the beach so i skipped those classes. (I’m lazy like that)
They recommend you take the beginner SUP basics class before taking any of the classes if you’ve never been on a paddle board. It really helped to take the class first so you know how to paddle, turn and mostly how to prevent from falling in.
Staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. Doing yoga outdoors on the beach and on the water was a new and exciting experience.
My only gripe is that classes can get canceled due to weather (rainy, windy or cold forecast) so i didn’t get my full unlimited month, cause a few classes were canceled.