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Adventures By The Sea Inc
Categories: Active Life Boating Active Life Rafting/Kayaking Active Life Bike Rentals Boating, Rafting/Kayaking, Bike Rentals
299 Cannery RowMonterey, CA 93940
(831) 372-1807
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 7 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
33 reviews for Adventures By The Sea Inc
33 reviews in English
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Review from Mike S.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2012
If you need to rent a bike to ride around the city and coast, this is definitely the place to go. My wife and I rented a couple bike's from here and we couldn't ask for a better place to rent from. I don't have any negative comments about this place, I'm just going to list out all the positives.
Positives:
* bikes were maintained, yeah. There's nothing worse than renting a bike that's a mess mechanically.
* very organized (we were in and out with our bike in a matter of a few minutes)
* provided bike locks and an additional cable lock for my son's bike which we brought along
* extremely friendly
* reasonable prices. Even though we got in on a groupon, I still felt the list price of $30 for all day is a good deal. Especially given you'll be spending that on fish n' chips alone for two on Cannery Row.
Overall, if we need to rent a bike while in the Monterey area, we will definitely go here. Also, if we go kayaking, we will also try this place out first. -
Review from Naomi R.
Oakland, CA
2/6/2012
I will start with the disclaimer that this review is not regarding their tour or equipment. This is about customer service which is just as important.
I booked a Kayaking tour and applied a Groupon to it, through Miguel, who seems to be lacking phone manners at the time, but eh, maybe he's having a bad day, whatever. Then I gracelessly messed up both my ankles in a poor landing (thank goodness I never wished to be an ice skater!) So as a courtesy I call in just to cancel the reservation. Miguel didn't even let me finish my sentence before snootily and curtly telling me, "weeee don't take cancellations, we are using your Groupon." I wasn't sweating that at all. I just didn't want them waiting around and holding equipment if I wasn't going to show. I instantly regretted my politeness and resolved not to book through them when I return to Monterey without the messed-up ankles.
I wasn't wanting a *honk*ing cookie for being clumsy and hurting myself, but Miguel didn't have to cop an attitude as if I was trying to pull something. Jerk. -
Review from Jennifer A.
San Diego, CA
8/24/2011
We booked a kayaking tour through Adventures By the Sea, but showed up at their main location rather than at Lover's Cove where the tour was to start. The staff was generous enough to put us on bikes to pedal over there rather than have us drive over and fight (and pay again) for parking.
I was a little skeptical about paying extra for a tour guide, but she was very informative about the kelp, marine life, and history of the bay. I loved all the fun facts. We saw a couple otters, tons of seals, and all kinds of small marine life that live amongst the kelp.
Loved the way the water looks so glossy and smooth. Definitely would recommend! -
Review from Anna V.
8/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for SUP lessons and had an awesome time! Stand-up paddleboarding is really easier than it looks, especially if you have experience in other board sports (to overcome the main challenge of being able to... stand up on the board)
We had a two hour lesson with a great instructor who made the experience really fun. We were able to pick up pretty fast, and went on a mini-adventure that included plenty of marine wildlife spotting. I saw some jellyfish in the water right next to my board, which motivated me to try to not fall off! Among those were some sea otters, lots of sea lions (including one at touching distance that barked at me like it was going to kill me), pelicans, and water-diving birds. Pretty sweet experience!
The location for SUP and kayaking is off the pier at Breakwater Cove Marina on the pier at 32 Cannery Row, just down the street from their other office. There's a parking lot there that takes both cash and card, which charges $1.50 per hour.
They have two changing rooms and a bunch of cubbies to store belongings in. Wetsuits and booties also are included in lessons and rentals!
The staff is super friendly and chill. We were there on a weekday so it wasn't crowded at all and we got excellent service. Definitely coming back for repeat business! :) -
Review from Yamona S.
Pacific Grove, CA
8/1/2011
Fast, kind and professional service.
Nice, clean, well-serviced bikes.
Had a blast.
It is a little pricey but there isn't anything else on the Peninsula and they do a good job. -
Review from Teresa P.
9/7/2010
We booked a morning kayak tour for 7 for a girls-only outing (around $50 pp). Our check in was smooth. We got fitted with gear and dry bags for our valuables (wallets/phones/cameras) so we can take them with us on our kayaks. Our tour guide, Jan, was funny and knowledgeable. We were all first timers and some of us don't swim too well but she made us feel very comfortable and safe. A couple of the girls got seasick and she even towed one of them for a bit.
We learned that foggy weather means calmer waters and it wasn't as cold since you are working/paddling the whole time. We saw otters, harbor seals, a wide array of birds, even a live jelly fish the size of my head up close. We were *very* lucky that day as a pod of DOLPHINS came swimming around us! We were beside ourselves!
If you were ever curious about doing this, I would totally recommend it - it was truly an amazing and exhilirating experience! -
Review from Josh S.
San Jose, CA
11/7/2008
It's been about 5 years since I rented a kayak at Adventures by the Sea and I still get nostalgic for it. You haven't really experienced Cannery Row until you've seen it from the ocean.
Back when I was single, I used to love taking dates there. With any adventuresome woman, a kayak trip out on Monterey Bay with the sea otters beats a movie and dinner any day.
That almost got into a little trouble. The staff got to recognize me after a while and one pointed me out to the other saying, "That guy brings a different girl here every time." It was fun to see the look on his face when I responded, "Not any more. I just married this one." -
Review from Zeke S.
Santa Clara, CA
9/14/2007
Today was my second time out on the water with them. The first was quite a few years back on a company offsite. To some extent its hard to rate them without rating the actual act of sea kayaking in the monterey bay. This by the way is a very fun thing to do. Its not an adrenalin junkie sort of adventure day, more akin to hiking then rock climbing, sky diving or bungy jumping. It is mostly slow paced, although I hear if the wind picks up and the water is rough it can be different. We found it was cool to float on around checking out the sea otters, seal, jelly fish, crabs, sea lions, water heffalumps, dolphins, egrets, fallons, etc. Note that it can be an arm workout and you might want to bring an extra pair of underwear... just like with bungy jumping except its cold sea water that soaks them in this case.
As for Adventured by the Sea, the service was friendly, the guide was knowledgeable, the price was reasonable and everything was smooth paddling. -
Review from Christine S.
Union City, CA
6/18/2011
Friendly, educational, and fun! Jan gave my man and me a 2 hour morning kayak tour. She was great at not overloading us with too much info and let us go at our own pace. We also enjoyed going under one of the piers, it was adventurous! Saw tons of sea life, it was such a great start to our three-day Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur trip =)
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Review from Erin B.
Los Angeles, CA
8/20/2011
My husband and I rented a bike surrey from this place and found the staff to be very down-to-earth and friendly. We had a great time at a great price.
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Review from Dave K.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/3/2007
The staff seemed reasonably knowledgeable but completely overworked. The three surfer dudes tried to juggle people renting kayaks, bikes, surreys ... who knows what else. I know it was bad when I mentioned that I didn't want front suspension so I switch the dial on top of the front fork and the guy went "duude, no idea you could do that ... sweet".
$30 renting 2 bikes for almost 3 hours. Not bad at all. It was way too crowded on the bike lanes, and the staff isn't much help. All in all a decent experience, and I'll chalk it up to them being super busy.Listed in: Outdoor Gear
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Review from Lili Phuong C.
San Jose, CA
7/3/2011
Great place to rent bicycles or their surreys. This is our second time using their rentals. The first time was for the surrey for myself and the hubby before we had our son. This time around since our son is almost 2 we wanted to take him on this. Since we came pretty late they were out of their small surreys so we decided to get two bikes and a trailer for him to sit in. It was fun since we both haven't ridden a bicycle in years, so of course some trouble at first but we were on our way...well most of the time since this weekend was packed with people so it was a bit difficult at times to ride when people take up the trails.
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Review from Richie C.
Valencia, CA
8/13/2011
Great place to rent bikes. Friendly,knowledgeable about the area and great recommendation for routes. The best bikes for longer rides. We went south along the ocean to pebble beach and back - about 20 miles round trip. 4 hours, 4 bikes (1 tandem) for $100. We thought it was a good deal for a fun adventure.
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Review from Joyce B.
Sacramento, CA
8/12/2009
The original plan was to go for a bike ride and then go kayaking.
We got distracted by the huge sandwiches over at Compagno's and ended up only having enough time for a bike ride. Bummer ... but dude ... have you ever eaten a sandwich from Compagno's? They'll put you to sleep!
Anyway, my good old bike is somewhere in the dusty shed in my parents backyard and I'm not quite sure if my husband even knows where his bike is so we decided to rent from Adventures By The Sea.
Awesome folks working the shop ... one guy even recognized me from our old high school and that was eight years ago! Signed the waiver, carried our bikes up to the trail and off we went.
Amazing how I grew up in this area and never took the time to go for a ride here ... takes leaving to appreciate home sometimes.
We rode lazily for two hours, always moving to the right when the Lance Armstrong types yelled, "On your left! On your left!". Be careful if you choose to ride the path on a Sunday afternoon like we did ... there are TONS of people on the path. Folks riding the struggle buggies and families taking up the whole width of the trail ... expect a lot of back peddling.
$28 to rent two bikes for two hours ... wasn't too bad. Now if I could only summon the courage to brave the millions of big ass spiders in my parents shed to unearth my bike, I'd save a little ... but till then, I'll rent from these folks. -
Review from Jonathan W.
San Ramon, CA
8/25/2011
Fabulous place. Personnel were incredibly helpful, offered a discount without asking and gave good directions and pointers on how to see the most sealife. Equipment was trouble free and the walk to the beach was just across the street. We saw a group of sea otters who would occassionally roll effortlessly around in seaweed to re-anchor themselves as well as sea lions and seals who would pop out of the water close to the kayak. In all areas we were very satisfied and that isn't even mentioning the adorable and friendly dog "Blue" that resides there.
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Review from Farrah F.
6/24/2009
This was, in a word, awesome.
Originally, we'd planned to do a regular rental, but the weather was being rather crappy and unpredictable, so they suggested we upgrade to a tour just to be on the safe side. (Neither of us had been in a kayak for about a decade.) They were really cool about telling us where we could find free parking, and explaining what our options were and such.
We ended up deciding on the tour, and since we'd mentioned that we had a time issue, they launched us right away and we ended up having a private tour in a two-person kayak. Jan, our guide, told us amusing stories from some of our past tours. I think we were out there for around 2.5 hours. We saw sea lions, seals, all kinds of birds, snails, an isopod, and my personal favorite--otters! We even saw a mother feeding its baby (I never knew they could cry so loudly). :D
But back to my story--I thought our landing was the most epic part. The guy was standing at the shore telling us when to paddle and when to stop. We were right on top of a wave when he told us to stop. I made a half-hearted attempt to stop, but I knew it probably wouldn't happen. I was fully expecting to capsize and figured we'd probably lose our kayak and have to run for shore. But somehow, we managed to make a perfect landing when the 5-foot wave crashed us onto shore. Somehow, we landed perfectly straight onto the shore. The guy told us he'd landed over 400 kayaks and our landing was the best one he'd ever seen. "I was a little worried about you guys at first, but once I saw that you were safe, 'Dude, that was awesome.'" Half my hair and face were covered with kelp and sand, but it's okay. It was indeed freaking awesome.Listed in: Outside/Going Places
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Review from Kari L.
Minneapolis, MN
8/15/2009
I'm having a difficult time deciding on how many stars to give this place. Here is why.
Excellent bikes, good maps.
My issue is with safety. When I picked up my bike, there was a family there ahead of me who was getting ready to go. The lady working there gave the girl a helmet and made sure that it fit her head but didn't adjust the straps at all. Now seriously, what good is a helmet if you breathe on it and it falls off? She was complaining that it wasn't sitting right and her parents obviously were not bikers and didn't know how to fix it and they asked the lady who said that it was on fine. So, I just jumped in and said no it wasn't, let me adjust the straps for you.
Then, when I got my bike, I was told "sign here assuming you don't want a helmet". I said, "actually I do". For a biking company, I am shocked by how little attention was given to safety. There is very little they need to do in this regard to improve, some simple employee training.
The other thing that I would have liked was some information online as to different rides I could go on, what the terrain was like, etc. I was trying to plan some of my trip from home before I got to Monterey, like how long of a ride I would go on, etc. I was also shocked that when I heard another customer ask a question about what does X look like they said that they had no idea, they had never been on the 17 mile drive. Um- hello, that is what like what next to all of your customers are interested in and you have never been?
So, great bikes, not that resourceful. -
Review from Tom R.
Cupertino, CA
7/29/2011
Very friendly and efficient.
Rented kayaks twice with them - once with a group and another time on our own.
They supply all the equipment that you need - floatation jacket, water suit, dry bags, etc for the base price - I have yet to hit an add-on. -
Review from qirk z.
Los Gatos, CA
7/15/2007
Cool, they have surreys.
What's a "surrey"... it's a pedal operated 'car'. You know, add a steering wheel to a four-wheeled bike, add some seats, a canopy, bell, basket and you've got a surrey.
$18/hr for a Small (2-person) or $28/hr for Large (4-person).
If you rent from this location, you can make it down to Lover's Point, stop for a few, then ride over to the Wharf, and back to the location in an hour.
The place also rents kayaks, bikes, etc. -
Review from Helen L.
9/19/2011
This is a great place to go on a 2-hour kayak tour (it was really 2 hours plus). Jan was a wonderful tour guide with tidbits here and there. Don't ask her about the yellow kayak story. We were suited with long pants, long sleeve pullover jacket, and life jacket. We left our clothes in the cubby hole. 3 dressing rooms and towels. We walked (literally) across the street and down the stairs to our kayaks. We were asked if we wanted to go on a double or single. We opted for singles, since I didn't want to paddle with the weight of two people and I didn't want to synchronize. We did the 10 a.m. rather than the 2 p.m. The bay water is suppose to be calmer. It was great to be so close to the wildlife. We saw a baby otter on top of the mommy otter. I saw this seal swimming right next to my kayak, the snail on the kelp, jelly fish bopping along, dying fish, sea lions, big birds, little birds, bubbles mean divers below (stay away). I was afraid of hitting one of them. My control of my kayak took a while. I was bumping into other kayaks. Luckily I got the hang of it and avoided bumps. There were two couples in their double kayak. Weather was perfect. Remember to bring a water proof camera for all your photo opportunity. The guide's been doing it for 14 ? years. Stay away from the marine mammals. They are protected. It's just so cool to be so close to them. At the end, we walked bare foot back across the street. For parking, there's this paid parking lot at the end of the pier. All day is $10, or we paid $6 for 4 hours. Cheap considered what we pay in the city! There were so many divers changing their clothes in the parking lot. There is a paid shower at the parking lot.
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Review from Jess E.
Oakland, CA
12/5/2011
We took the guided kayaking tour and it was amazing! Our guide, John knew so much about the animals, the Bay and the history of Cannery Row. We saw otters, harbor seals (they surrounded our group at one point, like a game of round-the-rosie), sea lions, jelly fish and many birds. It was an afternoon to remember.
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Review from Kelley A.
Hollister, CA
11/23/2011
Wow this was FUN! Friendly and helpful staff. The guy that helped us was really concerned about the safety of the marine animals which was wonderful (plus his dog was super cute!) We saw otters, seals, jellyfish! Just an amazing, incredible experience. Highly recommend this place to everyone! Go! It is FUN!
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Review from Erika V.
Del Rio, CA
10/19/2011
Had a BLAST! Booked a two hour tour and it was great! The staff/personnel were amazing in helping us get scheduled and ready. Anne, our tour guide, gave us great info on the history and water/marine life and was a great guide throughout our tour, which she never once checked the time and or rushed us, it was over the two hours and it went by fast. Highly recommend this place, and will definitely go there again.
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Review from Wing Y.
7/6/2009 1 photo
Had a really great time here. We got a group of 7 together for a kayaking tour, spent a few hours on the water getting close to seals and sea lions (unfortunately, no sea otters). We stayed mostly in the harbor. From getting outfitted with gear (including a big waterproof bag for my SLR) to paying a visit to the houseboat-lady and her ducks, the staff is consistently helpful and fun.
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Review from Katie H.
San Francisco, CA
7/21/2009
so when planning a tame bachelorette party, there needs to be a big event. something memorable and exciting. i decided on kayaking. but this decision was not easy. when i called to make reservations, i asked the guy what the chances were that i would get all these lovely ladies out into the middle of the bay and they simultaneously start freaking out, hating and screaming at me and falling out of their kayaks to swim for shore. he assured me that kayaking was still fun for beginners and we would have a great time.
he was right.
he suited us up (next time i might not use the jacket... it was wicked big and kind of hot) and walked us across the street. as we got closer to the water i remembered that i'm deathly afraid of being in the ocean and i kind of started to have a panic attack. he showed us what to do and where to go and i was first to be pushed out. i had about 30 seconds of not breathing and sheer terror when i realized that i was out there, on the bay, alone, and loving it.
there was hardly any wind that day and the sun was shining. we paddled around the kelp and a bit beyond. we didn't go too far but really didn't need to. we saw seals and several otters (none of which stayed 50 feet from me, but that's not my fault) and lots of birds. it was awesome.
we stayed out for a little over 2 hours and the 30 bucks a person seemed well worth it.
i will definitely come here again. -
Review from sean s.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2010
This is a great place to rent a kayak, bike, surrey paddle board or whatever else they have. The staff was extremely helpful, and 60 bucks for 2 people to rent a kayak for the whole day, cant beat that. If you want to actually experience the Monterey Bay there no better way than by kayak. A helpful tip would be to park a few blocks up, can park there all day for free.
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Review from jennifer t.
San Francisco, CA
8/25/2011
Love this place. Plus the owners super nice. Went kayaking and saw so many otters, simply amazing!
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Review from Raymond C.
Fremont, CA
9/11/2010
I would definitely recommend this place for the convenience. They have cubbyhole to store your stuff, they also have a change area. Parking is 1 block away so you can leave your valuable in the car. You launch your kayak right across the street. No carrying a 50 pound kayak down to the beach. It is very calm most of the time so try kayaking on Monterey Bay if you haven't done this already.
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Review from Molly K.
Monterey, CA
8/17/2011
If you want to rent a kayak in Monterey, you've got a couple options. 1) Adventures by the Sea either on cannery row, lovers point, or their new shop in the coast guard marina; or 2) Monterey Bay Kayaks. Both have the same prices for kayaking on your own ($30) or for a guided tour ($50). Adventures by the sea gives you what they call a splash suit and a run down and very old life jacket, as well as very basic rental paddles which look very very abused. Monterey Bay Kayaks gives you a wet suit and a newer life jacket, as a paddle that can be adjusted. Both companies have basic sit on top ocean kayaks and can provide either a single, tandem, or triple. MBK does have premium sit-in kayaks for a few dollars extra.
I have visited both companies, and taken tours with both. I can say that both companies offer excellent guides. Both companies provided very friendly and smart guides who are very comfortable on the water. You really cannot go wrong choosing either company if you want to do a kayak tour on Monterey bay.
If you just want to do a quick paddle out in front of cannery row and see the otters in front of the aquarium, ATBS has the right location. Their boats are already on the beach, and after a quick introduction, they send you on your way. Monterey Bay Kayaks is situated on the outside of Wharf #2, and it can be quite the paddle to the aquarium if you have no water experience, although you can still see all of the animals in the wharf if you choose.
The big difference however, was the service. Monterey Bay Kayak's staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. It seemed like their staff knew exactly how to treat customers, but what really impressed me was their patience. When I visited Adventures by the Sea this last weekend with my mom and younger sister, I wasn't really satisfied with the service.
ATBS is the one stop rental shop for kayaks, bikes, surrey's, and stand -up paddle boarding. When I visited this time around, the staff seemed very rushed. The big tall guy ordered us around and made comments when we didn't do something to his preference. Although he was great last time we came, he seemed a little burn't out from running a rental shop during the summer. After filling out the paperwork and paying him at the counter, we visited a nicer employee who fitted us our splash suit, provided a dry bag for our camera, and gave us their 5 minute training speech which tells you where to go, what your going to see, and what not to do (stay away from the otters!). We grabbed our paddles on the way out the door, walked across the street and down the stairs onto hidden beach where their kayaks are stored. We met another guy on the beach who was obviously a surfer dude and a stoner. He looked and acted like he had just put down the joint as we were walking down the stairs to the beach. Although he seemed a little dumb, he helped us get into our boats, adjust the seats, and gave us a push out to do our thing.
After a beautiful kayak trip, we headed back to shore. Although we were dry the entire time on the water, getting back to shore was a little difficult. Landing a kayak is definitely not as easy at it seems. We ended up getting a little wet, but no worse for wear. We were instructed to hang up their life jacket, and put the clothes in a green bin so they could wash it for the next customers. I guess its nice that they give out clean clothes!
As a shop that rents out kayaks, bikes, surreys, and standup paddle boards, they definitely had a lot of customers on the day that I went. If I go back to ATBS, I'll definitely go back on a weekday where the employees at the shop would be less likely to be overworked and sometimes short with their customers. -
Review from Beth N.
Dixon, CA
5/24/2009
What fun! My best friend Laurie and I rented a two-person kayak last Sunday. The staff were very friendly and helpful which made our adventure so enjoyable. Renting a kayak from this location is perfect! We set off right from the beach at Lover's Point and paddled our way over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and back up the coast with a view of the gorgeous flowers that hug the shoreline. We were amongst sea otters and sea lions. So tranquil! So thrilling! An adventure I have never had before. We stayed on the water for only 2 hours, as the rest of our group was out shopping and we needed to get back to shore. We are planning next year's adventure and will bring a picnic lunch for an entire day experience! This is a must for all who visit Monterey Bay.
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Review from Jennifer M.
Palo Alto, CA
6/9/2010
We went kayaking with our two children, ages 7 and 9. It was our first family kayaking trip. Had a fabulous time! Saw otters, seals, and enjoyed the bay on a gorgeous sunny day. For people who want to go with kids, the water was very calm in the morning, and extremely child-friendly for kids who can swim.
We had one minor issue. The owner, Michelle Knight, addressed it promptly and was very accommodating. Great customer service! We had a super time and look forward to our next trip with Adventures By the Sea. This is a "must do" activity in the Bay. Kayaking was definitely the highlight of our trip and we would gladly go every day next time. -
Review from Shaun F.
Manteca, CA
3/14/2011
This place is awesome, and so friendly and helpful! The people here are so nice! These people will go the extra mile, I felt like a person not just a commissioned sale!
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Review from Helen W.
Palo Alto, CA
7/15/2007
i went here for my birthday this past weekend. i had a group of nine and it was all our first experience kayaking. it was very busy when we got there, but the manager made sure that we got taken care of as soon as possible. the splash suits you're given are definitely NOT waterproof. contrary to the website, i highly recommend wearing swim suits under, or bringing extra underwear...etc. the staff was very nice and helpful and gave an orientation. he made sure we were all comfortable and had a solid idea before sending us off. it was tons of fun! it's only $30 per person for the whole day. you can go back to shore to take a break whenever you want. they have drybags if you want to take cameras...etc out to sea. there are also trained staff at sea. and you will definitely see some seals and sea otters! a great experience! minus one star for too many patrons and not nearly enough changing rooms (there are 3).
