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Mission Bay Aquatic Center
Rating Details »
Categories: Boating, Rafting/Kayaking, Beaches, Specialty Schools
1001 Santa Clara PlSan Diego, CA 92109
(858) 488-1000
MBAC Thanksgiving Closure
MBAC will be closed for Thanksgiving November 26-30. We will reopen December 1 at 8am. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Announced 1 week ago- Hours:
Tue-Sun. 8:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Mission Bay Aquatic Center
I love Mission Bay Aquatic Center!
I've taken wakeboarding and surfing classes there and had a great experience with both. The instructors are knowledgeable about their sport and friendly. The equipment is in prime condition and there is plenty to go around.
If you've been thinking about learning a new water sport or don't have equipment of your own to take out regularly then I totally recommend taking a class through MBAC. You won't regret it!
Came here on a beautiful Thursday afternoon with the bf, his cousin and gf. I originally wanted to go paddle boarding since every time I see people do it at the beach, I stare with envy wishing I could look just as cool. On the website, the center advertised paddle boarding with prices, I thought it would be available. However, when I got there, the lady told us that they don't offer it yet and will probably get equipment sometime in September.
However, not having what they stated on their website isn't why I decided to knock down a star. It was primarily the front desk girl (the brunette) that was cold and couldn't care to help us with our questions. Maybe we caught her on a bad day ? But still, customer service!!
Despite her attitude, the four of us decided on kayaking and had the time of our lives racing each other back and forth. While racing did we notice how big this place can be! When we got tired, and wanted to go back, we kept kayaking to the wrong location thinking that's where the center was. So definitely keep a visual of the building before you kayak away since there are so many similar looking points and buildings.
The prices were fair, but since we didn't attend UCSD, we couldn't save ourselves the $5. That's alright though because the workout and fun was worth every penny!
I totally wrote a review for the wrong company.
Kayaking is a phenomenal workout and it's extremely entertaining. My friends have talked about the Aquatic Center so much I feel like I've been there.
Mission Bay Aquatic Center is aces.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/18/2008
Anyone in need of a new hobby should go here.
Social paddles are the best thing that ever happened to… Read more »
This place gets 4 stars simply for the fact that they have free parking and hot showers available that I use after I get out of the water when I come surf in the area. The only reason they do not get 5 stars is because of the kook factor they attract to the beach.
I've always been afraid of the water. I like being in swimming pools, but that's because you know that you couldn't sink more than 12 feet before someone would notice. But one summer I went to Tahiti, fell in love with snorkeling and realized that I had to get comfortable in the water.
Any kind of sport you can think of, they teach. From sailing to kayaking to wakeboarding, if you can think of it, they teach it. They give you full instructions on how to use the equipment and they make sure that safety always comes first. They also understand that water can be a frightening thing for many, so they work on helping you get over those fears.
Be forewarned though, if you're lazy, then don't take classes at MBAC. You have to do a lot of setup of equipment and you do a lot of breakdown. They want to know that if you had to put a boat in the water all by yourself, you would understand all the equipment and the process to make that happen. Since you will also have access to the equipment on the weekends, you will need to know all this if you want to borrow a holder or a kayak, so you'll be grateful for it.
But the thing I appreciated the most over the two semesters I took at MBAC were the life lessons that you could take from being on the water and apply to real life. That lesson came to me during a kayaking class, when they flip you over so that you're upside down in the water. Slowly but surely, you have to unstrap yourself from the kayak and make your way to the surface. This was terrifying to all of us. The instructor assured us that if we did it slowly, kept calm, and worked methodically, as counterintuitive as that is, then we'd be fine. I've taken that lesson to the bank in almost everything I do.
I took a class and had the best time. I'm going to sign up for more classes -- we're in San Diego, how can you not take advantage of the gorgeous weather and water!
Once you take their classes, you can rent their stuff at super-low prices.
Awesome experience.
The Mission Bay Aquatic Center was started in 1970 when Glen Brandenburg, an SDSU student at the time, signed up to take a sailing class at the then City run sailing facility. Part of the way through the class, the instructor suddenly stopped showing up to teach and Glen assumed the role as the new instructor. Associated Students of SDSU and UCSD Recreation assumed the lease of the then dilapidated old boathouse in 1975 and the Mission Bay Aquatic Center was born. Since then the Universities have built the facility in to the world reknown program it is today. Now here is the best punch line ever.... drum roll....... Glen Brandenburg is still the MBAC Director.
The Center is located in beautiful Mission Bay Park on the south end of Santa Clara Point. It is perfect for the 15,000 people who took classes last year. Nowhere else in the world can you find such a diverse mix of watersports equipment and instruction under one roof! And what a roof: it's a 24,000 square foot redwood facility with over 13 motorized watercraft, 50 sailboats, 100 surfboards, 25 windsurf boards, 90 kayaks, 40 rowing shells and 1 mission: to ensure a safe, enjoyable watersports experience.
Friendly staff members greet you in the reception area, check you in, and direct you to your class. Afterward you can wait in the lobby lounge area, complete with fireplace, or head to the changing room and lockers to stow your belongings.
Classroom instruction is held in one of our two indoor classrooms, complete with blackboards, projectors and VCR/DVD Televisions. The adjacent grounds provide the perfect complimentary classroom setup where you can enjoy the beautiful Mission Bay scenery while learning what you need to know prior to hitting the water.
I've taken numerous classes over the years at MBAC and always enjoyed myself and learned a lot. It started with rowing classes in 2001 and then more in 2005. Since they're affiliated with SDSU, USD and UCSD, it's easy to sign up for a class through the school if you attend one of them or stay affiliated after you graduate.
Look at the website and all the classes. Rowing, sailing, surfing, boating, windsurfing, kayaking. Anything on the water, they teach it. The teachers are easy going and helpful. You can even rent equipment on a daily basis if you want after you attend a class.
Want to learn to sail? MBAC will have you piloting your own boat in 90 minutes.
The classes are relatively inexpensive (~$150 for 12 hours) and give you plenty of time on the water.
Highly recommended!
Five stars because I'm biased, my boyfriend is a sailing instructor and a damn good one. I haven't taken the actual class but I sat in on his lecture and he's patient, knowledgeable, easy going, funny, and sexy as hell!
I've only done one event, the Moonlight Paddle, lead by Dave who's a kayak instructor. He's a cool guy, very easy going and knowledgeable. He was so patient with me as I engaged in "The Battle with the Paddle" for the first ten minutes, while everyone else was way ahead. Finally I got the hang of it and was able to enjoy kayaking. We left at about 8:00 and got back at around 10 or 10:30, I think. It's cool at night time because it's dark and the bay is pretty still, except for the rowdy, 'bout it, 'bout it Bahia paddle boat that comes around. At around 9:30, we stopped to see the fireworks from Sea World. It's a good course for a novice, such as myself. It gets tiring when you reach the home stretch so make sure your belly is full. Your legs and bum will most likely get wet so wear bathing suit bottoms or some kind of water repellent pants. It gets a little chilly at night so you should wear long sleeves and/or hat. Great for you lovers or if you want to impress a date or if you've always wanted to try kayaking.
If I were a resident of San Diego, I'd definitely frequent this place because there are lots of good classes to enrich yourself with. Enriching yourself with alcohol gets boring after a while.
Great place to enjoy San Diego's mission bay! Get there early though if you want to rent a sailboat or a kayak. On the weekend's it is packed and overbooked. Problem is they hold equipment for the college kids (it's affiliated with the university, so they reserve the right to reserve equipment for the college kids whether they show up or not). Would be good for them to publicize that better so there are no false expectations.
