Take the Family on an Ocean Kayak Adventure in Southern California
Southern California is an amazing place to book a family vacation. There are the major theme parks – like SeaWorld San Diego, LEGOLAND, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios. There are museums for people of all interests. But more importantly, there are miles and miles of coastline waiting to be explored. That’s why I recommend booking an ocean kayak tour for your family with La Vida Laguna.
For spring break, we booked a guided ocean kayak tour of Laguna Beach in southern California. Our family loves to kayak in the lakes, but my kids have never been in a sea kayak on the ocean. It’s an activity they picked as I made them plan our spring break itinerary.
Our guided ocean kayak tour topped our list of the most amazing experience. We were surrounded by playful (ok, hungry) dolphins, seals and sea lions, with birds flying overhead. Our experience is a memory I believe we’ll hold on to for a very long time and will hope to book again in the future.
If you’re heading to Southern California, here’s what you need to do to book and plan your guided ocean kayak tour with La Vida Laguna.
How to Book Your Guided Ocean Kayak Tour
The best way to book your guided ocean kayak tour with La Vida Laguna is online. I recommend booking your tour as soon as you know the dates of when you’ll be heading to the area. During the summer months, the tours can book up quickly.
The Ocean Kayak Tour + Wildlife Viewing experience starts at 10 a.m. daily, including on weekends. Each tour lasts about 1.5 hours, so you’ll be finished around 11:30 – just in time to go grab lunch.
The cost is $95 per kayaker over the age of seven. Children seven and under ride for free, when accompanied by an adult. No children under three area allowed on the tour. If you have an even number of people in your group, you’ll be paired up into tandem kayaks. But the cost is still per kayaker, not per kayak.
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As soon as you complete the online booking process, you’ll receive an email confirmation and additional details. Then, you just start counting down the days until you can venture out into the ocean on a kayak.
What to Pack for Your Experience on the Ocean
The list provided by La Vida Laguna on their booking website is pretty simple: swim trunks, t-shirt, sunglasses with strap, hat, sunblock, water and towel. They will provide the kayak, paddle and life jacket. But here’s a few pointers from our ocean kayak tour on what to wear or bring with you.
ATTIRE
Most of the people in our group wore swimsuits. But I also contemplated wearing my KUHL pants, as they’re perfect for sun protection on the legs, or taking off the lower legs to wear a pair of shorts. You can wear what’s most comfortable for you, noting that your bottom will likely get wet from sitting in the kayak, and your feet will get wet as you launch into the ocean and return to shore.
FOOTWEAR
So what’s the best footwear for an ocean kayak tour? I wore water shoes, which gave me traction walking down to the beach and something to protect my feet from the sun while on the water. My kids wore Teva sandals and that worked great for them as well, although the tops of their feet got a little too much sun. Don’t wear flip flops, as they can easily come off and get lost – then you’ll end up barefoot the rest of the trip.
SUN PROTECTION
You most definitely want to apply sunscreen just before the start of your tour. Make sure you apply it to all exposed skin areas, otherwise, you’ll be hurting the next day. A wide-brimmed hat may also be beneficial, or at least a baseball cap to keep the sun out of your face.
CAMERA
I come prepared and had floaties attached to my waterproof cameras. But I didn’t have anything hooked up to my cellphone camera. I didn’t lose my camera into the ocean, but I’m sure others have. So be careful. The guides will be taking photos as well, so if you want to just enjoy the tour, you’ll be AirDropped the photos at the end of the tour. I also used my Insta360 X3 camera to grab some video footage of the experience – both above water and below. I also recommend the Olympus Tough TG-5 waterproof camera.
OTHER ITEMS
If you brought a towel or other items with you, you can either leave them in your vehicle, or have the guides lock them in the back of the supply truck at the meeting point. We had them hold on to our vehicle’s keys so we didn’t risk losing them in the ocean and being stranded. I also recommend bringing a water bottle with you on the tour. Being out in the sun and paddling can be a workout, and it’s important to stay hydrated.
Getting to the Meeting Spot to Begin Your Tour
The tours begin at 10 a.m., so I encourage you to arrive between 9:30-9:45 so you can find parking and apply the sunscreen before the start time. The address for the meeting point is 631 Cliff Drive, which is a 2-story oceanfront condominium just to the left (south) of Fisherman’s Cove when looking from Cliff Drive. There is paid parking in the area, though it’s limited. That’s why it’s important to get there early.
Look for the white moving truck and the guides. They’ll be prepping everything for the tour and hauling the kayaks down to the cove. When everyone arrives, they’ll check you in and hand you the life jacket, with some brief instructions on how to ensure it fits correctly. They’ll also give you a brief rundown and ensure you’re wearing the right footwear.
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Before heading down to the launch site, they’ll give each of you a paddle, and let you know that you can put any belongings in the back of the truck, which they’ll lock up before they head down to the cove.
Follow the path from the parking area down to the cove. Be mindful of any slippery areas along the way. When you arrive on the beach, the guides will meet you there and give you a rundown of how to paddle and how to stay safe while on the water. After the orientation, you’ll be directed to your kayaks and will be ready to launch.
What to Expect While on the Guided Sea Kayak Tour
The greatest chance of tipping your kayak is during launching or returning to the beach. But the cove provided some great protection from big waves, but weather may impact the wave size. Each tandem kayak is launched one at a time, and then we waited off shore for everyone else to launch before the group headed out into the ocean and along the shore.
The further out we got, the more wildlife we encountered. Within the first 30 minutes of the tour, we were seeing dolphins, seals and sea lions racing through the water. The guide was even impressed with how active they were. We were more or less surrounded by them for about 30 minutes, with them surfacing in every direction.
If you didn’t know the tail fins racing through the water were dolphins, you may have panicked, thinking they were Great White Sharks like what you see in the movie. But our guide assured us, we were okay.
Throughout the tour, our guides shared a lot about the ecosystem and the area. We learned about the fish and wildlife that call this area home. We also learned about a very expensive house on the coast with an amazing view – though a small living space.
There wasn’t an agenda on the tour. We followed the pods of wildlife where possible, but kept our distance so we didn’t interfere with their afternoon.
Following the adventure out into the water, we made our way back to the shore. After beaching the boats, we took our paddles and life jackets back to the meeting point. The guides gave us a short form to fill out, which included an opportunity to tip them. Please do so. They work hard to make it a fun experience for everyone. And our guides – Tim and Doug – were fantastic!
The Details
Address: The meeting spot is 631 Cliff Drive, which is a 2-story oceanfront condominium just to the left (south) of Fisherman’s Cove.
Cost: $95 per kayaker, ages 8+. Children between 3-7 are free, while children under three aren’t allowed.
How Long: The tour is about 1.5 hours long, but you’ll want to allocate about two hours to ensure adequate time pre and post the tour.
Hours: Each of the Ocean Kayak + Wildlife Tours begin at 10 a.m. daily.
Website: https://www.lavidalaguna.com/
Phone: (949) 275-7544
DISCLOSURE: I received a 10% discount on booking six spots for our family on the Ocean Kayak + Wildlife tour for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.
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