I had a great experience with Chris at Half Moon Bay kayaks. A friend and I just took an "open water kayaking" class from him. Chris is a skilled, encouraging, and engaging coach. He is very familiar with the local conditions and ocean hazards. He is focused on enjoyment, learning, and safety. While we were prepping for the outing, happy people were busy renting cruiser bikes and kayaks, and touring around the harbor. read more

Chris the owner is awesome. Gave us easy to understand instructions and helped us fit the right gear. $30 person/per hour then $10 every 10 min after. 1.5hours was $90 plus we left a 20% tip, because Chris was great! read more

Chris is an amazing owner of HMB Kayak Co! Let him know I sent you! He will take care of you! Friendly and always greets you with a smile. Cooper the guard dog is always on high alert for head pets and belly rubs. Spencer was great help. I tell all of my friends to come here for their kayak needs. They even rent out bike! Everyone needs to stop here while exploring half moon bay. Explore the water with kayaks and land with bikes. Come on in, I promise you won't regret it read more

Great company! I had a low tire and needed air. The guy was so compassionate and aired up my tire. I didn't even rent my bike from them. It was my own bike. Kindness still exists in the world and this place went above and beyond with their kindness! read more

Always a fun spot to come here, it's our go to spot at HMB! Friendly staff and a positive vibe. Will keep coming to bring friends and family here! read more

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Chris and team were so great to work with and made our team outing one of the most memorable and favorited parts of our trip. He customized the adventure to our needs and everyone had a great time! read more

We booked this excursion through a company business, so I can't speak to the pricing or the booking experience, but from my experience with the guides and on the ocean, I would absolutely recommend it. The process started with gear, including a water resistant, wind proof long sleeve, a life jacket, and the water resistant kayaking "skirt." All of this kept us nice and dry as well as protected from the sun. They also provided water proof phone holders when asked, which was a life saver for me. The guide was amazing, he was friendly and helpful as well as very informative and enthusiastic, as was every other employee. Our experience was about 2 hours, including a stop at Maverick Beach halfway through for a 15/20 minute break to walk along the beach. We got to see some sea lions lounging on the docks, as well as the surprising and delightful spotting of some baby seagulls. read more

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We rented bikes for an hour and rode down the coast. It was a great experience and I would totally recommend it. There is a trail off the road. The trail was busy and it would have been nice to have a bell on the bike, but it was otherwise great! It was easy to rent the bike online and pickup was quick read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak co. has the friendliest guides. Me and my friend were there the other day when the weather was not great, and they let us change our reserved time. Kayak rental package also included free wind jackets and wind pants, which was very much needed. We got to see many sea lions and seal pups. It was amazing! All in all we had so much fun and it was a great experience. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Kayak, boats, sea lion - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Everything The staff was awesome Great equipment, wet suits, and outer gear Great experience! read more

I didn't get a chance to actually rent a kayak here, but I stumbled upon this place which looked really cool and had a lot of options for rentals. read more

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So much fun! Great staff from go! Sturdy clean boats! (I'm a "plus size" paddler and fit comfortably). Made a reservation online for 3 yaks, one of the kiddos freaked at the last minute and wanted to go double w me. No problem changing the boats out to a small single and a double. They provided great paddling instruction, as well as a very thorough map of the area w highlights to go to. The most handy thing was a tow rope to tie to the other kids boat when she got tired after about 10 min. Even just staying in the inner harbor, we saw a ton of birds and harbor seals, and talked to local fishermen still on their boats. Excellent beginner paddle in safe water! And a good challenge for an experienced paddler to paddle a double and tow a single, paddling for three, lol! read more

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My first time kayaking with my dog! I booked 1 hour on a single kayak with my 35 lb. poodle on a gorgeous day, and besides the initial trying to get my dog into the kayak without her freaking out, we did great! My friend brought her 120 lb. German shepherd onto a tandem kayak, which was actually pretty rocky and tipped back and forth each time her dog moved, so experiences do vary. The area is pretty fun, no spectacular views but a decent number of seals, birds, and other wildlife (and for some reason.. flies? maybe too hot right now). Everyone who worked at HMB Kayak was super nice, and they were patient with my dog--for example, getting various size dog life jackets for her to find the right fit. They even provided cell phone dry bags for free! They seemed to have a lot of extra kayaks and times available. I heard other people there saying they found HMB Kayak on Groupon, so I need to check that out in the future! read more

I found a deal online and reservations were really easy to make via email. There was plenty of free parking in a huge lot nearby. Check in was easy. We were given life jackets and also the option to borrow wetsuits. The kayaks and gear were in good condition. An hour was plenty of time to explore the harbor. Got to see a bunch of birds, and fishermen unloading their catch for eager buyers. The water was protected / calm in the harbor so it was good for beginners like myself. My shoulders were feeling sore the next day so I got a good workout in. Overall, a fun activity! Would recommend to those looking for things to do in Half Moon Bay. I would love to come back and try their stand up paddle boarding also! read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I guess never say never. I'd always say I'd never kayak in the ocean, but I guess in the name of love anything is possible. You're welcome bf. Decided to surprise the bf since he couldn't stop talking about kyaking in the ocean. Had a reservation a couple of days prior .Got there around 3 pm and it wasn't too bad. The gentleman in the front had us sign some paperwork ... signed our life away without blinking an eye ; P After that we were each given a life vest and a quick schpill on the 411 of kayaking. And then we were off. Bum down I balanced myself onto the kayak. Then the boyfriend . We were off to a great start ( I was worried about tipping over hehe ) Paddling in synch with our oars we moved at a moderate pace into the water . At first I was on edge since there were boats moving but since they're traveling at very low speeds the ripple affect wasn't too bad. After a little while I started to relax and enjoy the water. It was super relaxing being isolated and knowing that the water was just inches away from me. We even got all the way to where all the seals were chillin on a wooden platform and one seal swam pretty close to our kayak. It was excitttiiiinnngggg. Definitely had a super fun adventurous Sunday. Next time I'll be back and since this place is pet friendly I can bring my little babies. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

My first time kayaking with my dogs and it was such an amazing experience. I absolutely loved it. I am so glad I found a kayaking place that is dog-friendly so I can take my furbabies on an adventure with me. Although my dogs had their own life vests, it was good to know that this kayak company is able to provide life vests for your dogs and cats and at no extra cost. One Sunday morning, we decided we wanted to take the dogs out. I did some searching and luckily found a few kayaking companies that were dog-friendly within the Bay Area. We were deciding between this company and the one in Monterey. The one in Monterey seemed strick saying how our dogs can't bark and how we could get fine if our dogs bothered the wildlife. I never took my dogs out kayaking before, so I am not sure how they would react. Anyways, we decided to go with Half Moon Bay Kayak Company and I am so glad we did! We called early in the morning and were thankful they allowed us to do a same-day reservation. Staff was friendly, helpful and patient as I was putting on my dog's life vests. I had a wonderful time with my hubby and my dogs on such a beautiful day. My Maltese loved it, my Bichon... not too much, but I think they had fun overall. I definitely recommend Half Moon Bay Kayak Company and I cannot wait until next summer to go again. read more

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I was skimming through Groupon and found a great deal on kayak rentals for two so I decided to purchase. The booking and reservation process so easy. I decided to take my mom along and we both had a very memorable experience. Our reservation was scheduled for 11:00am but we had a hard time finding parking and were a few minutes late. I was afraid this would cut into the one hour rental but it did not. The entire staff was very accommodating, friendly and patient. The young men explained all the safety rules and thoroughly went over instructions. He answered all or any questions before sending us off into the waters! They offer windbreakers to stay dry and a life jacket. We ventured around for an hour and enjoyed the wildlife. The harbor was surrounded by plenty of seagulls and pelicans. The water was full of fisherman, boats and other kayakers. I felt safe the whole time. It was a nice experience and I had a lot of fun. The hour flew by and will book two next time. For anyone who decides to go kayaking - I would recommend you dress lightly and wear sandals. Bring an extra set of clean, dry clothes and comfortable shoes as well. You will need to change after. They have changing room and a hose to rinse off if needed. The bathroom is close by and there is a nice fish market, food places and many other establishments within walking distance to enjoy nearby. Highly recommend! read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Nice pelicans - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I had a lot of fun here with my bestfriend and will come here again if we ever wish to do kayaking in Half Moon Bay. We had purchased the deal on Groupon for a double for almost half the price which was awesome. When we arrive we are given jackets, pants, and even a waterproof phone case to protect our phone and to take pictures. The employee helped us with choosing our kayak and explaining the process and the map. We had only one hour to enjoy our time here. I really liked the lay out of this place and how they created this maze where you can go all around. You're surrounded by so many birds, seals, and fisher men. It was a bit chilly that day and sun was hidden so the weather was gloomy. I know we both would have enjoyed if it was a warm sunny day but that's okay maybe next time. When we finally finished our activity so we just went back and was helped by the employee to push the kayak out of the water. We went to retrieve our items and was directed to wear to wash our feet and hands. Don't waste time and just come here on a warm sunny day!!! read more

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We have rented from here a few times . Fantastic staff very nice . Had a great time . Would highly recommend

I remember the first time I kayaked was in Australia back in 2006, and I remembered how much I enjoyed it so I tried Half Moon Bay Kayak Company twice over the past several years. The first time was back in like 2010 or 2011, I think. I saw a promo for them on Groupon so that's how I found out about them back then. I remember during that visit it was with my 2nd boyfriend, and we had a great time. The only downside was that I didn't wear any sunscreen so I had a painful sunburn later that day which was awful. So my 2nd visit was in October of this year so a couple of months ago... This time I also got a Groupon as I saw them featuring another promo there. Yay! I originally bought this one to try out paddleboarding since I've never done it before, but they placed us for kayaking in a double. I kayaked this time with my 5th boyfriend, and it was one of our last dates that we had before we broke up. -__- Haha that one was the shortest relationship of all. Anyways, we did have a great time when we were there. The staff are friendly and informative. That day it was very foggy so it felt very eery while were were on the water. Haha feels like we were in a ghost town or something. It was pretty easy to make the reservation through email, and I had to reschedule since the air quality was super bad during the time I that originally scheduled. They were very accommodating and understanding with rescheduling. During my 2nd time there, we ran late to our time slot, but they were very accommodating, and gave us the one hour time even though we arrived like 20mins later. I was scared that our time was going to get cut short. Overall, I enjoyed my kayaking times with HMB Kayak Co. I would definitely do it again, and hopefully, the next time I will do paddleboard finally. read more

It was a great 4th of July spending it with my family. The crew was excellent!! They were so accommodating and great vibe.

We came here and were looking around to rent kayaks. My 4 year old daughter was very excited and she was immediately attracted by life jacket in the store. I picked up a size for her. But she doesn't like the yellow color, so when the man came in I asked him if there is a different color. He said we go by size not color! So far we have been very polite, even I started to feel he was not friendly to us. That's fine, we went outside and I convinced my daughter the color is fine and we came in the store again, stood and waited there to be served. During this time we just stood there still, didn't do anything. The man saw me, he suddenly pointed his finger at me and shouted out loud "do not touch the lift jacket again!!!" I have to mention that, first of all, there is no sign that saying no one can touch the life jacket. Second of all, we didn't do anything, just stood there, so we were shocked why he suddenly pointed his finger. We were never treated like this before, we immediately left and felt extremely upset. I feel being treated differently as a female customer with a minor. My daughter started crying in the car after she realized the traumatic event and she kept on asking me why the "uncle" did not let her kayak. I came back again and told him how upset I was, he shouted at me again "leave the store!" read more

Extremely Rude!!!! I purchased a Groupon Voucher as a birthday gift for my girlfriend and I called to set up an appointment which clearly stated I needed to do if I bought a trip through Groupon. When I called, I spoke to Spencer from Half Moon Bay Kayak Company to book an appointment based on the instructions. As soon as I called I was rudely spoken to, cut-off, dismissed and patronized by Spencer. I am definitely not going to book with Half Moon Bay Kayak Company in the future. I was extremely polite and don't feel anyone deserves this kind of treatment. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Groupon Instructions - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Great experience. Loved the bay and how beautiful the water is. The beach the rockwalls and all the sea life. Super fun and the workers were very chill. Loved to go again when its summer. Loved all the seafood port eateries surrounding this venue! read more

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This is an amazing place if you want to go kayaking. The people are really friendly and they provide all the equipment you need including paddle jackets the kayaks are in really good shape top-notch with battles in good condition everyone works hard to keep the equipment clean. Launch the kayak you walk out into the sand into a nice launching area, and then you get in the boat. We went in a 2 person kayak and went out a bit. We saw Sea lions and pelicans everywhere. This was an awesome experience and I'd recommend it to anyone in the area. They give you full instructions so you know what to do. read more

Great visit today. Thank you to Dave for his quick instructions for my sons first time kayaking. I purchased a Groupon deal and received everything just as it was stated on the agreement and friendly customer service. An appointment is a must as they fill up quickly and which you can schedule on their website. So don't think, just do it. You'll enjoy the fresh sea air, the wildlife and their playlist while gearing up. Thank you HMBKayak. We'll definitely be back. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Kayaks - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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I have paddled here many times bc I like going out in HMB and doent want to schlep my gear from sf. Alway friendly and helpful staff. Great tips on where to go. read more

Pros: location, friendly staff, great prices, awesome experience Cons: you're going to be tired afterwards! Haha My husband and I were coming to HMB for a weekend away and I was looking through Groupon of things that we could do. Stumbled upon the kayak rental and I'm so glad we did! The staff was informative; friendly and just awesome overall. They even accommodated us in a last minute switch due to traffic and travel delays. It was so much fun, I would highly recommend! read more

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Totally awesome from start to finish! Clean, safe, and fun! Boating was enclosed within a sea wall. Boats and equipment was cleaned and sanitized after each use. Would highly recommend! read more

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Spencer was super awesome and helpful! I def recommend this place. The blonde guy gave us great instructions and Spencer even told us where we could walk to see the sunset! read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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I love their staff. Super laid back and chill. I scheduled our kayaks about a week before via phone for a group of five. When you get there parking is available on a first come basis. We redeemed our Groupon and got our life jackets included. The one hour kayaking was perfect way to social distance in the ocean. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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I took the SURF ZONE AND WAVE DYNAMICS class from Chris (HMB Kayak owner) with a friend, and we learned so much. The class started with safety and wave discussions at the HMB Kayak shop, and we headed to Surfers Beach for practices. I was glad I took my mirage drive not to waste all my energy paddling to Surfers Beach, as I am a horrible paddler. Both of us flipped our kayaks w/i the surf zone as we were practicing landings. As I am teaching snowboarding, I used to tell students that if they are not falling, they are not getting better. I was happy to flip the kayak with my water helmet. We practiced handling our kayak in the soup zone, and I got much more confident and did not need to rush anymore. I was able to use my paddle to lean into the wave as my kayak rotated and prevent flipping. I am sure I will have more yard sales, but they will be much less frequent, and I will be much safer. Chris was an outstanding instructor and very passionate about teaching. I regret not taking this class earlier and highly recommend it to kayakers who plan to surf launch. You can get additional information from the following website: https://www.hmbkayak.com/classes/surf-zone-and-wave-dynamics/ read more

$28 for one hour of kayaking or stand up paddleboarding! (with Groupon discount.) I really wanted to try stand up paddleboarding, so when I saw a Groupon for this place, I quickly bought one. I just checked, and it's at $32 now. So keep an eye out if you want to save a couple extra bucks, Groupon has variable extra discounts every now and then. Unfortunately, I came at 1pm and the staff member who checked us in did not recommend stand up paddleboarding. He says the morning times are best for that, as winds pick up in the afternoon. Duly noted! We opted for a double kayak, which was fun nonetheless. Winds were picking up, and the staff advised going into the wind first, then letting the wind help us paddle back when we get all tired. He showed us a map of the harbor and where we're allowed to go. Apparently, the harbor was much bigger than it seemed! I thought we were just allowed near the docked boats because I didn't see any kayaks beyond that. But turns out, you can go beyond! Good thing because the small harbor would have been hard to spend an hour within. Unfortunately, we didn't follow directions and went against the wind in the larger harbor area. I was in the front of the kayak, and got pretty wet from all the seemingly small waves. It is a bit unnerving to have to navigate around boats, so we just steered clear of any. The rocks were also marking me nervous because I kept thinking we would crash onto them. Steering isn't all that easy when it's windy! Overall, I had a good time and even saw a couple sea lions! I didn't put on sunscreen, and am still a bit burnt even a few days later. Don't be like me! All the reviews warn you about keeping track of your one hour allotted time. No one even checked us back in when we returned. We just had to put our equipment back where they belonged. Probably still a good tip to be wary of your time though, and maybe don't go too far out just in case. read more

We had a great time here. A party of 4 took out 3 paddle boards and a kayak. First time in a kayak. I had the best time. So peaceful. Easy to kayak. I kept up with the 3 teens just fine. :-) We did it for 2 hours. Just the perfect amount of time. We got to watch the sea lions play too. Will go back for sure! read more

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Very fun experience. The reservation is easy to make and they're very responsive with email. It's our first time kayaking so we're kind of nervous, upon check in there's guide telling us what we should do and very friendly, we chose one paddleboard and one kayak. They do offer wetsuits for you. They don't have lockers to put your stuff in so you might wanna put them in the car. The water is good and the route is interesting, you can see a lot of stuff along the way. They're not very strict with the time either, as long as you're not too far of you're ok. Overall we liked it a lot and definitely coming back. read more

We drove out from San Ramon to go Kayaking here at Half Moon Bay Kayak company. We made a reservation for 3 pm for 1 hour. Once we got there the people that work there were very nice and helpful. You get to wear a jacket, water proof pants and of course a life jacket. My best friend and I had a-lot of fun kayaking for the first time. 1 hour went by so fast so I highly recommend reserving a 2 hour slot because you will have fun and get in a good workout. We will definitely come here again. read more

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Amazing kayaking experience for us at Half Moon Bay Kayak Co.! The water is tranquil and easy for beginners. We saw several friendly sea lions were jumping out of the water near our kayaks! read more

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Short version: The guy, Doug, up at the front desk is extremely rude. So rude that I would never come here again. Their kayaks float, oars work, and they give you life jackets. They are the only game on the pier for kayaks, so if you must rent from them, you won't die. But you may also be treated with a baffling level of disrespect and rudeness. Long version: I booked a reservation online for a kayak for my wife and me in the morning. We got to the pier early. We saw the shack was open and stuff was happening. So we started to walk up the counter with our paperwork. I said, "Good morning!" He replied with a gruff "WE OPEN AT 10AM." No "hello." No "good morning. Can you come back at 10AM? Just getting setup for the day. Thanks!" Just a pure jerk tone from a guy who was apparently having a terrible day or has a major attitude problem. My wife, generally very understanding, was shocked at the unexpected rudeness. It was incomprehensible to answer "good morning" with that tone. When we came back, he didn't acknowledge how rude he'd been and just got our paperwork through. The young guy getting us setup with the kayak gave a us a quick rundown, told us we could go put our shoes on a shelf ourselves. When we finished he told us if we had valuables like wallet, keys, phones, money, etc., we could hand it to him and he would put it all in a cubby for us to "make things faster." No bag, inventory, etc. Just trust that when you hand over cash and valuables to this young dude whose face you cannot see (due to COVID mask regulations) that it'll all be there in the cubby. No thanks. The kayak didn't sink. The paddles worked fine. The business seems like it's very busy and knows they have the market locked. They don't seem to value repeat business with this level of disrespect. After that first interaction with Doug, I have no plans of giving them money for any reason again. They'll rent you what you need, but they'll treat you like dirt. I'm sure their business is booming with COVID and their location right at the pier, so Doug can probably afford to be rude without much impact on his business. read more

Love, love, love this place!! If I lived locally I'd want to work here. Came down from Marin & it is so much more affordable than here! It is worth the drive! Took my boyfriend & it was his first time, he loved it. They even had a life jacket so I could take my dog---I wish she did as well! Oh, up close views of pelicans & pop up & stalker sea dogs(sea lions). There was a groupon as well I heard people using but I didn't bother I thought the price was so good. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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The beauty of living in San Francisco is you can reach a place like Half Moon bay which has a small town feel and is an outdoor person's paradise. I haven't done kayaking so the bf arranged a day date for us. It's $50 an hour to rent an open top tandem kayak (very easy to maneuver and has a fin for controlling direction) or if that's too pricey, wait for deals to come up on groupon, etc The staff preps you with the necessary 15 min talk for safety precautions, where to explore, etc. They also provide windbreakers and wetsuits if you need it. This is a great place for beginners who want to learn to kayak or paddle surf on calm waters, because the beach and harbor are protected by breakwaters. The pier is great for exploring starfishes and you can see seals and sea birds everywhere. A peaceful hour out on the water is just what I needed. read more

Half Moon Bay Kayak - Kayaking on a muggy day! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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