IF YOU ARE READING THIS, VISIT THIRD COAST PADDLING!!!! We visited on 6/3. It's a beautiful area to…read moreexplore while being active as well! The equipment was in excellent condition and the staff are WONDERFUL. The young gentleman working on Wednesday June 3 around 2pm was very kind! He offered us some points of interest to look out for along the way and encouraged us to come back over the summer, which we plan to! We had a hiccup with the parking situation but the staff went above and beyond to help us remedy that quickly and efficiently, so THANK YOU to the Oliver for reaching out to us. Please share our gratitude with your entire team-- customer service like this keeps people coming back!!!!! Excellent excellent excellent!

We enjoyed our time. The rental comes with life jackets and the marsh is beautiful. I'm…read moreAn experienced kayaker but what concerns me is that on a busy Sunday only one high school kid was working, there was no instruction as to where to turn back, which way to go, what areas to stay out of, or what wildlife to keep a safe distance from. (And there were swans with babies there. I mean I know that they're one of the most aggressive shore birds that exist, but some city folk don't) The fine print on the confirmation tells you which way to go, but it's a compass direction, not a right or left. There are no signs stating which way to go. Ive lived here over 30 yrs, I don't think I could tell you which way was which. The kid working doesn't say anything, he just shoves you off. Also, there were storms rolling in about 4pm. Anyone working for an outfitter should always be aware of the weather and tell ppl, your reservation is for x mins long, but keep an eye on the sky, or maybe a white board posted with the forecast? I didn't know about having to pay for parking until I got there as it only shows this in fine print AFTER you get your confirmation. Also I arrived on time but they were backed up and being that there was only one person and there's no sign that says "kayakers must pay for parking" both myself and another group had to run back and do the parking stuff after we had waited 15 minutes for our turn. I was pretty frustrated thinking that surely they own their own parking spaces, but the city of new Buffalo as screwed me over once again. Again, I have kids, which means they can only handle paddling for an hour. This stupid parking Situation FORCES you to pay for 3 hrs regardless if you're there or not. I think that's ridiculous and they're doing it to rip off tourists. Well I'm not a tourist, I live 20 mins away. My family has been here since 1989. The only ppl This hurts is the hardworking locals. I think it's dumb that only the ppl living in the city of new buffalo are allowed to get a parking pass. Give me a break. I'm sure plenty of ppl would pay $100 per year for an annual parking pass. Because of this parking nonsense, I'll be investing in my own kayak and SUP and going elsewhere. This parking nonsense has to stop, it's freaking Michigan this is NOT the HAMPTONS. The city needs to get over itself. I'd give it 5 stars but parking plus lack of staff and lack of communication is why I only gave it 3.

EDIT.......I raising rating to 4 stars. The rental boot WAS open Monday 7/21 and the employee…read moreworking was great (sorry I didn't get his name). Not going for 5 stars due to the response of the business reply. States that they do not open when yellow flags are flying at the beach. 7/19 we were at North Beach from 830 a.m to 3 p.m. Sunday we were there from 9 a.m. till 3:45 p.m and the flag nearest to where we were was green the entire time (near the line of the private beach). If NOAA and city communicated incorrectly, business should have a conversation with them. After we were able to rent paddle boards we did enjoy using them for the full time we rented them.

The best selection of Ray Bans, Maui Jim's, Oakleys, and Costas. A wide variety of name brand…read moreclothing, shoes, surf boards and paddle boards. The best paddle board and kayak rental location!

This was our first time ever to any dunes and my sons number 1 "want" was to sled down the dunes…read more So, we rented three sled sandboards and one stand‑up sandboard for an hour, which came to $100 plus tax. The employee handed us the boards with no real instructions other than "wax them, but not too much". The first issue was that an hour goes by incredibly fast once you factor in the walk across the large parking lot and the long climb up the dunes. By the time the kids finally reached the top, none of the three sled sandboards would move, not even a little. They ended up hauling the sleds up the dune only to run back down dragging them behind, which was definitely not what we paid for. My nephew on the stand‑up board did manage to make it halfway down. Overall, some guidance like how to sit, how to shift your weight, how much wax to use might have made a difference. As it was, the experience felt like a waste of money for us.

It was a busy day, list of people in line for paddling or kayaking as it was a perfect day at…read moreWarren Dunes. The person working today Sunday 7/31 was doing his best. He is friendly and helpful. We rented to paddles and we had a grate time

Tyler is a great and fun instructor. He got me up and surfing on an electric surfboard right away,…read moregiving just the right amount of instruction. It's obvious he has a real love of surfing, windsurfing, and electric surfing. Afterwards, we traded skateboards for a bit, and he even let me borrow his surfboard (no charge) so that I could make the most of my day in Western Michigan. Awesome dude. 5/5 for sure

Stoke Riders is one of a small handful of kiteboarding instruction on the southern part of Lake…read moreMichigan. Tyler and assorted instructors, that specialize in various aspect of the sport, are top instructors and well trained. They are very patient but students should also be both patient and persistent. This is not a sport for "toe dipping", like paddle boarding. Even paddle boarding, like any sport that involves water, there is a lot to learn beyond just learning the sport. Hint... safety and knowledge in case things go wrong. It has taken be years to get the fundamentals of kiteboarding and I was pretty experienced at a lot of similar sports. I think frequency and intensity had a lot to do with my long learning curve, which both centered around availability at the right time. Finally, a few years later, I'm gaining independence and security. Whether you learn on vacation, or use a great outfit like Stoke Riders, be prepared to dedicate time. You can expect the commitment might be similar to getting certified to scuba dive. You might be able to get a quick "fix" initially but the real understanding takes a long time. For myself, there was nothing quick, and so I just learned the rescue aspect of the sport better as I narrowed in on being able to ride.

Absolutely love this store and the owners are just wonderful!!! So easy to get gas for your boat…read moreand love the clothes.

Jack the owner is awesome!! The store is super clean with a great selection of everything lake!…read moregreat spot in Winona!

Failed to give proper instructions to 2 kids stuck in the blue coast on how to make their way back…read moreinto the safe zones it happened on sunday between 11 30 and 12 30 and the employee was blonde with long hair and sunglasses

From the owner: Looking for fun things to do outdoors? Bring your family and friends to try rental kayaks or…read morestand-up paddleboards on Lake Michigan at Silver Beach, one of the Midwest's best beaches. Our rental site is within walking distance of downtown St. Joseph's shops, restaurants, and other attractions, and offers sweeping views of the iconic St. Joseph lighthouse. Our trained staff will give your group an orientation before you hit the water. All equipment, including paddles and life jackets, is provided at the rental site. Advance reservations through our website are strongly encouraged. Drop-ins are also welcome; however, please note that selection may be limited depending on demand. Hours subject to change depending on weather conditions; check our website for updates. We also can handle bigger groups of up to 70 with advance registration - perfect for reunions, parties, or corporate events. Great way for all ages -- kids and families included -- to get active and explore one of Southwest Michigan's best outdoor attractions.

Kirsten (the instructor) was FANTASTIC to work with! Communicative, patient, friendly, flexible…read more(with scheduling, skill level, etc.) - inspiring. We are so grateful we got to meet and learn from her!

Just got back from Chicago stand up paddle boarding and honestly had a really fun time. I went to…read morethe diversity harbor location as most of the beaches continue to be closed due to COVID. The view and paddle boarding towards the city is quite scenic and it is cool to be able to merge the thundering city with being on the water. It is right next to a public park so there are many people walking, biking, and having picnics which is also a nice sight, however, on the other side of the park is a highway so that takes away from some of the scenery. There are not great parking instructions on the website but we managed to find a spot hero nearby which was pretty easy. Booking a same-day reservation was not a hassle and you simply fill out a liability waiver on the phone once you get there. I was not super sure about how clean the rented equipment was which could be a concern for some people right now, otherwise the rental process was easy. Some other concerns I had were that they give you a box to store your belongings in, but the box is just sitting out in the back of a trailer and I am not sure how well guarded they were. There is also a very low bridge that I had to lay down to go under, and while I thought it was a fun little challenge others may think of it as a nuisance. Overall, good way to paddle board near the city.

I emailed this company to schedule the rental of two SUP's for a week; roughly a $600+ sale. I…read morereceived one email response then nothing. I'm glad their business is so good they don't need my money. I hate to leave a bad review, but KDL you have a customer service issue to fix.

Tried to set up a private group lesson with them. Originally responded to the request with what…read moredate etc. said they would get back to me then must have decided not worth their time or were already scheduled that day but never responded to my follow up emails or voicemail.

I've been a sporadic customer for five years, but last December put me off. Rather than making a…read morereturn of a new product easy, I was trapped into using a store credit or taking a big dollar hit. Unless you're absolutely sure of what you're buying, MACKITE will make it hard to return something you decide against. The details: I ordered a 6m wing, inflated it on the wood floor in my livingroom, and realized it was too heavy. I packaged it neatly in its original box with all labels attached and got in touch with MacKite. My options: store credit though they did not have what I was looking for, or taking a 15% haircut plus paying shipping back--and not their commercial shipping cost, but the over-the-counter cost of walking in to UPS. All told, I spent $575 on the wrong wing and my mistakes (wrong wing, wrong company!) cost me $250.

I have been a customer of Mac Kites for over 10 years. They used to have great customer service but…read morenot anymore. I can rarely get anyone on the phone to ask questions now. When I had an issue with a wing board that totally de-laminated after minimal use they said there was nothing they could do. There are a lot of other companies out there who still care about their customers so I'll be taking my business elsewhere from now on.