You cant go wrong with this place staff is helpful and friendly and eager to please. My wife and i showed up around 4:40 and were told that since they close at 6 they could work something out. in the blink of an eye we were headed to lovers cove with fins goggles and full wet suits for an amazing price. When we got back right before closing time they were waiting with smiling faces instead of the hurry up so we can leave look some other establishments had. I highly recommend this spot and will go on there tour my next time back. read more

Definitely the best spot to rent snorkel gear on the island! We were on a cruise and they are super close to where you get off the boat, very helpful in directing us to a great snorkel spot, and when our son lost a tiny piece of his snorkel, they didn't even charge us we were traveling with 2 adults and two kids (5&9) and they were able to outfit us all read more

Wonderful experience! Incredibly easy to find, convenient to Lover's Cove, great prices, and very friendly service. Had great snorkeling spot recommendations and even held our backpack for free while we went. You can't beat the service or the prices. This is now the only place I'll rent from in Catalina! read more

We visited the island on Labor Day weekend. They have great deals compared to other local rental places nearby. Jesse was extremely helpful and informative! Ty! read more

I had kayaks delivered to Little Harbor to celebrate my birthday. The 24 hour rental was super helpful as I didn't know arrival or departure times until I was actually hiking the trail. I ordered online after speaking to a super helpful person on the phone about how the process worked. I arrived exhausted to my campsite to find exactly what I was promised, with a very welcome handwritten note to boot. I would rent from Wet Spot again, no doubt about it!! Thank you for adding to my epic birthday hike - kayaking was a highlight of my trip to the island for sure! read more

I met Chip on one of my first camping trips to Little Harbor years ago, and he never fails to impress. If you need gear rental and/or help finding your way around I cannot recommend him more highly. Kayaks are ideal for exploring Catalina, so go check it out. Tell him Marvin sent you. You won't regret it. read more

We rented snorkel gear and wetsuits. Employees were very nice and helpful and we had tons of fun snorkeling at lovers cove. We saw tons of garibaldi and bass! They even let us store our backpacks while we went out. Great experience a must do activity on Catalina! read more

Wet Spot Rentals - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Avalon, California

Right at Avalon Bay, near the ports. I didn't check the other places but I think it was a fair price. They hold your stuff for you. People are very nice! We did the paddle boards and they were in great condition. Highly recommend! read more

Chip was awesome! He is down to earth and normal which isn't something to brag about normally, but when your visiting an island full of money motivated locals it's extremely refreshing. He doesn't up-sale anything just gives you his honest opinion. He acts more like your favorite uncle than some hired tour guide. The trip with him was by far my favorite part and listening to his stories about his childhood growing up on the island really made me envious. Spend the day with Chip it's an experience you won't forget. read more

Got exactly what we wanted at a fair price. We had a blast!!! I recommend this place for kayaking.

This little shack is right off the ferry landing. They have, as far as we could tell, the best prices on rental boats on the island. We took out a double for an hour and had a lot of fun. The staff is super friendly and helpful. They took our bags while we were out so we didn't need a locker, provided good equipment, and made sure we had fun. I recommend them. Very happy with my experience. read more

This place has reasonable prices and they are friendly but if you've never kayaked before, they basically get you in the kayak and off you go....no instructions or safety guidelines or anything! (They do show you a map while you are still at the rental desk though and show you the possible routes you can take.) Once you get out of the immediate area which is like a little harbor with lots of boats coming in and out, it gets smoother and fun. We rented a 2 person kayak for 2 hours and you can stop off at little beaches and chill during the trip. read more

Fantastic island tour with Chip Upton. Airport in the Sky, Little Harbor, Poison Point, trained ravens, buffalo contact, eagle aviary, etc

Place was easy to find, rentals were cheap or very similar to other places. However, they don't offer life vest for sucky swimmers like me. How can an establishment offer them for kayaking and other things, but not snorkeling? Yes, you should probably know how to swim and all that junk if you're going to do these activities, but still... Other rental places I've gone in la jolla has it free. I had to pay $5 and I believe the guy came up with a random fee because it was so "rare" that anyone would need a vest for snorkeling. I mean I don't mind paying because I truly believe I needed it just in case I drift too far out and drown. Just understand that you have all types of customers and accommodate accordingly please. Another note.. The area they recommend has very beautiful marine life (lover's cove/beach), but it is super difficult to get in because the waves are strong and the rocks hurt. Please please please have water shoes ! Fins don't help with anything, don't bother wearing them, it just makes getting in the water more difficult and yes you walk in the water backwards, but the rocks are too hard or too slippery. Good luck! Happy snorkeling.. read more

These guys are great! No tourist traps, great tinker toys to buy on your way back to the boat docks. The guys rented us two 2-person kayaks for an hour, showed us on a map of where to go and see fish at Lover's Cove and then informed us how the winds would affect the rest of the routing so we would know what the muscles would start to hurt. GREAT experience. They also offered to let us try stand up paddle boarding for free in the harbor there for a few minutes after we got back, but our bodies were sore (there was a rare SE winds coming in that weekend, made for an interesting time). I would recommend going to the harbor to the north after you go to Lover's Cove to see all the cool names on the boat's buoys. We had fun with "DUMB LUCK". Thanks! read more

Awesome guys! Despite the fact that they were closing up they were very friendly and lent us the gear we needed.

My friends and I had am amazing time on Catalina and a large part of that was due to Wet Spot Kayaks. Not only was it wonderful to paddle around Catalina seeing all the marine life up close and the beautiful scenery, but the owners Chip and Michelle were fantastic folks. Very professional, warm and friendly with toms of information about the island and how it works. Plus some really great stories. They should be your first stop when you step off the ferry! read more

A kayak is a kayak but it's the service that makes the difference. The personal was very friendly and patient with our questions. The equipment for rent was good and the pricing was great. Highly recommended. read more

Went to Avalon Bay on Catalina last week and rented a double Kayak Malibu 2, from Wet Spot. Wish it was a Malibu 2 XL as that is what I have at home but it was adequate. We got it for an hour and paddled all around the harbor, It was too rough to go out as the wind was around 10 knots. I went on their web site before going and got a $5 discount coupon so it was only $17 for the hour. The guy there was very helpful with getting us launched and dis embarked on the dock. The Kayak and PPD were clean and in good shape. I would recommend them for any trip there. read more

This was the best experience on the island. They were super easy going, helpful, and made our trip even better! I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Recommend by the locals - this is one of the most reasonable rentals for kayaks! The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely recommend this to anyone coming on the island!!! read more

These folks are great! Competitive rates and outstanding service with a smile. Helped us plan a route too.

Chip over at Wet Spot Rentals is the absolute man! I've been camping on the backside of Catalina Island for about 16 years now and was lucky enough to meet him during one of the first trips over. Reasonable prices for kayak rentals and the equipment is always in perfect working condition, probably due to Chip's meticulous effort. There's no better way to experience the island than from a kayak, so head over to the WetSpot and I promise you won't be disappointed. read more

Great family owned business. The service is perfect. I highly recommend the guided day trip to the other side of the island with owner Mike (Chip) Upton. The tour is called the Outback Tour, and Chip personalizes the tour by talking about growing up on the island, by stopping numerous times, to see the bison, to see a fox, eagles, even a snake (which he grabbed and held up for us to admire). He stopped at the airport and bought some homeade cookies for us. He made our entire trip to Catalina worthwhile. It would be a shame to miss this special treat. Chip was great with our 4 year old boy, answering his questions the entire time and going out of the way to make it extra special for our boy. We took the 3 hour tour, it ended up being a 4 hour tour, just the three of us and Chip. We look forward to seeing him (and his wife Michelle) again. Thanks Chip! Here's a quote from another reviewer that gives a little more detail: "In just one trip to Little Harbor on the uninhabited side of Catalina we saw a huge amount of Bison and other wildlife (some very up close), learned all kinds of stuff about what it was like to grow up on this island in another era, and we even did some crazy stuff that I'm not going to put down in writing. You just gotta take the tour. We brought our stand up paddle boards, but Mike's got kayaks for you and boogie boards, beach chairs, umbrellas, and a great lunch, and maybe a few beers if you're good. Mike is also the guy I would go to if you are interested in filming locations and stuff like that on the island. He knows everybody." www.catalinakayaks.com read more

Found these guys when on a Carnival cruise. Rented two, two seaters, great price! They don't use the "we got you and you are going to pay" model found at most these spots. They let us stash all our stuff in their LITTLE kiosk so it wouldn't get wet. Great place to support!! Thank guys read more

Very friendly! We rented the glass bottom kayaks...what a blast!! Chip told us where the best viewing was...we saw so many fish and seals...I can't wait to get back to the Island and try their spot on the back side, and do some camping!!! Chip was also helpful when recommending other places we would enjoy in town...by all means...USE "WET SPOT KAYAKS"....you will NOT be disappointed!!! I will be a frequent customer!! read more

I have rented kayaks numerous times in South Carolina and Virginia, for very near the same price and never had low service like this. A good kayak place will make sure the life vest fits your size properly, they will size you for a paddle, show you how to hold it and stroke the water. Every place I've been to has had a dry bag that seals and clips to the kayak for holding your belongings like phone or camera. And least of all a map! This place did none of the above. They slapped the vests on the counter, showed us a map of what direction to go and and places to stop and how long it "normally" takes to get there. Please tell me how fast is "normal"? And how am I supposed to identify a rock I've only ever seen but on your map that I can't take with me. They handed us paddles, sat us in the kayaks and off we went. No tips on where the tide was going, or any of that. Don't rent here unless you really don't care about proper kayaking comfort. On the other hand kayaking was a great idea and we had loads of fun but ended up heading back a half hour early due to lack of knowing what time it was. read more

Rented from here in summer but just now getting around to review it. Had a wonderful time kayaking down to Frog Rock. We were helped by Diego and Michael who were very kind and gave great directions! Many thanks for helping make our vacation great. Will be back here. read more

We rented kayaks last weeked (2 adults, 2 year old and 5 year old). The customer service was outstanding- they could not have been more friendly or accomodating to a family with a cranky kid. Once we got into the kayack, though, our daughter loved it, and we saw amazing sea life from fish, kelp, sea lions and dolphins. The paddle was easy to the cove (even with kids in the boat) and the entire process was fun and seamless. I would highly recommend Wet Spot Kayaks! read more

Rented some Stand Up Paddle Boards from this place during the week and customer service was super quick and friendly. Used an online coupon from their website as well. Convenient location. And they even let us leave our stuff with them while we went out on the water so we wouldn't get it wet. Definitely coming back here. read more

This is our first trip to Catalina and we weren't sure exactly what activities we wanted spend our money on. Kayaking and snorkeling were definitely on the list. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and just walked around and did some exploring while pricing out activities and trying to plan our Monday. We happened to pass by the Wet Spot rental stand on our walk back from Lover's Cove so we stopped to ask a few questions and check out their pricing. The Sunday evening staff was so helpful and friendly that we made our decision that instant. We knew exactly where we'd rent our equipment from. The following morning was very windy. We went down to the Wet Spot and we were greeted by different staff just as friendly and pleasant as the evening prior. We wanted to rent a double kayak but due to the weather asked if we could just pay for an hour instead of 2 and see how we do. They quickly responded with, "not an issue" and explained how they let people do that all the time and just pay the difference if we did go over. We ventured around the harbor and as soon as my girlfriend felt comfortable we charged around the point to Lover's Cove. We had such a great time and was very pleased with their gear and service that in the afternoon we returned to rent snorkel gear. I would highly recommend Wet Spot for all your rentals while in Avalon. read more

We had a group of 8 people who wanted to try paddleboards and kayaks. We had first tried another vendor on the Green Pier but they didn't have their paddleboards out yet for the season (even though I had spoken to them a few days earlier). Michelle at Wet Spot was able to accommodate us. They were very flexible with our specific needs and friendly about it. Thank you very much to Michelle and Wet Spot Rentals! read more

My wife and I rented Stand Up Paddle-boards from these guys. It was her first time and the guys were very helpful. We went early and enjoyed the calm waters in the cove prior to the bustling activity of the day. Ended up liking it so much that we came back the next day. Great rental spot and truly helpful staff! Would make it a return spot for us for sure. read more