Cal Adventures

Pros:
— Good sailing/​windsurfing class structure
— Very friendly staff
— Good selection of beginners gears
Cons:
— Limited hours and unexpected closure without advance notice
— No phone lines to reach the staff
I took the beginner and intermediate windsurfing clinics with Cal Adventures. The classes were well structured, and the instructor (Sophie) was very helpful. Learned a lot in the classes that really helped me out on the water. Overall, the onsite staff for Cal Adventures are very friendly and awesome.
What really turned me away from the place is how they would close down randomly or simply have no staff on site during their open business hours. I bought the 2 months rental pass ($ 130 for 2 months). During the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), they are supposed to be open 5 days a week. In the two months that I’ve been there, I come out every day they are open to windsurf, and would find the place randomly closed or unstaffed 1 – 2 days a week. Sometimes, they would attribute the closure to strong wind (20mph+), which is just about when it gets good for windsurfing! Some other times, there are simply no explanation, just a beautiful sunny day with moderate wind, and they are just closed when they are supposed to be open.
Their staff frequently said that the place doesn’t make much money on rental, so they don’t really care if you get out or not on rental. It’s the class and youth camp that brings in the most money. So if you buy a rental pass, you are hosed. If they treat rental customers this way, I don’t find it surprising that they don’t make any money on rental.
I would highly recommend their class to get some structured instructions. However, unless you like wasting your time on random closure, I’d recommenced Cal Sailing Club (CSC) right next door (literally a few walking steps next door) for equipment rental. CSC has better rates ($ 90 for 3 months vs $ 130 for 2 months at Cal Adventures), opens every day regardless of condition, and have much better equipment.

My 12-​year-​old son and I had a fantastic private SUP (stand up paddleboard) lesson w/​Kyle Winslow today. He taught us the basics and helped us figure out wetsuits/​gear before taking us to a tiny beach near the marina. He had us in the water and standing up right away. He was really great w/​my son, praising his successes and encouraging him when he had a tough time. I highly recommend Kyle for kids. He was a great teacher for me too, giving me tips and tricks on how to get more bang for my paddle strokes. The gear and equipment was in good condition. The pricing was similar to what I’ve seen elsewhere. I’ll be back for other lessons in the future for sure!

It was a super windy day and they were wonderful in helping us get back to a safe spot to have our adventure. We even capsized our kayak and still had an amazing time!

Great staff and customer service! Mike was one of the staff that helped us out with our kayaks. He was awesome and super helpful!

Wonderful private SUP (stand up paddle board) lesson with Mees today. Due to low tide, the lesson took place in the marina opposite Cal Adventures. I was able to learn the basics about SUP and was able to take a tour around the Berkeley Yacht Club area. I feel that I’d be able to rent SUP now almost anywhere (save for Crissy Field with all the kite surfers…). Thanks Cal Adventures and Mees for a great summer Sunday!

The only place to get in a good day of windsurfing in the bay. Getting the 2-​month pass allows you to practice your skills and try out different boards and sails.

The classes and the instructors are GREAT, but coming back to rent is not such a great experience. The staff is unfriendly at that point and you pretty much feel as if you are on your own with no help at all.

I took beginning and intermediate sailing here and both classes were awesome! The teacher was great and made the class really fun. The prices are reasonable and you get to spend a lot of time on the water. And both of the classes I took were very small, so there was a lot of opportunity to ask questions and get feedback. For the last day of each class we did a longer sail and had a potluck. I’m definitely glad I took this class.

The Full Moon Paddle was voted the Best Romantic Date for Outdoorsy Types in the SF Weekly and i couldn’t agree more. My girlfriend surprised me with this date by telling me we would be going on an «adventure» without telling me exactly what we were doing. When she told me to bring lots of warm clothes that were waterproof I started worrying. haha ;)
Turned out we were going to be paddling through San Francisco harbour at sunset until 10pm and watch the full moon «rise» (yeah, i didn’t know they rose either). At the risk of sounding like a big girl, i’m going to say it lived up to it’s reputation and it was the most romantic date i’ve ever been on
Sitting in the middle of the ocean on a tiny kayak, with no one around you for miles and miles except the one you love, watching the sun set in front of you and the faint noises of San francisco city behind you is absolutely unforgettable.
The paddling itself is not difficult and pretty much anyone can do it. I would recommend that you try to go during summer as it is a lot warmer, if you go when it is cold, it could be a bit painful but it might just mean you need to paddle faster to keep warm. We were lucky enough to get one of the clearest nights all summer. The kayaks are tandems, and i’m not sure whether you can hire single kayaks. The instructors were professional and friendly. they talked to us while we were out on the water and ensured we have a lot of fun as a group as well as let us wander off by ouselves for some alone time.
It was a fantastic experience and one i would highly recommend especially if you want to surprise and impress your loved one. What made it more special for me was that my girlfriend knew i loved sports and doing outdoorsy things, and even though she is not the most active person, she was willing to give this a go for me. It meant i did most of the paddling, while she sat there enjoying the view or laughing at the top of her voice at how i had to do all the paddling, but i was more than happy to do that for her. I can still hear her laughing every time i think back to that night hahaha!

Tomales Bay Kayak Trip
Expertly guided by Leo and Brad
Meet at 9AM, orientation prep, meet and greet. (small group. yay!)
In the water by 10:30
Paddle around the bay on a tour tailored for the participants.
See Hog Island, oyster beds, Cormorants, Pelicans, jelly fish, bat rays, star fish, seals, crabs, and other sea critters.
Lunch (BYO)
Paddle into some coves and a tiny sea cave in the white cliffs.
Back by 4pm tired and happy.
The guides were knowledgeable about the bay, the wildlife, environmental impact, nature, kayaking, and safety. We were in good hands. It was a much better trip than if we had just rented two kayaks and noodled around all day. They made it fun informative and friendly.
While in between sights, we learned a lot of useful kayaking tips.
The equipment isn’t top notch, but is clean and in operable condition. The worst thing was the seat. My ass didn’t deserve that kind of punishment. It has better karma than that.
Lastly– I forgot my own advice and cut the cheese in my wetsuit again. Dammit!!! As a reminder to all similarly minded people–
1. It’s a time delay death bomb.
2. You only hurt yourself.
3. The wetsuit mutes the sound, but the kayak amplifies it by 10.

This is our first summer with kids attending Cal Adventures camp and I must say it was AMAZING! I have a child that is cautious, sensitive, and not into team sports. He fell in love with sailing and truly excelled at it. He had two friends going at the same time and all had a great time. They learned a lot and I was impressed with the updates each day of what they did.
We will be back as soon as we can and am planning on enrolling our daughter too!
I cannot recommend this place enough!

This is going to be a mixed review. Our group had 3 different teachers with 3 different teaching styles. One instructor told me he would flunk me if I didn’t use the extension on the tiller. The other instructor told me to stop using the extension on the tiller, and the third instructor, well he was just too cute for words.
Norm was very good at explaining almost to nausea, Doug way too little explanation, confusing information and not clear at all. Dave the cute one, very good at explaining and showing in practice.
The dock at university and marina is okay a little rough around the edges. The crew, especially Dolman– he is awesome– very helpful, and incredibly mellow fellow. I’ll be back next for intermediate sailing.
Allot of bang for your buck and you get to SAIL!

my entire family signed up for the day long sea kayak 1 course. it was one long (but fun!) class at a reasonable price!
the teacher was very knowledgeable and held his own, which is saying an awful lot because like i said, my entire family (sans non-​swimmer mom) signed up for the course, which i could see being kind of intimidating as we all know each other far too well, but more importantly? this includes my dad. and don’t get me wrong, i love love love my dad, but he is a leo through and through and has quite the gregarious (read: talkative) soul and also possesses a teacher’s heart, meaning he can be an interesting student. every teacher can instantly think of a better way to present the material, even if they admittedly don’t know shit about the subject. you know?
but the unsinkable teacher managed to cram an awful lot of material into the 7.5 hours, while still giving us plenty of time to practice and review what we’d learned, and all in all, we all had a great time and felt very assured that we were being kept safe out there on the water.
things that could be improved: for those of us who aren’t familiar with sea kayaking at all, it would be helpful to know not just what to bring, but what we’ll be wearing on the water (wetsuit + sandals + windbreaker + hat + sunglasses), and what the schedule may be like. we weren’t sure if we’d be spending the whole time on the water or just a little bit. fyi, you spend a half hour going over safety, and then you’re in! and you’ll eat lunch wearing your flattering farmer-​john-​style wetsuit. ;) but um… i guess if your’e reading this? you know these things already.
also, unrelated, we saw the wind surfer class out there on the water and DAMN have those people got balls, that water is fucking cold in march! but holy shit they made it look fun, that’s definitely something to try out.

Exit University, towards the water… The lessons are inexpensive. The staff is great, friendly, helpful and professional. Norm is a great instructor. After your lessons, you can rent boats for $ 15 an hour. If you’re lucky there will be a boat waiting for you in the water, and a person waiting for a boat when you get back. You can be on the water in 15 minutes.

I enrolled in their weekend windsurfing course with 8 other friends and we absolutely loved it! Mind you, the Berkeley Marina is probably not the warmest place or easiest place to learn how to windsurf. But the staff were so patient and attentive. The classes are small so you get a good deal of individual attention. Initially, I had a hard time staying on top on my board without falling flat on my back but my instructor was determined to make sure I learned how to balance, pull up my sail and actually catch some wind. For those of you who have a hard time paddling against the current, they will tow you to a more calmer area so you can practice the basics. Even if you are not a UC Berkeley student, the prices for the classes are very well priced. Your class includes gear as well as the wetsuits, jackets to keep you warm when you fall into the Berkeley Marina =)

Berkeley students and the local community: this opportunity is one I recommend you take before you have to leave Berkeley! Seriously one of the best experiences in my life were here: paddling under the moonlight, learning to kayak, windsurf, etc. Check out the Cal Adventureship pass, which is a really cheap bundle package for learning to sail, windsurf, and kayak! I also know that when you come back, you can get free equipment rentals.
The staff is amazing, and most of them are very knowledgeable and humorous. You get to meet some new people and challenge yourself. Check it out. –Matt

Cheap Sailing lessons? Yep.
Most students don’t realize how cool UC Berkeley is with all the sailing and boating equipment in their active adventures program. It’s cheap fun for students and for the public. One really must make an appt. for a sailing lesson. Once you have a few, you can rent a boat for cheap and take it out yourself.

If you live in Berkeley and want to expand your horizons, try something new, take a class here. I don’t know if anyone ever really needs to know how to sail, or white water raft, but it sure is fun.