South Coast Surf Shop

Good selection of Surf gear. Unfortunately a fairly limited supply of rvca which was the reason for me going. Helpful staff though who helped me track down other stores in the area. I will probably stop by again next time in San Diego.

The girl behind the counter was very cute and provided excellent customer service… the rest of the staff was attentive and very hospitable five stars

Amber Heard Steve Zahn and crew had a great sense of humor, were fun, and helped make my shopping experience stress and anxiety free. I feel compelled to share. In an era where everyone is looking out for #1, trying to hit a quota, or up sell you, Amber saved me $ 60 bucks on a pair of shorts I was having mild panic palpitations over since they were riding really high and… They were $ 60 bucks! After explaining the target demographic and putting my mind at ease, I walked out of there with $ 60 extra in my pocket, took my girl out to dinner, made love, gave a homeless guy a $ 5 spot and had a little left over to by a scratcher and a newspaper. Exactly in that order! The ripple effects of kindness honesty and sincerity have such far reaching and lasting impacts, we can’t even begin to imagine what a simple smile or saving a person a few bucks today; how far that goes to making a happier more loving and tolerant tomorrow. Thank you as well to the blonde in blue and youngster in the maroon shirt.
Respectfully,
Wiley

Great customer service and I saw a few things that I really liked but I did wish that the women’s section had more to it.

These guys are hands down the best surf shop ever! The have a huge selection of clothing and surf gear, especially wetsuits! They have everything you need! They also do surf rentals, which are very reasonably priced, and deal wetsuit repairs too. The staff is so nice and extremely helpful too. No need to feel uncomfortable if you know nothing about surfing either… They provide as much information as you are looking for and seem pleased to help out as much as they can. They are just wonderful! I can’t believe they only have as many stars as they do! They deserve 5 all the way!!!

I usually keep my Unilocal reviews solely to restaurants, but I had such a good experience at South Coast in PB that I had to Unilocal about it. I went upstairs in search of a rash guard and Austin was extremely helpful pointing me in the right direction. He was very helpful and attentive! I am completely new to surfing and he assisted me in purchasing some other items that I found to be very useful. Overall I had a great experience here and I will be back!

Most surf shops are pretty much the same. Boards, boardies, wetsuits and chick clothes. South Coast isn’t so different. They do sometimes have good sales on boardshorts and wetsuits and have a great location so good job there. So why a 5-​star review? One reason: Jennifer. So I bought an O’Neill UV rashguard from South Coast about a month ago to protect my delicate gringo skin from the harsh Costa Rican sun during an upcoming surf trip in August. With the San Diego waters slowly warming and my newly acquired sunburn deepening by the day, I decided to give the new apparel a try. Unfortunately, the new shirt couldn’t hold its own against a 5-​foot over the falls Bird Rock dumping. I popped up to find my ego and new surf shirt torn. So what does this have to do with South Coast and Jennifer? Well, from past experience I knew that most of the time equipment gives out the surf shop that sold it is powerless to replace anything and you have to go to the manufacturer themselves. And knowing myself, the receipt needed to start the ball rolling was probably somewhere deep in a Pacific Beach dumpster. So what to do. As a complete shot in the dark I called South Coast and spoke to Jennifer (!). Wow. Never have I had an employee of any surf shop or any kind of shop go so far above and beyond. I didn’t even know the date I bought the goods on but I had a few I pulled up from my card statement. She checked all of those and didn’t have any luck. Then she checked a few days prior of the dates I gave her only using the few vague details I had (possible date of purchase, possible price). I don’t exactly know the process used in doing this, but my imagination tells me that she had to look through everything purchased in the entire store for the days when I could have bought this doomed UV shirt. Somebody doing that for a lowly 40 dollar rashguard purchase completely blows my mind. It would have been so easy to say «tough luck dude, try saving receipts.» Hats off to Jennifer and hats off to South Coast for choosing amazing people to hire. If a manager or owner is reading this, seriously give this girl a raise. I know where I’m gonna be buying all my goods from now on!

Great shop. I’ve been going here for years. I’ve always been a fan of the Robin Prodanovich shaped boards they sell. I was in there on ⁶⁄₂₃ to purchase a new board. The staff took good care of me, very knowledgeable crew. Good job once again!
Lovin the new board

Purchased two wetsuits from here: a full and spring. They are really helpful and nice whether you know what you are doing or are entry level like me :)
They also threw in pretty white roses. Classy. Sterling

Stumbled into this cute little beach shop looking for a new pair of flip flops. We were instantly greeted by 3 team members all with smiles on their faces. One of them said let us know if you need any help. I noticed for a small store they had team members all over the place hanging out through the store waiting to be of assistance for anyone who needed help. This is a very rare to find these day especially in such a small store. Overall it was a great shopping experience and I found the best sandals ever!

I bought a Nixon watch that was defective. I tried to exchange it at south coast within the 30 day exchange policy. They refused to stand by their product. Saying I have to go online then mail the watch back to Nixon. Now I have to go to the post office and pay more money and time mailing what should be a brand new watch. I will never buy a new board or wet suit from them again! Nice work loosing a loyal customer…

My girlfriend got me a flannel for v-​day and it did not fit. We returned it the next day and the girl told us we can exchange it or get a store credit. So we tried to get 5 different shirts and none of them came in my size, so we had to ask the manager for our money back and he said no you can buy some wax or something instead. lol I would not even come back here for wax!

I’ve only been here to peruse surfboards, try on wetsuits, and buy the occasional surf item (fins, wax, etc).
As a note, f you come into the store (and really, any surf store) not knowing anything about wetsuits/​surf related items, they will try to sell you certain items. But if you have general knowledge and can ask relevant questions, they will be better able to help match your needs, and won’t try to push other styles on you.
When trying on wetsuits, the staff has been very knowledgeable about the different options available. I usually end up having a good conversation with the staff about different wetsuit materials, what they like, and so on. They have staff meetings about what’s coming in, so they know what they’re talking about. My 4 or 5 times trying on wetsuits have been a great experience. FYI, they usually have sales twice a year, once in the winter (for spring suits) and once in the summer (for winter wetsuits).

They have a lot of good product, but either they don’t know anything about surf equipment, or they assume you are a dumb tourist, so why bother to tell you anything useful, even if you ask. So, either they are clueless or they assume you are. Either way, not a good place to get anything beyond maybe wax or slippers.

Highly trained wetsuit experts. Ask for John he knows what you need.
Very Large selection, the entire top floor is wetsuits, from most brands, which means you won’t wonder what other suits may fit differently, and no need to drive all over to multiple locations.
The guys downstairs are very helpful and informative as well. Like a surfing library for your questions on the the latest technology and gear.
Next to the beach so you can paddle out right after you shop and surf the pier.

Came here looking for Rainbow sandals (they’re about the only place that sells them) and was glad to find a decent selection here. I disagree with everyone’s negative comments on the customer service — the workers were friendly and knowledgable and more than willing to help out. They have some cool merchandise and stuff seems to be reasonably priced.

Honestly the customer service in this store SUCKS. Surfers working here could honestly give a shit about a customer and just there to collect paychecks. I mean we all do, but damn you’re in retail and customer service, and sucks you’re working when the waves are half decent but geez at least look half interested in your job! Only reason why I stop here is surf gear, wetsuits and check out some boards… well duh but if at least the rip curl store has better service.

FIVE STARS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE! I’ve gone into south coast a few times now and have been so impressed with the selection. They always have what I need at really great prices. Huge selection of wetsuits too! They even have this Really cool dude upstairs in the wetsuit layer helping everyone with so much care and knowledge I forgot his name but he was really helpful. I’ve read a few bad reviews on this place and I’m so confused! Maybe they are writing for the wrong store because this one is top notch! Everyone at south coast is so friendly and welcoming I always go there for any beach attire/​accessories I need. GREAT JOB SOUTH COAST!

I told my buddy to go to South Coast because they were doing deals on Rip Curl suits. When he walked in they didn’t give him the deal and made him pay full retail because he didn’t ask for the deal. Then the suit ripped on a seam after 5 uses (I understand it happens). They say it will be turned around in 3 days as Rip Curl is in S.Cal. We called and they didnt send it to Rip Curl for 4 days. When asked why they didnt send it in? «we don’t send in things like that everyday». We asked if they would give us a loaner. They said «ya no problem its 24 bucks a day». Mind you, the suit was 200 bucks. If you can avoid this place, avoid it! Terrible customer service, and they dont stand behind their products and would rather leave their rental suits on the shelves then to take care of a customer that lives 2 blocks from their store. We wont be recommending, but we will be telling everyone NOT to go to this store! Larry the manager could care less!

I went in looking for a suit and a gentleman by the name of John B. helped me out. He was extremely knowledgable, friendly, and in no way had any of the attitude you sometimes get in surf stores from younger attendants. He was very nice and got me a great discount. I will definitely go back there and seek out John B. if I need help with buying anything else. He is a valuable asset to the South Coast store.

They have a nice location. Great selection.
but shitty ass customer service.
There was this hipster ass dude who was talkin to me like I was dumb
I wanted to bomb on that fool so hard haha fuck that guy.
The interaction was brief but it ruined South Coast’s image for me.
I went to a surf shop and automatically no’d a poly board because I was reminded of South Coast Surf Shop

These guys win!
Was shopping all over SD for a wetsuit and tried some of the big box stores, small surf shops, etc etc. These guys have a surprisingly good selection and their prices are very reasonable. Some people complained about service, but I found the guys pretty darned helpful. And I’m not a cute lil gidget surfer girl that would get great service everywhere she goes. These guys gave good advice and were patient during my OCD selection process. You might need to grab someone, but that stands to reason. This is where my 20 year surfer veteran buddy shops too btw.
Wetsuits are upstairs!
I’m posting a review so I can remember address since I’m telling a couple friends to head over for suits right now. :-D

The staff is awful. They are not willing to help you out and if they do not know you personally then good luck

Horrible customer service. Ordered and paid for an item almost three months ago and still haven’t received it. They don’t return calls or emails either… time to file a complaint with the BBB and dispute the charges with AMEX.

Let me start this off saying I suffer from KBH… before you go looking it up, it stands for Korean Big Head… I have a big head, and thus finding a comfortable pair of sunglasses can be a tough thing…
When we walked in here, I let one of the sales people… a brunette girl whose name I didn’t catch know I have a big head, and asked for her suggestions in terms of which sunglasses might work for me. She let me know her boyfriend also had a big head, and immediately suggested Von Zippers or Spy…
Went over to the Von Zipper case, and was able to find a pair that looked cool AND fit me within just a few minutes! :) Made the experience much easier, and now I’ll know to check out the brand in the future if I’m having trouble finding a pair…
Otherwise the other employees were all friendly, and the stock of items looked pretty good too.