Waterboyz — Attraction in Pensacola

This was the worst experience I ever had in the U.S. I went here in the summer to get a new surf board. And they told me the surf was supposed to be good fo the next couple of days. So I would definitely be able to ride my new board before I left the U.S. And they hooked me up with thruster and even a pad and a new leash. so I was so stoked I went straight tot the beach to surf it and I paddle out and paddle into a wave and I pop up and try to turn to go down the line and the board flies from under my feet and I was held down for a solid minute almost died and I look at my board and there was no find in it I didn't realize or even think about it until now I was furious I went back to the shop full of idiots who don't even tell you that you need fins to surf. And I walk in the shop and tell them that the board didn't have fins in it they tried selling me some fins. Shouldn't a surf board come with fins this was completely stupid. So instead of spending the 30 dollars for the low end pair I bought the pro fcs carbon fiber performance series to give me the best performance so I could do some radical tricks. Than they tried selling me a skim board and showed me a few videos on skimboarding and they had me hooked so I bought an exile carbon fiber but this time before I left I wanted to make sure it had fins but they didn't put any in this board either I was furious and ragged back in the store and they said that I didn't need fins for the board but after arguing for what seemed like an eternity i just bought some fins to put in my self but whenever I tried to put it in there was no holes for it so I made my own holes and used super glue after that overall the skim board worked great even though it got stuck in the sad a few times. Then I went to surf my board and I guess out of pure hat for me the put the fins in backwards which threw me completely off the board when I tried to catch a wave I was so furious I didn't want to deal with them again do I sold all of my boards and quit my surfing career. These people are idiots and have no idea what they are doing. These people are a bunch of kooks. Go to blonde johns where they treat you right and actually PUT FINS IN...

This shop has been hit or miss with me since I moved to Pensacola from Kansas City back in 2008. They may or may not have what you want when you get down to specific brands or colorways of shoes and deck sizes, but in Waterboyz' defense its the nature of the beast and they do a pretty good job of carrying a wide selection of brands and product. Just like every retail store they've got limited quantities of product and if they get a flood of people ordering the same size decks/shoes they're bound to sell out so I don't fault them for that, however, I've still had to make compromises on more than one occasion but nowhere near the amount of times its happened at Innerlight.

The last time I skated the indoor park was almost 10 years ago so I guarantee its changed for the better since they remodeled it but I remember it being either too crowded, too small, or a little bit of both. Also some of the Team riders talented as they were would constantly snake fools. The situation was lame but even more so when you factor in that you're having to pay for this lame session. Typically it was the same dudes that would start changing the flow & vibe of the park so I'd get in the habit of scoping the place out before I'd pay for a session and if dudes were already there then I'd drive to Milton or Fair Hope to skate those parks instead. Plus at public parks you can address the whole snaking issue directly, squash it right then and there without fear of getting the boot from the shop if the situation escalates. Also those parks, Fairhope more so than Milton, are big enough you aren't on top of another.

That being said, Waterboyz is hands down the best skate shop in Pensacola, however, I'd still prefer to make the trek to...

I went for the cafe. It has a really good menu with lots of healthy and vegan choices. But it's a skate park, too! Haha. I pulled up in the parking lot and all I saw was new, large 7 passenger SUV's that were Audi, Mercedes-Benz and myself with a VW Atlas. Cars not typical of a young people. When I walked in, it was older people like myself and then younger people doin their thing skatin. The menu is awesome the staff, very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Looks like they may have been setting up for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie because a young lady was drawing out the menu for the day on a very large chalkboard: Sunday at the Caribbean. And they do have a movie set up with a projector and large 100" screen in the window. We checked out the skate park and it looks like a great spot for my son to skate. Waterboys: 10, 10, 10. Great place. Food is great and it's great for kids. And you can also watch a guy make surfboards (when he is...