San Diego H2O Jet Ski Rentals — Attraction in San Diego

Upon looking into this place to rent a jet ski for our upcoming trip to Mission Bay (Ski Beach) in San Diego I took the initiative to look into their reviews... And boy am I ever so glad I decided to do so! I think the reviews speak for themselves, especially when the ongoing trend tends to be charging their customers a ridiculous amount for damages done to their watercraft and basing the cost without proper cause. Furthermore the fact that the owner utilizes the same “copy and paste” response for each customer that leaves a negative review mainly due to damage. You’d figure the owner would be a little more original with each response and tailor it according to the damage that was done to the rental! Rather than just replying with the same lame excuse used from one customer to the next, which already makes himself sound guilty by doing so. I never rented at this location before but I’ll be sure to avoid this location like the plague, mainly because of this poor excuse of a response given to make any attempt to gouge their customers... “Response from the owner: We are sorry to hear of your situation. Normal wear and tear on our skis is understandable however- As the renter, you are responsible for damages that occur during the rentals. Just like a car rental company holds renters responsible for anything over the size of a golf ball.”

I would highly recommend asking for a full inspection of the watercraft prior to departing from this location with a rental... Just like a car rental! To ensure there’s no damage done to the watercraft and note all damage in advance with the customer as both the customer and staff member being present to sign off on any prior damages done... And yes, wait for it... “Just like a CAR RENTAL COMPANY DOES” so their customers are not held accountable for any prior damages. How do you like them apples owner!? I would like to see how the owner is gonna reply to this review without being able to “copy and paste” a response that’ll force him to be a little bit more original in his response, even more so that I have never been a customer of their establishment. Keep in mind opinions are like a**holes and everyone’s got one... Although, word of mouth is the best compliment and I see there’s an ongoing trend here that’s become the deciding factor in my decision to avoid this place at all cost. Especially when you don’t even know the cost of your rental, until you come back with a “golf ball”...

I wanted to update the negative review I left below.

We had a really negative experience on Sunday and the same day Matt the owner contacted me and gave me an opportunity to make up for it. Today I went with my three kids and had an absolutely terrific time. The equipment was in perfect condition the personnel was friendly and kind and considerate and we truly had an unforgettable experience. I will definitely be coming back!

This was by far the worst experience of our vacation. We made a reservation Friday for Sunday at 9am. We arrived promptly at 9am for two jetski rentals. We checked in with a guy who said his name was David but I don’t think it was. He had shoulder length blonde hair and a goatee. He took our info, my Id and credit card and proceeded to tell me it was cash only. I told him no one told us that. He then said they tell everyone that and I proceeded to let him know that no one told us that. Nevertheless we said we’d go to the atm after. So finally after getting on our live vests with my 3 kids we start walking down to the dock. As we are walking down, he tells me to stand back and he goes to talk to a coworker. After speaking to him for a minute, are you ready for this? He tells me that he is not going to honor our reservation because it was 9:15 and he had another reservation at 10am. He then says we had to be there at 9:45. I said. I one ever told us that. Then here comes the kicker. He says we can go out for 40 minutes but if we return one second after 10am he will take my credit card to the local restaurant and charge $500! At that point much to the disappointment of my kids I turned away and asked him his name. He then told me to give him back his waterproof phone case and get my car out of his lot, or he’d tow my car. By the way the whole time he had on a mask around his neck and never put it on his mouth. What type of business is this???? Don’t go anywhere near this place! He finally insulted my son by saying that he’s only 18 and probably didn’t understand what the person on the phone told him. How disrespectful and...

We’ve rented from this place four times before and never had a serious issue, so we honestly didn’t expect the nightmare we experienced on our latest visit. What happened was not just bad customer service — it was manipulative, aggressive, and downright threatening behavior.

We came as usual to rent jet skis and were rushed into signing documents that were unclear, hard to read, and barely explained to us. There was no proper walkthrough of the terms, and when we asked questions, they brushed them off. It felt like we were being set up from the beginning.

When we returned, one of the jet skis had a minor scrape on the side. But this wasn’t fresh damage — the area was clearly damaged before, and we could see it had been patched up multiple times with visible signs of past repairs. Still, they accused us of causing the damage and demanded $500 in cash on the spot.

Things escalated quickly. They confiscated our IDs and started yelling at us aggressively. What shocked us most was how they threatened to smash our car windows if we didn’t pay, saying, and I quote, that this was their way to “teach us a lesson.” That’s not customer service — that’s intimidation and extortion.

We felt completely helpless — surrounded, outnumbered, and physically and verbally intimidated. They refused to let us leave and made the entire situation feel unsafe. We ended up paying just to avoid it getting worse, but we walked away feeling violated and angry.

We’ve been loyal customers, and this was the worst betrayal we could imagine. There was no discussion, no professionalism, no decency — just disrespect, aggression, and bullying tactics. They treated us like criminals, not customers.

To anyone thinking about renting from this place: don’t. It’s not worth the risk. They’re running a shady operation and clearly have no problem threatening, overcharging, or bullying their customers.

We will never be coming back, and we hope this review warns others before going through the...