Pismo Beach Surf Shop — Local services in Pismo Beach

Bill is such a character! We met him randomly while we were visiting Adas’s Fish House and decided to check out the surf shop property. We got to talking and he mentioned that there were some caves that you can explore via kayak in Pismo. As someone that has been to Pismo multiple times, I had no idea this was even a thing. He peaked our interest and the group I was with thought about it the rest of the day as a possible excursion.

Then we ran into him the next day! He was just as friendly as the first meeting and he truly is such a great person. After that, we figured it was fate and our group of 6 people decided it would be fun to try it out.

This was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, it was so much fun! Although Bill did not come with us, Noah and Tristan took care of us and guided us through the caves and they were great tour guides. We got to go on beaches inaccessible by foot that are recessed into the cliffside and it was awesome. We also saw plenty of wildlife like sea lions and even a pod of dolphins hunting fish! Bill said I could bring my fishing rod with a valid license, but I forgot it unfortunately :(

BE WARNED: You will need to put on a wetsuit, the water will probably be cold no matter the season, and it is fairly treacherous. There is a very real possibility of falling into the water or getting smashed against a rock, but our group was fine and Noah and Tristan did a great job helping us maneuver through the caves and ocean. You also have life jackets on and they teach you what to do if you do fall out.

As a disclaimer, the tide can play a part in what caves are accessible so you might want to call ahead of time and ask when the tide would be best for the tour. In some instances, the tide was too low for us to explore some of the caves. Also the caves are not what you would think, they are more of a series of archways and recessed areas in the cliffside. So don’t expect to kayak into a winding cave that goes into the cliffside, that’s not what it is! If you google “Dinosaur Caves Park Pismo” it will give you an idea of what they look like.

Either way, I highly recommend this excursion and if you are in Pismo this should definitely be one of the things you do it...

We had a worst the worst experience here. I should have booked at the central surf-shop, but booked here primly for the distance from hotel. Our on boarding experience was decent, but on shore, carrying the kayak once and for you two is ok, but for twice for others, and on a steep sharp bend stairs was too much and we got tired already. I was kayaking with my younger son who was sitting in front of me, we are new to kayaking.. the problem started with the seat adjustments, which was not done and they never asked us to make it rite, when you lean, the seat thats made out of fabric bends and goes far back, you can’t paddle with this set up, my son was also struggling with his seat set up, at a point we were feeling too tired and were keeping our knees bend so we are not pushing back, but that pose you have no strength to paddle.. we asked for help to get back, the tour guide crew was led by 2 ppl, 1 old man in his 50s and another minor may be 16 or 17. The minor was very friendly and saw us struggling and immediately offered help, at a point my son said he wants to go back, when I asked he said to get back to the shore (thats all he said), when we started paddling after a few minutes the older man shouted not to go that direction where there was rocks and you will die hitting your head and body against the rock clusters, again its not the minor’s fault, he is just young may be he shouldn’t be a guiding all of us in the 1st place. The old man helped us to get back back in and guided us all the way to shore, which i really appreciate. When myself and kid was waiting for rest of the family members to return, it strike me that i left my go pro battery in my safety vest, tried to reach when he was free but no help. I just felt frik it and just leave and go to the hotel. That was our overall experience. also, I doubt you can run a guided tour on Saturday, coz the city guy was there and most probably some kick back set...

The owner is a fairly unpleasant person indeed. I went there to have a look at the kayaks he had and later called to ask for a deal with 2 days wet-suit, 1 day + overnight for a cobra strike and 1 single day beginners surfboard. Guy on the phone tells me 2*10 + 65 + 15 but i need to be at the shop at 7am because the go on a trip. I reiterated the entire plan and had the deal reconfirmed.

I put my alarm clock and just walked over to get to their shop just before 7am where the owner first wanted to send me back because he 'had no time'. When I told him that I walked over so early because I've been told that I should be in at 7 he almost threw a paper form at me, said: 'fill this in' and rushed off.

When he came back he doubled the price for the kayak saying 'it's my shop, I make the rules'. I reminded me of the deal I agreed to with his employee he recognized that but still wanted an entire day extra for the overnight. In fact he tapped his hand on his belly and said, regarding the employee I talked with: 'I fired him'. Not a word of excuse, nothing offered. All that while stuffing a cheeseburger into his mouth. That is the kind of person we talk about.

As for the Kayaks themselves: nothing special in terms of sea kayaks, the usual stuff. The paddles are of the lowest possible quality and not well maintained.

As for the Surfboards, I don't know, looked OK to me but I'm not an expert there. However AVOID THAT PLACE, it's...