La Jolla Caves Snorkel & Watersports — Local services in San Diego

I am taking time out of my vacation to write this review because Alex was truly wonderful and created an unbelievable core memory for our family. From the start he was incredibly approachable, friendly, thoughtful and funny. His wet suits are super clean and immaculate, as well as all of the equipment. Alex was also kind enough to have bottled water and snack bars to offer before we embarked on our adventure. So thought through!

This is a business Alex started with passion- he loves the sea and everything La Jolla has to offer. He knew exactly what areas offered sighting of seals playing, lobsters, etc. More importantly, he highlighted watchouts: rocks and wave breaks. Do NOT attempt this without a guide unless you are an experienced snorkeler. It's not worth the angst. My 7-YO son had never snorkeled and Alex coached us on the best way of getting him accustomed to the wet suit, cold water and equipment. I would say that my son was relaxed for the first 15 min, but then started to get scared and cold, to which Alex offered us options to stay in the cove or move on with our son on my husband's back. He never pushed for any option and let us lead. My husband is an open water swimmer training for the Alcatraz swim, so we decided to press on as my son hitched on his back. Even then we went easy and slow. When my son wanted to rest on rocks, Alex made it happen and offered options. He kindly watched him on this break while we were able to snorkel freely. It was unbelievably generous of him to do so.

We had lost track of time at the end and had gone way over (because of my son's motivation to swim back). And still Alex was generous and allowed us to take the time to decompress and change. I should also mention that Alex had prepared clean and dry towels for us as we peeled off the wetsuits. Everything was considered and thought through.

Do not even think twice about booking Alex. He is the most hospitable, thoughtful and witty guide we've encountered. His patience with children is second to none (amazing as I don't believe he has any!). You would be remiss not to take a...

Last week my boyfriend and I took a guided snorkeling tour with La Jolla Caves Snorkel and Watersports. We chose the private snorkeling lesson with Alex based on his glowing reviews. I can confirm that what people have previously experienced was consistent with ours. I would do another private tour with Alex in a heartbeat! He's knowledgeable, experienced, trustworthy, and friendly. He truly delivers great customer service.

Alex shared with us that he's been instructing for quite some time now, and you can tell. Not only was he skilled and knowledgeable, but his priority was our safety. He was very observant, patient, and non-judgmental in his assessment of our skill level. He gauged our comfort levels with frequent check-ins. Alex took the time to inform and guide us on what to expect (with regards to the equipment, the waters, and the sea life), gave us ample opportunities to take breaks, and made sure we navigated all areas of the tour safely. He kept things moving along, but we never felt rushed.

Throughout our tour, Alex answered all of our questions without hesitation. He answered questions about what we saw, the sea life, the conservation area, the history of the cove, and even the greater La Jolla/San Diego area. He directed us to areas with a lot of action and made sure to point out things so we wouldn't miss them—things like juvenile Garibaldi, a horn shark, and even a sea lion pup playing with kelp underwater! Overall, he made it very fun and interesting! Definitely one of the best adventures I’ve been on. I’m so grateful to have experienced the conservation area with someone who is proud of their surroundings and truly appreciates the ocean and the life that lives in...

I called the day before we arrived in the san Diego area, to ask questions, Alex was super nice and helpful. We decided to call again before heading out to make sure weather condition were ok to snorkel and he gave us clear directions and told us not to hesitate to call. I think he runs this business with his partner and they were both amazing when we arrived, getting us fitted with all the gear we would need. Also storing all our personal items. Once we were suited up they took a picture with a view for us. Long story short, I don't think I am an ocean person, I was in the water about 20 minutes max, got wrecked by a wave getting out of the water and busted my finger and was bleeding all over. On top of that I got extremely nauseated and sea sick . When we arrived back, I explained that I was sick and they even had motion sickness medication for me! They've literally thought of everything to take care of their guests. They both kept apologizing even though it was a completely personal problem. After walking away Alex came up to us and even refunded some of our money because he felt bad that I had such a rough time. I can not say enough good things about these two. If you want to be taken care of with everything you need for a days worth of snorkeling this definitely the company you should...