How to Kayak at Mission Bay | San Diego, CA

Just minutes from downtown San Diego, Mission Bay is 4,600 acres of wonderful aquatic playground. Surrounded by 27 miles of winding shorelines, Mission Bay is a haven for water sport enthusiasts, from kayaking, and paddle-boarding to water skiing, sailing, kite suffering, and more. Mission Bay is also home to Sea World San Diego, so, we LOVE to kayak here. Mission Bay is very big, but there are a couple of places where we love to drop our kayaks, one of which is near the Bahia Hotel. From here, we could take our favorite route to the back of Sea World where we can watch the sky gondolas gliding across the water. There are also rental options if you don’t own a kayak.

Stats

Sea World Route

🛶 TO LAUNCH YOUR KAYAK
Bahia Point Public Parking Lot
3210 Gleason Rd, San Diego, CA 92109
32.771760, -117.245848

Ventura Cove Beach
3209 Gleason Rd, San Diego, CA 92109

🛶 TO RENT A KAYAK
Action Sport Rentals
998 W Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA 92109
Website: https://actionsportrentals.com

Marina Village Route

🛶 TO LAUNCH YOUR KAYAK
Bonita/Ventura Cove
3119 Mariners Way, San Diego, CA 92109
32.768578, -117.245759

🛶 TO RENT A KAYAK
Sun Down Kayaking Company
San Fernando Place at Bayside Walk
Website: https://sundownkayakingcompany.com

Parking

There are big paved lots at both of the launch sites.

Restroom

There are restrooms at the Ventura Cove Park and Bonita Cove Park

Fee

Free to launch, if you want to rent, please check with the company that you prefer to rent with.

Distance

Sea World Route

1.28 miles each way from Bahia Point Beach to Dog Beach.
2.22 to the dead-end bridge

Marina Village Route
About 1 mile each way.

Level

Beginner to moderate

Time:

2-3 hours

Pet-friendly

You can bring your pups but for their safety and yours, please put a life jacket on them.

Ideal Time

You can go kayak at Mission Bay year-round, however, we recommend getting there early because tends to get windier in the afternoon. Also, Mission Bay gets very busy with boat traffic on weekends and holidays so if you’re new or prefer calm water, go on a weekday.

Weather

Video

Where Can I Launch or Rent My Kayak?

To Launch Your Own Kayak

For the Route to Sea World
Our favorite place to launch our kayaks at Mission Bay is actually at the beach corner of the Bahia Hotel and Ventura Cove Beach. You can park at either the Bahia Point Public Parking Lot, located alongside the Bahia Hotel, or at Ventura Cove Beach. The Bahia Point Public Park Lot is free but you have to pay at the other location. From the parking lot, it is a very short distance to carry your kayak or paddleboard down to the beach, where you can launch your paddle craft. There are pull-through spaces at the Ventura Cove Beach, however, if you bring your trailer and wanted to park at the Bahia Point, you’ll need to detach your trailer.

For the Route to the Marina Village

For this kayak route at Mission Bay, we usually launch from Bonita/Venture Cove Beach, across the street from the Bahia Hotel. There are a couple of big parking lots here, with many pull-through spaces, perfect for a trailer if you have one. Parking here is also free. However, it is a long way to get your kayak down to the beach. If you have a kayak cart, make sure to use it! The sidewalks are all paved, so it’s very easy to pull your kayak.

To Rent A Kayak

There are many kayak rental options in Mission Bay. However, if you want to launch near the Bahia, check out Action Sport Rentals at their Bahia Hotel location. If you prefer to go to the Marina Village, you can rent with Sun Down Kayak company. We haven’t rented with either of the rental companies yet, but they seem to have good reviews. If you rent with them before, let us know if you like them.

What Should I Bring?

You won’t need much to have a fun and safe kayaking adventure at Huntington Harbor. We listed some of our favorite gear below though, just in case.

Dry bags – whether you’re renting or bringing your own kayaks, we recommend bringing dry bags. They help keep your belongings dry
Waterproof phone pouch with lanyard- to keep your phone dry. This way, you can keep your phone out to take photos and checking on your map, to make sure that you find your way back.
Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen – it’s mostly sunny out there. These items will keep you safe from the sun and protect your eyes against glare from the water. For sunscreens, we use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30. and tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
Swimsuits or easy-to-dry clothing – You will get somewhat wet, especially the lower half, from getting on and off of the kayak and from water splashing.
A light jacket – It can be brisk on the water. We love the packable Patagonia Women’s Houdini® Jacket and Patagonia Men’s Houdini® Jacket
Towel and change of clothes – for changing after the adventure
Life jacket – it is required to have one on board per person. If you’re under 18, you’ll need to wear it. If you rent, they should provide you with one.
Water and snacks – to keep you hydrating and keep your energy up for that paddle back.
Waterproof Speaker (optional) – we like a good kayak tune so we usually brought our little waterproof speaker.
Watershoes (Optional) – to get on the boat easier.

The Adventure

Mission Bay is a fun playground for kayakers and paddle-boarders, however, unless you’re staying inside a small protected cove, the water can get very choppy. This is due not only to wind but also to boat traffic. Boat traffic can get very heavy on the weekend or a holiday. If you’re a beginner, stay close to the shore and inside the calmer cove. If you’re crossing over open water, please make sure to keep an eye on traffic all around you and be careful of rolling waves.

The Sea World Route

To get to Sea World at Mission Bay, we usually kayak across the bay and under the Ingraham Street bridge. The water can get choppy in the open section near the bridge. There are boats and jet skis in the area, especially if it’s on a weekend or a holiday. Once you cross under the bridge, make sure to stay right, closer to shore and keep an eye out for traffic. The left side is open water, where boats and jet skis are not required to go at idling speed. Since Mission Bay is a popular place for watersports, many of the boats and jetski drivers are renters. This means they have no idea what they’re doing or that they should respect the ‘NO WAKE ZONE.” So, it can be dangerous for you on a small kayak or paddleboard.

After crossing under the bridge and staying right, we follow the curve to head toward a small marina. If you look up above, you can see the start of the Sea World’s Sky Ride. If it is running, you can see people riding the gondolas, gliding above the water. Next to the little marina is Sea World’s Bayside Amphitheater. Sea World sometimes holds concerts there so you could watch them from your kayaks.

Usually, once we kayaked past the Sky Ride, we would head toward the other side of the channel to take a quick break at the Dog Beach. If you love dogs, you’ll love this beach! There are so many cute pups playing in the water. A lot of them are super friendly and would not be shy to give you a big wet kiss. Once we’re done with our break here, we usually headed back. If you prefer, you can go further to the dead-end. It is an additional mile.

The Marina Village Route

For the Marina Village route, after launching our kayaks, we headed along Mariner’s Point Park beach toward the cove opening. Once outside, we crossed over the open channel toward the Marina, where all the boats are docked. From here, you can make your own route, going up and down the narrow channels of the docks or just circling the area. If you love seals, there is a floating dock in the middle. The seals are always hanging on here, basking in the sun. We also saw them playing in the water in this area. They are super adorable. Again, make sure to watch out for boats. Sometimes, they can’t see you so make sure to get out of the way and give them plenty of room.

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.