Did you know that you can ride bikes on the water? Yes, you read it right, you can ride bikes on the water. And you can do so in Mission Bay, San Diego. Aqua Adventures in Mission Bay is one of only two locations in San Diego that rent these unique hydrobikes. These hydrobikes provide a super fun and unique way to explore the wonderful aquatic playground of Mission Bay. They are also a heck of a workout. So, if you’re looking for something unique to do in San Diego, whether it’s for a date, fun things to do with friends or just to try something new, you should check out these hydrobikes. We had a blast with them.
Stats
Where
Aqua Adventures
1548 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109
32.759117, -117.238646
Contact Info
Aqua Adventures Website:
www.aqua-adventures.com
Parking
There are free parking along the street and at the big dirt lot across the street from Aqua Adventures.
Restroom
Aqua Adventures has its own restrooms. You will need to ask them for a key.
Level
At least 90 minutes
Time:
2-3 hours
Pet-friendly
You can bring small dogs with you.
Ideal Time
You can ride hydrobikes year-round in San Diego. However, we recommend going early on a weekday. This way, you won’t have to deal with boat traffic and choppy waves. Also, avoid windy days.
Weather
Video
Where Can I Rent These Hydrobikes?
You can rent the hydrobikes at Aqua Adventures in Mission Bay, San Diego. You can do so either in person or online. We recommend reserving your bikes online ahead of time. Aqua Adventures get very busy, especially on the weekend so these bikes might be rented out. As for their physical location, we included the address above. You can use your GPS devices to map your way there easily. The paved parking lot in front of their store is a paid lot. However, there is free parking along the street and at a very big dirt lot right across the street from their store. This dirt lot is seriously 1 minute walk to Aqua Adventures so you won’t have to worry about parking at all.
How Much Do These Hydrobikes Cost to Rent?
At the time of this article, Aqua Adventures rent the single hydrobikes at $30 while the tandem hydrobikes at $55 for 90 minutes. These prices might change so please check with their website for more updated pricing. Besides hydrobikes, Aqua Adventures also rent other paddle crafts such as kayaks, paddleboards, canoe, outrigger, megalodon standup paddleboard, and more. So if you want to try a hydrobike while your friends prefer other paddle crafts, you still can go together!
What Do I Need to Know Before Starting My Hydrobike Adventure?
You won’t need much to have a fun and safe adventure with the hydrobikes, but here are some tips to make things easier for you:
- You can rent these hydrobikes year-round in San Diego. Since Aqua Adventures is located in Mission Bay, the weather is perfect any time of the year. Although, we recommend not doing this on a very windy day.
- You can bring your kids or small dogs with you. Most children ages 8 and up are able to ride the hydrobikes themselves, as long as they are able to reach the pedal. Small children 5 years and up or a small dog can sit on the blue platform.
- Hydrobikes are very stable, especially tandem ones. We actually rode both of these bikes for over 2 miles each and they both feel very good.
- The tandem bikes are easier to turn while the single bikes require you to plan your turn in advance.
- Use the reserve mode (pedaling backward) on the single bikes. This helps us get away from crashing a few times because we couldn’t turn fast enough.
- For the tandem bike, you’ll need to work as a team. If the person on the right pedal is faster, you’ll turn left and vice versa. If you need to make a sharp turn, one person can pedal backward while the other person pedals forward.
- Don’t do a full leg day the day before. I made that mistake and my legs are still jello the next day.
- Don’t make eye contact with the seagulls. They are mean and hold grudges and will attack you. Yes, we speak from personal experiences.
What Should I Bring?
You won’t need to bring much to enjoy these hydrobikes but here are a few things we recommend:
- Small Dry bags – for your small valuables. There is a small console in front of the bike for you to store your small items. Even though it won’t even get wet, we prefer to keep everything in a dry bag just to be safe.
- Waterproof phone pouch with lanyard – so you can keep your phone out to take photos of your awesome adventures.
- Water Shoes or Sandals – you can ride these bikes barefoot but we found that they are more comfortable with shoes on. You can wear regular shoes, however, water shoes or sandals are convenient to get wet if you want to pull up to a beach to hang out.
- 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.
- Water – these bikes are a workout so make sure to bring plenty of water to hydrate
- Snacks – you’ll burn quite a good amount of calories on these bad boys so bring some snacks to replenish.
The Adventure
The Check-in Process
The check-in process is very simple. You’ll want to get there 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. This way, you can fill out your waiver (you can also fill them out ahead of time), check it, and be ready to go. You’ll need to give them a driver’s license while you are on your adventure for security purposes. Everyone at the counter was super nice. Shawn and Jessi were very helpful with all of our answers. If Shawn is there, you’ll probably see Dukie, a super chill chihuahua that was just having his best life.
Once we were done with all the paperwork, Jessi walked us down to the dock below. This is where you’ll get your life jacket and your watercraft. Don’t forget to look down at the clear water near the dock. There are sting rays, garibaldi, and tons of other sea creatures there. For a hydrobike, you won’t need a lifejacket, however, they’ll give you one if you prefer it. Damien gave us a rundown of how to operate the hydro bikes. Then, we helped us get on our respective bikes safely before sending us off on our adventure.
The Routes
Mission Bay is very large, with 4,600 acres of water to explore. So, depending on your ability, there are a lot of places to see. You can either ride around the Quivira Basin to explore the boats and the adorable sea lions, go across the channel to the Mariners Basin to the white sand beach, or head right to the back of Sea World. There are so many options. But these are the 3 routes that we recommended. You can choose the routes depending on your ability. These hydrobikes are a bit of a workout and won’t be as nimble as a kayak so 2 miles can be a lot. Don’t go too far if this is your first time. Don’t forget, wherever you go, you’ll have to ride back as well. We did over 4 miles and my butt is not happy for a few days after.
Quivira Basin Route
In Mission Bay, San Diego, this route is the easiest one for hydrobikes, perfect for beginners. You’ll just circle around the Quivira Basin. There are many adorable sea lions hanging out on the docks. They are super funny. We could watch them interacting all day. There are also tons of seabirds and cool boats to look at. If you need to go back, look for Dock L to lead you back to the dock for Aqua Adventures. You could tell by the dark gray building with a bright green roof.
Mariners Basin Route
If you are a little more ambitious, you can go across the open channel to the Mariners Basin across the way. This route is around 1.5 miles to over 2.5 miles round trip depending on how much you want to explore Mariners Basin. Even though it can get choppy while crossing over the open channel, the water gets calmer while inside Mariners Basin and Quivira Basin. If you’re lucky, you could see a pod of dolphins hanging out along the open channel. Since you’ll sit higher on these hydrobikes instead of in a kayak, you could see the dolphins a lot easier. Please make sure to watch out for boat traffic, especially when crossing over.
Sea World Route
This route requires a lot more work. It is over 2.5 miles round trip, however, it is also more challenging because you will be riding mostly through the open channel of Mission Bay. This means the water can get very choppy, especially on a windy day or if a boat pass by. You’ll also need to be careful attention. There is a lot of boat traffic along the open channel, even on the weekdays.
To get to the back of Sea World, once get out of Quivera Basin, make a right toward the bridge. After crossing under the West Mission Bay Bridge, you’ll want to hug the shoreline toward the second double bridge of Ingraham Street. This bridge is our favorite. It is quite beautiful. Once you cross under the Ingraham Street bridge, go right around the curve and you’ll see the bubbles of the Sky Ride behind Sea World. It is pretty cool to see.
We had a lot of fun with these hydro bikes. If you haven’t already, we recommend trying it. They are so fun, and you could see all the sea creatures easier by sitting higher. If you want to explore more of Mission Bay on a kayak, check out our Mission Bay Kayaking Adventure.
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.
camera gear
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