A B Seas Kayaks of Monterey

This number leads you to a 3^rd party service that doesn’t actually know if they work with any kayak rental businesses in Monterey…

If you’re staying in the area, I would HIGHLY recommend renting a kayak from these guys and either going on a tour or just putzing around on the Bay. Go as early as you can to experience glass-​like conditions. Parking isn’t a problem… lots of spots at the base of the jetty. A double kayak ran $ 30 per person. Singles were $ 35. These prices were for all day.
Not sure who the guy at the shop with the beard is, but he was amazingly helpful and really nice. Hey… thanks, nice man with the beard!
Since we went early in the morning, we used their wetsuits. Unlike the previous ones we’ve used, these were clean, in good condition, and didn’t smell like a truck stop urinal. There were 2 small changing rooms in the office to get into the wetsuits. A big plus were the windproof jackets which were awesome in the morning. The whole setup made for a comfortable time on the water.
The standard Ocean Kayak sit on top double was clean and well maintained. The paddles were typical rentals, but like the kayaks… well maintained. Believe it or not, you can really screw up paddles.
Once you’re in the water, follow the jetty out. Depending on the wind direction, there’s a good chance of losing your breakfast. The sea lions on the jetty look cute and playful… you know… like the ones on Animal Planet, but in person, they smell like shit. Paddle fast.
Get to the end, turn left and enter the kelp beds. Here, you’ll see sea otters in the kelp and harbor seals on the rocks. The otters will either be wrapped up in kelp and dozing or diving for their breakfast and munching on them on the surface. Way cool and they don’t stink. Bring along a camera in a water proof case or a drybag and get some neat shots, but stay 100′ from the critters!
You can paddle down to the Aquarium and back at an easy pace, spending a fair amount of time in the kelp, in about 2 hours. Lots of fun!

My husband and two sons (ages 12 and 14) were vacationing in Monterey and we selected A B Seas based on the previous Unilocal reviews — we weren’t disappointed.
We booked the 7 am tour. We were the only ones on the water and the only ones on the tour as we went mid-​week. Our guide, Geoff, was fantastic. He looked like a Steinbeck character himself. A really fun person to go kayaking with, learn about sealife and Monterey history and just an all-​around nice guy.
We all wore bathing suits and were provided with wetsuits, which were all in very nice condition. We’ve kayaked before, but I was glad we did the tour. Kayaking near protected sealife and through kelp beds requires some different skills and information that we wouldn’t have known without the tour.
My kids can get impatient on tours, but not with Geoff. He was more of a guide and an instructor — not a canned presentation at all. We had to dodge the wakes of the other tour boats as we came back to shore — another reason to get on the water early.
There are so many things to do in Monterey, and so many ways to experience the bay itself, but I really recommend doing a kayak tour. You experience the sealife and the shoreline in a really unique way. And I think that A B Seas probably gives the most personalized service and they’re one of the few that offer 7 am tours.

My wife and I were going to do a tour but because of time we decided to rent a kayak and go at it alone. It was a great choice. We didn’t get the history of the place but we got to go at our own pace and get close to some sea otters and sea lions. We spent close to two hours on the water and my wife, a photographer, got some great pictures. This was easily one of the highlights of our vacation.
The owner was really nice and helpful. If you’re going to do a tour, be sure to book it ahead of time and try to go in the morning when it’s glassy.

this was my first kayaking experience, and it was amazing! we decided to book the 7 am tour, which i wasn’t crazy about since i’m not a morning person, but it was definitely the right decision! we were almost the only people out there, the water was smooth and peaceful, and there were tons of sea lions, harbor seals, and otters swimming around our boat.
jeff is the owner of the business, and he led our tour. he was super nice, very laid back, and shared some great information about monterey, cannery row, and the sea life we would be seeing. we got totally lucky and had a momma otter swim by on her back w/​her little baby sleeping on her tummy. of course my camera died at the very moment i tried to take a picture… jeff was really patient, happy to let you stop and take pics whenever you wanted.
it was a great experience that i would gladly do again when i go back to monterey.

Highly recommend waking up and getting on the 7am tour before the water gets choppy and infiltrated with tourists. Great way to get fresh air, exercise, and some up-​close action with seals and otters before 9am!
Jeff led our tour… and was fantastic! Jeff has been living in Monterey for decades, had great stories about Cannery Row… we even got the pleasure of seeing a mom sea otter stroll by with her baby sleeping on her just 10 yards away from our kayak.

John led our tour, and was a wonderful guide. He, kindly, took pictures of me and my date, gave us a history of Cannery Row, and background on the wildlife around us.
He kept the tour at a pace we could keep up with and helped us to feel comfortable the whole trip.