Hana Paddle Boards

I booked a group paddle board experience for myself and 4 friends the day before my wedding. Booking was quick and easy, all I did was call them and talked to the owner Ric. He quoted me the price and immediately sent me a text to confirm the appointment. When we got there, he was already set up on the beach with the paddle board equipment and wet suits for all of us. After a quick lesson, we set off in the ocean and Ric made sure to keep pace with whoever was the slowest in our group so no one was left behind. He also took tons of pictures for us and posted them to his Facebook page the next day for easy download.
Some reviews on here say the paddle boards are too small for taller people, but we didn’t have that problem. Three of us are over 6′ tall, and over 200 pounds. Every one of us were able to stand up on the boards without a problem. Although, every one of us fell off at least once… but that’s part of the fun.
All in all, this was a great experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try paddle boarding in Malibu.

What a beautiful day! This was such a great experience. I’ve been back several times and every time it’s amazing! We saw dolphins, watched surfers, paddled along a quiet beach, and way out to sea. Ric is a wonderful guide, very patient and caring with his group. He teaches paddle boarding like a natural and a pro. You will feel safe no matter what happens. I was especially happy with the way he handled my return to shore– as I had an injury that was still healing on my ankle and was a bit nervous. But everything went really smoothly– thanks to Ric’s experience and calm hand. He also has the best newest boards and paddles, which makes a difference too!
Also loved getting the pictures from his Go Pro after the day was done. Great photos!
Thank you Ric!

We had am awesome time with our experience! Ric was the best! He was patient and encouraging! Made us feel totally at ease! If you are looking for a great introduction to this sport, go see Ric!

I emailed Hana Paddle Boards because I found their deal on Amazon and had a friend coming into town for the weekend. Ric got back to me and said he had availability for 11 am on the day we wanted and would call me with the details. I confirmed we wanted the spots. Instead of calling me later in the day as promised, I get an email the next day asking us to come at a different time. When I responded that we could not, he said he would try to make 11 work. I’m sorry, I thought we already had appointments at 11??? Now here we are the day before we were supposed to be going out and he says he can not take us out. Seriously? What kind of business is this? If you don’t have the appointment time, don’t tell me that you do and don’t cancel the day before. Do yourself a favor and take your business elsewhere. Don’t waste your time.

A couple of girlfriends and I purchased the Travel Zoo deal for Hana Paddle Boards and were highly pleased with the entire experience. Ric graciously honored the same deal we purchased for a few other friends who wanted to join us totally last minute, the entire booking process was done with ease and enthusiasm. But it’s the experience out on the water that I’ll never forget. A few of us were novice, Ric confidently guided us through what to expect before we headed out, then continued to guide us on the excursion allowing us to take the lead and going with the flow of our group. He was super fun, social and a kind soul and made sure the session was something we would all enjoy and remember. We absolutely loved the experience and the photos turned out GREAT. We all talked about it for days and even thought about getting our own boards because we enjoyed it so much. I would highly recommend Ric and Hana Paddle Boards :)

Paddle boarding is so fun, relaxing, and a nice core work out all at the same damn time. I’m really glad I found this deal on LivingSocial. It’s actually sold out now but you can find other sweet deals on either LivingSocial or Groupon.
The deal was $ 119 for a 2 hour paddleboard experience for 2 people which includes a 30 minute lesson, hour and a ½ guided tour, and an optional wetsuit. The location says Agoura Hills but that’s actually the instructor’s address so the tour is actually in Malibu.
Our SUP instructor Ric was such a laid back, California guy. He made me feel at ease and kept telling everyone to «not overthink» the experience. At first, I regretted going so early (9AM) but Ric assured it’s better to go earlier so it won’t be so windy. The 3 others that attended were really cool as well! We all wished we drank a shot or two since it was a bit nippy but you’ll hardly feel the cold with a wetsuit and/​or when you have a steady pace.
To be honest, I was a bit nervous at first to stand and paddle but once you get the hang of it you won’t want to go back down. It’s important to have your feet planted and to really engage your core. I think most people are scared to fall in the water but it actually feels refreshing once you’ve continuously paddled. Most importantly, have fun! No one judges you if you fall in (I fell twice).
Another nice touch is that Ric takes a GoPro and will upload all the awesome photos on Facebook. He uploaded our group photos the same day! It was a wonderful experience, hope you get to try it one day :)

Don’t really know why there were bad reviews, but maybe it’s because my friends and I aren’t really tall or morer than 220lbs and had no trouble with the boards as they were. We also used a groupon for $ 40/​person for a 90 minute lesson.
Ric was a great instructor and we all had no trouble picking up on how to paddle surf at all (we were first timers). We had a great time and really enjoyed our time on the water, plus he brings his go pro out and takes photos so you don’t need to worry about it! Would definitely recommend and go with friends in the future.

Rick is amazing and so helpful. I already knew how to paddleboard so we just reserved the boards the night before, then we arrive at the scheduled time and rick is all setup on the beach with our boards and paddles waiting for us. He even carried them to the water for us. We met rick at Escondito beach then north to little dume. We saw Dolphins and seals it was incredible. What a great day. Will definitely go back!

Rick was great! He showed us how to use the boards and we started right away not wasting time. He got to see seals and dolphins! This was my husband’s and I first experience and we loved it! Can’t wait to try it again.

Tried to make a reservation via email and voicemail. I received a few emails back but then silence. I sent multiple follow ups asking to just let me know if I had a reservation or not so I could look elsewhere ASAP if not. Still nothing. Irritating when a company can’t even be considerate enough to respond. At that point, who knows if they would have showed up with the boards?

My wife booked the tour and was very excited to go. I was excited too. We just went kayaking in La Jolla a couple days before and saw some amazing wild life and couldn’t wait for our next adventure.
We arrived early and met Rick, the instructor. He seemed nice and gave us a quick lesson before sending us out in the water. My wife is small, only 5’2″, 100 lbs. She had no troubles at all with the small paddle boards. I’m 6’5″, 250 lbs and the paddle board was far too small for me. He only had 4 boards and they were all the same. Even kneeling on the board it would sink under the surface slightly and standing caused it to sink further. I didn’t want to ruin my wife’s trip so I just kept quiet and paddled along sitting down with the board barely floating along.
We did see some really cool sea life! The water was REALLY clear and we could see all the way to the ocean floor. Tons of schools of fish, leopard sharks, girbaldi (sp?), manta rays, seals, and countless others.
Rick was a nice guy overall. didn’t really know much about the sea life so we didn’t gain any insight there. No complaints about his attitude as some other reviews have mentioned.
In comparison to many other similar adventures we have taken, it was far over prices. $ 180 for 2 people to paddle down the beach and back for ~90 minutes is a little ridiculous.
I feel like 2 stars is generous here. the fact that there were no larger paddle boards is a problem for big guys. If you’re over 180 lbs or 6’0 you will most likely need a larger paddle board. Deduct a star for price and another for lack of content on the «tour»…

I would not recommend. I arrived at the correct time and place and Rick asked me if I was a part of his tour, since there is no store front or sign designating Hana Paddle Boards, I was confused because there was already a paddle board lesson that had started. I told him «No». After he returned we spoke and he was EXTREMELY upset saying that the client before was late and that it messed up his whole day. He was very short with me. He said I should’ve known better? He said he did not have any time today and that the wind was blowing. (There was no wind and the beginners from the other school were still out in the water.) After he loaded all of his boards (about 30 minutes) He Paddled out on his own. No wonder he didn’t have any time to give any more lessons!
I would recommend
If you are going to commit to Hana do it quick because wit the owner’s attitude they will not be around long.
.

I would agree with Chris B.‘s comment completely!!! If you are 6’5″ like my husband than DO NOT sign up for a tour with this company!!! They made him ride a 10.5 foot board when he should have been on a 12 foot board. His knees were beat up from the multiple attempts to stand, then just having to paddle on his knees because of the inadequate board length. The instructor tried to help, but admitted he needed a bigger board that this company just didn’t have. Save your money & time & head to Ventura for a company that really knows what their doing!!!

Step by step instruction before going out was thorough and very helpful. However the «tour» was a bit shorter than expected. It was supposedly 2 hours, but lasted about 90 minutes. Unless you count the ride back to the original beach crammed in the back of a small SUV with a bunch of people without any seat belts. Just not quite what I expected.

RIc rocked it… great instruction… step by step tutorial… thanks for an amazing experience!

I would not recommend. First off it’s hardly a tour, you simply ride from one beach to the next. If you’re slightly larger than a normal sized person his paddle boards are definitely too small for you. Then after we got out of the water Rick, the business owner, shoved 6 of us in the back of a filthy Honda pilot to ride us back to our cars. Imagine being crammed into a the back of a Honda, sweaty, tired, with 5 other strangers down PCH with no seat belts on. The tour cost $ 50. You can find a number of places that will rent you a paddle board for an entire day for $ 30…
Overall just a lackluster, unprofessional experience. Check out everything else out there before you commit to this overpriced hour and a half paddle.

Ric was awesome and we had SO much fun on his tour. He was incredibly responsive when we reached out, very friendly, helpful, easy-​going and made our paddle boarding adventure one to remember! We got to see DOLPHINS and he was able to capture the whole thing. I highly recommend booking a tour with Ric as he’s just a terrific guy that you will thoroughly enjoy spending your time with! 2 Big Thumbs Up and Very Happy Customers! Thanks Ric!

My boyfriend and I were both interested in paddle boarding and had never tried it before. Ric was an awesome instructor who made us feel at ease! Although we had some difficulty standing up, we had a fantastic time and would go out in the water with Ric again for sure! All the wildlife we saw up close was a bonus as well!

I purchased the Living Social deal and I am so glad I did. I’ve been wanting to try paddle boarding for a while and Ric was a great teacher! My friend and I had SO much fun out on the water, learned a lot, and saw fish, crabs, starfish, and even a leopard shark. Ric even took photos of us during our lesson and posted them on the facebook page where we could see and download them as part of the package. Amazing. Super nice guy and knows what he is doing. If you want to learn to paddle board, this is the place to do it! Thank you Ric! SO MUCH FUN!!!

While I can say after trying it that paddleboarding isn’t really my thing, I definitely had fun doing it. Ric is a nice guy and made everything really easy.
Saw some dolphins while I was out there, too.