La Jolla Surf Systems

This was the only place I could find today that rented kayaks out after 2 pm! Service was great, super friendly. The time spent On the kayak was amazing, Dolphins ended up playing all around us while we ate our packed lunch. It was a great afternoon almost missed because this was the only place willing to rent to us at 3pm. Thank you!

been going here for years, mostly to pick up some sex wax or sun screen… bought a board here years ago, but now they cater to the tourist crowd, not to blame them, primo location for that… cool guys.

Friendly staff and great rental prices. The staff is very personable and always remembers myself and my family when we come in to the shop. The wet suits and surfboards are very cheap per hour and they are very good quality. The wetsuits are expensive and good quality and keep you warm in the cold waters. I highly recommend this shop for rentals and shopping!

Ok renting two surfboards was cheap ($ 16 for two boards /​one hour) and that shop is really close from the beach.
But … Not really great customer service… Is it because I look too girly to rent a surfboard ?
1/​crazy warning about big waves (ok better be safe ! I understand — yet that was pretty small waves, I’ve seen way bigger in my 6 years in San Diego)
2/​because of the expected big waves, we got small boards. My friend is like 5“0 and 110 pounds but I’m way bigger — yet we got the same boards
3/​both boards had a completely ripped off leash … We didn’t realize that before being in the water. How dangerous is that when your board flies away from you!

Friendly staff, usually has kayak rentals when the «big boys» are sold out or booked! Came here on President’s Day weekend and got a double kayak for $ 65… not too bad of a price compared to the other companies that charged $ 20 more than that and were sold out. Friendly staff, two changing rooms, closest kayak location to the beach. I’ll be back to rent!

If you are a beginner surfer, beware! They have some surfboards (longboards) that they rent out as new boards, but when you try to stand up on them in a wave, you realize they are damaged: we returned ours. On questioning of the staff, they admitted that some of the boards have been damaged by beginners duck diving them straight into the sand (and essentially breaking them in the middle). They then get water logged (really heavy) and they don’t support your weight. But they still rent them out! We weren’t offered a refund– AND it wasted one of the precious mornings of our vacation hauling down a water logged board to find out that it was useless. Also they run your $ 150 damage deposit through — rather than just holding on to it — which resulted in a $ 12 exchange rate fee — annoying and not necessary.

Personable, friendly, and waaaay cheaper than other kayak rental shops along the street. We didn’t even have to pay a fee to store our belongings behind the counter. There is no public restroom, but there’s a changing area. Our tandem kayak was high quality with comfortable seats, and I was happy we came here, after renting a cheap, uncomfortable, overpriced kayak the day before from a different shop. I’ll definitely be coming back here the next time I’m in town!

Friendly, cheap, and super easy place to rent boards! They were fast and courteous. We’ll definitely be back when we’re in La Jolla!

Went to La Jolla on a Sunday with friends to do some kayaking. Found out that we should have reserved them because it was crazy busy. Every where we went had tours but no rentals. Finally went by La Jolla Surf and they had one tandem out front but that was it. Hung around for a few minutes and got lucky, someone was bringing their rental back. Asked the guy if they were available and he said yes. We were in the water in less than 10 minutes! Nice Hobie tandems, better than the Ocean kayaks cheaper too! We will be back!
Thanks guys!

I had the pleasure to walk into La Jolla Surf Systems after a long morning of searching other shops to rent a kayak and a couple of paddle boards. I almost gave up until I walked into LJSS, thank you for making my day! The kayak was new and more comfortable than most and was set up and ready to go. I enjoyed talking to such a kind, and friendly staff who worked quick to get me into the water for what turned out to be an awesome day at such a beautiful beach. Thank you LJSS!!! I’ll be back…

My girlfriend and I rented a tandem kayak from here. They were fast, friendly, and got us on the water a lot faster than the other companies. The advantage of going here is that it’s first come first serve. You don’t have to wait for a slotted time. The are also closest to the water, which is nice.
They even hooked the GF up with some sunglasses!

I love this place!
They have the best customer service… III also got a lot of cute cloths there… if you need anything at all Benni will help you! I think this is the best shop on the street!

I second the Unilocal reviewer who wrote Ben is «was insulting, caustic and just a jerk.»
These people are cruel, callous, sell broken equipment, and then treat people rudely if they complain.
Don’t frequent this unethical business.
This shop, which was conveniently located on corner, tried to give my teenage daughter a kid mask and when she asked for something else they said «Take these, we’ve been trying to get rid of them for awhile.» My daughter asked is that all you have, they said yes, without explaining the gear was defective.
I was parking in a limited time spot and had sent my daughter in alone so I could not be there for this obviously unethical transaction. When I went to check on my daughter they said «Oh, she took off to beach!» (she had not, but had gone into bathroom next door.) Being concerned, as my daughter had recently been through a traumatic time, having been abused by her father for two years, and having had her Dad commit suicide a few months earlier (which was the reason we were in CA) I asked again where was my daughter and did they give her gear? I asked for owner, who came out very nasty, not nice and not looking to help but to argue. The owner has no clue how to problem solve or the meaning of customer serice.
When I inquired about was rented, the charges ($ 40 for day for snorkel, mask, fins), and why they were keeping my credit card, he yelled at me «Give me back my gear and I’ll give you my credit card.» I told him I just want to rent the gear for a day. He yelled: «We’ve been doing this for 30 years» and refused to be patient to explain charges to me. By the way every other snorkel shop was charging $ 20 for day and his charges were double the going rate.” I explained of course I’ll pay daily charge but need my card. He charged my card a $ 100 deposit, and was very rude.
My daughter then attempted to snorkel at LJ Cove with the gear from La Jolla Surf Systems. She had been looking forward to this snorkeling activity as part of her «closure» on leaving California. It was what she most wanted to do. But due to La Jollla Surf Systems, my daughter had a terrible time.
Bcause they gave her defective gear, her snorkeling trip was a disaster, the snorkel were broken, let water in, and would not stay on. The mask fell off and her friend got hurt trying to retrieve it for the owner who we knew would be nasty about it.
The owner was indeed very nasty– when we came back with the fins and snorkel, he yelled us, demanded we pay for the lost mask (which I would have done if he apologized for giving us defective equipment. and stopped yelling at us). We explained the gear was defective. He yelled more — at my daughter, who has already been traumatized. I asked for a refund and for him to stop yelling at my daughter.
I have never met such a rude shop owner in my life.
He did end up refunding entire charge but he was was callous, rude and nasty.
On my way out I told him I’ve never been treated like this in San Diego (we had lived here 25 years). Ben and the owner just said «Never come back» and had the nerve to say to me «Stop abusing your daughter».” I never abused my daughter — her father did and committed suicide just months earlier. It was like they had no clue how hurtful there words could be and did not care. They ended up only hurting my already traumatized daughter trying to recover from a terrible family tragedy.
These people are cruel, callous, sell broken equipment, and then treat people rudely if they complain.
Don’t frequent this unethical businss.

I like this shop a lot – it’s just by the beach, feels like the neighborhood joint and doesn’t have the feel of a tourist trap or an REI during Black Friday. Instead, what you get is reliable and friendly service from knowledgeable surfers – without any pretentious localism. In my case, Doug the owner even let me rent a board before the store opened and gave me good advice about La Jolla Shores.

I tried renting stand-​up paddle boards from this shop. Think again. They provided windsurfing/​kite boards (essentially just a larger surf board) instead of an actual stand-​up paddleboard, making it impossible to stand out in the open waters of La Jolla Shores. I found it a bit strange that the boards were not the right material and didn’t have handles in the middle, and the staff just told me that they were «older» stand up paddleboards.
After about 20 minutes of constantly falling down and getting soaking wet in the freezing water, my friend and I returned the «SUP boards» and got a full refund. At first, they tried telling us that they were definitely stand up boards and they never received any complaints. But then at the end, they explained that they were not «full-​on» paddleboards. The staff was very nice about the whole incident, but wish they wouldn’t have wasted our time in the first place.
If you’re looking for stand up paddle board rentals, don’t go here.

If ‘Ben’ is the guy who sits on a stool by the front door, then he’s the jerk who has made me tell anyone who will listen to never go in there unless you’re a ‘dude’. I just wanted a pair of Rainbow Sandals for my gym bag and he was insulting, caustic and just a jerk.

Ben, you are a good man.
I came strolling in to LJSS my first week in California. I had decided I needed to learn how to surf now that I lived here.
Ben was working behind the counter when I walked in and as I asked questions, he took the time to answer them all. Ben has been my surf advisor since there – renting me a board and suit before I bought both and giving me pointers along the way. All around good guy.
The store is conveniently located by LJS beach and a fun place to walk in to and chat. They also do a brisk business with the kayaking, I think. I highly recommend.