La Vida Laguna

Booked a tour with these guys for paddle boarding in the ocean, a different beast for sure. The instruction throughout were helpful even though I had paddle boarded previously in the bay. Doug was on hand to help out and while we took a quick break for some snorkeling fun, we were welcomed by a harbor seal who jumped onto one of our paddle boards and hung out with us for a bit. The trip back was much easier, and able to integrate a bit more of what I learned. Highly recommend the trip out, and using these folks to do it. 5 stars.

I have been coming to Laguna for 30 years and decided to take my boys on a little Eco adventure! Scott was our guide, and we had the BEST day ever! I could not recommend more highly to anyone who wants to explore the beautiful Laguna shoreline, see the red kelp forest through the clear waters, quietly observe the sea lions in awe and just have the most magical time. A must for locals and tourists!!!

La Vida Laguna is fantastic. We did paddle boarding, ocean kayaking and a bike tour. All three activities were great fun. Our teenage son enjoyed all the activities, especially paddle boarding with his 70-​plus grandfather, a first time boarder! The staff is very friendly, considerate of proficiency levels and extremely concerned with the well being of their clients. They are extremely well-​versed in the area’s natural and cultural worlds and respectful of the environment. We would highly recommend La Vida Laguna to anyone staying in the Laguna area looking for a bit of adventure. A warm thank you to the fabulous staff!

My 12 year old daughter and her 3 friends lived the paddle boarding adventure. Great instructors. I highly recommend!

La Vida Laguna is the way to go if you are looking for competent, reliable professionals to handle your needs for local outings and activities. They are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and have a wide variety of activities available from kayaking to yoga to health classes. You can tell they really care about the well-​being of each client and want to make sure that every experience is an enjoyable success.

The weather was perfect and the water was warm! Doug who was my instructor was really friendly/​nice, and gave me really good helpful techniques for paddle –boarding, and I felt confident and very safe in the open waters. I’m ready for the a second round! Ill definitley come back! Thank you guys for a great experience!
LISA G.

We recently kayaked at Laguna Beach with La Vida Laguna with Ali as our guide. It couldn’t have been a better experience. He was a wonderful guide in terms of working with all the people on the water, sharing his love of the area and marine life, and generally making the trip extra great. We couldn’t have had a more beautiful morning. I would love to go back in a heartbeat. I wish there were a few more trips to choose from for future trips/​variety. Being in the ocean with dolphins, seals (we even saw a whale) — was life changing.

First time paddle boarding & we felt so comfortable with our guides on the open ocean waters. It was a beautiful & memorable paddle from Fisherman’s Cove to Seal Rock and back in Laguna Beach.

They were Rude on the phone and wouldn’t really offer much info. When I offered to pay for a kayak without a tour they told me to go buy a kayak. I’m local and thought it was rude and was disappointed.

AMAZING. just surfed with this place and the two guys were awesome. They were careful with my friend and I and talked us through everything. even when I lost the board when I got smacked by a massive wave. The guy held on to me to make sure that I wasn’t taken away by the waves. It was an epic moment for me and I will always remember this experience.
Thank you guys

My girlfriend purchased a Kayak tour for us on my 50^th birthday holiday in Laguna. It was absolutely amazing. Doug Oyen was our guide and he was fantastic. He’s incredibly professional, knowledgeable, personable and ensures that safety is foremost during the tour. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide! We had a blast. We’re going to ask Doug to show us how to surf next visit.

Scott was an absolutely fantastic guide for our Kayaking trip to Seal rock and exploring the coves of Newport/​Laguna. My brother and I have been kayaking a few times before and Scott was great, teaching us at our experience level. He knew so many great facts about the seals and the area. The water was absolutely beautiful, we even got to see some dolphins! Wonderful experience +++
Definitely would go back again.

Booked a 2 hour weekday morning kayak tour with these folks over the phone. Booking was super easy, the person handling the booking was friendly and professional, and they followed up with clear directions and instructions via e-​mail.
Ali was our tour guide, and he was fantastic. G was pretty nervous since our morning happened to be our one Laguna Beach morning featuring wind and chop. Ali instilled confidence and helped us along the way with a smooth launch and landing. He provided clear instruction on how to paddle and stay upright.
We had a great time despite the conditions, and Ali gave us quite a bit of info about the wildlife and Laguna Beach in general. We even got to see the pirate seal up close! (He was probably wondering what the heck we were doing out on the water in those conditions.)
Ali took pictures and sent them via e-​mail the next day, so we didn’t even need to bring a camera.
A few tips:
1) Travel light, but bring at least a credit card for the metered parking, in case there is no convenient parking in the neighborhood. Ali was kind enough to loan his, but I’m a trustable looking dude.
2) Don’t forget to sunscreen your legs and the tops of your feet. They’ll be exposed the whole time.
3) Bring sunglasses with straps, and a hat with a chinstrap, even if you’ve got cloud cover when the tour starts. It’s likely to go away.
4) Kayaks are a lot more stable than they look, and launching through the swells is really fun. Just keep the nose pointed into the swells and you’ll be fine.
I highly recommend La Vida Laguna. We will definitely be booking a tour with them the next time we get down to Laguna Beach!

My husband, two sisters and I went kayaking with La Vida Laguna. None of us had ever been kayaking before this trip. Scott and Ali were our guides and were amazing! They gave us a very informative series of instructions and safety guidelines at the beginning. It made everyone feel very calm and excited about the afternoon. Both of them were very knowledgeable about the entire area and all of the sea life. All of their info added to the enjoyment of the trip.
We will definitely recommend La Vida Laguna to other friends!!! We had an awesome experience… Ali and Scott were great!!!
debbie g

My boyfriend and I spent the weekend in Laguna Beach and decided to go Kayaking so we searched a few places and chose La Vida Laguna. We met at the bottom of a series of stairs nearby 631 Cliff. We were greeted by our guides Elise and Scott and we waited about 5 minutes or so while the rest of the group gathered.
Elise and Scott gave a demonstration of how to get into the kayak, the correct way to paddle, and other useful information which was perfect for me because this was my first time! The water was absolutely beautiful and you get used to the rhythm of kayaking. We got to see the most gorgeous and pricy real estate from the water AND we got to see momma and baby sea lions. Our guides, Elise and Scott were very knowledgable and I liked that they would stop and talk about sea life and the area, it added to our experience. After about two hours, we were back to where we started and time flew by fast we were having so much fun!
I would highly recommend La Vida Laguna as my boyfriend and I had an awesome experience! We will definitely be coming back and we hope to see Scott and Elise again, they rocked! This has to be the best overall kayak choice is Laguna Beach.

Hands down, THE BEST experience I’ve had in a long while.
Our tour guide, Derek, was fun, refreshing and enlightening us with knowledge.
After emailing back and forth with Billy about all the questions I had as a first timer who was a bit nervous, he came down to the launching point to introduce himself which I found impressive.
I would recommend la vida Laguna to anyone in Orange County looking to take a kayak tour.
Honestly, I went out the very next weekend and rented my own kayak in Dana Point and was sad the experience didn’t match up to that of my tour in Laguna.

We booked a two hour kayak trip. Our guide was Ali, he was incredible. He took pictures of us and e-​mailed them to us after the ride. My kids got sea sick on the kayak, so we returned to shore early. After we returned, Ali offered to show us the tide pools and continued the tour on land.

We were recently at the St. Regis in Dana Point, and had the opportunity to do some coastal cycling. As soon as we stepped outside the lobby, Mike and the rest of the La Vida Laguna crew were waiting with a van full of bikes and helmets for us to use!
After giving a brief but useful rundown of the bikes, gears, etc. we were on our way. Mike led the pack, and some of the other friendly staffers were positioned in the middle and rear to ensure we didn’t lose anyone in our varied ability group of 20+ cyclists. Mike took frequent stops to gather the group and share points of interest, cool views, and also give us the lay of the land for the terrain ahead. He was also at the top of tricky climbs giving motivation pump-​ups to keep us pedaling. Most impressive was their ability to cater to such a diverse crowd, offering advice and suggestions regardless of prior skill or athleticism. They also provided a «chase van» that rendezvoused with our group 2 – 3 times, offering fresh bottled waters and (should anyone have needed it) a ride back to the hotel.
About ¹⁄₃ of the way into our circular loop trip, we were presented the option to go back the way we came, or continue onward to see new scenery. Some of our group opted for the former, most of our group — including the two of us (both athletic/​skilled cyclists) — continued on. After some more stops and a stunning viewpoint/​group photo opportunity, we headed back to the St. Regis, capping off a leisurely 15-​mile ride in about 3 hours. A+ guys!

Had an amazing day stand up paddle boarding yesterday with La Vida Laguna! Our guide, Ali was the BEST! Ali was very knowledgeable, patient and super cool! I loved that he brought a water proof camera with him and took pictures of us. We got the pictures that night, which was awesome! Thanks La Vida Laguna and Ali for a fantastic time!

Booked a 2 hour kayak trip with La Vida Laguna and had a great experience all around. Billy met us at Fisherman’s Cove and had everything all set up and ready to go. After an easy launch, he led us on a stunning tour of the Laguna coastline where we saw seals, sea lions, pelicans, and schools of fish, not to mention all of the glorious views. Nothing is more gorgeous than Laguna Beach as seen from the sea, and no better outfit than La Vida Laguna! Billy was also a wealth of information and a fascinating paddling companion. Fabulous experience, and highly recommended.