Experience the thrill of driving your own speed boat on a guided and narrated tour around San Diego's Harbor. You’ll navigate and captain your own speed boat for the entirety of the tour while following a trained and knowledgeable guide in a different boat. There is a two-way communication systems mounted in each boat so you'll be able to hear your guide throughout the tour. This speed boat adventure is a great way see the beautiful San Diego harbor and learn about its history while speeding through water.
Before you start zipping through the water you’ll have a safety orientation to review the boating basics, rules of the water and hand signals. Then, you’ll begin your 13-mile (20km) speed boat adventure around the San Diego Harbor. You will have once in a lifetime views of Navy ships, aircraft carriers and the Coronado Bridge. You’ll also see the famous Star of India, the historic ships of the Maritime Museum, the cruise ship terminal, Seaport Village, the downtown skyline and all the wildlife who call the San Diego Harbor home. There will be several stops throughout the tour at various points of interest. If you want to change drivers you may do so at any of the brief stops. Don’t miss San Diego's most exciting harbor tour!
We visit San Diego often and this is definitely one of the most unique experiences we've had there.
Review by: Jo Ann A, September 2017
This was a fun experience. Driving the boats was an adventure and the harbor was fun to see. It was a little difficult to find the meeting place, that's the reason for not giving it 5 stars.
Review by: Mark N, August 2017
Our guide Carl was amazing and was so good at his job witch my experience the best it could be. I totally recommend this excursion!!!
Review by: sceadu50, August 2017
Fun fun fun. Karl made the experience easy and relaxed. Getting to see the sights from the water is a great way to see SD. We got so close to the seals you could smell them! : Both carriers were in port, which was a treat to see up close. Our boat turned out a little slow compared to the others and Karl gave us his...right in the middle of the harbor! We would do it again for sure.
Review by: Megan M, June 2017
The water was very rough and choppy due to weather and it being a Holiday weekend and lots of traffic on the water. Due to this the adventure had to be cut short which we were told before leaving. Was disappointed to not get to see all the sights but understood it was not their fault. The leaders boat broke down by Coronado island so we got to just mess around the area while waiting for his tow to arrive. At that point we just headed back in to dock the boats. My husband was afraid this was a follow-the-leader adventure but was very happy getting to drive and go full speed! I would do it again on a calmer day when we could see all the sights. The weather and leaders boat breaking down was nobody's fault, just didn't get quite the adventure we signed up for but maybe next time!
Review by: Nadja V, January 2017
Everything is fine, until something goes wrong. Your guide will loose its temper, shout and yell at you and at the end, he left us alone. Frustrating. Irresponsible. And for sure unprofessional and a no-go for this price. _br/_ 1. If you are taller than 6', we cannot recommend this tour. We have bruises all over our knees. _br/_ 2. If the two people in the boat are heavier than 400 lbs, we cannot recommend this. You will have to push your weight to the front of the boat for getting it on plane, which basically means to get speed. In the beginning you will have additional weight of the full gas tank in the front to get you going. But at the end of the tour, your weight will not be enough to push down the nose of the boat and you will never get on plane anymore. The Guide Bob or Rob will make you keep trying, but if you have any understanding of physics, it is simply not possible anymore because of your weight and the mass distribution. Usually boats have a trim to adjust the motor to this weight distribution. But these boats are simple and small and don't have it or the guide didn't tell or know about it. _br/_ 3. We had rather big waves. This also interrupts the traction to the water, which doesn't allow you to get speed. We ended up trying and failing.
Review by: celock_41, November 2016
Truly the highlight of the trip. Will do this again upon return to San Diego. The fellas there at Speed Boat Adventure are fun and professional. We even had people in the group who wouldn't stay with the rest of us because they didn't speak english, not to worry the guys didn't freak out, we just passed them up and stayed with the people who could understand what we were supposed to be doing.
Review by: Paul G, October 2016
Be more fun if the boats were faster
Review by: Autumn V, July 2016
We were surprised how much fun this was! It was a fun and beautiful way to see San Diego! Don and #39;t plan on wearing normal clothes or makeup because you and #39;re going to get wet!
Review by: Maira G, January 2016
If you do something, do this. The tour lady explained very well. Indeed I was not paying attention. If you don't do anything get on this boat. It will be FUN, this was one the best part of my trip. _br/_ --
Review by: Tracy C, November 2015
We had a great time, hubby was the driver, found controls and instructions easy to follow from our navigator Kelly. It can get a bit bumpy out in the middle of the bay so be prepared! But it is great fun!
Review by: Karla F, September 2015
This was a blast. Will do it again!
Review by: T.R. W, September 2015
Excellent Fun. Really enjoyed it. Lots to see and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful and put us all at ease by giving us thorough instructions beforehand. Our eldest child, who was 16 at the time, was allowed to drive the speedboat which he thoroughly enjoyed. Our youngest son of 14 wasn't but seemed to enjoy the adventure too. Only 4 speedboats and the tour guide in total so felt very safe.
Review by: Lynn J, July 2015
It was a ton of fun! Highly recommend doing it!
Review by: YUE W, June 2015
A thrilling and exciting experience. Guide was very helpful.
Review by: Duane R, June 2015
Our Speed Boat Adventure was amazing! The tour guide provided an excellent combination of sight seeing and high speed adventure.
Review by: Steven M, March 2015
This was exciting and educational. Great way to tour the harbour. Our safety was paramount. And our guide was friendly and well informed. One highlight was getting to ride under the Coronado Bridge. I would definitely do this again!
Review by: Ajit K, March 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Nana, December 2014
This was a fantastic adventure. We fortunately booked the last excursion of the day and there was no rush to get back for the next group. Perico was an excellent guide, informative, friendly, and patient. We first went to a dock with sea lions and seals sun bathing and where allowed to bring our boat up to the dock for some fantastic close-up photos. We then sped around the bay to go under the Coronado Bridge. Then onto the USS Midway, where we were allowed to sale next to and under the flight decks. Next onto to the Star of India and other interesting boats in the harbor. We were then allowed to race back to the starting point, all of which took almost two hours. There were four other couples in our excursion and we were able to interact with them while waiting for our instructions on boat operation and safety. All and all we would recommend this tour to anyone seeking a great time and adventure.
Review by: Debra R, August 2014
It was fantastically hosted, exciting and informative. Great staff and great value for money.
Review by: Debra R, August 2014
It was fantastically hosted, exciting and informative. Great staff and great value for money.
Review by: Debra R, August 2014
It was fantastically hosted, exciting and informative. Great staff and great value for money.
Review by: Debra R, August 2014
It was fantastically hosted, exciting and informative. Great staff and great value for money.
Review by: Debra R, August 2014
It was fantastically hosted, exciting and informative. Great staff and great value for money.
Review by: BRADLEY H, January 2014
We had a Blast! We live in San Diego and had never done this before. We will do this again. Our out of town company was thrilled with this experience. The tour guides make you feel welcome and safe. Most of all they want you to have fun, and boy did we. Thanks guys for a Great Day!
Review by: Phil W, December 2013
My wife and I had a great time. Celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Memorable exciting experience!!! Thanks to the staff
Review by: Alexis E, November 2013
They put us in the slowest boat and there wasn't any radio that worked so that we could hear the tour. The whole time my girlfriend and I struggled to catch up with the rest of the group and we didn't get ANY TOUR WHATSOEVER of San Diego. We just got a boat which is the one star. Don't recommend.
Review by: Maribel C, August 2013
I took my boyfriend for the mini speed boat ride to celebrate his birthday :) ....we both enjoyed every minute of it. The staff was super friendly and they explain everything so well...It was out first time here and I loved it ...I definitely reccommend everybody to try this mini speed boat ride...
Review by: Jessica Z, May 2013
We were only with one other couple and with our tour guides and we've had a great time. It was a beautiful afternoon, the weather was great en the tour guide was very friendly. We saw the sealions from nearby and a lot of other cool things. The big waves were awesome, we were flying over the waves with our boats. We could swich driver any time we want. Nice way to spent your afternoon in San Diego
Review by: Jose Germán H, February 2013
One word, AWESOME!!
Review by: MR D G, November 2012
A fantastic trip! Good briefing before we got into the boats, then off we went. Had a bit of a problem with our boat in that it would not level out at top speed. No Problem! Swap boats in the middle of the bay!! After that all was good even if bay was a bit choppy. Fabulous trip and will do it again if we come back - give it a go , you won't regret it.
Review by: Max A, October 2012
Absolutely awesome. Bringing the whole family back.
Review by: Lisa M, October 2012
We had a great time! The tour let us do our own thing but kept us informed and the right amount of supervision.
Review by: William M, September 2012
Excellent way to see up close the SD harbour. _br/_
Really nice you get to drive your own boat.
Review by: Destini K, August 2012
My husband said he wants to do this every time we go to San Diego from now on! That's how much we enjoyed ourselves. Our guides were laid back and entertaining. We loved being "by ourselves" on a guided tour. It was a great time. We'll definitely be back!
Review by: Tiffany K, July 2012
Aside from our boat having a crack and taking on water in the middle of the bay, it was a blast! Our instructor was very professional and fun. The boats were fast and the views were spectacular. I will be going again on my next visit!
Review by: Jay J, July 2012
We loved it! Had a fantastic time and would definitely do it again. Only complaint was they were 45 mins. behind schedule. We would recommend this to everyone!
Review by: Mia Cho, February 2012
I absolutely enjoyed the speed boat adventure. The best guide ever! I will definitely spread the word and will do this adventure again!
Review by: Warren J, October 2011
This is a must when in San Diego !!_br/_
Fabulous experience with a knowledgeable experienced company. The boats are terrific and very safe. Both myself and my wife loved it and would recommend to all ages.
Review by: manuela, October 2011
Abgesehen von den tollen Ausblicken die man hat war das Spass pur. Die Boote sind einfach zu bedienen. Wir sind richtig über die Wellen geflogen (wenn man wollte). Man wird zu nichts gezwungen, kann aber alles machen. Ein unbedingtes Muss wenn man in San Diego ist.
Review by: simon g, October 2011
Enjoyed it but the boats weren't particularly powerful and the boat in front had a problem and we were catching up with them all the time which meant we couldn't accelerate like the first boat following the guide
Review by: Susan C, August 2011
Excellent value for money - we had 2 hours in a 2 man speedboat and it was a fun day . There was a slight delay while one of the speedboats had to be de-seaweeded! and a note on the door would have assisted but that apart it was a superb experience. I bought this as a surprise for my husband to drive the speedboat and he loved every minute of it. Wear flip-flops or sandals and I took a towel for my knees and any flailing water. Then sit and enjoy! Highly recommended
Review by: Timetable Tim, August 2011
An awesome, adrenalin-filled way to cruise San Diego Bay! The tour was fantastic and very well organised. We received a thorough briefing on how to drive the boats and before we knew it, we were speeding over the waves past aircraft carriers and seeing all the sights of the city. Cruising right up to view the sea lions on the sea wall was a particular highlight, and the guide did a great job of pointing out all the major landmarks. The boats were easy to pilot, and I would recommend this tour to any visitor to San Diego!
Review by: Anonymous, June 2011
So much fun... This was a blast and we got great views of the San Diego bay - Coronado Bridge, the Midway, Sea Lions and more!
Review by: JennyC, June 2011
This was am amazing experience, from start to finish. Our guide gave us all instruction and it was really easy to follow. We headed out and just had a blast. There was commentary via hand-held radios to each boat and we even managed a little air-time over the waves. Highly recommend...
Review by: , June 2011
So much fun... This was a blast and we got great views of the San Diego bay - Coronado Bridge, the Midway, Sea Lions and more!
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