Blogger: Lauren Lucy Crowley
On one hand, I love the sea and anything to do with it. On the other hand, I’m petrified of the dark…..so when a friend of mine suggested we go nocturnal paddle boarding… I was a little uncertain, but decided to give it a shot! What a thrilling adventure we had!
Pirate Coast Paddle is located on the Back Bay drive, in Newport Beach, California. It is an adventure company offering unique, memorable stand up paddle board experiences for all ages. When we first arrived we were greeted by Tim, Mark and Terence, three best friends who decided to develop their hobbies a little further and set up this company 3 years ago. They were all extremely friendly and welcoming.
Before the tour, we were kitted out with glow in the dark necklaces, given some brief instructions on how to launch our boards into the water, and reassured a million time we wouldn’t fall off! One by one we then launched our boards off the sand, when it began to float we climbed on, and slowly stood up…..easy peasy!
Each board had a panel of LED lights strapped to its underside, which illuminated the surrounding water. Tim, Mark and Terence were excellent tour guides, very patient, and informative sharing all sorts of information about the local area as we paddled by.
The lighting attracted fascinating aquatic life, including eels, glow in the dark algae and small fish. The water was flat calm, and the noise of the paddles splashing in the water was so soothing you almost forgot you were focusing on trying to balance on a board in the dark!
The tour cost $35 dollars per person, and lasted approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. During the summer months there are tours on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights.
If you’re looking for something a little different to do, I highly recommend you try this out! It’s a unique and very memorable way to explore Newport Beach.
However, if you are afraid of the dark, Pirate Coast Paddle is also open during daylight hours! (Yay!) You can simply rent the paddle boards for an hour, or sign up for one of their other cool adventures including: Yoga on water or sunset paddles with a movie.
QT Tips:
- Bring a waterproof camera to capture some of the fun, but leave all other valuable in the car, as there is nowhere safe to store them while out on the water.
- Wear shorts as your feet and ankles will get wet hopping on and off the board, (no need to wear a swimsuit unless you plan on jumping in!)
- If you want to make a whole evening out of the occasion, arrive early and head to the nearby Back Bay Bistro for a tasty bite to eat! (Located in the same parking lot).
- If you have a group of 10 people or more, you should contact the company in advance and they will schedule a separate time for your group.
- Keep an eye out on Groupon, as they often have great deals on offer there!
Blogger: Lauren Lucy Crowley
Lauren is a born and bred Cork girl currently exploring and living in Southern California. She loves all things food, hiking, outdoor markets/ thrift stores and anything to do with animals. Keep an eye out here for her blog posts featuring some of her favourite gems throughout Southern California, and her upcoming trip around the world including Hawaii, Africa, Vietnam and Thailand.
