San Diego Harbor Speed Boat Adventure
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience the thrill of driving a speedboat—and enjoy a new way to sightsee—on this two-in-one San Diego Harbor tour. Learn the basics of boating from your guide before following their boat around the harbor, cruising past highlights such as the USS Midway, Coronado Bridge, the San Diego Maritime Museum, and more. Discover the stories behind the landmarks via the on-board, two-way communication system, and stop for photo ops.
- This small-group tour ensures hands-on guidance and support
- Choose from a selection of start times to best fit your schedule
- Enjoy a new way to explore with this self-driving speedboat tour
- Admire views of San Diego from the water that many visitors miss
What's Included
- Guided and narrated tour
- US Coast Guard-approved life jacket
- Safety orientation
- Your own F13 mini speed boat
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1450 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Cabrillo Isle Marina - Check in at the office located in suite 205
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
After making your own way to the Cabrillo Isle Marina in San Diego Harbor, your guide welcomes you to your speed boat adventure.
Start off with a safety briefing, followed by a lesson on hand signals and boating rules. You navigate on your own F13 speedboat for the entirety of the tour, following the lead of your guide who sets the pace in a different boat. Your boat is equipped with a two-way communication system that allows you to hear your guide throughout the tour.
Set out on your roughly 13-mile (20-kilometer) spin around the San Diego Harbor, which includes several stops for photo ops and a closer look at points of interest throughout the harbor.
Enjoy close views of US Navy ships and aircraft carriers such as the USS Midway. See the Star of India, one of several historic ships berthed at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Also pass the Coronado Bridge, Seaport Village, the cruise ship terminal, and be rewarded with excellent views of the downtown skyline.
This tour ends back at the original departure point.
Start off with a safety briefing, followed by a lesson on hand signals and boating rules. You navigate on your own F13 speedboat for the entirety of the tour, following the lead of your guide who sets the pace in a different boat. Your boat is equipped with a two-way communication system that allows you to hear your guide throughout the tour.
Set out on your roughly 13-mile (20-kilometer) spin around the San Diego Harbor, which includes several stops for photo ops and a closer look at points of interest throughout the harbor.
Enjoy close views of US Navy ships and aircraft carriers such as the USS Midway. See the Star of India, one of several historic ships berthed at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Also pass the Coronado Bridge, Seaport Village, the cruise ship terminal, and be rewarded with excellent views of the downtown skyline.
This tour ends back at the original departure point.
1
San Diego Speed Boat Adventures
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Point Loma (Pass By)
Coronado Island (Pass By)
USS Midway Museum (Pass By)
Maritime Museum of San Diego (Pass By)
San Diego Bay Walk (Pass By)
Coronado Bridge (Pass By)
Cabrillo National Monument (Pass By)
Maritime Museum of San Diego (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for people with neck or back problems or a recent surgery to participate. Pregnant women should not participate
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Bring a swimsuit in the summer and a jacket in the winter, sandals or flip-flops, towel, sun block, sunglasses
- The per boat weight limit of 425 lbs (205kgs)
- Service animals allowed
- You must be 18 years or older to drive a boat by yourself
- The boats do not have a storage compartment
- No experience or boating license required
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
We had such a great time on our tour! Our guide, Keoni, was fantastic - friendly, welcoming, and full of enthusiasm. He explained everything clearly, shared fantastic knowledge about the area, and kept the ride fun with his dad jokes. His energy and passion really made the experience memorable. We learned so much about the San Diego harbor and would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting or living in the area!
Reviews
4.8
based on 763 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
We had such a great time on the speedboat tour! I was nervous at first, but our guide made me feel safe and did a great job reminding everyone of the rules. The best part was going fast, but seeing the sea lions and hearing the tour guides wonderfully lame jokes made it even more fun! 😂
Captain Mike gave an incredible experience! He was so funny and well-informed about boat safety and the history of San Diego. He also made the experience fun and let us get top speed! We loved seeing the sea lions and birds as well. Would highly recommend this tour for anyone who is looking for some thrill and amazing sights!
The experience was cool as we got to drive the speed boat but our speakers on the boat were not working, we couldn’t hear the tour the entire time. We weren’t informed on any of the significant landmarks which was unfortunate as we were looking forward to all of those points.
This was so much fun but in our group there where 2 boats with people who were a little scared to be in a speed boat I would say if this is your first time on a boat try something slower before trying speed boats they messed up the tour for everyone else but the tour guide was amazing and everyone had a good time 5 stars for the experience and the guide
Our guide, Ben, was great. Saw sea lions and we were super close to the USS Midway. The boats were fun and we were able to get up some speed. Highly recommend
Super-fun, and Ben was fantastic. It was a great day to get out on the water, zipping across the waves was super-cool, and we got to see things from a perspective that would have been impossible otherwise. How many times do you get to cruise up underneath a carrier? Really great value, really good time.
Guide was very polite, went with my girlfriend for a new experience and guide explained everything well and how to stay safe, would definitely return and recommend doing if ever out in the area. Got to see dolphins swim out and jets fly over us.
This is a must do if you travel to San Diego, it’s a fun little activity that also helps you see San Diego from another side. The boats are really easy to navigate, they are pretty fast but very stable even at high speeds. Out your guide was amazing sharing facts about San Diego and also explained the instructions very clearly
Andrew took us out for a LOAD OF FUN! Great tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and ensured we had a safe and fun experience. I would do this again. Try it. You won’t regret it!
This is not a slow speed tour, you actually get to go FAST in your mini speed boat. Capt'n Dave was great, entertaining and energetic. Firm to keep people in line but not overly so. The tour is great, seeing the Midway and other things from the bay is fun, but driving/ riding your own speed boat fast on the water is awesome!! We will do this again!!
Andrew, the tour guide was amazing.. instructions and personality were excellent.it was very interesting , saw some amazing sights and got a lot of info about San Diego …Thank you Andrew for a great time!!!Highly recommend
Such an awesome adventure. This was absolutely a blast. You are in full control of your own boat and they go pretty fast. Captain David did an awesome job.
What a cool experience. Got close to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, saw a pod of dolphins, hung out with some sea lions, and raced around the harbor. That's a LOT of bang for your buck. A must do if you like a bit of adventure and some corny pirate jokes from your friendly tour guide. Just go, you won't be disappointed.
100/10 recommend! Mini jet boats are the best thing ever made hands down. The tour guid had great customer service and explained everything well. Would definitely book again in the future.
This tour was amazing!! It was so fun my son had the time of his life going fast. If you are thinking about booking do it! You will not be disappointed.
Although it was pretty and started out as a great experience the last hour of our paid excursion our boat malfunctioned and we had to be tied to the tour guides boat to be taken back to the dock. Nothing was offered for the malfunction just well wishes and small talk. I wasn’t expecting a full refund but I was expecting something since we didn’t get the full experience.
Great speedboat excursion. Was a little nervous at first but Captain David explained everything making it a pleasurable event. My husband loved it as well. Thank you
David was an exceptional tour guide. Very informative about rules and the sites we got to visit. It was fun jumping through waves in the bay, definitely would do again.
Is a must do in San Diego! We can't believe why this attraction is not as popular. Its much better than renting jet skis.
A must do activity when I San Diego if you enjoy adrenaline and site seeing. Take turn driving the speed boat. Sits up to three. We went at three and got to ride back in the sunset. Absolutely beautiful
Overall great experience! Alex the tour guide was very helpful and did a great job guiding everyone.
We had such a great time on our tour! Our guide, Keoni, was fantastic - friendly, welcoming, and full of enthusiasm. He explained everything clearly, shared fantastic knowledge about the area, and kept the ride fun with his dad jokes. His energy and passion really made the experience memorable. We learned so much about the San Diego harbor and would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting or living in the area!
Some technical difficulties had us start 30 minutes late. Otherwise the host was great and tour was fun.
The captain was unfriendly, unprofessional and ignorant. I would definitely not recommend captain Alex to any of my friends
Kioni was absolutely great and experienced, made thr trip enjoyable. The views were great along with his jokes
Excellent choice for speed boat tour. My guide Kinio (sp) was a great tour guide along with his partner. Informative, knowledgeable and funny (dad jokes). We had 2 boats and would definitely come again
We had so much fun today with speedboat adventures. The tour was fun and informative! Can’t wait to come again
It was so awesome easy, and such a unique experience!! Our tour guide made the trip really easy and very fun!
Must do! So much fun! CAPTAIN Dave was our tour guide and he was absolutely the best, made the tour even more fun
Response from Host, May 2025
Thanks for the awesome review! We're so glad you had a great time with Captain Dave—he's one of the best, and we're lucky to have him leading our tours! Out of all the fun things to do in San Diego, we’re honored you chose Speed Boat Adventures for your day on the water. 🚤 Whether you're visiting on a San Diego vacation, planning a family trip, or just looking for a unique way to explore the coast, our guided speed boat tours of the San Diego Bay are a must-do experience. Hope to see you back out on the water soon!
We rented 3 boats with 2 family members in each. It was a little windy so we had big waves out in the bay. Be prepared to get wet from the waves crashing over the boat. We all loved it! A lot of laughs and screams when going fast. The sights were great...we got very close to sea animals and ships. Would definitely recommend!
Response from Host, May 2025
What a fun way to hit the water as a group—thanks for sharing! Taking out three boats with the whole family sounds like an adventure to remember. The waves can definitely add some extra excitement (and a little splash), but we’re glad it brought even more laughs and energy to your experience.
Getting up close to sea life and massive ships is what makes our San Diego speed boat tour so unique. It’s a top choice for families visiting San Diego who want a mix of adrenaline and amazing views. We appreciate the recommendation and hope to have you all back for another ride soon!
From $89.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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San Diego Harbor Speed Boat Adventure
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