Cal Adventures FAQ

No. Cal Adventures is proud to provide quality programs to the entire Bay Area including community members, Cal students, faculty and staff.

Cal Adventures may be forced to cancel a class or trip due to inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control. If this is the case, we will offer to transfer participants to a future class, give a full credit or refund, or reschedule cancelled sessions of a multi-session class.

Gentle rain is not sufficient reason to cancel a class. If the class/trip is going to be cancelled for weather reasons, every attempt will be made to contact participants as quickly as possible. Please attend your scheduled class unless you receive a call or hear on the Marina Hotline that it has been cancelled. Marina Hotline: call 510-642-7707 for recorded weather and class updates.

Mature individuals of 16 years and older may participate in classes, provided they are dropped off by a parent/guardian who can sign their waiver form at the first class meeting. Individuals under 16 should see our comprehensive youth program offerings. Custom Ropes Course and Kayaking Programs are suitable for general groups ages 10 and up. If part of an organized school event, we may be able to work with a younger group – dependent on program length and desired outcomes.

Requests for refunds, credits or to transfer to another class must be made at least 14 days before the first meeting of the activity. A $25.00 administrative fee will be assessed on all refunds, credits and transfers. All refund requests must be submitted via our Action Request Form.

No refunds, credits, or transfers are given within 14 days of the first meeting of the activity, even if you signed up for the activity within the 14 refund period. For example, if you signed up 7 days before the first class, you would not be eligible for a refund, credit or a transfer. Please be sure that you can attend all dates of the course you are enrolling in. You will be asked to sign off on our refund policy during the online enrollment process.

EXCEPTION: Overnight trips, such as New Student Trips (OATS) and the Wilderness Medicine Course, require a 30 day cancellation notice.

Cal Adventures requires that participants complete the basic and intermediate classes before renting, to ensure competence in all necessary skills and a variety of wind conditions.

For your safety and ours, Cal Adventures requires that people with outside sailing experience have the equivalent of our intermediate class skills. To ensure this, we require that you pass a 2-hour private skills checkout with one of our instructors.

If you are unable to attend a day of your scheduled class, you will be asked to make up the necessary skills with a private lesson. Your class fee will not be refunded for missed days and can not be used towards the cost of a private lesson. Please be sure you can attend all sessions before enrolling in a class. If you prefer to take all private lessons in place of a class, we can schedule a series of private lessons to teach you all the necessary skills of our basic or intermediate classes. A minimum of three lessons is required in place of a basic or intermediate class, and more lessons may be necessary to develop confidence and competence in various conditions.

Our basic and intermediate classes, as well as our sailing clinics, are taught in 2-person, 15 foot dinghies. These boats are very responsive and can be wet but are excellent for learning. Our advanced sailing classes and Saturday Night Cruises use our brand new 17 foot RS Ventures.

If you wish to skip basic you must schedule a private lesson before enrolling in intermediate sailing, where we will assess your skills. Also, our basic sailing course covers important information that is specific to the Cal Adventures facility. For example: location of our equipment, how boats are rigged, launched using a hoist, de-rigged and stored. This information will not be taught in the intermediate sailing class. This information and a check out of the students' skills can be completed in a private lesson before going into intermediate.

Yes. The area in which you are permitted to paddle will depend on your level of experience. Sunday morning group paddles are a great way to build confidence and skill with other paddlers of various skill levels.

Yes, if there is room in the class. Please note that it is not possible for one adult to register a second adult for this class. Each participant must register themselves. If there is not enough space in the Full Moon Paddle then Cal Adventures offers incredibly affordable custom group full moon paddles. These private events are a convenient solution and can be scheduled a few weeks in advance by contacting our customer service center at scrainfo@berkeley.edu.

Before even getting on the water, the “wet-exit” skill will be practiced so that participants can safely and quickly get out of a flipped boat.

There have been isolated sightings of sand sharks in the area of the South Sailing Basin. These sharks are very small and have no predatory interest in humans.

No. The kayaks have foam bulkheads and will float, even when full of water.

No. Cal Adventures offers the same great value for all participants.

There is no difference in the course curriculum. The 10-day course has a break day in the middle.

At this time Cal Adventures offers a Basic Windsurfing class and then clinics throughout the season for individuals to learn more advanced skills such as using a harness or water starting. Please see the Windsurfing Clinic page for more details on what is currently being offered. Private lessons are also an excellent option for receiving individual instruction on specific skills.