Our Tour Guides and Instructors
If you’re looking for something fun to do in Santa Barbara you’re in the right place. From high-end rentals to some of the best instruction and tours available we’re here to make your experience in Santa Barbara as fun and amazing as it can be!
We’ll typically pick you up and bring you to the best location for your activity in town or meet you at that location depending on availability.
That being said we can often do road bike tours right from your hotel/house or do stand up paddle lessons, kayak tours, and rentals for all beach related activities on the beach across from any of the beach front properties in Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Goleta.
We’d love to show you the Santa Barbara many don’t see!
Mitch Hawkins
Manager, SUP, Kayak, and Mountain Bike Guide
I was a collegiate baseball player and a biology student at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. This place is one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever been to let alone lived in. I decided a few years back I’d love to be involved in helping others see some of the true beauties Santa Barbara has to offer.
From those visiting to the many locals that have lived here for years and never ventured out on the ocean or hiked one of the trails overlooking the city, SB Channel, and Channel Islands.
I hold a personal training certification from NASM and will do just about anything from mountain biking to stand up paddling to kite boarding. Myself and anyone at Cal Coast Adventures would love to take you on any one of the activities we offer.
Connor King
Manager / Media / Sales / Bike Guide
After growing up in Santa Barbara I wanted to explore life in a city that also offered access to the outdoors, which led me to live in Seattle for 4 years. After completing my BA at Seattle Pacific University I found myself craving travel-related work in my hometown of SB.
Since joining the Cal Coast team I’ve found a love for helping travelers indulge in Santa Barbara’s treasures.
Whether it's by promoting our services, designing new ways to improve operations or leading a group on a Bike and Beverage Tour around SB’s booming beer and wine scene - I’ve been happy to help people see Santa Barbara in a new and active way!
Nathan Weber
Manager, Surf & SUP Instructor
As a young surfer growing up on the central coast, I hadn't really grasped how incredibly lucky I was to be experiencing the coastline of California as my own back yard. It wasn't until I moved to Europe out of high school to travel that I began to truly realize where my home was. To me, surfing California wasn't just a place of exercise or an opportunity for sports.
Although it was a place for those things as well, it was the place I felt most connected with nature. I remember so many times running into the house to tell my parents about the waves I had caught that day, and about the way it felt, only to have words fail me and a lot of sound effects come out instead. the ocean isn't something you can experience through someone else.
The only way is to suit up and board up. Surfing makes me a better person, and I know now that the water is where I belong. My goal is to share my passion for the ocean as not only an instructor but as a friend giving back to the sports that made me who I am today. I know with the skills I've learned, and the situations I've experienced, I can help provide the tools necessary to get you started on your own path of exercise, adventure and indescribable beauty.
Whether its furthering your technic in paddle boarding, kayaking or surfing, or simply your first time in the water, I'm confident that either myself, or anyone else in the Cal Coast Adventures team can make your experience an unforgettable one!
Sergio Alvarez
Lead Bike Guide and Bike Mechanic
Born and raised Santa Barbara local boy. I grew up riding a bike and I was always enthused with how far i could go as a young kid. I got into bmx freestyle in the 80s, did competitions and shows while traveling around the world. After retiring from bmx i got into mountain bike racing.
I did cross country racing for about 15 years. I’ve done a lot of off road bike touring in the local santa ynez mountains, which has helped my knowledge of the trails as well as learning the rich history of santa barbara.
I’m excited to meet you and can’t wait to take you out on a ride. Whether it’s mountain biking or road biking I hope you're ready to hurt a little, but in a good and encouraging way 🙂
Elias Jordan
Lead Instructor for Surf, SUP, & Kayak
I am a born and raised Central Coast local, and nothing will take me away. While growing up in the foothills of San Luis Obispo County, I was raised in the outdoors. I have done just about everything fun under the sun; BMX racing, skateboarding, dirt bike racing, tennis, snowboarding, and last but certainly not least, SURFING.
The ocean has truly taken over my life over the past 10 years in such an incredible way. My dad introduced my entire family to the ocean at a very young age. Surfing the cooler waters in Morro Bay gave me a lot of appreciation for the more mild temperatures in Santa Barbara when I moved here in 2014 to obtain my Bachelors in Psychology from UCSB.
Surfing has taken me from Lincoln City, Oregon to Sayulita, Mexico, and even Cloudbreak in Fiji. I have met incredibly diverse people through surfing around the world. If surfing has given me anything, it is the appreciation for other cultures and finding unity in the simple (but sometimes difficult) pleasure of riding a wave.
After work and on my days off you will often find me hiking to the local hot springs, surfing with my friends, and often right back here at Cal Coast Adventures. This place has become a home away from home for me and being able to share paddleboarding, biking, and kayaking with my friends and family has given me so much joy over the past 4 years.
Brody Weiss
Surf Instructor
My name is Brody Weiss and I am a recent graduate from Westmont College, located here in Santa Barbara, California. I am originally from Denver, Colorado where I spent most of my free time hiking and snowboarding throughout the Rocky Mountains. Growing up, I was blessed to have a family beach vacation home in Sanibel Island Florida, that we would visit 5 to 6 times a year. It was through this beach house where my passion for the ocean started. At age 12, I took a family vacation to Costa Rica, where I took my first surf lesson and stood up on my first wave. It was from that point on where surfing became my deepest interest. Being from Colorado, I knew I wanted to get to the Coast of California where I could continue to grow my passion for surfing. It was then a dream come true as I received a scholarship to play baseball at the University of California Santa Barbara. I then moved out to Santa Barbara in 2011, and from that point on, surfing has become the biggest part of my life. For me, the ocean/surfing is the one thing that seems to keep my life in balance. For the time I've been out here, I have had the opportunity to travel up and down the coastline of California, surfing with friends and getting to experience all the adventures this state holds. The Ocean has so much to offer us, and it has become my passion teaching and sharing these amazing experiences with others in the water. I look forward to seeing you out there!
Andrew Onderdonk
Bike Mechanic
Bio Coming Soon...
Jesse Over
Bike Mechanic
Bio Coming Soon...
John Calforda
Surf & SUP & Kayak Instructor
As a native Californian, I have always had a passion for the outdoors and action sports. Growing up I learned to snowboard and skateboard first before moving to the coast and picking up surfing soon after.
I quickly realized that surfing, as an experience, is on a higher order than most other sports because of the inevitable connection to the ocean that comes with it.
I have found that teaching others to surf, whether they pick it up right away or need a slower pace, is an immensely rewarding experience in which I get to watch people step out of their comfort zone and form a connection with nature that they may not have realized was coming their way.
Plus, it is SUPER FUN!! Let’s get out there and catch some waves, share some stories, and collect a few more to tell some other time!
Sean Lappi
Surf Instructor and Kayak Guide
Hi, my name is Sean Lappi. I’m a Pacific Northwest native who was born and raised on Bainbridge Island, Washington just outside of Seattle. My father was born and raised in Santa Cruz and introduced me to surfing at a young age, and I’ve been hooked ever since!
After growing tired of the rain and the cold water, I made the move to Santa Barbara in June 2008, and have resided here ever since. My surfing and kayaking adventures have taken me throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. When I’m not in the water surfing or teaching, I enjoy exploring our awesome local hiking trails or various National Parks throughout the U.S.
I also occasionally moonlight as a student majoring in Political Science with a minor in Geography who will finally graduate in 2019 after a 10 year academic journey!