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November 2023 by Rachel Brannen
I would have given this less stars but I enjoyed the time on the water. The man who I assume is owner of this business was rude and condescending while giving the instructions on taking the kayak out. This attitude started from the very first of the presentation the end despite my comment about it and obvious body language that I did not appreciate how he talked to me. I was by myself and wonder if I was a man or with a group would he have talked to me this way? Although a beautiful area to kayak I believe you can find a more polite person to deal with.
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June 2023 by Kelly Schueler
Had a great time! Really good deal for several hours of entertainment.Surferbus is a wonderful company and easy to work with. As they noted on their website you have to book in advance. We walked up not knowing that, but came back the next day and went great. Highly recommend
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May 2023 by brook snyder
We messed up the reservation date and after requesting to reschedule for the next day, was told to pay for one more person and it would be doable. No flexibility and overpriced.. only booked one tandem kayak to begin with
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April 2023 by Dorthy Chilton
I had booked a reservation for 2 for 11am Monday. Unfortunately I woke up with fever, shaking chills, cough. I called to advise that we could not make the trip and requested either a refund or move the reservation out. Shawn stated that neither of those could be done and I would forfeit the fee. Very disappointing that there was no option to change reservation.
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November 2022 by Amber Challis
Love the surfer bus. I'm always late to the party and getting my reservation in and he has so far always been able to get me on a kayak within the hour. Reservations are needed 24 hour in advance online though to make sure he has enough for everyone. In a pinch you can always text him and see if he has an extra or two. His number is listed in website. Great quality kayaks. Love this area too. Nice and peaceful waters. Saw a few manatees and a few baby dolphins last trip, most trips we've seen birds and fish and crystal clear water bottoms. He is friendly and always smiling when we go. Will return and return again.
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November 2022 by Christine Palmer
We had a blast and we will return!! Can’t beat the price and reservations were easy!
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November 2022 by Lewis A
The owner is an absolutely rude individual. He has a bus that is completely visible to the public to attract tourists and if you show up without a reservation he makes you feel worthless and as if it’s a waste of his time because of how many reservations he already has. His website does not mention requiring a reservation, in fact it discloses that if you don’t have one, you’ll have 2.5 hours as opposed to the typical 4 for a reservation. We just wanted my parents to experience something before they left back up north and he shamed us for the spontaneity. We went a bit further down to Just4Fun Rentals and had an AMAZING experience. This guy is a tool.
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November 2022 by Kevin Mendel
Nice leisurely ride with the family. The host guy was kind of a jerk. It was raining when we showed up, and when we asked about not going because of the rain, he made us feel stupid. Saying it would be silliness to not go out. It was his perfect weather to go out in. Maybe for him yes. But for a family, not so much. We asked about a refund if we decided not to go and he said he would, but had already got everything unloaded and set up. We decided to go, and then he talked so fast about everything nobody could follow. Nice experience, but the guy wasn't very nice.
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November 2022 by Luana Hearn
I was able to book on the same day two kayaks. Shawn’s reply was prompt and courteous. We could spot the bus at the drop off point from the road and parking was easy. The equipment was clean and in great condition. We received a trail map that was very helpful. My family and I had a lot of fun!
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November 2022 by Joe Tullar
Great experience. Didn't catch his name, but the guy running things was amazing. Very patient with all of the various people coming and offered a simple route up and down the preserve. Kayaks and gear were all in wonderful condition. Good way to explore the local area, see tons of wildlife, and keep cool.
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March 2022 by Joshua F
The trip through the Robinson Preserve is at your leisurely pace and can be done with a simple map. If you're tired, turn around. Our group of 5 traveled the entire dotted map he gives you at the training talk in about 2hr 40 min It's easy. There's a public restroom just five minutes walking time from the launch. It's a trip you decide how much you want to do. We had a nice time and didn't ask to small talk the owner as he had things to do. Hats off to his serving that young family wading out to help a stranded mom. He waded out to help her when she was stuck in the sandbar. Good job!
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November 2021 by Nat H
The kayaking experience is great. The location is convenient and we had easy parking on a Sunday at noon. However, the reservation process was very confusing. We called ahead and was told there was no reservations online. It's first come, first served. So we drove out there. The guy at the bus said he didn't accept payment there and told us we had to pay online. Online payment said it was for a full day rental. We paid and when we went back to the bus at noon, the guy there said to have the kayak back by 2:30. Ugh. It was very confusing but we enjoyed our 2 hours just the same.
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July 2021 by Ally Y.
We had a fabulous experience!! Make sure you book a day in advance so you get the full 4 hours of paddle time!! The routes were easy to understand and the worker was super nice! Super fun would highly recommend
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March 2021 by 566JEB
My family and I decided to try paddle boarding on our spring break so we booked with surfer bus. First off they called us almost immediately after booking to tell us we didn’t want our reserved time because it would be too windy and booked us for a better time. When we got there he gave us a quick but good tutorial that helped get us started. He was very honest from the beginning and clearly cared that we enjoy our experience. If you want to paddle board or kayak in Robinson Preserve, he’s your guy.
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March 2021 by Renee S.
We booked 4 kayaks online, the day before we wanted to go out. There was also a discount code provided online which lowered the price to $31.50 for up to a 4 hour rental. It's super easy to find the Surfer Bus by the bridge on Manatee Ave W. at Palma Sola Bay. Kayaks were nice and the guy talked through the route to paddle & gave us a map of the Preserve. We took our time and leisurely paddled through the Robinson Preserve, which took approximately 3 hours. We didn't get out of the kayaks and go on any trails which you could do to use up the full time frame. *Please note: If you book less than 9 hours in advance of the time you would like to kayak, the rental time is decreased from 4 hours to 2 hours but is still the same price as 4 hours.
