About Us

I don't often write reviews anymore except for the best of the best or worst of the worst, but Covewater Paddle falls firmly within the former. Olivier was a consummate professional from the first call through the last minute of our private group lessons/tour. I booked this for a group of 5 guys as part of a celebration weekend for our buddy who is going to be a first time father soon. We all had a blast. Olivier recommended that we book a time in the morning hours (9-11am), as this is usually the time of day where the wind and water conditions are the most calm. This ended up being a great idea because even out a couple hundred yards from the shore of Capitola Beach, the water was still nice and glassy. Since we were all beginners, we started our lesson on the beach with some basic fundamentals, and then launched into the still & serene Soquel Creek by the beach. We spent our first hour getting acclimated and building up our confidence with tips and tricks from Olivier. The second hour we moved out to the open ocean, and by the end of it I had (unintentionally) caught my first wave! Besides his laid back and fun loving attitude, one thing that Olivier did that really wowed us is that he took a ton of pictures of us throughout our tour and sent them all to us as soon as we got back on the beach. It was a great way for us to remember the great time we had out on our paddle boards on a beautiful Saturday in Capitola. I'l be recommending this place to my friends and family who are looking for something adventurous to do in the Monterey Bay area.

Great customer service! This is the place to go if you want to rent a board or pick up equipment. This is the spot! No need to look anywhere else. They will take great care of you.

The guy who was working the counter was so helpful! Really great and inexpensive way to spend the day in Santa Cruz.

I've rented SUP's in four countries over the past 6 years. This shop had a better selection of quality boards and excellent service and accommodated our schedule. I would highly recommend these people.

I was very impressed by easy email contact helping us to try and arrange our session while we were already travelling. In the end we popped in to the store and they did everything they could to accommodate us within out time frame!

I rented a SUP yesterday from Covewater Paddle Surf. in Santa Cruz where I first learned to surf at the Hook. I have been surfing since 1967 and SUP since 2004. I like to paddle along the coastline of my home in N San Diego and catch waves along the way up to head high.

Covewater Paddle Surf is THE place to go for all things SUP....but more importantly, it is the owner of the shop, Olivier Guincetre, who makes the whole place so sweet. He is passionate about the sport and KNOWS his inventory up down and sideways.

Best place for great board selection and advice! The owner Oliver is knowledgeable and takes the time to understand your needs and recommend the best board for you. They also have rentals and allow demos of boards you want to buy.

Great experience renting a SUP from Olivier and Damien. They have a great range of performance boards, took the time to recommend a few good local breaks that are less trafficed and even small touches like switching out fins to match the conditions.