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Preparing for Your Charter
Preparing for Your Charter

What's included and allowed on charters, required documents, where to meet, tipping, and seasickness

Karina Weisman avatar
Written by Karina Weisman
Updated over a week ago

What's Included/Allowed

Dive Charters

Included

  • Captain & deckhand - comprehensive briefs, gear and buddy assist

  • Tanks - LP 85s or AL80s (varies by trip)

  • Weights and weight belts - 2, 3, 4, 5 lbs hard lead

  • Light food - a combination of soups, fruits, bars, pastries, oatmeal, and snacks

  • Beverages - drinking water, coffee, tea

  • Sea sickness relief and bean bags

Allowed

  • Personal tanks - high pressures too!

  • CCRs - for certified rebreather divers only

  • Doubles - for certified doubles divers only

  • Scooters & kits

  • Camera gear - underwater photography and videography

  • DIN & yolk - our valves are easily convertible

  • Extra lunch - special dietary needs

  • Extra luggage - plenty of space onboard

Add-ons

  • Rental gear - full set for $100 (or pay for items individually)

  • Nitrox tanks - $17/tank

  • VIP: Guided Experience - $179 local, $299 Coronado Islands (up to 4 divers)

  • 1-Day Scuba Certification - Boat Diver, Nitrox, ReActivate, Underwater Photography (from $375)

Mission Bay Cruises

Included

  • Captain - and deckhand, depending on the boat

  • Bluetooth stereo - can be connected to your playlists

  • Large cooler & ice - we'll take care of the loading

  • Paddleboard - request upon check-in

  • Lilypad - request upon check-in

  • Lifejackets - for all ages

  • Bean bags and Mexican blankets

Allowed

  • BYOB - food and drinks (alcoholic beverages for 21+)

  • Floaties - for charters during the day

  • Babies, toddlers, seniors, pets - everyone is welcome :)

  • DJ set - no electrical plugs so you must bring your own battery

  • Decorations - 15 minutes to decorate the boat (from check-in to departure)

  • Cigarettes and nicotine vapes

Prohibited

  • Red wine, roses, berries - anything that can stain the boat

  • Glass beer - limit glass bottles to liquor to avoid accidents

  • Marijuana - and any other illegal drugs

  • Gas generators - for safety restrictions

  • BBQs

Offshore Ocean Safari

Included

  • Captain & tour guide

  • Coordinates - to places of interest

  • Snorkel gear

  • Light food - a combination of soups, fruits, bars, pastries, oatmeal, and snacks

  • Beverages - drinking water, coffee, tea

  • Sea sickness relief

  • Bean bags and Mexican blankets

Allowed

  • Photo and video gear - extra large items too!

  • Fishing gear - one fishing license per rod required

  • Chumming - for shark explorations

  • Binoculars and scopes

  • Extra lunch - special dietary needs

  • Extra luggage - plenty of space onboard

  • Adult bevs - for the way back

Required Documents

All charters

  • Everyone on board must complete a waiver form (parents complete for minors).

  • You can access waiver form links from your charter confirmation email or SMS.

  • IDs are required for alcohol consumption.

Dive charters

  • You are required to show your scuba certification proof at check-in.

  • If you forget your certification, we might be able to look it up for you.

  • If you forget your certification, a photo of it will work.

  • Open water divers aren't allowed on advanced trips unless part of a class.

  • Non-certified divers aren't allowed to scuba dive unless part of a class (but are welcome to join the boat ride).

📸 Consider taking a photo of your certification now and save it for check-in. No need to send it to us.

Coronado Islands charters

  • A valid Passport book or card (with a valid US permanence) is mandatory.

  • Must be brought aboard. Copies and photos are not accepted.

  • We're in Mexican waters, and authorities may board to check documents.

  • We handle the tourist card (sometimes referred to as a "visa") for all guests.

  • All guests must pay for this tourist card at check-in (Mexican citizens excluded).

Where/When to Meet

Shop & boat address

📍 1617 Quivira Road, San Diego CA 92109

We're located on the heart of Mission Bay. Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and Point Loma are the closest neighborhoods to our shop and boats.

When you book a charter with Waterhorse Charters, you'll need to check in at our shop in Quivira Basin, Mission Bay. All our charters depart from Sportsmen's Seafood Dock, directly behind our shop.

Parking map

Parking areas

  • Waterhorse Charters 3 parking spots are for guest loading and offloading only

  • There's plenty of free street parking across the street from our shop/docks

  • Park on the other lots around us at your own risk as they're private

  • Exclusively on Tuesdays, you're welcome to park at Sportsmen's Seafood parking lot due to street sweeping on Quivira Road

Check-in times

  • Dive charters: 60 minutes before departure

  • Ocean Safaris: 30 minutes before departure

  • Mission Bay cruises: 15 minutes before departure

Pro tips

  • Simply look for 'Waterhorse Charters' on Google Maps and it'll take you there

  • There are 4 businesses within this address; our entrance faces the street side

  • There are two parking lots within this address; ours is the second one (to the left, when facing the water)

  • The entrance to our parking lot is right after the red and white dive flag

How Much to Tip

We support our crew with yearly raises, paid time off, and bonuses. However, the rising cost of living in California impacts us all. Rewarding their extra effort is deeply appreciated. Our crew accepts tips in cash, Venmo, and credit cards. Below are our suggested industry-standard rates:

Dive charters

👍 $10 per dive

👍👍 $15 per dive

👍👍👍 $20 per dive

All other charters

👍 10% of your charter cost

👍👍 15% of your charter cost

👍👍👍 20% of your charter cost

Venmo

@waterhorsecharters

last 4 of phone: ***-**-9302

What's it for?: captain name + deckhand name + charter date

About Seasickness

Mission Bay

If you're going on a Mission Bay cruise, chances are you're not getting seasick. There are hardly any waves on the bay and we never had issues with seasickness on bay cruises.

Ocean

Now, if you're going on a diving or Ocean Safari trip, you might. Ocean conditions change hourly in San Diego so it's quite impossible to predict what the conditions will be like on your trip date unless it's right around the corner. In that case, you can check the National Weather Service Marine Forecast so you know what to expect.

General rule

If you know you tend to get seasick on boat trips, aim for a morning dive trip. That's when the wind is lighter and the ocean is calmer - generally. We recommend you to take motion sickness medication the night before your trip so it's still working in the morning but you don't feel drowsy during your dives.

This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional. Consult with your healthcare professional to design an appropriate motion sickness prescription.

Nearby Accommodations

Resorts

Five of the most popular San Diego resorts are within a 2.5-mile radius of our location, and two of those are within walking distance. If you’re coming as a family and are looking for resort amenities, these are the options for you:

Hotels

Amongst the hundreds of nearby hotel options, these are the closest, highest rated, and with more complimentary amenities. If you’re looking for more affordable alternatives, check these out:

Vacation Rentals

If rentals are your preferred style of stay, these nearby vacation rentals on Airbnb are the closest ones to our business.

Related Articles
Choosing & Booking a Charter
Conditions & Diving Specifics
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