I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the San Diego International Boat Show yesterday as a blogger, and it was a great experience! My boyfriend, Tim, was stationed in San Diego while he was in the navy, so he was really excited to make the trip to San Diego from Los Angeles with me.
Tim & me at the rest stop off the 5/405/PCH
The boat show is going on ALL weekend (through Sunday), but we were only able to attend the first day. Regardless, it was so much fun! We arrived shortly after it opened. It could not have been a more perfect day! It was sunny, warm (around 81 degrees), and there was a wonderful breeze coming off the Pacific. As we were driving down, Tim said he wanted to get new sunglasses. He breaks them all the time, I can’t even tell you how many pairs he has had. In the photo above, he is rocking my bright pink wayfayers (don’t they look great on him?!). The very first booth we stopped at was the Progressive Insurance booth (they sponsor the SD International Boat Show), and they had a bag toss game where you could win sunglasses! It was so perfect! So Tim played the game while I chatted with Michael, an insurance agent whose wife is a blogger. Needless to say, Tim won a pair of sunglasses:
There were tons of booths with really great products and services! Anything you need for boating, you can find it at the SD Boat Show. I don’t have a boat, but I have always loved the boating life. I grew up on Lake Erie in Ohio, and my family has an island house on Kelleys Island (one of the Lake Erie islands). I love anything involved with beach/lake/ocean life. This show definitely made me want that lifestyle even more!
The harbor was filled with different kinds of boats that you could walk on, check out, and even buy if you were ready:
The best part for Tim was the diving booth. During Tim’s navy career, he was able to get certified in diving in Hawaii, and we have been talking about me getting certified, too, so we can go diving together. The San Diego Divers had a dive pool where you could practice diving, so of course Tim gave it a shot:
He found a fake crab while diving, and put it up to the camera in the water (it shows up on a monitor) because crabs are my second favorite animal! I was really excited! (My first favorite animal is the pink flamingo, in case you were wondering) 😉
The woman in the pool with Tim in the top picture is Jan. She was so helpful and great! She has been diving for 28 years and said it is very calming for her. No matter what kind of day she had, she can go into the water, watch the ocean life, and be stress-free. It reminds her of the simplicity of life. Talking with her made me really want to come back to San Diego and get my diving certification. If you attend the boat show this weekend and try scuba in the pool, you get a $50 rebate for the diving certification program (within 90 days). How awesome is that?! The program is through BeADiver.com. I definitely want to get my certification, and Tim can take a refresher course. So exciting!
We were pretty hungry at this point, so we decided to get food. There was a food truck, and then a barbecue put on by the La Mesa Rotary Club:
I haven’t had a hot dog in forever, so that’s what I had! They also serve beer to those 21 and older (have your ID handy).
On our way back through the booths, we saw the Oru Kayak (origami kayak). We recognized it from a recent episode of Shark Tank! It was really exciting for us because when we first saw that episode, Tim and I both loved the idea of a folding kayak. We live in a one bedroom apartment in West Los Angeles, meaning we have NO storage space. Plus, kayaks are really heavy! My parents have one, and I totally love it, but I can’t carry it by myself. With Oru Kayak being at the boat show, we had the chance to feel the kayak, which is what I wanted to do after seeing it on Shark Tank. We also had the opportunity to talk with the CEO + Founder of Oru Kayak, Anton Willis, which was really awesome. He is a super cool guy (though that was expected, because he developed a super cool kayak)! Tim and I definitely want to get a couple of the Oru Kayaks in the next few months or so.
There were so many great, quality products and services at the boat show, plus plenty of fun activities that will keep families busy throughout this weekend! I already mentioned the diving pool, but there’s also sailing lessons, paddle board lessons, hands-on training, interactive learning center, and more! The San Diego International Boat Show is at the Sheraton Harbor Island in San Diego, Calif. through Sunday, June 22 from 12-7 pm (Sunday only until 6pm)! Admission is $12 for adults, and children 15 & younger are free.
We had such a great time, I can only imagine how much fun the rest of the weekend will be! If you go to the boat show, hashtag #SDBoatShow and tag @SDIntlBoatShow (Twitter and Instagram) and @balancebrunette (Twitter)/@thebalancedbrunette (Instagram) so your pictures will get shared and retweeted!
- Are you attending the San Diego International Boat Show this weekend?
- Do you enjoy the boating lifestyle? Comment below!
XO,
Lyndsay
Disclosure: I received two free tickets to the San Diego International Boat Show through Synergy Communications in the hopes that I would share about the event on my website. I only write about products, services, and/or events that pertain to myself and my readers, therefore all opinions are 100% my own.