Coronado, CA Outdoor Activities

The heavy stillness of night hangs over Old Town’s cemetery, the air silent and thick with a nervous, uneasy energy. A group of people has gathered here in the quiet, and stands seemingly motionless amid the graves, their outlines rendered almost indistinguishable thanks to the moonless sky. At the center of this group, experienced ghost hunter Michael Brown holds out his EMF meter that, after a second of inactivity, displays an unusual reading⎯alerting the onlookers that it senses a ghost is near.

This spooky sojourn is just another day on the job for Michael, who leads two ghost tours through Old Town four evenings a week. Intent on introducing believers and nonbelievers alike to the area’s paranormal activities, he bolsters equipment-based communications with the spirit world with tales amassed from his own experiences ghost hunting for 13 years. Public ghost tours give intrepid groups a chance to experience unsettling phenomena—such as a local energy vortex in which energy hovers above the ground—as they wend through haunted locales and ghosts' favorite picnic areas. Michael’s private ghost-hunting tours arm each brave soul with an EMF meter as they embark upon specter-tracking expeditions.

Parks, restaurants, and eye-catching vistas stretch for 34 miles across San Diego's waterfront. SailTime San Diego's proprietors, Ian and Gill Bossenger, find that the water itself is the best way to take in the sights. With a fleet of three sailboats docked at the bustling Harbor Island Marina, the husband-and-wife team help open up a coastal world of breezy adventuring along with the bay's dolphins, whales, and thriving submarine populations.

In sailing classes, U.S. Coast Guard–licensed captains and ASA-certified instructors guide prospective sailors through the operation of basic keelboats and large cruising boats alike. The already-certified can hop aboard a late-model Hunter 38 to captain their own charters along the coast or to Catalina Island about 70 miles away or join as members to enjoy sailing without the hassle and expense of being a full-time boat owner or the neck aches of being a full-time stowaway.

Capturing the essence of a city requires time—time to investigate and learn about local landmarks, time to discover hidden nooks and gems, and time to jump from spire to spire on the area’s tallest buildings. Snap Photo Tours affords urban explorers this needed break in day-to-day routines with two information-packed hours that yield dazzling photographic memories that last long after the final flash evaporates into the air.

Peeking out from behind their viewfinders or forehead-mounted etch-a-sketch, tour takers follow the instruction of the company's energized guides, who intersperse facts about passing sights with tips on how to squeeze the most out of every picture snapped along the way. Tour-goers learn about the history that oozes from each street corner in the Gaslamp Quarter, or marvel at the architecture of Balboa Park, where thriving gardens provide colorful backdrops. No matter the tour, San Diego natives and visitors alike walk away more educated about their surroundings and more prepared to immortalize the potential photographs held within.

Armed with a fleet of Currie Technologies e-bikes, San Diego Fly Rides introduces explorers to beautiful views of the coast and city accessible by easily navigated trails. After a quick introduction to the bikes, a story-telling guide leads groups of cyclists, rolling at about 20 miles per hour to stay ahead of heckling joggers. The visitors hear the secrets of storied surroundings in La Jolla, Little Italy, San Diego Bay, the historic Gaslamp Quarter, and other famed locales. For a more free-form tour experience, guests can opt for rentals of IZIP Zuma bikes, which come with all the materials necessary so renters can guide themselves, including a map, helmet, water, snack, basket, and bike lock. The shop also sells electric bikes, which generate propelling power but also allow riders to pedal to their heart's content or doctor's orders.

In the cerulean blue waters around Mission Beach, jet-powered craft cut through the waves. Affordable Jet Ski's staff members set customers loose at the helm of a three-seat, 1,100cc Yamaha VX 110, a four-seat, 1,200cc Yamaha SUV, or a Sea Doo jet ski—which enables its pilot to ride standing for higher visibility or sitting to dodge low-flying UFOs. They also supply jet boats, whose 270-horsepower twin engines propel drivers and six passengers through the water. Staffers ensure that all their customers can reach the water by providing a tow vehicle with each rental, and can also lead tours of the area for those unfamiliar with its waters.

From his comprehensive dive shop, NAUI-certified scuba instructor Michael Simpson leads basic and advanced scuba courses as well as excursions into the deep unknown around the San Diego area. With the help of Simpson and his staff, Poseidon's Divers also organizes scuba-diving and snorkeling excursions that explore local aquatic gems such as caves, La Jolla Cove, wrecks, and beaches where groups may encounter playful seals, wildlife, and meditating octopi. Michael also gives surf lessons and cleans up the beach with the 1302 Dive Frogs, the dive club at Poseidon's Divers.