Things to Do in Pacifica

With a proud fleet of schooners, performance catamarans, vintage and contemporary luxury yachts, and tall ships, SF Bay Adventures has vessels to suit any occasion. The friendly, USCG-certified crews have experience helming ships for special events, marine filming, corporate team-building events, and educational programs. They also embark on adventure excursions such as shark- and whale-watching tours, eco tours, floating wine tastings, and special cruises for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Blackbeard’s mother’s birthday. After rigging the sails, they lead tours of the Golden Gate Bridge, sunset cruises, and pirate-themed parties aboard their various sailing ships.

The tech-savvy staff members at Blue Sky Rental Studios lease three varied studio spaces to clients for multimedia, film, and still-photography shoots. Two studios with multipurpose floors and white industrial walls bathe subjects in natural light spilling in from tall, white windows. The Light Grid studio's four walls and ceiling are inlaid with digitally controlled studio lighting, enabling photographers to join forces with a robot without having to promise their camera's hand in marriage. Outside these three creative spaces, a 7,000-square-foot hall hosts a range of private events such as weddings and new-equipment showcases.

When not hosting creative talents, Blue Sky staffers contribute directly to the process as they provide camera gear and accessories, photography and production assistants, and services such as location scouting and casting. They can also aid in completing a photographer's digital workflow with postproduction work, secure-image archival, and hand-drawing mustaches on models in each photo.

With Janis Joplin's raspy vocals slicing through its speakers, and a costumed guide at its helm, the Magic Bus cruises into the 1960s as it captivates riders with a groovy comparison of San Francisco's past and present. Over the course of a two-hour trip, iconic neighborhoods and city landmarks pour through the bus's windows, which, at various stops, get covered by retractable video screens that flicker with historic images. Tour takers sing along to classic tunes as the bus rolls through Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, and Haight-Ashbury, famous for its role during the Summer of Love, and later, during the notorious crossing guard strike of 1982. Aside from public tours, the Magic Bus opens its tie-dyed doors to private parties and corporate charters.

Porpoises, seals, and pelicans follow in the wake of sailboats as they coast through the waters of the San Francisco Bay. The 30-foot Cherubini Hunter known as Fearless sails among them, bringing passengers toward sights that are only attainable by boat. Captain Stephan Sowash boasts 30 years of experience and certification from the U.S. Coast Guard, and steers the vessel with the confidence of a boxer who has filled his gloves with sand. He coordinates trips with light refreshments or gourmet dinners such as grilled salmon or lamb, leading guests toward attractions such as McCovey Cove, where kayakers paddle frantically for rare home-run balls and autographs of famous fishmongers.

It’s an amazing feeling to gaze into a massive animal's eyes, knowing that it possesses an equal or greater amount of intelligence and curiosity. Jim Robertson, a 26-year licensed captain, regularly shares this experience with guests in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary aboard his Coast Guard–certified vessel. The Farallon Islands—located 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco—are home to 26 federally listed endangered or threatened species, including leatherback sea turtles and blue whales. With a staff of naturalists on board to narrate the breathtaking scenes before them, guests can peep blue, gray, and humpback whales swimming, breaching, and playing Marco Polo in their natural habitat. Along the way, they might also catch a glimpse of dolphins, seals, sea lions, and a cloudburst of native birds.

Since it was erected 75 years ago, the Golden Gate Bridge has welcomed thousands of commuters and connected two pieces of land that, like itself, stand as preserved national parks. Staffers at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy have maintained the Bridge and more than 40 other local parks for the past 30 years, working to keep them relevant and accessible to visitors while preserving their original structures and native wildlife. Today, guides lead walking tours along the Golden Gate Bridge, walking and ferry tours around Alcatraz Island during the day and at night, and bus tours through Muir Woods. Their conservation staff also hosts regular local events such as botany workshops, endangered species restoration efforts, and youth classes in the history of ethnobotany: the cultural use of plants for food, medicine, and toga-party accessories.