Adaptive Surf Programs

Surf Diva at La Jolla Shores offers year-round, adaptive surf programs for visitors of all ages and all abilities – customized for guests’ individual needs – to experience the freedom of riding a wave with the assistance of special adaptive surfboards. Instructors are experienced in teaching students of all adaptive needs, including amputees, visual impairment and limited mobility. Surfboards, ranging in size from 6-foot foamies (soft surfboards) to 12-foot tandem boards, are selected based on the needs and goals of the guest. Life vests and helmets are also provided. Reservations are recommended one week in advance.

By Land Tours

Old Town Trolley Tours, featuring narrated, trackless trolley tours of San Diego’s top sightseeing areas including Old Town, Balboa Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, Embarcadero and Coronado, offers three vehicles with lifts, with two wheelchair spaces available on each trolley. Trolleys with lifts are available with 24-hour notice. Written scripts of the entertaining tours are available for the hearing impaired and additional description tours are available for visitors with vision impairment.

The Hopper San Diego offers hop on & off our buses for the best way to explore all San Diego has to offer in comfort and style. The Hopper operates wheelchair accessible vehicles with ramps that can accommodate a weight up to 400 pounds. If anyone in your traveling party requires an ADA accessibility, please contact The Hopper San Diego 48 hours prior to your planned tour commencement. They can prepare the ramp for you at the time and location required.

By Air Tours

Guests with limited mobility can fly with Rotor Zen Helicopters for birds-eye views of SeaWorld San Diego, Mission Bay, La Jolla Shores, downtown San Diego, the USS Midway, the Coronado Bridge and more. Tours depart from a new ADA-accessible facility, Signature Flight Support, at San Diego International Airport. The crew can assist passengers with boarding the helicopter. Any of the doors can be easily removed and reinstalled to accommodate passengers with special needs. Wheelchairs do not fit on board; however, staff can hold a wheelchair in the lobby and then return it after a tour. Note: Tours require two passengers minimum and can accommodate three passengers maximum per flight.

Get Into Nature

A natural wonder and the largest urban open space park west of the Mississippi, Mission Trails Regional Park features the Old Mission Dam, a nationally registered historic landmark that includes a wheelchair-accessible pathway to the San Diego River, an excellent area for bird watching and taking in the scenery. The pathway features informational displays and touchable models of the dam and surrounding terrain. At the accessible, state-of-the-art Visitor and Interpretive Center, guests can explore the wonders of nature and learn about the indigenous Kumeyaay people who once lived on this land.

Explore one of San Diego’s most diverse coastal wetlands and prime bird watching areas on the ADA-accessible Nature Center Loop Trail at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve in San Diego’s North County. The scenic, mile-long trail provides close-up views of the salt marsh habitat, featuring a boardwalk traversing a riparian woodland habitat and interpretive displays highlighting the reserve’s menagerie of animals and plants. Adventure-filled free Family Fun Days, which takes place on the first Sunday of each month, feature themed explorations of the loop trail, plus hands-on activities, crafts and the opportunity for kids to earn a Junior Ranger Badge.