Very difficult to get information about this place. No one picked up the phone and there was no useful information given on the voicemail message. We showed up around 10:30 am on the Saturday of labor day weekend and it was closed even though the hours listed on the facebook page and posted on the building said 9-5. Luckily just as we were about to leave, a young man showed up and opened the shop and informed us it would be closing at 3pm (and when we drove by later at exactly 3pm it was indeed closed). Rental prices were reasonable and it was great to be able to launch directly from the rental office. One of the kayaks had a problematic seat so check your equipment before you head out in it! The bay was lovely. After the crush of holiday traffic and people it was amazing to have this gorgeous area all to ourselves - so quiet and peaceful.

I recently had the pleasure of interacting with Jim, the owner of Back Bay Getaways, when I attempted to set up an evening kayak tour for my family of four. Jim and I agreed on a late afternoon time and our family duly arrived for our tour. Unfortunately, when we got there, Jim informed us that despite it appearing sunny and calm (on the ocean side) to us, the weather was not right for our trip. He had tried to reach us earlier but had had trouble getting a hold of us since we were staying in a building that had no cell phone reception. He had left several voice mails that we didn’t get. But he decided to wait for us in person to let us know the bad news when we arrived at his dock. I was a little disappointed that we had shown up all ready and yet couldn’t go, but he explained that the wind direction on the bay and the temperature would have made for an unpleasant, strenuous, buggy tour. He could have just taken our money and provided us with a subpar experience, but I really value that he put our safety and comfort above profits. The next day brought some thunderstorms into the area, but Jim touched base with me several times while he tracked the storm to see if we could reschedule our kayak trip for that night. In the end, we opted to just rent some kayaks the next morning and went out on our own. Back Bay Getaways is in a modest little building next to Baja Restaurant, but it has its own dock right on the water. They also rent bicycles. It’s an easy paddle or bike ride into the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge. Back Bay Getaways provides excellent customer service and is a great way to access this beautiful area.

I havent been back to VB in such a long time. My mother ran this place back when it was a bait shop owned by the same owner of the Baja. Looking from Google maps I see all the progress that has been made (albeit sad) that surrounds what used to be a truly peaceful area of Sandbridge.

We went for a Sunset Kayak Tour today and had a great time. Jim, the owner, led a group of 8 people out to the beautiful bay, a hidden oasis compared to the touristy towns to the north. We expected the area to look as built up as the rest of Virginia Beach but it was FAR from it! There were hardly any buildings in sight. Jim gave us a great background on the area from an ecologic, historic, geographic, and economic point of view. The tour was at a leisurely pace and water was like glass on our return trip as we watched the sun set over the water. The Baja restaurant and bar conveniently share the same parking lot. Highly recommend this tour!