Adventures FAQ

No. Adventures is proud to provide quality programs to the entire Bay Area including community members, UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees.

Adventures may be forced to cancel a class or trip due to inclement weather or other circumstances beyond our control. If this is the case, we will offer to transfer participants to a future class, give a full credit or refund, or reschedule cancelled sessions of a multi-session class.

Gentle rain is not sufficient reason to cancel a class. If the class/trip is going to be cancelled for weather reasons, every attempt will be made to contact participants as quickly as possible. Please attend your scheduled class unless you receive a message or hear on the Marina Hotline that it has been cancelled. Marina Hotline: call 510-642-7707 for recorded weather and class updates.

Individuals of 16 years and older may register for classes, but must be accompanied by a registered adult. The parent/legal guardian will need to complete a waiver for the minor prior to the class.

Program Withdrawal & Refund Policy

Applies to all RecWell programs except Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and Youth Programs.

Program withdrawal requests must be submitted via email to RecWell@berkeley.edu or through the Action Request Form and are processed by RecWell Customer Service Center staff.

• Refund requests received more than 3 business days before the program start date will be approved, minus a 15% administrative fee deducted from the program registration fee.
• No refunds will be issued within 3 business days of the program start date or after the program has begun, regardless of when the registration was completed.
• Refunds are processed Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., excluding UC holidays. Requests submitted outside these hours will be reviewed the following business day.
  • Example: If your program starts on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before 9 a.m., your refund request must be submitted no later than the Tuesday before to meet the 3 business day deadline.

Wilderness First Responder (WFR) & WFR Recertification

Please note: Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and Wilderness First Responder Recertification courses are offered in partnership with NOLS and are subject to the NOLS Cancellation, Payment, & Attendance Policies. Please contact NOLS for more information.

Wilderness First Aid (WFA)

The Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course is not eligible for RecWell’s standard refund or transfer policies, and it requires at least 15 days’ notice for requests due to administrative processes with our external partner.

Please review program dates carefully before enrolling. Program fees are not prorated or adjusted for missed classes. Credits, refunds, or make-up classes will not be provided for missed classes, partial attendance, tardiness, or non-attendance.

Full attendance is essential for participant success and may be required to complete the program or qualify for sequenced offerings (e.g., Sailing 1-A to Sailing 1-B).

Participants who arrive late may be unable to join the class if safety briefings or required instruction have already begun.

For safety reasons, the Instructor and Program Manager reserve the right to remove participants from the program if attendance requirements are not met. Removal from a program due to attendance or safety concerns does not qualify for a refund or credit.

All programs will need to meet a minimum number of participants at least 72 hours before the program start date. If an offering does not reach that number, it may be canceled. This approach helps us ensure a high-quality experience for all participants and allows our team to plan effectively.

If a class is canceled, we will update the website and notify affected patrons via email with options in advance of the program start date.

• Student Rate: Available to officially registered UC Berkeley students. Please accept the RecWell Waiver in CalCentral prior to registering. Student eligbility will update in our system the day after the waiver is accepted.
• Alumni Rate: Available to UC Berkeley graduates with a degree conferred. If your eligibility is not reflected in our system, please contact the Customer Service Center with your full name, month and year of graduation, and major. Verification may take up to 72 hours and must be completed prior to registration to receive the alumni rate.
• Faculty/Staff Rate: Available to UC Berkeley faculty and staff with an active campus appointment. If this pricing option does not appear at checkout, please contact the Customer Service Center for eligibility verification.
• Member Rate: Available to active UC Berkeley RecWell members, including UC Berkeley student members. Membership must be active at the time of registration.This rate does not apply to UVA Access Pass or Golden Bear Pool Pass holders.
• Non-Member Rate: Available to members of the broader community who meet the program’s age requirements.

Eligible customers may register for programs through our online platform or in person at the Customer Service Center. Full payment is required at the time of registration. Participants must accept the RecWell Waiver at the time of purchase to participate in RecWell programs and access RecWell facilities. 

Enrolled participants who request to transfer a registration payment from the original payment method to another credit or debit card will be charged a 15% processing fee.

Price Adjustments

• Students: Each academic year, students must accept the RecWell Waiver in CalCentral before their student RecWell membership is imported into our system, typically within 1-2 days. Students may request one retroactive price adjustment per academic year if they paid the non-student rate before their membership imported. The request may be submitted up to 3 business days after the program start date.
• Non-students: Please confirm your membership status before registering. The rate paid at the time of purchase is final and cannot be adjusted.

Transfer requests must be submitted via email to RecWell@berkeley.edu or through the Action Request Form at least 3 business days before the program start date. Approved transfers are processed by Customer Service Center staff.

Some programs may be ineligible for transfer due to program age restrictions, certification requirements, waiver acceptance limitations, enrollment capacity, or other reasons.

Transfers to a program of equal value will incur no additional fee. Transfers to a program of greater value require payment of the difference at the time of the transfer. Transfers to a program of lesser value are subject to a 15% processing fee for the any refund.

Late Transfers

Transfer requests submitted less than 3 business days before the program start date are not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Assistant Director of Customer Service, Program Manager, or their designee. Late transfers may be subject to a 15% processing fee, or approved only as account credit to be processed by the Customer Service Center staff for future enrollment. No transfers will be approved after the course has begun, except in the cases of skill level misplacement identified by the instructor. 

Most of our programs offer a waitlist option. When a program is full, click the registration link and follow the prompts to join the waitlist. If a spot becomes available, the Customer Service team will email the next person on the waitlist with a deadline to accept and pay. Openings not claimed by the deadline will be offered to the next person on the list.

If a program is scheduled to begin within 3 business days, the Customer Service team may reach out to everyone on the waitlist to gauge interest for a last-minute opening. The spot will be offered to the person closest to the top of the waitlist who responds and confirms interest by the stated deadline.

Adventures requires that participants complete the basic and intermediate classes before renting, to ensure competence in all necessary skills and a variety of wind conditions.

For your safety and ours, Adventures requires that people with outside sailing experience have the equivalent of our intermediate class skills. To ensure this, we require that you pass a 2-hour private skills checkout with one of our instructors.

If you are unable to attend a day of your scheduled class, you will be asked to make up the necessary skills with a private lesson. Your class fee will not be refunded for missed days and can not be used towards the cost of a private lesson. Please be sure you can attend all sessions before enrolling in a class. If you prefer to take all private lessons in place of a class, we can schedule a series of private lessons to teach you all the necessary skills of our basic or intermediate classes. A minimum of three lessons is required in place of a basic or intermediate class, and more lessons may be necessary to develop confidence and competence in various conditions.

Our basic and intermediate classes, as well as our sailing clinics, are taught in 2-person, 15 foot dinghies. These boats are very responsive and can be wet but are excellent for learning. Our advanced sailing classes and Saturday Night Cruises use our brand new 17 foot RS Ventures.

If you wish to skip basic you must schedule a private lesson before enrolling in intermediate sailing, where we will assess your skills. Also, our basic sailing course covers important information that is specific to the Adventures facility. For example: location of our equipment, how boats are rigged, launched using a hoist, de-rigged and stored. This information will not be taught in the intermediate sailing class. This information and a check out of the students' skills can be completed in a private lesson before going into intermediate.

Yes. The area in which you are permitted to paddle will depend on your level of experience. Group paddles are a great way to build confidence and skill with other paddlers of various skill levels.

Yes, if there is room in the class. Please note that it is not possible for one adult to register a second adult for this class. Each participant must register themselves. If there is not enough space in the Full Moon Paddle then Adventures offers incredibly affordable custom group full moon paddles. These private events are a convenient solution and can be scheduled a few weeks in advance by contacting our team at Adventures@berkeley.edu

Before even getting on the water, the “wet-exit” skill will be practiced so that participants can safely and quickly get out of a flipped boat.

There have been isolated sightings of sand sharks in the area of the South Sailing Basin. These sharks are very small and have no predatory interest in humans.

No. The kayaks have foam bulkheads and will float, even when full of water.

No. Adventures offers the same great value for all participants.

The minimum age for enrollment is 16 for the Wilderness First Aid Program. Minor participants should plan to register and participate with a parent/guardian. Both the minor participant and parent/guardian will need to complete registration.

Students under 16 require an approved age exception from NOLS Wilderness Medicine. Please contact wilderness_medicine@nols.edu to request an exception. This must be approved and shared with our team prior to enrollment.

At this time Adventures offers a Basic Windsurfing class and then clinics throughout the season for individuals to learn more advanced skills such as using a harness or water starting. Please see the Windsurfing Clinic page for more details on what is currently being offered. Private lessons are also an excellent option for receiving individual instruction on specific skills.