Equipment Rental

UC Berkeley students are RecWell members and are eligible to register for offerings at the student price.

1. Log into CalCentral and look for the RecWell Waiver under Notifications or Tasks.
2. Review and accept the waiver.
3. Student pricing and access to our facilities will be enabled the following day by 7 am. If you continue to experience issues, please email RecWell@berkeley.edu for assistance.

If you have already accepted your waiver and it has been more than 24 hours, there may be an issue with your registration status. Students must maintain official registration status to keep their student membership active. Please review your CalCentral account to clear any holds and avoid interruptions to your access. For more information about holds, visit Cal Student Central.

All visitors need to make a reservation on the Recreation & Wellbeing online store. Users can reserve up to 5 days prior to the start time of the rental and can cancel their reservation up to two hours before the rental start time.

• Reservations are limited to 2-1/2 total hours, from check-in to check out. Participants will need to show a copy of their reservation before they are allowed access to the UCAC or the equipment. 

• Watercraft rentals are limited and participants may schedule one reservation per day.

• Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance, at the start time of the rental.

UC Berkeley Recreation & Well-being staff reserve the right to close the UCAC at any time.

Users can view available rental days and times on the Kayak and Stand-up Paddleboard Rental page. You can visit the Recreation & Wellbeing online store to get started and search “Rental” or the Watercraft Rental Programs tab.

• Log on to your account at shop.rs.berkeley.edu.

• Click on your username (or UID) in the upper right.

• Click profile.

• In your profile, click on Programs, then select Registrations.

• Find your reservation and click Cancel.

• Students who do not show up for reservations may face future restrictions.

• Adventures will provide you with a life jacket (PFD), wetsuit (optional) and spray top (optional).

• If the air temperature added to the water temperature is under 100F, we will require you to wear a wetsuit (provided). Please wear a swimsuit under the wetsuit.

• We require wearing shoes in our boats (sorry!) due to sharp shells in the bay mud, and dock hazards. Shoes must be secured at the heel (NOT flip-flops)

• You may bring your own equipment if you have it. You will get wet, please bring a change of clothes to change into afterwards.

• Changing rooms are extremely limited. We encourage you to arrive as prepared as possible.

  There are no lockers at the UCAC. You may choose to leave your gear on land at the UCAC, however we cannot be responsible for personal items stored at the facility (typically not an issue). Do not leave gear, or anything else, in cars in the parking lot.

• Any items left behind (water bottles, equipment, personal items, etc.) will be discarded at the end of each day.

• Restrooms available via the public bathrooms in the parking lot east of the UCAC.

• Paddlers are required to clean and disinfect their equipment after use, with the assistance of UCAC staff.

• All paddlers must follow the direction of Berkeley Recreation & Well-being staff at all times.

• Berkeley Recreation & Well-being staff reserve the right to close the UCAC at any time.

Accessibility and Accommodations

The UCAC is accessible to all. However, at low tide the ramp up from the docks is difficult. For additional accommodations, please contact the Customer Service Center at crcinfo@berkeley.edu.

Program Withdrawal & Refund Policy

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

Fee-based program withdrawal requests must be submitted through the Action Request Form or via email to RecWell@berkeley.edu 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.
• Wilderness First Aid (WFA): Withdrawal or transfer requests must be received at least 15 days before the course start date due to administrative processes with our external partner. A refund less a 15% processing fee will be issued. WFA registrations are non-refundable and non-transferable less than 15 days before the course start date.
• $0 registrations: Customers may cancel free program registrations directly under the Program Registrations tab.
• Refunds are processed Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 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, your refund request must be submitted no later than the Tuesday of the prior week 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.

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 eligibility 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 business 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 Golden Bear Pool Pass holders.
• Non-member rate: Available to members of the broader community who meet the program’s requirements.

Eligible customers may register for programs through our online portal 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. 

If an enrolled participant requests to move a card payment from the original credit or debit card to a different credit or debit card, a 5% processing fee will apply.

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 1-2 days after acceptance. Students may request one retroactive price adjustment per academic year if they paid the non-student rate before their membership was 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 higher-cost program require payment of the price difference at the time of transfer. For transfers to a lower-cost program, price differences of $100 or less will be refunded in full. A $15 processing fee will be deducted when the price difference exceeds $100.

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, Associate Director or Programs, 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. Customers may remove themselves from a waitlist at any time and are not obligated to register if a spot becomes available.

How Waitlist Openings Are Offered

If a spot opens before the program begins, 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 waitlist.

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 in 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.

If you do not receive a message from us by the start of the program, you can assume there are no openings available.

How to Exit a Waitlist

To remove yourself from a waitlist at any time, log in to your account in our online portal, go to your profile, and select Program Registrations. Find the program, select the three dots in the upper-right corner, and choose Leave Waitlist.