CHULA VISTA, Calif. — San Diego's South Bay is seeing a boom from the new Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center coming to the newly revamped marina and many other new businesses and forthcoming residential neighborhoods.
The South Bay Marina is also getting some new life with its first water sports rental business. It’s Black, veteran, and family owned and operated and is bringing new life and a lot of fun to the South Bay.
“I can take a beginner boater and make it seem like they’ve been boating for some time,” Artiss Redmond shared as he glided a new Sea-Doo Pontoon boat over the water.
Artiss and his wife, Arlyn, run R & R Surf. The business name is a play on their last names, as well as rest and relaxation.
“That’s what we’re looking to provide to customers when they vacation in San Diego,” Artiss said.
R & R Surf offers water sport rentals with electric surfboards, pontoon boats, guided tours of San Diego Bay, sunset tours, wet suit rentals, and more. But Artiss’ love of the sea has deep roots.
"Growing up in Arkansas, we did a lot of fishing but most of that fishing wasn't from a boat. It wasn't until I joined the Navy that I was exposed to this lifestyle,” he shared.
Artiss says having his business here in the South Bay is a dream come true. The stakes are high with any new business venture, but Artiss says, so were the barriers to entry for water sports rentals.
"We worked so hard to get here. We went to every door at every marina here and it took a couple of years for this opportunity to roll out. It means so much because it opens the door for so much more," he said.
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