CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — It may be March, but temperatures along the Chula Vista waterfront on Thursday climbed into the high 80s — and for one local business owner, the unseasonable heat is nothing but good news.
Michael Jimenez has spent the last eight years building Chula Vista WaterSports from the ground up, starting with little more than an idea and a modest investment.
"I bootstrapped this business about eight years ago with maybe $3,800," Jimenez said. "I started with a few paddleboards and kayaks, and now we have just under 100 vessels."
For years, he ran the operation out of a storage truck along the Chula Vista bayfront.
Today, it has grown into a waterfront hub where visitors can rent paddleboards, kayaks, and fishing gear, or just grab a coffee or match from his coffee cart, before heading out on the bay.
Jimenez said hot days like Thursday are especially good for business.
"When it gets this hot, the winds usually aren't as strong, so it allows for longer sessions out on the water, and the water warms up fast," Jimenez said.
However, the business was never just about rentals. Jimenez was born and raised in Chula Vista, and he said he wanted to make the bay more accessible to the community he came from.
"I was just trying to bring activities that we didn't really have in our community because I'm born and raised here," Jimenez said. "There's a lot of underserved youth here that don't really get to access the waterfront."
Chula Vista Water Sports also hosts community ocean cleanups three times a month — open to anyone who wants to volunteer.
"Last year we removed just over 9,000 pounds of trash from San Diego Bay," Jimenez said.
Just two months ago, Jimenez reached another milestone: he converted an old bait and tackle shop from the 1990s into his business's first brick-and-mortar location.
The timing just so happens to not only line up with the heatwave, but it also lines up with spring break, and Jimenez is expecting a rush.
"Next week alone we have about 200 kids coming out, then another 150 the week after," Jimenez said.
Chula Vista Water Sports is open Tuesday through Sunday along the bayfront, from 8 am to sunset.
Jimenez said he also offers locals discounts and keeps his prices competitively low.
