Mingling – form an unlikely team!

If you have a large and streamlined workplace, chances are you have multiple departments, possibly spread across multiple floors or even multiple buildings. Employees might know each other on a professional level, or a casual personal level – but unless you have a chance to work with someone, it’s hard to know who they are or what their strengths are. In our team building events, we create multiple teams to compete against each other, and we strive to make sure that these teams are a mix of people who don’t often work together. Joining a team of coworkers from different departments or offices and navigating around the city in our Great Race challenge is a great way to discover people’s leadership styles and see skills they don’t normally exercise in the office. Plus you’re guaranteed to get to know someone better. Imagine being led around blindfolded by someone you’ve only ever spoken to over email!

Play – loosen your tie!

Researchers of both human and animal psychology understand that play is an important part of how we learn – as children, it teaches us teamwork and rules and motor skills – but what about as adults? Adults often feel set on who they are, and what activities they like or don’t like. But playing releases endorphins, makes us feel energized, and challenges our brains to think outside the box. In our team building activities, it’s easy to correlate skills like teamwork and communication and leadership back to the workplace – but what about silliness? Our team building games are not only designed to test collaboration, but also to be pure and simple fun. Try running across a raft of floating kayaks in our kayak teambuilding, or get imaginative in our sand sculpture competition. In the go-go-go world of work, we all need  the occasional break to laugh and splash around.

Emotional Intelligence – be smarter with feelings

One of the keys to team success, personal success, and overall happiness is knowing how to use your emotions intelligently. Being able to recognize when you’re stressed, angry, embarrassed, frazzled, etc- and then navigating away from that emotion, is not always easy to do. Team building games and activities are often designed with this very subject in mind. Try a high ropes course to practice supporting and encouraging one another. Think about how a timed scavenger hunt relies on prioritizing and adaptability. Or discover how something as simple as not being able to talk during a team challenge can help you focus on being empathetic.

We all get into routines at work – repeating the same tasks, in the same location, with the same people. No matter whether you want to boost creativity, trust or empathy, or whether you just want to get everyone loose and happy, a team building event with Santa Barbara Adventure Company can break your team out of those routines, and is guaranteed to get everyone smiling and laughing together.

Just wanted to thank you again for a great event last Friday. Our office staff really enjoyed the team building trip at El Capitan. Matthew was an exceptional leader and engaged us easily all day. The whole team will be talking about this event for a long time – we really enjoyed ourselves.
We will look forward to working with you again in the future.

Anissa Irwin, Amgen

The post Why Team Building Is Important For Companies appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

Programs We Offer

Field or Beach Olympics – Fun, upbeat competition!  Teams strategize, communicate, and work together to successfully complete each challenge before moving onto the next.  The team that successfully completes the most challenges in the allotted time wins!  Facilitated at any beach, park, or conference room.

Low and High Ropes, Zip Lining – Teams develop strategizing, teamwork, leadership/ followership skills. Individuals breaking down barriers, personal comfort zones, reaching their highest potential!  Facilitated at various sites on the Central Coast.

Wine Country Bike Tour or Wine Blending – 2 Great ways to see the sites and get to know your team! Join us on a bike ride through the gorgeous wine country of Santa Barbara with well-deserved stops to sample local wine varietals. Or let your team create their own wine blend at a local urban winery, with the best tasting results bottled and sent back home!

Orienteering, Great Race, & Geocaching – 3 Different Programs that challenge your groups navigation, creativity and teamworking skills. Teams use GPS or a basic map and compass to find their way to challenge points.  Teams must successfully complete each challenge before moving on to next point.  Facilitated in nearby hiking trails or downtown location.

Kayak Challenges – Can your team learn a new outdoor skill while working together to complete fun on water challenges? Enjoy the scenic beauty of the Santa Barbara Channel from a number of different locations: On the mainland in Santa Barbara Harbor or Refugio State Beach or make it a full day experience out to Channel Islands National Park!

Bike Build for Charity (CSR) – Teams work together and follow instructions to build a bike from disassembled parts.  Some parts and tools must be traded with another team in order to complete.  Once bikes are built and inspected, they are donated to a charity of your choice.  Facilitated at any park or conference room.

Give us a call at (805) 884-9283 or email LetsGo@SBAdventureCo.com to learn more about how your corporate group can join us for an adventurous team building experience.

The post Corporate Team Building appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

Each year, we create new and exciting programs for our clients. Whether climbing to new heights on a high ropes course or racing through a day of  clues and problem solving on a Great Race program, your staff will leave the day more committed to one another and their mission.

It isn’t an easy task to keep building new and exciting programs since we have clients who have been coming back for years and each time they want a unique challenge for their group. Recently we updated the team building portion of our website to better serve our web guests. This updated page includes videos for many of our programs, downloadable trip profiles and an easy to use RFP form. All of these new features are available to you 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. So if you want to start planning your next corporate outing at 6am over your morning coffee or at 10pm in your PJs, your resources will be ready for you to review. Take a look and let us know what you think. Here are a few of the many programs we have helped create for our clients.

• Spectacular Channel Islands Kayaking
• High Ropes Challenge Course
• Outdoor Education Programs
• Coastal Sea Kayaking
• The Great Race Challenge
• Santa Ynez Wine Country Tours
• Corporate Wine Tours
• Beach Olympics Programs
• Charter van services
• Custom events of groups of all sizes and levels …

Our knowledgeable and friendly guides offer exceptional service and share with you a side of  Santa Barbara few visitors ever get to experience. Just let us know what activities interest you and we’ll help you plan an unforgettable event.
Start Planning Your Team Building Program Right Now. Download profile or call our office 805-884-9283 – It’s easy!

The post Plan Your Corporate Team Building Program appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..

How did you get into guiding? What was your first trip? 

I got into guiding for SBACo by answering an ad on Craig’s list for a mountain biking/wine tasting tour guide. When I walked into the interview at the warehouse, Mike (the owner) pulled up a cooler and asked me to take a seat. I told him I would be one of the best employees he ever hired. He put me up to the challenge. 

The first trip I helped lead was a three day surf camp at Santa Claus Lane for what seemed like hundreds of high school students.  I had previously worked for Toes On The Nose in Laguna Beach teaching moms how to surf. I had also worked for the city of Santa Cruz Parks and Rec Department for 5 years. I would drive a 15 passenger natural gas van full of teenagers all over the county, engaging all types of kids in new activities and experiences. So, the surf camp was a great introduction to SBACo for me and the company because I was able to apply my past experiences. Then Mike asked me if I knew how to kayak… 

Kayaking at Painted Cave.

You are a legend for running a hell of a kayak trip without paddles. How did you pull that one off? 

During my second season as a kayak guide, I took a few personal trips out to the west end of Santa Cruz Island to explore Painted Cave. This is one of the largest sea caves in the world.  I had made some friends on the charter boat that goes out to this part of the island a couple times a week, and they kept hooking me up with free trips. At this time, the Painted Cave trip was new to SBACo, so I had more hours exploring this area under my belt than anyone else in the company. 

A corporate group contacted SBACo for a preview tour. They would be considering using SBACo for a future rewards trip out to Painted Cave. Mike put me in charge. We loaded up onto a small charter boat. There were all kinds of lunches, special drinks, chairs, sun hats, lots of fluff for these VIP’s.  The event planner that set up the trip told our clients they would not be getting wet (a common misbelief), so one guest arrived in jeans, a cardinal “no-no” on the water. 

I was so nervous about running a great trip, I didn’t notice I left our paddles in the van until halfway across the channel! When I discovered my mistake I freaked out. The clients said, “Don’t worry Amy, we don’t need paddles”. HA! I paid the boat captain $50 for extra gas and asked him if he could change course. I knew if we went back to shore the trip would be a bust. Instead we motored over to the east side of the island where SBACo had a permit to store gear on shore. Fortunately, we were at the perfect spot to change course without adding too many extra miles to the trip. 

We arrived to Scorpion Anchorage and I sprinted up the ladder, down the dock and into our storage box. I introduced myself to some of the other guides, grabbed three paddles and a wet suit for our jean clad man, and headed back to the boat. The captain was super stoked on my success. He couldn’t believe I was actually going to pull the trip off! We followed the 26 miles of Santa Cruz coast line all the way west to Painted Cave. None of us had ever seen that much of the island. In addition, we came across three huge pods of dolphins, and two huge pods of sea lions. It was a magical day. No wind, no swell, warm water. 

The beauty of the caves speaks for themselves. These are really holy places. No human influence can be detected, besides exploration. We sang in one of the caves. The sound echoed off the walls like a cathedral. It was a life changing event for our clients. They swore secrecy; no one would ever mention the forgotten paddles. SBACo scored the contract for the trip. Yet somehow Mike found out about the paddles. 

Amy leading a campfire program with her guitar.

 Any advice you can give to someone just getting into guiding? 

The best part about being a guide is not what you show others, but what nature and humans show you. Every day, if you are open and humble, you will learn something new. Guiding has completely redefined who I am; it has given me a new identity that I am proud of. However, I don’t take any credit for that, I give thanks to all the amazing people and places that guiding has exposed me to. Also, don’t smoke in Rosie (the company van), ever. 

 You stay busy in the slow season. Where are you up to right now? 

I am currently working as a waitress at Soho, a local music club, and Steve’s patio cafe, an awesome breakfast place on De La Vina Street. On Friday afternoons I take my Grandma to the hairdresser and we go out to lunch to a new restaurant every week. I take a sewing class on Monday and Tuesday where I am making reusable bags out of old t-shirts to help eliminate single use plastic bags from the world. I just got back from a road trip up to Big Sur where we hit up some awesome hot springs. Been surfing as much as I can. Trying to rehearse to play some music shows around town with Allan, the sound guy from Soho. I think our first gig will be at The Coffee Bean on upper state. Classic. 

The guides that work for SBACo are some of the coolest people I have ever met in my life. I feel honored to be a part of such a unique organization. They have taught me so much. Entering my forth season, I still feel like there is so much more to learn. That is the most exciting part of the job for me. 

Amy and fellow guides participating in a clean-up.

Thanks for sharing with Amy. We are honored to have you on our crew! 

If you have a memory of Amy from a trip or elsewhere, please share it in our comment section below.  I am sure Amy would love to hear from you! 

The post A Santa Barbara Legend: Guide Amy Di Chiro appeared first on Santa Barbara Adventure Co..