California Surfing Lessons

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California Surfing Lessons

California surfing lessons are invaluable for the basics, but they can only take you so far. Ultimately, you have to put in lots of trial-and-error on your own. Still, jump-starting that learning process with some formal instruction is a good idea and doable. You’ve got basically two options: Group or individual lessons.Individual lessons will probably get you up on a board quicker than any other method. It’s hard to beat one-on-one instruction. There are always some talented, serious surfers trying to stitch together a living doing surf-related work, and teaching beginners is one of the things many of them do. Any surf shop keeps a list of local individuals who offer lessons.For a more standardized approach, there are some great commercial surf schools in California. One of the premier institutions is Pat Weber’s San Diego Surfing Academy. He’s turned out thousands of students and has the learning process optimized. You can buy individual instruction, or group instruction with a cozy 3-to-1 student/teacher ratio. Classes are conducted at South Carlsbad State Beach, a friendly place to get the hang of things where you won’t be getting in some ill-tempered local’s way while you climb up the learning curve. Man Teaching Woman to Surf

Another good outfit is Corky Carroll’s Surf School in Huntington Beach (with surf camps in Costa Rica). Owned and operated by the surf legend/namesake himself, the school operates from May to December. They are patient with people who’ve never touched a surfboard before. The curriculum includes scheduled, small group lessons where you learn technique, followed by open coached practice sessions where you are observed and critiqued by an instructor on the beach. The school also offers long-term improvement training for people who stick with the sport. Classes are held at Bolsa Chica State Beach, not a place you’ll probably surf a lot once you know how, but good enough for learning.

With emphasis on girls, there’s Izzy and Coco Tihanyi’s Surf Diva school in San Diego. These sisters wrote a great book on surfing for girls and run a full-service school including girls-only and co-ed lessons at La Jolla Shores, plus a branch in L.A at Venice Beach. There’s a girl’s surf boarding camp and week-long surf clinics, too.