Had an awesome experience riding the Outrigger Canoe today with Big Wave Dave!! The staff was excellent - very friendly & knowledgeable. The ride was super fun! Amazing boat to get to ride on. We highly recommend it! read more

took my 13 and 9 year old out for surf lessons on a once in a life time experience. Dave's was super friendly and helpful giving us great instruction and encouragement helping us all get up. For the kids they recommended a semi-private lesson so the two kids had their own instructor which turned out to be perfect because we all found out surfing is a REALLY hard workout bc of the paddling. The kids were able to get towed out after each ride :). With the $30 off yelp deal it only makes the experience that much more fun. Thanks for a great experience. read more

My girlfriend and I had an awesome time. The waves were great and we both felt like we progressed from novice to beginner in our 1HR lesson. Cody was our instructor and he was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and a perfect coach/teacher. With his instruction, everyone in our class was standing up and riding waves. There were great photos, but they were a little too rich for my blood. Two big thumbs up for Big Wave Daves! read more

Jim the underwater photographer was awesome! We came back a third time just for the photos. Niel and Aliki were awesome instructors. Dave, the owner, provided flexibility and made us feel comfortable! Definitely will back! read more

Awesome, staff! Instructor Pono was best, bro! Caught lots of waves and would book with them again!

My husband and 13yo son were instructed on Saturday by Troy (by Chris) and they had a great time. Both were up on their feet on the first wave and continued to do very well throughout their lesson. I highly recommend this company! While I was waiting for the pictures to upload (after purchasing), Chris was kind enough to spend time telling me more about the island and teaching us how to pronounce names and streets. read more

Big Wave Dave - Surfing ! - Beach Equipment Rentals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This place is great! We used a Groupon pass to get a two-person lesson with Josh. What a fantastic teacher! We had a blast, got plenty of surfing in, had so much fun hanging out with Josh between sets, and got some fun pictures at the end (which cost extra but are worth it). Loved the whole crew at Dave's. read more

Big Wave Dave - Beach Equipment Rentals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great instructors, awesome pics... had a great time. Totally recommend for anyone looking to learn how to surf or for beach rentals. They were focused on safety first and ensured you had a blast. read more

This was my, my husband and my sisters first experience with surfing, and it was great. We had the canoe/surf combo session and we loved both! I am chubby and clumsy and the instructors were very gracious and helpful, even tho I was not very good. They gave me tips on how to maneuver my body without making me feel self conscious, and were very friendly and encouraging. I liked that they tried to get the couples to ride waves together, they called it the 'lovebird wave' it was cute. The only thing I would criticize is that I inquired via email and was contacted via phone, the girl I talked to was very helpful and professional and I made our reservation. Then later Dave himself called me to make sure that his staff followed up and got me to make a reservation, that they were 'doing their job' as he said. This made me uncomfortable and I was then expecting that his staff would be terrible, I looked into other companies but ultimately could not find one for as good a deal that would work with our schedule. I am glad I didnt cancel our reservation, as we had a great experience, but I dislike being put in the position of having to vouch for the work of the employees to their own boss. I don't know what is going on with Dave or his company but he should take a lesson on customer service and professionalism from his employees. But over all, this was a fantastic day for us, lots of fun and friendly aloha spirit from our instructors. read more

Awesome experience! The staff is super friendly and Troy is the man! He took my 11y/o son out for lessons and did a phenomenal job. We are going to sign him up for more lessons for sure! Mahalo nui loa Big Wave Dave!! read more

I downloaded the Yelp app just to leave a review of Big Wave Dave's Co. Do not make the mistake and rent elsewhere. They are a very short walk from the beach and the savings is worth it. Zuri and Avery helped us. They welcomed us in a warm way and made our experience very enjoyable. Rent here. You will not be sorry. read more

I signed up my two kids for the 3 pm lesson. Dave gave about no more than a minute instruction to each students (7 of them). Then the students hauled their own boards to the beach (about 5 minutes walk). For some reason, he had my kids sat on the beach for one hour while others were canoeing. Eventually, he had a, probably, 14 years old skinny boy taken the group out to the water for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, ONE instructor to teach seven students seemed not appropriate. Also, it's not 90 minutes lesson that they told me on the phone. In addition, everyone in the group complained that they did not get enough help to learn how to surf. It's a waste of money and time!!!! read more

Watching the Triple Crown from home this year brings back memories from being on the North Shre last year for the event. I took my seven year old daughter for a lesson with Big Dave & Co. Alika was our instructor and was awesome. My daughter caught evey wave she tried, got the biggest wave of our session, and she and I rode our last wave back to the beach hand in hand. Too cool. Thumbs up to our photographer as well. She used a professional camera and got a slew of awesome photos that are nice to have. I highly recommend these guys. read more

Steph was awesome! Although I was stubborn, she kept pushing me to do better! I have never surfed so it was a little bit out of my comfort zone and the whole staff help me catch choke waves! My friends had a wonderful time since they were visiting. I will be back for more lessons since I live here! And they do Kama'aina discount! read more

This surf shop is awesome! They were incredibly accommodating and friendly! My fiancé and I felt like we were hanging out with friends and family right off the get go. Dave and his staff are just a great bunch of folks hands down! I totally recommend taking a surf lesson or jumping in to do a canoe ride if you happen to be in Waikiki and looking for something to do on the water! read more

Had Josh for my instructor. He was awesome! Thanks for the pointers. Definitely the start of a hobby for me!

My boyfriend and I had never been surfing before. We really had a great time and Uncle Neil was AWESOME! He was really funny and just made sure we were having fun the whole time. Thank you so much! read more

Sage was fantastic and really gave us attention and pointers and support. The photos are fun and the customer service is great. I highly recommend this location for all your surfing and SUP needs. The outrigger canoe ride was also a blast! Well run outfit and I can't wait to go back to them. read more

Our first time surfing and it was an awesome experience! Our instructor was super helpful and nice. Had me and the gf riding some waves in no time. We used the Yelp voucher and it was absolutely worth it. read more

Affordable rentals. The people were great, helpful, and knowledgeable on the different boards. Very cool shop. Will use them again when we come back. Thanks! read more

We had a great time with Dave and his crew. We had a travel zoo voucher for a group lesson and outrigger canoe ride. We had a great time in the canoe but the real highlight was the surfing. The staffers were great at getting us set up for success. My boyfriend and I each got up on probably 10 waves and even caught the same one together!! There were surfers of all ages in the lesson and everyone had s good time and was successful in their lesson. Only downside of our lesson, which was no fault of big wave Dave (and a consequence of Waikiki beach being so popular) was that the water was extremely packed with people (we were there between Christmas and New Years) and we often had to hop off our boards prematurely to avoid hitting someone else. But even so,we learned a lot, caught a bunch of waves, and had a ton of fun!!! read more

I scheduled a 930 canoe and surf lesson with 2 other people. I live here but wanted to take 2 visiting friends. I found a great deal on Groupon and we were off. I had no difficulty scheduling. As our reservation drew near, I received a confirmation email stating to arrive 15 minutes early or they could possibly give your reservation to someone else. Parking was horrible. We rushed thinking that they would be fully booked knowing the awesome Groupon rate. We found out we were the only ones for that reservation and were happy to luck out and get that individual attention and knowing we would not have to share our canoe pictures with people we did not know. While checking in we were told that we were going to surf first. We were then paired with Alika. Amazing personality and thorough in giving us a quick Lesson in the side alley of the shop. We were then told that there was a change of plans and we were going to do the canoe first. Alika walked us to the beach pushing all of our surfboards on a cart. After reading previous reviews I found that most people carried their own boards. Once at the beach we expected to then go on the canoe. We ended up swimming in the ocean for about an hour and 20 minutes before we even got on the canoe. Didn't wanna complain...figured we were on Hawaii time. I'm just glad we had the day open....Then we watched as a group of people who arrive to the beach after us ended up taking the canoe out before us. A little disorganized! There were people who arrived at the beach after us and entered the canoe before us and then we had to wait until they came in before we went out in the canoe. So much time had gone by then and we ended up sharing the canoe with other people. This was not my first canoe experience or my second or third or fourth....but this was my worst! Communication was horrible and Dave and one of his other employees only spoke about their coworkers and paychecks. Very aloof and non personal. The canoe also filled with water. Thank goodness not that bad but the bucket came in handy. Yelp review would have been 2 stars at this point. Surfing was a different story entirely! Alika was AWESOME!! He was very friendly and helpful and funny. Great conversation and very informative. So Aloha! Plenty of fun. He made the rest of our day soar! Much Mahalos! I would recommend to my friends and family on my experience with Alika alone. Cool Pics taken and purchased even though we had to share with the other party on the canoe. A little pricey for the DVD but once in a lifetime hilarious photos. read more

Dave was a awesome instructor!! He was very easy to get along with and and made surfing fun! You must try the canoe rides...It's a thrill for sure!! read more

Big Wave Dave has a coupon in the Oahu Weekly Deals magazine and I was suspicious because the price was so low compared to other places that charge you $60-$100 for a 90-120 minute lesson. But I looked at the reviews on Yelp and customers were happy, so we booked lessons for our whole family from 7 to 47 and all ages in between. Dave took our 6 and a family of 3 who had already had lessons with them twice before. They had 3 or 4 guys out there with us and they really worked hard to teach us how to surf! I have to say, I was terrified because I am 47 and not athletic at all, but they had me standing up on that board on my first wave! It is a lot easier than I thought, and they really know what to say and do to get you surfing. Every one of us was able to surf, and our 2 youngest who are 7 and 10 were the best ones! Big props to Dave and crew for being such great instructors and making it fun for us. They took pictures and video and you will want to buy it and you won't like the cost, but in my case, I didn't think anyone back home would even believe that I was surfing!! So we bought the DVD anyway. I used a board with the foam, and got a lot of board rash anywhere I came in contact with the board, rash guard shirt only covers part of you. Paddling back from the beach is really hard work if you aren't used to it and by the time we had been out there for 90 minutes, I was ready to quit. Totally exhausted afterwards! One tip: consider putting sunscreen on the small of your back where the rash guard shirt rides up above your bottoms....I have a terrible sunburn there now. Another tip: If you have your own rash guard shirt, bring it. Otherwise, you have to rent one for $5. Overall, unforgettable experience and we highly recommend Big Wave Dave!! read more

What an amazing experience!! We first found big wave through groupon. When we called to inquire the details they were extremely helpful and we were immediately hooked and excited to learn how to surf. Coming from Miami where the surf is almost nonexistent (except during tropical storms and hurricanes in which I cherish my life too much to attempt to stand on a board on water with 100 mph + winds coming at me) I was nervous and doubting my abilities to balance on top of water. However, surfing is a MUST when visiting Hawaii. It was on the top of my to-do list. I am glad I chose big wave for this experience. The staff was very kind. They took care of our belongings while we rode the waves and the instructors were extremely helpful and Patient Their number one goal was to ensure we rode the waves and had a gnarly time. After a mini 10 minute briefing outside the shop it was time to head to the beautiful beach of Waikiki. I didn't think that after 10 minutes I was going to be able to surf, but sure enough I did!!!! I rode the waves and felt like a real surfer. ( the trick is all in the knees) After about an hour an half of surfing we took the boards back to the shore and it was time for our ten minute canoe ride. 10 minutes is all you really need. Rowing can get very tiring after all the surfing. The canoe was a blast! You definitely have to try it. Once we were all done in the water we went back to the shop to gather our items and it was time to view our pictures. The entire time on the water their was a photographer capturing all the action. The pictures were great. Was definitely a shock to see how much I really didn't look like a pro surfer. But it's okay, I still bought the pictures so everyone in Miami can see I am an official surfer! Recommendations: try to get the earliest lessons in the day because Waikiki will be packed mid day and it can be a bit challenging when trying to ride the waives. Also, you can rent a rash guard from big wave. A must have. read more

Great experience, great staff & instructor! Go pay them a visit, you wont regret. Aloha~

My friends and I had a FANTASTIC experience with this group. First, we had an on land lesson, simple and effective. Afterwards, we headed for a canoe ride led by Dave. It was easy but not at all boring. Then Mickey helped us catch the waves- there were 5 and each one of us caught at least 6 waves!!! Mickey embodied a great image of a surfer with fun energy and sense of humor. He could even surf with a head stand - he gave all of us nickname, mine was yellow banana bc of my neon yellow bathing suit lol :)) read more

Couldn't recommend Dave & Krystal more. Our group had a mix of those who've never surfed and a more seasoned surfer. They managed to take teach the newbies and take the veteran to a great spot, while also giving us great boards to use. Definitely use these guys! read more

We had a great time on the outrigger canoe and surfing. The waves were perfect for learners and the staff was friendly and fun. Would recommend them for families and couples. read more

I had a blast learning to surf with these guys. My instructors were Jen and Kumalo - both were fantastic. Waikiki is crowded but Kumalo went out of his way to protect me from oncoming surfers - at one point he basically threw himself between another surfer and me (and got his finger slammed in the process), all just to make sure I was unharmed. The lessons are not very technical but I think that's good and contributes to you figuring out your own style. Both of them had such life-loving, infectiously positive attitudes - I already miss them even though I only knew them for a couple hours. Thanks for an unforgettable experience! read more

We bought the resale of parasailing from here. The parasailing itself is good. However, the pickup service arranged by Dave is not exactly as we expected. We live several blocks from Dave's store and asked if we can be picked up by the shuttle close to our hotel, Dave is not very accommodating and he had us come to the store to wait for the shuttle bus, it turned out, after we were picked up, the shuttle went right pass our hotel. We also asked Dave if we can bring our cameras, Dave said he's not sure and directed us to the parasailing company. In hindsight, we should have purchased the tickets directly from the parasailing company. Gary read more

What an amazing experience!! Very professional, I had so much, fun the instructors were the best, patient and informative before we even got out to the water. Thanks you Alika, Uncle Neal, Kamalu and the photographers Py and Krystal read more

I had a great time. They honored the yelp deal. About 50 bucks for the lesson board and shirt. The instructor was real friendly and i rode multiple waves. Infact,everyone did. Think i found my new hobby. Thanks! read more

First surfing lesson ever so didnt know what to expect. Was very excited and a bit nervous. Had Josh and a few girls as our instructor. Amazing experience. I'm already thinking about my next surfing lesson!!! read more

Booked 3 private lessons for 1 adult and 2 kids. Great service all around and the instructors were great. We all got up. On the water about an hour which was plenty of time as its a pretty exhausting sport. Recommend this place and the Yelp deal took $30 off per lesson read more

We had a family of 7, all different ages, that wanted to learn to surf together. Most of us were first timers. Dave and his awesome staff of Troy, Brent and Alika were the best!! They gave us a quick but thorough land lesson and then got us out in the water. Within minutes they had us all up riding waves! Their prompts in the water on when to stand was what we needed. They clearly knew how to manage us all at the same time so we could all get up. We were cheering each other on and got to experience it all together. One of the best parts was coming back to a roll of professional photographs that we could take home. The shots were amazing! Our experience is sure to be one of the highlights of our family vacation and we would recommend this place to everyone!! Thanks Dave and staff for a wonderful time! read more

Awesome staff who provided amazing training and customer service! Dave, Krystal, Alika and Cody were great! Will come back again. Great value! read more

My family of four, including two kids age 13 and 12, celebrated our older son's birthday with a lesson at Big Wave Dave's on the first day of a trip to Oahu. Alika was our instructor, and he was great with all of us. He tailored the instruction to our individual abilities, helping people who didn't want to paddle as much, and made sure we all caught lots of waves. He really worked on trying to get us all on a wave together, which didn't end up happening, but his effort was appreciated. He was very friendly and seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. We had so much fun we are thinking of a second lesson before we leave. We really liked the photos and videos, too. read more

My surf lesson with Kamalu was the best experience I had in Hawaii! He was incredibly kind, patient, and encouraging, and had it not been my last day in Hawaii, I would have been back for more! I highly recommend going even when it is raining, since you'll have the ocean to yourself. Absolutely amazing. Thanks Kamalu and everyone and Big Wave Dave! read more

We took semi private lessons with Malou (not sure if I spelled the name correctly) and we were both able to stand the first time!!! Super chill and super nice, awesome instructor, strongly recommend for ppl visiting Honolulu!! We had a super awesome time and already went back for another lesson!! read more