Surfing has always been #1 on my bucket list, but living in Montreal Canada severely limits my opportunities. So while I was visiting Cali last week, I couldn't miss my chance. Looked around and decided to go with Cali Surf School. And what a good choice this was! I met up with Alex for a private lesson and the guy is amazing! Punctual, easy-going, knowledgeable, experienced, personable, thorough and an all around great guy! We start off with a breakdown of the board and how it works in the water, followed by water safety, how to read wave patterns/movement and surfing etiquette, we then did a bunch of stretching and breathing exercises to get the body ready and to center your mind, followed by some on-land practice of how to paddle out, how to stand on the board and how to "pop" once you catch a wave. Alex makes it all very clear and easy to follow, with key pointers to improve or modify to help you get the most out of your surf experience. Then.... it was time! We paddled out together, with Alex giving instruction and great conversation along the way and using the other surfers as models to explain certain techniques. He placed us in the right pocket to wait for MY WAVE and then it came. He helped me aim my board where it needed to be, and gave a shove at just the right time... PADDLE..... POP UP... and well..no need to explain the rest,as I'm sure you all heard me WOOHOOOing! I had such a great time with Alex, and would recommend him 100 times over! He is the perfect mix of professor and "dude" and made the entire experience complete and awesome! Don't hesitate, don't look elsewhere, you want an amazing surf lesson (private or group), this is your guy! Alex, thank you for bringing me into the brotherhood of Surfers! Enjoy the ride! Todd. read more

My friend and I had an awesome surf lesson with Alex last weekend. It was my first time on a surfboard ever, and my friend had had a few lessons with different instructors. She said Alex was the best and we both immediately wanted to do it again. His total confidence and positive attitude put me at ease and I got up and rode my very first wave on the first try! I felt comfortable very quickly with the surf board, thanks to his simple techniques and helping us feel safe out there in the waves. It was only 1.5 hrs but we got technique, practice and a lot of wave time. I absolutely recommend Alex as a surf instructor! You'll have a good time no matter what. read more

Alex is awesome! Being 24 years old, it was a little intimidating trying to pick up surfing. But Alex is a really cool and funny dude and made me feel very comfortable in the water amongst many other experienced surfers. I'm also really glad that I took a lesson with Alex as opposed to just trying to go out and learn on my own. He set a strong foundation for my form and I was able to stand up on my own the next time I went out! It definitely would've taken a lot longer had I not seen Alex. All around, Alex is a great guy and a really great surf instructor. I highly recommend his surf school. read more

Most amazing surf teacher ever!!! I feel so fortunate to have been able to find Houtan to teach my three little girls to surf! I promise you will be so happy you hired him. He is extremely patient, encouraging and easily adapts and caters to the different learning styles and needs of my daughters varying ages. Houtan gave my 7 year old enough confidence to compete in her first surf competition placing 5th in her division. My 5 year old is riding waves on her own and he even gets my 2 year old so excited to go out on the board and ride waves with him!!! read more

While visiting a friend in Santa Monica I took 6 lessons with Alex to improve my surfing skills. Alex is a great coach. He has been all the time friendly and very motivating. Arranging the lessons from Germany was also no problem, so that I could organize the booking prior to my stay in California. I had a great time and enjoyed surfing at Surf Riders Beach and Venice Muscle Beach while improving my pop-up and turning techniques. I can defo recommend him for beginners and intermediates who want to learn how to surf. Thank you, Alex! read more

Alex is super cool! Very patient and understanding. I have no surf experience at all and only a little water sports experience so he was very aware of that when we did my lessons. An awesome part of his lessons is that he begins and ends with stretching. I think that's really important and so does he so that was great! And it prevented me from being too sore the next day. The lesson went well, he was helpful and gave some important basic pointers in order to succeed. I'm definitely going to continue surfing after this! read more

This was a fantastic introduction to surfing. Alex was very patient with me. I got a full 90 minute lesson with the majority on the water. We went over some basic safety and pop up practice on land and then jumped right in. Waves were pretty big for a first day I think and I had some issues with getting out past the break line as well as floundering trying to sit on my board. With all that said though I had a great time, even managed to stand up for a moment on one of my rides. Can't wait for my next lesson. read more

My cousin and I recently had a surf lesson with Houtan and it was amazing!! What an experience, being out there in the beautiful blue cali waters. We were complete beginners and did a great job introducing us to the environment, giving us some safety info, but also getting us out on the waves really quickly. His goal was for us to not only learn the basics, but have a lot of fun doing it. Such an awesome day. I'd highly recommend Cali Surf School for any surf lessons you might need! read more

Alex was a really chill and funny guy and a very understanding teacher. We had surf lessons at Malibu beach. It was very difficult but Alex did a really good job at encouraging you to push your limits and complimenting you when you did something right. He stayed right with us the whole time. Before we started he made sure to talk to us about safety and educated us on the parts of the board. He was very professional. We plan on taking lessons from him again in the future! read more

If you're looking for a lesson just call Alex, you won't regret it - this guy goes above and beyond. You couldn't ask for a better person and instructor for your first time surfing. Right away you can tell that Alex is very experienced with teaching and the sport itself. Great guy to spend time with too. It was my first time on a surf board and thanks to Alex (very patient, encouraging and clear instructions) by the end of the lesson I was able to ride the waves. read more

Alex was absolutely phenomenal! Such a wonderful person, very personable and patient with new learners. Neither of us had ever surfed before and he was very thorough with his teaching. He was very understanding when one of us got tired but willing to continue the lesson with the other. For someone who had never surfed before, to be able to ride a wave to the sand just shows how great of a teacher he was! Thank you for the amazing experience!! read more

Alex was our teacher for the day and he was so helpful! Very down to earth and extremely patient, as we were first timers. Was knowledgeable about the beach he took us to and made sure we stayed safe and felt comfortable the whole time. Next trip we take to California, we will definitely be calling Alex for lessons again! The price was great! Renting wet suits for the cold water was cheap as well. This was an experience to remember! read more

I Wish there were more stars! I've surfed a few times before and really wasn't good. Alex was able to focus right in on what I needed to work on to improve. So much so that I was catching and riding nearly every wave I tried for & only after a handful of sessionS with him. I highly recommend Alex & Cali Surf School for anyone who wants to learn to surf. Keep up the good work! See you next time I'm in LA! G read more

My girlfriend and I had a great time with coach Alex! He was very kind and friendly throughout the lesson, and although it was our very first time surfing, he was very patient with us and made sure that we were enjoying the activity. I would recommend Alex to anyone who wishes to learn how to surf! He is a very motivated, professional teacher and his price is very reasonable. read more

If you want to learn how to surf this is the place.we had done some surfing before but when we went to Alex's class he realized we did not know anything about surfing.his method of teaching is something else,it doesn't matter if you are a rookie or you have had some experience he will teach you how to surf properly. Thank you Alex we had so much fun and we highly recommend. read more

Alex is an amazing instructor. He was very friendly, encouraging and fun to be around. He helped me to catch a lot of good waves and gave lots of good advices. I loved when after every successful or unsuccessful wave he pointed out things what I did right or what can I do better. After a lesson I had much more confidence on board and in water. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

If I could give more than 5 stars, I definitely would. I had taken several lessons in the past, and this lesson with Alex was the best I had so far and absolutely exceeded my expectations. I made a lot of progress because of Alex's instructions and all the tips he gave. I'm super excited to take more lessons and highly recommend him to anyone who wants to learn! read more

My kids and I came to LA for a special trip and we hooked up with Alex for a surf lesson. Was a definite highlight! Alex was kind and gentle and enthusiastic, and in 90 minutes they both were able to get up and ride a wave. I highly, highly recommend Alex and Cali Surf school. Was so so fun and completely worth every cent. Just loved it!!! Thanks, Alex! read more

Surfing with Alex was so awesome! My brother had never surfed, and I had only been once before, but Alex was so helpful and motivating; we were both standing up on the board by the end of the lesson, becoming better surfers with every wave. I will definitely continue surfing, and next time I'm in Malibu, I'll be sure to turn to Cali Surf School! read more