First time to the Outer Banks in 10 years. My brother(16) and I(19) choose to take surfing lessons at Corolla Surf Shop, let me just say how great the two-hour session was. We had Jack as our instructor and he was a great teacher showing us at the beginning on the sand how the beach and tides works with rip currents, sandbars, and dangerous lightning storms. If you are in the slightest way considering taking a lesson book one. The surf shop also has a great selection of hats, shirts, swimsuits, and surf gear. The selection is great for both men and women and the prices are very reasonable. We purchased some merchandise and had a great time in our surfing lessons. Highly recommend the shop and the lessons!!! P.S. the owner's Jack and Phill are great guys and are very knowledgeable read more

Corolla Surf shop is the place to go for your next surfing adventure. The owner and staff are very welcoming, friendly and experienced making Corolla surf shop a great choice for surfers of any experience level. Can't say enough good about this place! read more

Basic surf shop. Lots of boards to rent. Also do lessons and rent out other things like bikes etc. Ok selection of clothing. Would have hoped that there was a better selection of rash shirts/ SPF shirts. Friendly helpful staff read more

Rented skim boards here and they couldn't have been more accommodating and helpful. The owner rented us brand new boards and took the time to give the kids a quick lesson. So awesome! read more

Corolla Surf Shop - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

SURF SCHOOL!!!! Amazing!!! Their customer service is excellent, the staff are very friendly and offer the best surfing school on the entire outer banks. Their surf school has been in place for 22 YEARS and their owner, Gary Smith, pours his heart into keeping customers happy. Take a surf lesson and afterwards, grab a French toast bagel next door at Lighthouse. CSS sells surfboards on consignment and can also offer great deals. Clothing is consistently restocked and their location is well situated in the Food Lion shopping center. Thank you for making my family vacation so special, we will 100% come back next year! read more

Absolutely amazing surf shop. Go to place for all of my needs. The staff are amazing and always helpful. Their friendly smiles and vast surfing knowledge help not only devoted surfers but also first time and beginning surfers. The lessons are some of the best you could get! read more

Shop carried a lot of quality merchandise as well as a nice selection of their branded gear. We took surf lessons and they made sure to pick a great day and timed the tide perfectly. We were all able to stand up on the surf boards (first timers!) and just enjoyed our time in the water talking with the instructor about Corolla and the OBX! Very reasonable price to rent the board for the day as well. read more

Had a great Intro surf lesson with Andy and Brickhouse last week. They gave us excellent instructions on safety and how to get started surfing. Our group ranged from 10 yr olds, teens to young adults and not young adults. The instruction was so good that, to the person, everyone rode at least a few waves into shore. Well done Gents. Thanks Atilla read more

I had my very first surfing experience in a private lesson with Gary from Corolla Surf Shop. What an unreal experience! Gary was clear in his instruction, friendly, and most importantly, enthusiastic! You can tell these folks love what they do and want you to enjoy surfing as much as they do. Gary did an excellent job of relating surf technique to other activities I've done, making and entirely new sport easy to grasp. I also liked the beginner friendly equipment. They lend you a wetsuit to keep you warm and give you a soft-top longboard for the lesson. From what I've heard this is the best for a novice surfer and helps reduce the learning curve - I certainly found it easy to catch a wave on. I would love to return for another lesson some time. read more

My daughter had an awesome lesson here and the super friendly and helpful staff were great about suggesting a time based on the surf conditions. Highly recommend this shop! read more

Hands down, surfing lessons from Corolla Surf Shop was the best memory for our spring break. My husband and son took lessons from one of the owners, Luke. Luke's experience, and patience with the lessons provided an overall positive experience. Both my son and husband got up on the surfboard and had a great time. We also rented bikes from the shop. They were delivered and picked up our home. Corolla Surf Shop is a locally owned small business that provides excellent service. read more

Jack, Luke and all the guys at this shop was so helpful and nice! My boys (8 & 10) had a great lesson... highly recommend!

Wow!!! Had my 2 boys in the beginner surf lesson early in the week, then followed up with an advanced beginner class. They loved it!! The instructors were awesome!!! Highly recommended Corolla Surf Shop, affordable, with top notch instructors. Be back next summer for more!!! My boys said it was the best part of the vacation! Thank you! read more

My girls had a blast learning to surf. Joe was great patient and knowledgeable. He had a wide variety of students and worked well with all of them. I recommend this to any first time surfer. read more

We took a paddle boarding lesson with Gary the owner and had a blast! Equipment was great and the spot he took us to on the sound was beautiful. The shop had a broad selection of quality, stylish merchandise. read more

Love this place! The best instructors for surf lessons patient, kind, friendly and knowledgeable. We have been coming to OBX for the last 5 years and my daughter(11) has taken surf lessons with the Corolla Surf Shop for the last 4. It's her favorite part of the trip, she looks forward to her surf lesson all year. I book a private or semi private, just so she can get more time with the instructors and usually more riding time too. She had surf whiz Liam this year and really enjoyed him. Bring your beach supplies and enjoy the usually not to crowded beach while enjoying watching your child learn to surf. read more

Owner is extremely rude, I try to support this store on every trip but she was standoff- ish and rude. I'm sorry I'm not a local bro! But guess what?? My money is green and I really wanted to spend some with you.. but wait.. I'll take it elsewhere. This is why internet crushes small businesses read more

Our kids (10, 14, 17, 19) had an awesome surf lesson with Sam! He was friendly, knowledgeable, and they caught wave after wave with his help in the ocean. Highly recommend Coastal Surf Shop! read more

My family and I took two beginner surf lessons at Corolla Surf Shop and we had a fantastic time. The three of us were completely new to this sport and all three of us were able to stand up after the 2nd lesson. The instructors were very nice and patient with us as they taught us how to pop up and how to look for the right wave. Our first lesson was with Phil who was kind and patient with us and was a fun teacher in general. He kinda acted the surfer chill stereotype which made the experience more relaxing and hilarious because you know. He was all like "Bro, that was a sick dismount" it was just great. Even though we didn't stand up that lesson we still learned a lot and came very close to it. Our second lesson was with Andy, he was really good at giving positive encouragement and he giving good feedback. Since we had already had a lesson he just gave a quick review on safety and we were in the water within 10 minutes. A really great thing that both of these amazing instructors did was that when you got up or almost got up or had a great ride they cheered and were really excited for you. They were both positive and encouraging and fun people to be around. I can't stress that enough. I definitely encourage anyone who is considering to take surfing lessons or even thinking about taking a lesson should do it at Corolla Surf Shop. The instuctors are awesome and chill and really give off the surfer vibe. This place is amazing and inviting and made what could have been a very embarrassing experience an awesome memory. read more

I've been going to this place since I was a kid and I have always loved it. We met the new Owner named Jack, he taught us in our surf lessons. He is super nice and friendly along with all of the other staff. We ended up renting boards for the week and and ended up buying apparel from their shop. When we took our lessons the instructions were super clear and it was a lot of fun. I would highly recommend this shop and that you support this local business. read more

My girlfriend and I took two beginner surf lessons at Corolla Surf Shop and had a fantastic experience. We were both total newbies at surfing and thought we would never be able to stand up on the board. After a thorough safety briefing and some practice "pop-ups" on land with some great instruction, we were out there surfing within minutes. The lessons were the highlight of our OBX vacation, and the start of a life-long hobby for me. The first lesson was with Jason (a.k.a. "Brickhouse, a.k.a. JB), who was extremely patient, communicative, and was a really fun teacher. He taught us everything from weather patterns to the mechanics of catching a wave and balance, to selecting the perfect wave. He completely tailored the lesson to our expectations and needs. Our second lesson was with the owner of the shop, Gary. He was a little less technical but gave more of a fun lesson. Had a great personality and had us laughing the whole time. He seemed like he would be a great teacher for kids. He picked up where Brickhouse left off and gave us a lot more in-water time, and sort of "threw us off the deep end." I definitely recommend taking surfing lessons from either Brickhouse or Gary, these guys really love what they do and are excellent teachers. If they could get two wobbly couch potatoes surfing the waves of the Outer Banks, they could get anyone to. read more

This place is the bomb! My family decided to try surfing and had Phil, David and Liam as surf instructors! My husband, oldest daughter, nephew and his friend are all hooked! They are a stellar group of people who show their passion for everything surfing in their instruction!!!! They are the most generous, polite and thoughtful people! Highly recommend them! read more

My 10 year old daughter received more than just the basic instructor in Mr. Brickhouse. It was obvious that she was having trouble going over the waves to get into the ocean, Mr. Brickhouse not only came to the beach to get her but stayed with her the entire session providing instructions and a positive attitude, after my daughter made it to the beach he would come and get her and bring her back out for another run. read more

Don't Rent Here. Horrible Customer Service from the owner. After vacationing for twenty plus years in the OBX, with the last three in Corolla, we will never patronize this store in any way again. The customer service was horrible and we dealt directly with the owner. Although how he handled things was "legal" per his rental contract, his actions were far from honest / honorable. We were former repeat rental customers (and would have been for many more years to come had the owner handled himself and this matter differently). This year, we again rented a soft surfboard for two weeks. In the course of normal use (my son was paddling it out into the waves) the board snapped. We took it back to the store to see about a replacement. The manager on duty was very polite, indicated she lacked the authority to make a decision about the board, and mentioned the board we rented was very old. We agreed to go back later in the day to speak with one of two possible managers who had the authority to speak with us about the board. Upon returning, I was directed to the owner who told me he had already decided what he was going to do and had charged my card for in excess of $320 dollars (in addition to the $120 plus we paid to rent the board). This charge was made before the owner even heard what had happened or had spoken with either me or my son. He was rude and inconsiderate of the facts and to us. He tried to make an analogy about us having an accident in a rental car. His analogy doesn't pass the common sense test - the board was not in an "accident" - it failed during very normal use. A better analogy, from my perspective, is multi-year repeat customers paid full price to rent a very old car that broke down going up a hill, and then were charged by the rental company to buy them a new (or nearly new) car. Had the board been abused, neglected, lost, or in an accident, I would understand his position and his argument. Not the case. Beware. read more