WARNING!!!! Took My Money, Canceled the Trip, Zero Accountability!! Booking with Fulcrum Surf has been one of the worst customer experiences I've ever had. I paid several thousand dollars up front for a Kelly Slater Wave Ranch trip -- something special I had planned more than a year in advance as a Christmas gift for my fiancé. After the initial deposit, my card was hit with additional charges I did not authorize or approve beforehand. I assumed it was part of the package and kept going because I trusted the company and believed the trip was secured. Then they went silent. For months. When they finally resurfaced -- over a year after taking and holding my money -- it was to tell me the trip wasn't happening. No apology, no explanation, no alternative solution, and certainly no urgency. The trip that I had paid for in full simply did not exist anymore. Instead of refunding me, they offered store credit, as if I should be excited to keep gambling with a company that couldn't deliver the trip they already took my money for. I declined and asked for a refund back to my original form of payment, which is standard for any legitimate business. Since then? Radio silence. No refund. No acknowledgment. No accountability. Just a company sitting on my money, hoping I'll get tired and go away. In my opinion, this behavior is deeply unprofessional and completely unacceptable. A company that can quickly charge your card but disappears the moment they owe you money tells me everything I need to know. If you're considering booking with them, here's my honest advice: don't. There are plenty of surf travel companies out there that understand customer service, deliver what they sell, and don't leave customers chasing their own money for months. After everything I've experienced, I would never book with Fulcrum Surf again and would strongly warn others to think twice before handing over a single dollar. read more

Justin and Ari from Fulcrum might just be the best coaches in all of SoCal (and I've had a few!). In a short time, they helped elevate my skills to a whole new level, transitioning me from a Wavestorm, to a mid-length, and now to a performance shortboard. Both place a big emphasis on form, incorporating both land and water exercises to strengthen the key muscle groups essential for shortboarding. In the water, they keep attention to the smallest details which is helping to fine-tune my technique - and the video analysis has been a game changer for my progress. Fulcrum sincerely cares about my progress and surf journey and I can't thank them enough. read more

WARNING. Be warned of working with Fulcrum surf under Justin. We purchased a package of 10 lessons. 4 were delivered but the rest were supposed to be applied to a camp that was cancelled with no notice and with no effort to offer refund or credits. Ari was an amazing coach but at this point the administration of the company appears to be acting as nothing more than a SCAM. read more

Do NOT do business with Fulcrum Surf under Justin Spadafora. Fulcrum used to be a great company under the prior owner, Dan, and we had a wonderful experience with their instructors, especially Ari. Unfortunately, since Justin took over, everything has changed for the worse. Here's my experience: * My family purchased a 20-lesson surf package. We used 5 sessions, and Justin has refused to honor the remaining 15. * He accepted payment directly via Venmo (other families via Zelle), then he unilaterally canceled camps with no refunds. * He has been completely unresponsive to multiple families who collectively are still owed thousands of dollars. * I personally know other parents in the same situation -- money taken, no services delivered, no communication. In my opinion, Justin is running this business in a dishonest and unethical way. Please do your research before booking -- look up Justin Spadafora or Fulcrum Surf, Inc. on the San Diego County Register of Actions website, and you'll see multiple cases filed against him and Fulcrum for this exact type of behavior. Consumer Warning: Do NOT pay him via Venmo or Zelle. Get a contract or something in writing. If you still choose to take the risk, use a credit card only so you have recourse if he fails to perform. It's very sad to see a once-great surf school's reputation destroyed like this. Dan and Ari were fantastic, but under Justin's management, Fulcrum has become (in my opinion) untrustworthy. read more

I am not disputing anyone who has taken lessons from Fulcrum. I am sure they are great instructors. Good people - maybe not so much. We booked a lesson for the summer. We realized we needed to cancel and made a call to Justin within 12 hours. He stated we would get a full refund due to our situation over the phone. Full refund. Three days later, and several phone call ignored, we finally get a refund stating 50% credit and 50% cash. Keep in mind, the cancellation policy is listed no where when purchasing or adding items to the cart. It is buried in a fine link at the bottom of the website. It is certainly not obvious. After trying to call Justin, I get him over text. He states that my wide misheard him from saying full "refund" to full value refund which included credit. He was unwilling to change his stance and treat his clients as humans. I get there are contracts. However, there's life too and sometimes people need to change. It was a reasonable request to ask for a full refund, especially considering the 12 hours wait was overnight to get a hold of Justin. The class isnt for two more months and he chooses to go by his hidden and buried cancellation policy. Be warned, if you want to be a customer held to a contract that is not obviously posted on the site, then go with Fulcrum. Otherwise I suggest you find a business with real people behind the scenes who care about their customers. read more

What a great time this was!! We decided to book a surf lesson while vacationing in the Encinitas area. Ari was right on time picking us up at our hotel. He took us to a beach about 15 minutes away that would be perfect for us to learn and practice. (The original planned location was less than ideal for beginners that day). It was February and coming from Florida I was concerned about the temps (60 degrees) but Fulcrum supplied us with thick wetsuits making the cooler temperature a non-issue. Ari was there for us the entire time, he gave good instructions and suggestions to make our first time surfing a success. The whole experience was epic!!!!! Thanks Ari read more

Could not recommend enough. Top notch quality. Fantastic experience for our niece. 1. Gorgeous and quiet beach, away from the crowds. 2. Small groups - the camp is not a zoo. Kids get a lot of attention. 3. High ratio of instructors per student, typically one instructor per 2 kids, essentially a semi-private lesson at a bargain price, with other kids to socialize with, but not detracting instructors' attention. 4. Instructors are all hand-picked and not a kid quickly hired for the summer. Premium instructors (essentially pro-level) also participate. 5. Top of the line wetsuits (Adelio), in pristine conditions - super useful when the water temperature dips suddenly. read more

What an amazing experience with clearly knowledgeable surf instructors. I have already recommended Fulcrum Surf to all my friends. Truly offers all levels of surf instruction. You will not regret using Fulcrum Surf. read more

I called Justin & Fulcrum Surf today to book some lessons for my boys & me. A friend who lives in La Jolla recommended them.. He wasn't teaching the surfing lessons where we're staying, but he recommended another group he knew. Incredible customer service. We'll look to use him next time we're in SD. Thank you!!! read more

We had Elad and he was amazing!! I watched him teach my 11 year old newbie surfer with care and patience. His cheers were the loudest on the beach as my son surfed unassisted for the first time (all because of Elad's tutelage). Elan was the best! Words cannot articulate how this man created such a love and passion in my son! I highly recommend Fulcrum and Elad. Going to buy a pack of lessons because this company is the best! read more

I have been surfing on and off for the past few years, and seriously surfing for the past 3 months, and I was in Del Mar surfing, and I saw many of these coaches being great in the water to all the surfers around and the people they were coaching. I swam up to a coach after a lesson and asked him if he had time to give me one. Dan, the coach, said yes and gave me a lesson right then and there! In an hour I felt like I progressed my skills that would have taken me at least three years to cultivate on my own. I am ecstatic to keep learning from them this week and use all of my skills back in northern California! read more

Great experience with Dan. He really broke it down for me to easily understand. He was very patient. I learned a lot and will definitely go back for more lessons. read more

These guys are great! My 6 year old wanted to learn to surf and so I picked these guys online and was NOT disappointed. Great service when I called, great service when we got to the beach and got her setup with wetsuit and ready for her lesson. All their gear was in good condition and the instructors and staff made it fun. All the instructors looked like they did a great job and took their time and care with students of all ages and abilities. My daughter did 4 or so private lessons with her instructor and not only did she have fun, she did a really great job with the help of her amazing instructor! It went so well that I even took a lesson myself and for an old guy, I can't even begin to tell you how patient my instructor was! read more

I own a small business in Seattle. This year, to celebrate my third anniversary being open, I rewarded my self with a vacation to San Diego over the holidays. The main purpose of my vacation was to fulfill my goal of learning to surf. I love the ocean, but never felt confident enough to want to try surfing. I picked Fulcrum because they had a professional website that really showed their passion and their customer service was excellent. They answered all of my questions and were genuinely excited that I was going to book some lessons with them. My first day on the water was really fun. My instructor Alex was very personable and super patient as I botched each early pop-up. We had a great time on the water for two hours and his enthusiasm really helped me to keep trying. He was cool enough to give me tips on where to hang out in San Diego afterwards. Great guy! My second session was with Justin. We started close to shore and once I felt confident, we paddled out to the bigger waves. I got up on a five foot wave and for the first time I felt that crazy joy. Justin was really excited about it and he worked hard to keep setting me up for easy waves and patiently, directly talking me through the steps, pushing me into the wave from behind, calling out how to paddle, counting down my pop up, etc. I was exhausted from paddling (poorly) and he was really cool about just sitting on our boards while I got my energy back up to keep trying. By the third session, also with Justin, I was already bummed I'd be leaving San Diego. Justin broke down the paddling for me and helped me to conserve energy and use better form, and we started working on posture, balance, and feeling the waves. I couldn't ask for a better experience. I came back from San Diego refreshed, excited, and full of energy. Fulcrum made my vacation. Every instructor I met was cool and super friendly. They were professional, very experienced, and honestly engaged in sharing their passion for surfing. I can't wait to go back in a few months and surf with them some more! read more

Wow! I'm totally blown away by the guys at Fulcrum. My husband and I came to Del Mar for a quick getaway sans kiddos. We planned on spending the day lounging on the beach, then I saw some surf lessons going on and noticed the Fulcrum tent. I've always wanted to try surfing, so I popped in to see if I could grab a private lesson. Dan was super nice and got me set up with an instructor right away. I called the phone number on the brochure to pay over the phone, left a message and Justin called back right away and got me set up. Really easy. My instructor, Stephen, was excellent. He gave me a few pointers on land for how to pop up, then straight into the water - no fuss. He was friendly and made me feel comfortable the whole time. I got up on my second attempt and rode lots of waves which FAR exceeded my expectations for a first-time session. The whole experience was awesome. I'll be back for more lessons on our next trip to Del Mar. read more

Fulcrum Surf - First surf lesson - another one off my bucket list! - Summer Camps Near Me - Del Mar, California

I know nothing about surfing, but since my kids are growing up in San Diego, its sensible that they learn to swim and how to surf. Hence, I enrolled my 6yo son in Fulcrum's weeklong summer camp. He was up on the board and exhibited no fear on the first day. He loved the camp so much that we did it again later in the summer. We've also done 2 private lessons on Saturday morning with Louis, and he's fantastic. He has a great rapport with my son. Justin (Owner?) and crew are great and very responsive. read more

My husband and I had just started surfing, and we booked a one-hour lesson to improve our skills. Our semi-private session with Amanda was above and beyond our expectations. In just one hour, we learned so much from her. Before paddling out into the water, Amanda gave us tips on paddling, pop-up, and reading waves. Then she guided us to a spot with good breaks and we caught wave after wave, almost nonstop during the hour. Amanda is such a great instructor, we cannot wait to return to take more lessons from her. read more

It had been 3 years since i had last surfed and my girlfriend had never surfed before. Jesse was our instructor. He made us feel comfortable and we knew we were in capable hands. The lesson was 90 minutes long but by the end we were both able to ride waves all the way to the shore. He started off the lesson with some basic safety and then we hit the waves. He is a very dynamic instructor. He tailored the lesson differently for me than my girlfriend to meet both of our skill levels. He loves surfing and his teaching reflects it. He's very personable and talks to you and gets to know you while he's holding the board (with you on it). And when he feels a good wave is coming, he gives you a push and lets you go. This makes it so much easier to learn how to stand up without having to paddle. This also saves a lot of energy. Once, we got to the point of being able to stand up, he had us paddle towards deeper waters. He had me start paddling with the waves instead of pushing me, while still helping my gf by giving her a push. His whole goal was to get us standing up and to be balanced on the board. My girlfriend and I definitely want to take lessons again and definitely want to learn more advanced techniques. We will be coming back to Fulcrum Surf. read more

our large group of 21 adults (32 and up) surfers enjoined the professional and fun attitude, most beginners, some intermediate level surfers and all got the best support for 100% success experience. till an amazing sunset that closed a great day. PEACE OF MIND program, December 2019, read more

My 13 year old daughter learned loads from surf coach Stephen Moore! By the end of four 2 hour sessions over 2 days she not only was carving but making cutbacks! Coach Stephen was early, totally prepared with board options, and enthusiastic, making her experience exceptional. Fulcrum matched the perfect surf coach to our daughter. Coach Stephen also gave us valuable information in choosing the right board for our daughter. We return to Del Mar in December, and we've already booked her next lessons with Fulcrum and Stephen. Doesn't get any better!!!Your review helps others learn about great local businesses. Please don't review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees. read more

Dan Mori and his staff are the best coaches!!! I'm in the woman's surf group that meets on Wednesday mornings at 15th street in Del Mar. They do a really good job at coaching and getting us into waves as well as teaching you how to read waves. They even have foam boards you can use if needed, until you can graduate onto a real surf board. This time of year you need a wetsuit but it's not that cold and it's a lot of fun. If your thinking of learning how to surf then Fulcrum surf is who you need to contact. Hope to see you in the water. Aloha read more

In May 2013, I was fortunate to have the Fulcrum team coach our team at a morning "Board" meeting. From that first day, they reenergized and inspired the stoke in me that had been absent since we don't have any snow in Tahoe. To this day, all I think about is going surfing. Fortunately, I'm able to go once a month. Luckily, we had them again in 2014 at our meeting. Dan, GC, and the crew are amazing dudes and I'm looking forward to getting down South for some private lessons so they can help me progress to the next level. I could not recommend them any more highly. See ya soon fellas. Keep the stoke! read more

This company is awesome!!! Had a great time learning to surf! Dan was very helpful, and professional! He was soooooo patience with my extremely poor skills! I would highly recommend taking lessons with them!! read more

I never stood on a surfboard until I moved here. I really thought I'm going to break my bones and drink a lot of salt water. Stephen showed me I was totally wrong and his patience helped me to stood up within minutes. Ever since I go out whenever I have time. The best highlight happened a couple surfs later during my honeymoon when I was able to catch a wave from the outside all by myself and rode it all the way in. I had to stop only because the water turned into sand. :) I know I couldn't have done this without the lessons beforehand. Thanks you Stephen and Fulcrum for showing me how much fun surfing can be despite of the cold temperature :) I would always recommend Stephen and Fulcrum Surf to anybody, regardless of the age. I know for sure that when my sister visits me next year I'll sign her up for a lesson with Fulcrum surf. read more

My family and I had a great time surfing with Stephen and Ryan. There were five of us yet we all felt like they were our personal instructor. We caught countless waves and they coached us every bit of the way. They know their stuff. If you are headed to San Diego be sure to look them up. You won't regret it. We are looking forward to our next trip out. read more

Absolutely great experience. I went with Stephen. He was patient, kind, total Cali chill surfer dude who gave me confidence it was all the waters fault ;) it was a rough day out there, and my first time. I still managed to get up and I can't wait to come back out here and do it again with greater determination. Thank you THANK you for a wonderful experience. Highly recommend giving them a call when you're in town. read more

Great time and super-patient, helpful instructors. We had 5 kids (ages 6-12) all at novice -- or outright beginner -- level. Add in a few inexperienced adults, too. Every instructor working with our group over two days did their best to make our lessons as rewarding and as much fun as possible. Already thinking about a possible return to Del Mar (from east coast) just to take more lessons with Fulcrum. read more

Fulcrum Surf - Happy customers! - Summer Camps Near Me - Del Mar, California

Stephen Moore is the best! My wife got me lessons while we were visiting over the Memorial Day weekend. He was very patient, and tried his hardest to get me up...so close! After 45 minutes of exhaustion...I called it, and went in. He let my wife finish the last 15 minutes, and was able to get her surfing on the 2nd try. Thank you for an awesome time...we will be back! read more

Great lesson with Finn. Super helpful, patient, and encouraging. Had both me and my 8 year old up and surfing . Highly recommend fulcrum. The whole process was great. read more

Fulcrum Surf School has taught my entire family to surf! The instructors are top notch, experienced and professional. Unlike other surf schools I looked into, which never called me back or no-showed for lessons, Fulcrum is always on top of it. They always start on time and end on time, and give 100% at every lesson. Dan, Justin, GianCarlos and Stephen have all taught my daughter who is now competing for her middle school team and she LOVES surfing with all of the coaches. We trust Fulcrum, and so can you! GREAT for all ages! read more

Wow! I have been surfing for over 5 years now and I can't tell you what an one hour lesson with Dan today made a world of difference. I was thinking about taking a private lesson with him after my surfer friend who has been surfing for about 40 years said that Dan helped him with his backside off the lip move by just giving him some pointers while they are at the line up. That is how nice Dan is - giving pointers to fellow surfers. He did the same to me yesterday morning at the line up. I was so impressed with just a few pointers he gave me that I signed up for a private today. Dan has an eye for seeing all the bad habits. He told me exactly how I could fix the bad habits. As soon as I started to make the adjustments, I could see the speed of my paddling, getting better at catching the waves that I want, and making better turns!!! I am sure this will alleviate my surfing elbow as well. I have surfed with many amazing surfers and none have been able to correct my form the way Dan has in my one hour session. As soon as I correct these bad habits, I will be back for my next lesson to improve my surfing. No matter where you are in your surfing abilities, Dan will be able to take you to the next level with the top things to focus on. Try it out and you will be a believer! And if you are not looking for a private lesson and want to just learn to surf, you should definitely sign up with Fulcrum. I am sure he runs the rest of his operation with the same integrity and precision as he does with his private lessons. read more

Let me start by saying that I am one of the clumsiest chic's, ever! I attempted to surf by myself for 8 months with NO LUCK! Then I had my first lesson with Dan and he got me right up! I have continued to go to the ladies surf lesson on Wednesdays where I progress so much faster than I could even dream of on my own! Thank you to all the coaches for teaching this clutz!! read more

I moved to San Diego and wanted to learn how to surf. I took lessons at several surf camps and Fulcrum is by far THE MOST DYNAMIC surf camp. High quality. Very knowledgable. I learned how to surf in Hawaii so I knew the basics on getting up on one of those gigantic foam boards but I wanted MORE. I wanted to get up on a real board. I've taken both Fulcrum's group lesson and now I only take private sessions. The individual attention I get goes so much further and what I learn sticks! I've gotten lessons from Dan, Giancarlos aka GC, Justin, Amanda.. and each one of them has something different to offer. You can tell they're passionate about surfing, making sure you're getting up on the board and having fun. They all have great energy. I always look forward to my lessons and I even signed up for their travel surf coaching trip to El Salvador! Super stoked :) ...stay tuned for another review after my travel surf trip with them. What makes this place special is that this isn't just a surf camp for beginners. I'm transitioning from a long board to a shorter one. I feel really comfortable in asking advice on boards and I know that they're going to help (and motivate) me to do it! read more

Ask for Stephen he is awesome! My wife and I did semi privates with him and even on a rough waves day he pulled off teaching us and we really progressed. Especially good at meeting people where they are at, making them feel relaxed and having fun. Thanks!! read more

My 7 year old grand daughter just finished her first experience surfing at Fulcrum Surf Camp in Del Mar. It was great! The one to two ratio of instructors to students made all the difference, not only to her success but to her very nervous Grand Mother. Stephen,and his team of instructors, were all caring, experienced and excellent with children. She loved it and plans on taking more lessons. A special thank you to the entire staff for giving my grand daughter a most memorable week. Beth Smith read more

There are a lot of great instructors, but Dan is the man. Fulcrum will get you standing up on the first session if your a newbie. If your already standing up and want to better your skills check out their other programs at - www.fulcrumsurf.com read more

fulcrum is the first surf school that i have attended where i felt like it was TRULY a lesson. i learned more in my 90 minute private lesson than i did in all my other lessons to date. the instructor, jesse, was knowledgeable and adapted the lesson to my skill level. ADDED bonus ~ we were surfing in del mar and i got to see my FIRST EVER school of wild dolphins - which may not be a big deal to you if you have lived in cali your whole life - but it was a HUGE deal to me. i will definitely be checking you guys out if i end up relocating to the area. i truly love being in the water and i think surfing would be a great hobby to commit to :o) read more

Both my daughters, aged 6 & 8, learned to surf this morning with ZERO experience. The teachers were patient and kind which is just what my little ladies needed. The hour lesson was just the right amount of time. Any families visiting DelMar, CA should definitely try it out they won't regret it!! read more

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Fulcrum surf provides camps, private sessions, adult sessions, yoga classes, core classes and more. This place is great! Their summer camps are awesome. All the instructors are super nice. read more

I just got back from a Fulcrum Surf trip to El Salvador. Supremely organized by Dan Mori, every detail was taken care of from the minute we left. We were accompanied by two world class Fulcrum coaches, Giancarlos Urcia Calle and Stephen Moore who spent hours in and out of the water with us. Every single one of us came home showing vast improvements, along with photos and videos, and we also had the best fun! Perfect accommodations, delicious food and friendly hosts. Fulcrum is at the top of their game and it shows. They're also the only people I entrust to teach my 6, 8 and 10 year old kids and I owe it to Dan and his team for instilling a lifelong love of surfing in my children. Fulcrum has shown me, and my kids, the sheer joy of surfing and I'm indebted. read more