Fantastic and amazing. Focused on education and safety. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. read more

Wife and I went for private 90 minute lessons with Chris and Wednesday it was Awesome!! Those two rock (there is a grumpy older guy instructor who was rude when we first showed up DONT GET HIM). So the. We went on with our lesson and it was fabulous those two and photographer were amazing. Five plus stars for them but this is for the owner of the company first impressions are what counts that other guy my wife said "did you already pay? I don't want him" that is saying something and in the word of business and now social media you don't want that type of exposer. So either talk to Bill or whoever his name is and ensure he doesn't interact with customers. read more

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My boyfriend and I decided to take surf lessons because we were on vacation and thought it would be a fun experience. Now I need to say we are both snow borders and skaters so we can handle quite a bit of physical activity. However to start they had me (women) carry the biggest board 8ft all the way to the beach (about 2 blocks) with no shoes on. Now I'm 5'7 and was already dead tired by the time I got to the beach. Then we we started our lesson which was actually pleasant until we got into the water. Instead of starting us on small waves he had us go to the deeper section. Needless to say I basically drank enough sea water to be considered a fish. But that's all part of the experience so we still had a great time. Now the reason for the 2 stars..... DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ADD ON THE PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE. We paid $35 per person to have our experience photographed, so when the experience was over we could see it. We both got up on the boards a couple of times and was super excited to see the action shots. They said it should take 2 days to get them. Needless to say 2 weeks later and several emails and phone calls we still didn't have them! Finally the school refunded our money and the photographer finally emailed the pictures the next day. Guess what? The were AWFUL they didn't even get one shot of me in the water and none of us on the boards?! So even if they didn't refund the money I would have asked for a refund because that is just ridiculous 4 pictures in the water (none of me or of us on the boards) for about 80 bucks?! Ridiculous read more

Only complaint is the address posted on Yelp is 5023 Newport Ave and the real address is 5022 Santa Monica Blvd so after that was cleared up everything went smoothly. Wednesday was our coach and just like the guarantee states you will get up and ride a wave. I didn't think it was possible with my age and fitness level but she broke the steps down and up I went. Great experience, great fun, and a great value! read more

Had a group lesson with Bill. He was a great teacher, straight to the point with great instruction and tips. Totally recommend him for any lessons. Can't wait to get back into the water and master the skills he taught our group. read more

We booked three private lessons with Bill Higgins and it was absolutely awesome! He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and energetic! He completely exceeded my expectations for a surf instructor and I will be back to take additional lessons from him as well as recommend him to all of my friends. Bill took the time to point out facts about surfing, local shops and San Diego! Because of Bill we think surfing is fun and consider it a new hobby! Bill is a GREAT representative for OB SURF School!!!! read more

I've taken a surf lesson and rented boards before and the staff is very nice and helpful. I recently though tried to book another lesson and decided on a semi-private lesson because it was cheaper. They called me about a half hour before my lesson informing I had to pay the price of a private lesson because they didn't have anyone else booked in my time slot. I've taken lessons with other places and they've never upcharged me because they were unable to fill their group lessons. I won't be going back for that reason. Kind of a shady way to run a business. read more

Amazing first time surfing experience for our 8 year old son at OB Surf school. The online sign up was easy and Jordan was very accommodating and adjusted our time based on conditions. His instructor, Alissa, took him out on a day with rough surf and her experience in the water and teaching was evident. He got up on the first ride and again and again! In fact, we loved our experience at OB Surf school so much we signed him up for another lesson on our last day in town. Thank you Alissa for introducing our son to a lifetime sport like surfing! See you next summer! read more

Everyone from the school I spoke to was very friendly and helpful. My coworkers and I took a group class with Bill at Ocean Beach. The waves were so crazy that day, but Bill made us feel very comfortable and safe. He's a great instructor. He showed a lot of enthusiasm and personal attention (there were four of us), so we had an amazing time during our surf lesson. The lesson lasted an hour and a half, and it was more than enough for us. Surfing is pretty tiring. read more

Awesome experience with these people. I rented a board and wet suit and Wednesday gave me some pointers. She did an amazing job explaining what to do and what to avoid doing. It was such a great experience being my first time surfing that I went out and rented a board the next day as well. Incredible. I really appreciate all the folks at the surf school for being an inspiration and for being so kind and friendly. read more

Bill was great. We got the basics down on the beach and had plenty of time in the water. He gave good advice as I attempted to get up in the water. And, yes, I did stand and actually rode a wave to the shore at least once. Good stuff. Thanks. read more

This was my second time taking lessons with OB Surf School and it was even better than the first time. Bill is a knowledgeable and experienced instructor who was able to teach and encourage the whole time. My friend who took a lesson with me could not stop raving about how much fun she had and how awesome Bill was. The one thing I noticed that was different was that when you book and pay for the lesson on line, there is no longer a place to add a tip. What a huge inconvenience as a customer! I wanted to tip Bill, but did not bring cash with me to the beach to be left unattended and unsecured on the beach while we surfed. I had to waite until later in the day to be able to find Bill to give him the tip. These instructors work their butts off in that water and deserve to be tipped for it. It is a service industry, and like a restaraunt server, the instructors work for tips. To the owner: please put the tip option back on the website. Do not screw over your awesome employees because that is what it looks like you are doing. read more

Had a great time surfing with Tyler. After suiting up, Tyler taught about the differences between sandbar breaks and reef breaks, since I'd only tried reef before. Also about the rip currents. We did one wave on the inside and then went out to the outside. It was a pretty calm day but we caught waves. I appreciated the board pushes from Tyler since I'm not a particularly strong swimmer. Caught a nice wave coming from the SW and rode it to the inside. While we were paddling back, we headed straight into a tall wave, and Tyler did a sweet air middle splits jump over the break! Wish I'd taken a picture. read more

We had such a great experience with these guys. Our instructor was Alejandro, and he was wonderful! Super friendly, fun, and a great teacher. We walked away with the knowledge to go forward and be better surfers on our own. Thank you so much! read more

Had a private lesson with Bill and couldn't recommend it more. I had never surfed before but was able to get up on the first try after Bills teaching. He made sure I always felt comfortable in the water and I felt very prepared after the beach lesson. He also seemed very flexible and like he could tailor the lesson to anyone's athletic ability. My only regret is that I had my lesson on our last day in town and already wish I could go surfing again! Would definitely take another lesson here and would definitely take it from Bill. read more

Went for two sessions, a great way to start a great hobby. Wednesday was courteous, attentive, and full of pertinent anecdotes

Really enjoyed it! My hubby and I took 90 minute lessons and had a great time. They delivered on what they said they'd deliver, and the instructor was friendly and encouraging. read more

Fernando was AWESOME. He was so patient and helpful throughout the whole session making it a wonderful experience, despite how horrible I was!! Would recommend coming here whether you're a beginner or a little more experienced read more

This was my first time surfing and I was honestly a bit nervous. However, Bill made everything easy. He was patient, extremely insightful and with us the entire way until my group and I felt comfortable enough to ride the waves on our own. I highly recommend OB surf school and to take the class with Bill. I promise you'll have a blast! read more

Thanks Yuri for a great day! Made our spring break so memorable! Our group lesson was perfectly customized to our group so we ended up with 20 minutes on land and 70 minutes playing with the waves. He even advanced my teenager to the switch. She's still glowing. read more

Came here for a private lesson, it was my first time ever surfing. Bill was really nice and friendly, definitely knows his stuff, I would highly recommend! read more

I was very intimidated by the thought of surfing, but I knew my husband really wanted to give it a shot... Well I'm so glad we did!! Tyler, our instructor, was incredible and so good at keeping me calm. He was also very encouraging throughout the entire lesson! The photographer, whose name unfortunately left my brain between the first and third wipeouts, was also intent acting with us during the lesson and was just as encouraging as Tyler. I would recommend this school 150%.. And Alex in the office is a sweetheart! read more

Signed up my family of four for the surf class. We have zero experience and close to zero talent. All four of us got up on the first wave. Justin, Billy, Wednesday and Bill were our personal instructors. They were awesome. Felt safe and in control the whole time. They will even push the board for you if you get tired paddling. (I did) Everyone agreed it was the highlight of the trip. Will be back next year....The Larsons read more