My two sons and I had surf lessons with Mr. Nelson and it was a 10/10 experience. We had the time of our lives and caught endless waves. I highly recommend this surf school you will not be disappointed! Thanks for the memories hope to return again soon. read more

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My 9 year old daughter had a great time during her private lesson with Coach Chris and Coach Jimmy! She said she would give it a 9.5 out of 10 just because she wishes it could have been longer "Best surfing lesson I could have ever had! When Coach Chris and Coach Jimmy explained something, I could totally understand it." Highly recommend this surf school read more

Jimmy was a great instructor - encouraging and friendly. We maximized time in the water and had a wonderful time. Minimal out of water instruction was much appreciated. Mahalo! read more

Doug was very responsive. Gave us expert advice during our stay, during a time of challenging conditions.

Booked surf lessons for my 4 grandchildren. It was the first time and they were all a little nervous to do it. Coach Chris and his crew made it fun and easy and they all got up after a few tries. They loved it, all they could talk about the rest of the week.Thanks again guys, job well done!! read more

We booked our teen boys for 8am lesson on holiday morning, which was great because many surf schools use the same break and wasn't as busy as usual. Before the lesson I filled out the waivers and sent the hubby and boys to Nukumoi shop 10 minutes prior to start time, as instructed in the email. No one was there. Received separate text to arrive 10 minutes after start time at beach (Kiahuna Beach; no address or directions...fortunately we've been many times) 20 minutes wasted. The lesson was good and boys were successful and had a blast! Good instruction. No rash tops provided, like other local outfits. Same price. read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Surfing Near Me

Always wanted to learn to surf, thought it would have been in California at Seal Beach but got the next best thing, Poipu Beach Surf School ‍ Koloa, Kauai!! Highly recommend this not-to expensive surf school. Instructor "Austin" was super chill! Easy instruction, waves were pretty good the whole time, all we had to do was just keep trying. We had fun and hope to come back! (Oh one last thing, I would recommend doing push-ups a month before to build I'll your arms,...paddling is no joke!‍) read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Isa, Tristin, Courtney, Austin 8-22-23 - Surfing Near Me

HAWAII 2020 ADVENTURES #3: PATIENCE & VACATION Growing up I taught myself how to boogie board. I found boogie board to be very easy for me. Surfing is a different type of "animal". I never surfed before. When I was planning my trip to Hawaii I decided to take a surfing lesson. What made me choose this school? I don't know maybe one is that it's not too far away from where I'm staying (the drive is about 30 minutes away) and it was easy to schedule an appointment online. When you take a lesson to learn a new skill you'll never master it. The process takes time. You need more than just one lesson. The frustration is that for the amount you pay for the lesson you expect to conquer the new skill. The instructor Kamuwelt provided great insights. He demonstrated us how to carry, lay, and paddle on the surfboard. He showed the group to find your "sweet spot" on the surfboard. In addition he taught us how to look at the currents before getting in the water. He said the most important thing is to have fun. This last advice is one that I didn't heed to most of the time during the lesson. While in water I was able to get on the board and paddle. What I couldn't do is turn the surfboard while in water and find a wave to get on for me to stand. Kamuwelt was in the water while a group of us were learning. He was a "hands on" instructor - he either grab, turn, and push the board with the right wave while I was one it. I appreciated that. It was up to me to stand with the wave moving. Most of the time I was unsuccessful. Throughout the lesson I was getting frustrated and impatient. I was not enjoying myself. I was going to give this stuff school a 2-star rating. Then I remember what Kamuwelt said, "Have fun." From there I began to think would I rather be working from home or on vacation; I chose the latter. Kamuwelt's approach of encouragement and hands on approach was beneficial. The surfing lesson was not only about your technical but also having fun. With him pushing the board there were times I almost stood up but was on my shins while the wave was moving. The second to the last wave of the lesson I stood up for a little bit but wiped out. So what I'm on vacation. Kamuwelt thank you for your technical insights about surfing. Thank you for pushing me to find the right wave. I'll take all what learned from you when I surf next time. But most of all I'll take the advice you have everyone - have fun. read more

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If you are athletic and naturally good at sports, and want to maximize your time in the water, then this school may be a good for you. If you are a first time surfer (like me), with absolutely no experience and generally not athletic, and are expecting some actual instructions and guidance on how to surf, then look elsewhere. We booked a private lesson for the two of us, knowing that we would probably need more time and attention, and didn't want to slow down a group of people. Their email confirmation indicated that we would first watch an instructional video at the surf shop before heading to the beach. There is no such video. We met our instructor at the surf shop, and were told to drive straight to the beach. Once at the beach parking lot, the school had other students who were apparently part of our group (but they did end up working with another instructor). But the main instructor gathered is all together and told us to follow three rules (don't drink the water, don't run into each other and have fun), and that was the extent of what I assumed was a safety briefing. He then showed us how to carry surfboards on our heads and told us to carry them to a spot on the beach. Once we were at the beach spot, the instructor told us to look for when the water is calm, and then told us to bring the board to the water and paddle out to meet him in the water. Everything that I just described was literally the extent of the instructions given to us. There is no preparation/explanation on how to get into the water with a board, how to paddle on a board, how to get up on a board. When I asked how do you get up on board, he said "you just stand up". When I asked him how to avoid running into each other and he said "what do you think". Every question I asked was answered with a similar non-helpful response. Once we made it out to him in the water he did show us how to turn the direction of the surfboard using our arms when paddling, but beyond that, he just push us onto waves and he would yell when we were supposed to try to stand up. So back to the beginning of my review, if you don't need much actual instruction/information and you are naturally talented and able to stand up on a surfboard on your first attempt, then you would probably be fine with this school and you would get some tips from them on how to improve, but it was absolutely horrific experience for me. read more

Travis was such good vibes and an amazing teacher! This was one of the most fun experiences I've had in the island and I couldn't be more grateful. Much appreciated!! read more

Coach Chris and coach Jimmy did an incredible job! There were 7 people in our group and we were all first timers. They did an excellent job explaining what we needed to do and how we needed to do it! They made the experience memorable! read more

We had a blast learning to surf our first time as a family. Our ages are 48, 42, 16, 14. Chris, Jimmy and Kona were amazing! They were super encouraging and fun. We all got up on our first wave. It was the BEST excursion on our trip! I wish we would have taken the lesson earlier in our vacation because we would have surfed everyday! Thank you so much! Aloha!! read more

We had Adam as a coach He was fantastic we had a wonderful time. I was able to progress further than I thought read more

Hey; this is the spot. These folks are the best. Shout out to Austin and Lot for providing a safe and amazing experience for my 14 year old girl and 10 year old son... they had a great (first!) session! Choose this business if you're seeking lessons! read more

This was a unique experience and our kids were pretty excited to do surf school. Our check in time was 9:50 and we got to Nukumoi surf shop at that time. The girl who checked us in was frantic and came across like we were late. She sent us a little ways down the road to get to the beach where there wasn't any parking. I dropped everyone off and parked about .25 miles away. When I got down to the beach I found a nice place to sit in the shade while the instructors finished talking. I tried to get sunscreen on everyone but one of the instructors said not to put it on your legs because it makes the board slippery. We were all really pale from never-ending winter so I wanted to get the back of their legs but he was insistent that we not do legs. My husband was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a lot of instruction other than yelling "stand up". He also learned the hard way why surfers have long sleeve rash guards. His elbows were torn up from the board. Fortunately our kids all had long sleeves. The kids were excited after the lesson so I gave them some money to tip their instructors. My husband overheard the instructors talking about having to share the tip which I guess wasn't enough. (I wish more places would share their expectations about tips so everyone's expectations are aligned.) About an hour after their lesson all the kids' legs started turning red. One of our girls was in tears later that night and missed out on activities the next day because the back of her legs were so painful. We would have put sunscreen on the kids before we left but we were staying on the north shore which was about 75 minutes away. Our arrival was so hectic that we didn't have a lot of time to do sunscreen once everyone got to the beach so I would definitely recommend giving yourself an extra 10-15 minutes before they tell you to arrive. This review makes me seem like a Karen but I swear I'm not. Our kids had fun doing the actual surfing, this experience was just really different than all of our other experiences on Kauai. read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Get the back of your legs! - Surfing Near Me

We did a 4:00p.m. lesson as a family with Travis and Noah. They were absolutely fantastic and did a great job of not only instructing us on the mechanics of surfing, but also the history and how to respect the history of the sport and the environment in which we were participating. You could tell that for the two of them surfing is more than just a sport, it's a way of life! I was so excited to actually get up on the board, but even more excited to see my family's achievements catching their waves!! Thank you so much for just a fun experience...and dinner recommendation! You guys are simply the best!! read more

We were greeted 10 minutes late by a very nice instructor, he showed us a video and we drove to a secondary location. When we arrived, the man introduced us to another instructor named Kamu, who made the class the worst experience of our Hawaiian vacation. In front of six people Kamu asked my wife "how heavy are you". Stunned, my wife didn't answer. There was another gentlemen in our group who was a large guy, and Kamu said "I think you're bigger than him, and we've only got one extra wide board, so you'll be on it." As my wife begins to tear up, I approach Kamu who pays her on the shoulder and says "cheer up, we're going to have fun.". We weren't. I told Kamu that while I was not looking for confrontation, he can't talk to my wife that way. He responds by saying "it's my job to ask people their weight. I get it if she's embarrassed, when I was a kid I was overweight." We picked up our stuff and left. I was told to call the owner about a refund, his name is Doug. While Doug was quick to say they'd refund the money, he seemed uninterested in our story, how it could be improved, or anything. It seemed like we were annoying him with our complaint and paying us back would get us to shut up. Overall, Kamu is the issue here. And an issue that has really hurt my wife and I, and hurt our trip to Hawaii. read more

I had such a great time riding with Jimmy! He was such a great instructor! I did lessons once in Costa Rica, and I have never able to get up. Not only did I get up, I got up every single time. He was very respectful of how I felt during the entire lesson, i.e. scared or tired. I 10/10 recommend him for your lesson and the earlier the lesson the better! The price was reasonable for the time we spent out there! I was so tired after the first hour, so I believe it was a good price! read more

If you've never surfed ever and you're interested in learning, go to this school! My instructors, Kamu and Kai, were welcoming and amazing teachers. You'll get to know the basics very quickly. After a few falls, I was able to surf smoothly. It was all so much fun. I'll definitely be back on my next trip to Kauai. read more

Overall, our group was super glad we did these surf lessons! However, we were hoping for a bit of a different experience and found ourselves wanting to watch a YouTube surf tutorial after the lesson to learn more tips. Also, given covid precautions, we were not given rash guards to wear during the lesson, which we weren't aware of when booking. Our group ended up buying rash guard UV shirts at the surf shop for $30 each so that we had some skin and sun protection while out on the boards. The lesson had 8 people and 2 instructors. We weren't really assigned to a specific instructor; we would just paddle out to which instructor we wanted to. So members of our group had slightly different experiences based on which instructor we swam to more. The instructors were Kamuwelt and Luis ("Gutto" - sorry if I spelled that wrong!). Luis was AWESOME! He was super friendly and had such a great attitude and gave awesome pointers for us to improve and adjust with each wave. Thank you, Luis! read more

I learned surfing at different locations twice before this experience but never managed to gain the confidence and skills to stand up on the board. The surfing class with Adam totally changed the situation. He not only taught me how to stand up on the board but also how to paddle and change directions in the water, which is super helpful for the beginners!! After tried a few times, I can stand up on the board with the help from Adam. Highly recommend taking a surfing class with Adam! read more

Big rec. Had an awesome surf lesson with Adam. This is where you want to shoot you shot! Pretty affordable, and they have a great system. Waves are super manageable for people of all ages. Get out there! read more

Amazing surfing lesson. My 15 year old daughter loved her instructor Adam. Although it was a group lesson, there were several instructors which gave the feel of one on one instruction. Good times. read more

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Dylan was great! The instructors were encouraging and allowed us to go at our own pace. Definitely recommend.

Amazing! I am the beginner surfer. I booked this lesson with my daughter. The coach Austin and Lot were so patient with us. We had a good time. read more

My husband and I had an amazing time surfing with Kai through PoipuBeach Surf School! Kai was encouraging, fun, and made sure that each of us had a personalized experience. He held our boards while we waited for the next wave and picked the best waves for us to go for. All we had to do was focus on surfing and paddling back! Communication with Doug beforehand could have been clearer and we thought he would be our instructor but Kai was great so we can't complain! 10/10 would surf again. read more

Our instructor Adam arrived 15 minutes late. We watched a short instructional video then drove a couple minutes to the beach. There was no parking so our instructor told us to park in the nearby hotel's visitor parking. We then carried our boards to the beach and waited another 10 minutes while he took care of some business. Adam gave us a short but clear safety talk and then we paddled out to start. He was clearly very knowledgeable and a great instructor. Pros Great instructor Cons Late start Bad parking situation Only actually got about a 1 hour lesson because of the delays Pricey for what we got P.S. might have been a 4 star if our instructor had added some additional time to the end of the lesson to make up for the late start. read more

Very professional and very easy going instructors. Thank you very much for taking the time for me and my family to learn how to surf! I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for Good instructors good gear and great atmosphere also with great people. read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Surfing Near Me

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I had a wonderful surf instructor. They were super knowledgeable and created a relaxed environment for learning. Highly recommend checking out this business! read more

So fun! Sent the sisters out on their first surf lesson and they had a blast! The 9 year old says she's going to be a surf instructor when she grows up. Talk about inspired. Jimmy was great! read more

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Micah and Adam were so calm and encouraging for our kids. We have a 6, 9, and 11 year old and all three got up on their boards and caught waves. Nothing but smiles! read more

5 STARS FOR MY INSTRUCTOR ADAM!!!! Review below. He is worth his weight in gold, despite the stars I had to take off. - 1 Star: I had to take a full star off Poipu Beach Surf School simply because you NEVER get to practice Popping Up on land! This means you start off your lesson NOT knowing which is your dominant foot on the board! - 1 Star: I had to take another full star off because you have to go to a surf store in a different location altogether!!! Then you watch a short educational video. I suggest you watch pop up videos on YouTube and practice popping up in your living room. Please be aware that your position on the board is going to change (especially in the water!) and you still may not know which is your prominent foot! I did this at home and while it was significantly better than their educational video, I didn't find out I was goofy footed until I was in the water. 10/10 ADAM My Instructor: I gained 20lbs since 2020 and was feeling a bit insecure trying surfing for the first time in the shape I was in. Adam made me forget all about my insecurities. He encouraged me and ALWAYS gave me positive feedback. He's professional, kind and caring. Adam knows exactly how to break down how to surf. I had never surfed before and caught a wave! Adam has a 2 year old. He glows when he talks about his son and how he's acclimating him to the water. If you have young children, I highly recommend Adam. He loves kids and teaching them how to surf. Adam was worth putting up with all the weird rules that the company he works for has. They are NOT his rules and he apologized profusely. One more rule was not being able to go out further in the ocean even if you're a very strong swimmer. You can schedule a lesson for when waves are closer to the shore though. However, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the sun set and seeing the moon the night of the eclipse. It was epic! Adam suggested I try my googles since they don't fog at all! They worked perfectly! He was wearing special surfing sunglasses that are far more expensive and don't stay on as well. He'd already lost a pair. These are for adults. I wear my contacts with them on. They do not move when I do flip turns! Wear mirrored/dark lenses for outdoors. Only wear blue tinted goggles inside as they make things brighter. Aqua Sphere Kayenne Swim Goggles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009WC2DFC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_HN4SS03C8NEW48HYSXC9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 If you want the BEST Surf Instructor do NOT pass up the opportunity to catch a wave with Adam! Only ask for Adam and be prepared for Poipu Surf School's wonky rules. The surf instructors don't make much out of the total amount. If you have a great surf instructor please don't take the wonky rules out on them when you tip. If you're in a group and you have a great instructor I recommend $20+. Okay group instructor $10 - $15. Phenomenal Individual Lesson: $30+. * I was even more generous because Adam gave me a 10/10 experience! Be as generous as your instructor has been to you. read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Catching my first wave at Poipu Beach! - Surfing Near Me

"Very good!! Noah was awesome! He made it easy to learn and fun to do" (so my kids say) We loved PBSS's relaxed professionalism. Online paperwork was simple and clear. And getting to and from the beach was easy. We really had a great time, and lol forward to our next trip to Kauai'i for lesson #2 read more

Poipu Beach Surf School - Surfing Near Me

My son did a private lesson first with Adam, next with Justin. Overall, great instructors. They were both good with kids. Patient and encouraging while teaching him how to surf. I will say the water was a little too crowded in my opinion. While we had a private lesson there were two other group sessions. My son collided with adult surfers a couple of times and they tended to get in each others way when paddling back out. Also if you're not comfortable stepping on rocks if you fall in the water, this may not be the beach for you. read more

James was our instructor (1 adult, 3 kids (14yr, 13yr, 12yr). Great fun. Very encouraging and everyone got up. Surf spot was safe and easy to manage. Was worth the time and money. read more

These people are straight up negligent. I went surfing with them and came away with bruises and cuts all down my back, and have been in a lot of pain for the last two days. I'm a first-time surfer, so I was expecting to be taught something before going out into the ocean. Instead they showed us a three minute instructional video on the iPad, and told us to drive out to the Sheraton. They didn't say where to meet so my girlfriend and I spent 8 minutes of our lesson time looking for them because the Sheraton is huge. Eventually someone found us and told us "yeah, you gotta meet us here". They took us to the beach, and the instructor said "there are three rules. Be safe, don't do anything stupid, and have fun." Then he told me to grab a board and meet him 50 feet out, without ever teaching me how to paddle or lay on a board. Thankfully my girlfriend has experience surfing and was able to teach me some of the basics before I went out, but she said this was by far the least organized "lesson" she'd ever seen. I'll skip past the instructor making really sexist comments about women, instead let's talk about how they take you to a beach that's filled with rocks. My girlfriend said it was rockier than anywhere she's ever surfed, and it was flat out dangerous. On my fourth ride to the water I fell backwards, straight into those rocks. And it hurt, a lot, I'm still in pain two days later, with cuts all up and down my back. Instead of offering some first aid for my bleeding they said, "hey, that's why you sign a waiver." I never leave Yelp reviews but this school is dangerous! Do NOT take a lesson with this school, they will flat out put you at risk even if you know what you're doing. read more

My 8 year old and I took group lessons and had a blast. Chris, Travis, Jimmy and crew were great coaches. They were super patient and taught us the skills that made surfing an enjoyable sport. A huge thanks to the crew for making our trip so memorable. read more

A group of 7 of us booked a surf lesson while on vacation on Saturday 2/8/2020. 1 member of our party got injured before he could paddle out to meet an instructor and sat on the beach the entire team not even touch a board. Our instructors were awesome and told us we should heard back into the store to find out if a refund was possible. We head back to the store (Nukumoi Surf Shop) and speak with a girl there who says, let's wait until the owner is back in on Monday to confirm but we will get this taken care of for you. I call on Tuesday to confirm the refund is possible and the INCREDIBLY RUDE AND UNHELPFUL MAN I SPOKE TO, named TRAVIS, said that the man who was injured in our party was walking so therefore we cannot just issue a refund without a doctors note. He also claims to be the manager in charge and that he has no idea when the owner will be in. The last time I checked, being able to walk does not mean that someone can swim, let alone surf. Our injured party member spent the rest of the days on the island hobbling around and didn't even touch the water after he was hurt. As this review is coming from me hanging up my phone with Travis and sitting in the airport, I'm very confused as to the extreme lack of customer service. All in all, there's plenty of surf schools in Kauai, so it may be best to go to one where they actually care about their guests who are coming in as first timers looking for an adventure. read more

I took surf lessons and the instructors were great! Everyone in the class was able to catch a wave.

Had an absolute blast with Chris and Jimmy! Everything started on time, they were both extremely knowledgeable, we were standing up a ton, and learned a lot throughout the day. read more