Had a great time learning to surf! The instructor was very high energy and encouraging. Everyone…read morehad a great time and found a new sport!!!

Mike's the best! Great way of structuring the lesson that will lead to try to surf independently…read morelater on! In addition to being able to assess your energy level throughout the lesson to move you to an area that's more enjoyable and beginner-friendly

Owner of the establishment is respectful and very informative, will definitely book a lesson in the…read morenext coming weeks. He gave raw knowledge of kite surfing fundamentals along with do's and don'ts.

My boyfriend and I took a 4 hour introductory group lesson with John Arthur and he was awesome! He…read moredoes a nice job explaining the basics and really wants to teach you to succeed. He explains mistakes other teachers make, and makes safety a top priority. He is also available by email to answer any subsequent questions you have after taking a lesson with him (I've already emailed him with a kite question and he responded promptly). There were a total of 4 students in the group. We were all completely new to kite surfing, and the wind was pretty bad (he says sometimes he will reschedule a class due to wind conditions), but this is San Diego and apparently the wind conditions here are some of the worst in the world. "If you can kite surf here, you can kite surf anywhere." He gave us some tips and then we took turns flying trainer kites until we could keep them in the air for a decent amount of time and even make some infinite signs and dives before crashing. He then drew us a diagram of the different wind zones including the launch zones and the power zone, and explained how to fly the kite upwind and in low wind conditions, and how to turn right and left. He told us each what size kite and harness to buy. He had two 9m kites with short lines, which we then learned how to inflate, hook up to lines, launch, fly, depower or "kill", land and put away. He taught 2 kinds of launches (side and watery), and unhooked then hooked flying skills. Since there were four of us, he put us in pairs and spent his time going back and forth between the groups. If you a beginner and not "gifted" like we were, being left to your own devices with a kite like this in these kind of wind conditions was both exhausting and frustrating, thus I'd recommend the $115 private 2 hour lesson over the $179 4 hour group lesson. I don't think any of us got unassisted launching down (though the other group might have managed it when I wasn't watching them), which was probably partly due to the rapidly changing wind conditions. He actually went over the 4 hours by about 30 mins, so we felt he went the extra mile, but I think everyone was pretty exhausted after that much kite time (my current fitness level could be better, I admit!). He gave us some kite surfing magazines at the end which had lots of good pointers and pictures to get us stoked to keep working at it. This sport takes time and dedication: it won't be as easy to pick up as it looks. He says to focus on the kite, not the board: master the kite, and you will master the sport, focus on the board and you will fail. That makes complete sense to me. You can't be looking up at the kite while you ride, it must be a subconscious extension of yourself. One of the magazines recommended buying a trainer kite (I saw a 1.7m complete $59 on ewg.org/amazon) and mastering that before spending your money on a lesson, which I wish we'd done in hindsight. The lesson for 2 people is a LOT more expensive than a training kite and I think our time and money would've been better spent if we'd had basic flying skills down. My boyfriend doesn't agree, however. He feels that buying a training kite without learning the basic skills that John taught us might be frustrating to the novice and deter people from trying a lesson, which is also a good point, so take my advice and use it to do what you feel most comfortable with =).

Awesome custom shortboard. Craftsmanship from Avila/Diff Rnt surfboards is top notch. The way it…read morerides phenomenal.

I rented 2 surfboards to try out before deciding what I 'd like to buy…read more San Diego Surfboard Rental's website has detailed descriptions of the boards that they have for different levels, it helps me to have better understanding before renting. Just make sure to know that there's a minimum charge for their service. It was easy to set up a meet up with Ian and get my board, within the rental time I was able to switch to a different board. Even after I have returned the boards, Ian was kind enough to look up information for the boards that I am interested in and send me recommendations. Ian is easy to talk to, knowledgeable and flexible, I am a happy customer and would return when I need the service again. Thanks again.

Came into Carlsbad for some winter surfing. Had a great experience with renting from SD Surfboard…read morerental. Got a great longboard and some tips about good spots. Give it a try !

Many thanks to the great instructors & staff at Progressive Surf Academy.  Cassandra schedules the…read moreclasses & is very prompt, organized and friendly.  My 14 y/o daughter had a 2-hour private lesson & we couldn't be happier with the experience.   We arrived a bit early, and met the owner Christian as he was about to start a separate group lesson for 9 adults.  Jacob was my daughter's surf instructor, and he's great with kids. He's very patient, friendly & knowledgeable.  After providing my daughter with a wet suit & surfboard, Jacob started the lesson on the beach by going over proper mechanics & safety.  After 10 mins on the beach, into the water they went. My daughter is a beginner surfer, with no prior surf experience.  Jacob developed an instant rapport with her that made her feel confident in the water.  Watching the entire lesson, I could see Jacob has a ton of teaching experience. His teacher modeling strategy is to demonstrate surf techniques that a student then attempts to mirror & repeat.   His communication skills are so engaging & effective that our class started at 11:15, and by noon, my daughter was standing on a surfboard for the first time, catching waves!   She was absolutely over the moon with the experience :) For 100% transparency, I'm not affiliated with this company & wasn't paid or received any discounts for this review.  My daughter had zero surf experience before the class, and we're both overjoyed with the quality of instruction & that she learned to surf so quickly in a safe environment.

It has been over 20 years since I have surfed as a young adult. I took some lessons at Progressive…read moreSurf Academy and they had me catching waves and standing up after a few hours. The instructor's (Christian, Jacob) and a few others (Dan, Joe) were amazing. The thing that impressed me most is their attention to safety. The ocean can be dangerous and this team made sure everyone was safe. For me it was truly a spiritual experience. I love the ocean and these guys helped me get back to doing something I loved to do. I am now looking to buy my first board and continuing my surfing journey. Thank you Progressive Surf Academy. I am forever grateful.

These guys understand stand up paddling. I rented a board for a race and spent more time talking…read moreabout the race with the guys there than the race took. I should have listened to their advice and gotten a touring board rather than the "yoga-style" board-- I underestimated my ability. Reasonably priced, nice boards (for rentals) and super knowledgable staff made up of athletes and fans of the sport.

Stopped by on a spontaneous walk through the strip. Shawn was really kind and shop was well…read moreorganized.

I had a great experience, my mom wanted to get a lesson and instruction for SUP. We both enjoyed…read moreour experience, Matt was super laid back and easy to work with!! Definitely recommend:)

Matthew was excellent! He gave great instruction and guidance. There were seven of us and he was…read morevery patient and he even snapped a bunch of photos for us! Excellent customer service! Thank you, Matthew!!

Best lessons I've ever had. Peter knows his stuff! Competitive pricing too!…read more Peter is truly a master of his craft. He can pinpoint exactly what you're doing wrong and give you the perfect advice on how to fix it. With his coaching, I went from being unable to ride to working on transitions. If we had taken a before & after video for my progress, people would not believe it was the same day. Truly impressed with the instruction I received. Peter also had fantastic recommendations for equipment to purchase. I used my own kite and rented a board for the lesson. Really glad that I did! I plan on buying a "door board" soon. There are a few options to go with in this area--and I'm so glad I chose this one. Peter cares about his students & the quality of instruction shows. Definitely book with KiteNow; you won't be disappointed!

"Peter got me on a board in 2 days" that is what I will say to anyone who asks me about Kitenow…read more Peter is a great person and the method in his teaching is systematic that you progress from one point to another with simplicity that you don't even think about it. Today was my first ride after the lessons and I still hear him in my head directing me and advising me on what to do. This is a place and instructor that I would definitely recommend to others.