High on the list of things my kids wanted to do in Hawaii was learn to surf. After several recommendations for Uncle Bryan's, we booked semi-private lessons. My kids had a blast. We also booked the photographer which is worth the slight cost. read more

Enjoyed my lesson, but it's gonna take a few more for me! All the instructors are professional and friendly. See you guys again soon!

The lesson overall went fine, but the instruction was only 25 seconds long (my husband got it on video). The instructor showed us how to get up twice and that was it. Luckily there was a man in the water not affiliated with Uncle Bryan's that was giving us tips while we were in the water, which the instructor wasn't happy about. The photographer, Heath, never showed up. I texted him multiple times to confirm he'd be there and all I got was a thumbs up emoji so I thought he'd be there, but he never came. The instructors brushed me off and said "oh maybe he'll show." From shore it was impossible for my husband to get photos/know which surfer was me, so I was really disappointed to not have any photos. read more

The van was at the meeting point on time. They pick the exact location to surf in the morning and text you. Their team was prompt and kind. Our kids had surfed a few times already. They ran through the basics on the shore and then they were off. They both had a terrific time. read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - Dry land - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

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Since moving to Hawaii my son has been dying to learn how to surf. As a mom I have to say it's kind of scary even though he can swim idk why it just is with falling off the board and potentially hitting your head or just having the board topple you over. I don't know I just worry and think of all the worst case scenarios. But being there are beaches everywhere here I had to overcome my fear. He just turned 10, is very athletic and knows how to swim so he should be fine. After weeks of looking around for the perfect place to do his first surf lesson I found this place on Yelp. After signing him up they sent a confirmation email and then texted us the location again the night before. It was easy to fin and prices aren't bad. Honestly I was expecting to pay a lot more. The instructor was very hands on but also let them get so many waves. Watching my son learn to surf was actually amazing, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get on top of the water like that. By his second try his was getting waves. By the end he was pretty tired out but loved every minute of it and can't wait to get more lessons here. Both my son and the lady who came here for lessons were catching a ton of waves. My son left smiling ear to ear. read more

Staff were so chill, and helped me catch sick waves. Great for first timers like myself and also free watermelon after each class :)

Still laughing from our ridiculous Secret Island excursion, and with parking lot gravel flying, we peeled out of Kualoa Ranch and headed back up K Highway to Haleiwa. Screaming up the road we flew past a roadside fruit stand. I didn't even see it. My wife did and yelled, Pineapples!!! We flipped a U and backtracked to the spot. It was such a random find, but this little roadside stand had the most spectacularly delicious pineapple I ever had in my life. We had bought a pineapple at Costco in Waipahu the first day we arrived on Oahu, and it was great. Way better than the ones we buy on the mainland. But this roadside buy was much, much better than the one we purchased in Waipahu. Best I've ever had! A hilariously bitter old married couple were on duty at the fruit stand. They were working twenty or thirty feet away from each other, on opposite ends of a long counter. Clearly, neither of them wanted to wait on us. Each seemed determined not to do one bit of work more than the other. When we were ready to pay, the man just flat out ignored us. When we went to the lady she scowled and sighed, "Why can't HE help you?" All the while I'm quietly laughing and singing Nirvana's song All Apologies to myself (...in the sun... in the sunnnn... married... buried... married... burried... yeah yeah yeah yeah). Totally loaded on fruit, we climbed back in the rental car headed for Haleiwa. The tiny Corolla engine whined for mercy as I jammed the accelerator to the floorboard. We couldn't wait to try the fruit. Because we had no utensils in the car with which to start in on the pineapple, we used our hands to tear apart a fantastically delicious guava as we hurtled down the highway. Mmmmmm.... farm fresh guava... Wifey still wanted to do some paddle-boarding so we decided to stop at this place, the Sunset Surrat Surf School, just outside of historic Haleiwa town . Now, not to put you on the spot, but I have to ask you something: Would you know a bodhisattva if you met one? Because I'm not sure, but I think Uncle Bryan, the dude that runs this place, might be one. You'll recall from your study of Mahayana Buddhism (or a simple Google search) that a bodhisattva is a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings. Can there be any doubt that surfing is about as close to nirvana a person can reach on this earth? Certainly not if you ask the question of any surfer. If surfing should be your path, Bryan could be your bodhisattva. Now in his 60s, Uncle Bryan has spent his whole life teaching people how to surf. Easily the most interesting character I met during my travels around Oahu, Bryan shared his whole life story with us before he even asked what lessons we were interested in taking. And he's a great story teller. Once he started, I saw where he was going. I grabbed a chair and settled in. I detected a little tremble of emotion in his voice as he told us the story of the day he walked into the kitchen and broke the news to his father he was going to quit school and surf the rest of his life. He was a young teen, barely out of middle school, high school graduation was still years away. Yeah, you can imagine how well his father took the news. But he did it. He frickin' did it. Against all odds, he did it. He made a living as a surfer. He's out there, every day, on beautiful North Shore. Man, I ask you, how cool is that? If you have any fears about getting in the water, Bryan will put you at ease. He tells you sometimes he paddles his 86 year old mother out and they ride in together. Incredible! I heard Bryan tell my wife he had room in his schedule for a 4 o'clock lesson. She said, "Ok that sounds great." I got up from my comfy seat in the sand and as we walked back to the car I reminded her we already had plans for 4 o'clock. "Yeah, I know," she answered, "but I couldn't say no to the guy. He was so nice." I nodded in agreement. When we got back to the condo we phoned Bryan to let him know we wouldn't be back for the 4 o'clock lesson. Bryan was incredibly gracious and took the cancellation in stride. Class act all the way. Next time we're on the North Shore I'm sure we'll hit him up. Mikey C says: mahalo, Uncle Bryan! read more

This surfing school is great! Might cost a bit more than others places, but the instructors here are VERY experienced, patient, and helpful. We had fun for full 2 hours and our coach Chris was everything we wanted. He explained the basics very well and guided us as we were doing our runs in the bay. Your upper body will surely hurt and ache the next day after paddling like crazy, but hey, you have to earn your dinner! We definitely recommend this surfing school to everyone, so many great memories! read more

RIGHTEOUS surf school on the beautiful North Shore! Highly recommend this company if you want to learn how to surf on these famous beaches! PROs: Staff was experienced, articulate, and very polite. Wether you were a pro or a novice they could teach you something about surfing. Safety is the priority at all times and that is made very apparent from the beginning. As long as you can swim and are in decent shape this is an awesome experience to check off the bucket list. Make sure you are well hydrated before going out and head the instructors warnings about applying sunblock to the appropriate locations on your body. Especially your face and back of the legs. Expect a vigorous upper body and core workout! There is no reason to fear the ocean or and type of sharks while here. We felt safe the entire time. They took same day appointments as well! Only cost $80 per person for 2 hours! CONs: Zero! read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - About to hit the waves! - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

Uncle Bryan was great! I called him up in the morning to see if we could get a surf lesson and he said he would check conditions and get back to me. He called back in an hour and we were set up for noon. We arrived and instantly thought i was hanging out with my uncle haha i guess the name fits! He assessed our experience and got us set up with boards, a gameplan, and our instructor gato and he was awesome. Very knowledgeable and we learned about reading the ocean and how to get out past the break. He told us ,"today we gun a paddle!" And he kept his promise haha!! kept on us and made sure we got back out to keep surfing for the whole 2 hours and that was great i like that motivation! Thanks again you guys are amazing! Highly recommend! read more

There are so many surf shops/schools to pick from and this was the first one we noticed on the water that was super friendly and accommodating. I think we got lucky because the owner said they usually book up quick and it was his last run for the day, so we came at a good time. The owner "uncle bryan" was so welcoming and friendly he really did feel like an uncle you are visiting. He offered a quick description of how the day goes and what they offer which was good cause it was my husbands first time surfing. He offered lounge chairs, watermelon, and water as well even to the people who weren't surfing. He provided the surf board(obviously) and a long sleeve shirt that he sized by just looking at the person. You could tell he has been running this school for awhile. The lesson lasted about 2 hours, but goes quick. it was really cool to watch as they did their lesson outside of the water first and swam out. The instructor follows everyone in the water and gives the surfers enough time to all get out and then take turns at each wave that would come in. I would sure recommend this guy to anyone looking to learn how to surf, I believe it was $80 for the 2 hours which I also believe is a good deal as we had been researching who to use. read more

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Probably the most memorable experience we've enjoyed on Oahu. My family's first time learning how to SUP. The scenery was perfect (paddling through the bay and up the river) and our excellent teacher, Mark, was patient and taught all 5 of us, including my ten-year-old how to stand-up before the quarter-way mark of our 2-hour session. Before our trip, James set us each up with the perfect length board and paddle. Worth the money in my opinion, as opposed to just renting SUPs and trying to learn on your own. read more

Late review: Not a first timer with Uncle Brian's but this time had my husband and daughter. At a different spot since its the summer. It was the first time for my husband and the young instructor was very patient and friendly. Definitely the Aloha spirit!! Both my husband and daughter enjoyed their time. Highly recommend Uncle Brian to anyone thinking of taking surf lessons!! Bummed that Heath was sick and unable to take photos... Seriously folks, hire him to take photos. So worth it. My post is the photo from my lesson in April-2017. Mahalo! Oh, and we've also rented paddle boards from them as well :) read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - Hire Heath to take photos folks. So worth it!! - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

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Can't say enough wonderful things about Ina and the surf lessons we had with him. He was an awesome and patient instructor, and we caught so many waves. We also hired Heath from Life Thru the Lens to take pictures and we love them all! Seriously the most incredible, surreal experience surfing the North Shore! Don't waste your time searching for another surf school. This is the one you want to use! read more

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Have to agree with the poor reviews you read here and on other sites of Uncle Bryan's so called surf school. If you want to learn surfing ** DO NOT ** go anywhere near Uncle Bryan. I live here, I'm a local. Uncle Bryan's idiotic so called surf instructors do not practice Aloha, or surfing safety. They push their students AT other surfers in the water, while they are on giant 12' boards (all the weight and momentum adds up to a big CRASH!!!). They do not teach you to control your board. How would you like the board you're riding on to hit another person in the head and cause them a hospital visit or worse? Uncle Bryan's surf instructors don't care. They pack the students in, push the students at anyone paddling in or out in the channel and create a huge water hazard. They don't teach you to control the board if you fall, you'll kick it out and hit someone in the head or crunch their board and then you'll get your butt kicked, tires slashed, and not be welcome. Good thing you are a tourist since your rep will be ruined. Everyone who surfs here knows to try to avoid the kook instructors and the 12' blue boards with white stripe, because it's uncle bryan donkeys ruining the aloha. Save your money and go with a different instructor. One that FIRST talks to you about SURF SAFETY before you EVER get near the water. Uncle Bryan is a hazard in the water, the city should revoke his license so he stops ruining this beautiful beach. read more

If you're on the North Shore, this is a MUST DO. My wife and I booked online after reading reviews on Yelp. Then we met up with Uncle Brian at their tent. After signing in, we drove down to Chun's Reef (about 5 minutes away). It's a spot where other classes go because the waves are small and long. Marshall was our instructor. Good dude with lots of experience. He didn't over complicate anything. The land lesson was brief and to the point. We must have spent less than 10 minutes on land before jumping into the water. That's where the real learning happens. On the water, he just reminded us of the basics like where to position your body on the board. He repeated certain phrases that kept instruction simple like, "lean back", "paddle", and "come down on your board". We got the semi-private lesson for two. It's well worth it if you want to catch a lot of waves. I think we must of doubled, even tripled the amount of waves we rode compared to others in the group lessons around us. Also, I recommend getting photos. Heath will do it for $50 a couple. He'll send you a link to download all the images. You can see the photos on this post. Next time we're in Oahu, I think we're ready to rent our own boards and go surfing. If we need a refresher, we'll come back to Uncle Brian. read more

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This was the second time my daughters (11 yo, 13 yo) surfed with Uncle Bryan. Their instructor was Uncle Bryan's son, Crew. My daughters said that he was a great instructor and made them feel safe and comfortable the entire time. We had an issue with our rental car and Uncle Bryan was around and went out of his way to help us. He is truly such a nice guy. If you are visiting Hawaii come surf at Uncle Bryan's. They really love what they do here and make sure you have a great time. read more

10/10 recommended learning to surf with Uncle Bryan! We called the day we wanted a lesson and he set us up to surf that afternoon. It was a great experience, our instructor was awesome, we caught more waves than anyone else than any other groups! 100% worth the money and sore arms the next day! read more

This was my girls first time surfing. It could not of been a better experience! Chris our instructor was kind, confident and articulate teacher. He put my girls apprehension to rest and the truly loved their lesson. They both got up on the first try. In addition, they felt incredibly safe with Chris on the water. Uncle Bryan is the epitome of Aloha spirit! He took my call at 7:30 pm the night before and we were all set to go for a 8:30am lesson. His warm welcome and care adds to the incredible experience with his surf school! We will surf for life and we owe gratitude to Uncle Bryan and Chris for the life changing experience! read more

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The best experience! We couldn't have asked for a better time, it was a dream come true. We got to surf with Bryan Suratt who really takes the initiative to give everyone a great experience and his entire staff is excellent as well. We got up multiple times during our first lesson. The photos are definitely worth it, great photographer on staff! Thank you so much. read more

Uncle Brian and his instructors are GREAT. I cannot recommend them strongly enough. They had our 13 year old and 7 year old sons surfing in minutes. Brian uses a much lower ratio of instructors-to-students than most other schools (there were 2 instructors for 4 students in our group). They took FANTASTIC care of our younger son, surfing right behind him so they were there when his run ended or he fell off the board. There were also 2 adults in their group (a husband and wife). Both "got up" ~10 times, and were very, very happy with Sunset Suratt. Plus, they are really nice guys. No pressure. Beautiful beach. If you want to surf the North Shore, give "Uncle Brian" Suratt a call... !!! read more

My friends, family and I took a stand up paddle board lesson from Suratt Surf School on our last visit to the north shore. Being as I was the only one in the group who had never even been on a surf board, I was a little apprehensive but the lesson was super easy, safe and fun. We took our lesson early in the morning so the ocean was nice and still, took our boards up the river and got to see sea turtles, peacocks and various fish. Suratt Surf School even had an available photographer who went out with us and took nearly 350 amazing shots of the experience... highly recommended. After the lesson Uncle Bryan treated us to some signed posters from the latest surf competition, rash guards and then got us a reservation at his favorite restaurant at Turtle Bay. Uncle Bryan made us feel right at home on the North Shore. Great instructors, amazing experience! Mahalo! read more

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This will likely be the most memorable experience from our Hawaiian vacation. My 14 and 10 year daughters joined me for lessons and it was more than I could have asked for. Meeting Uncle Bryan right off the bat was great - his background and personable nature made the girls and I feel right at home. Our instructors, Mike (who is a doppelgänger for Nick from New Girl, btw) and Gatu (sp?), were amazingly patient and great with our group of three and the Dad/daughter duo who were out with us. They gave tips to help us be as successful as possible and all of us were proud of how we did. I didn't know what to expect going out and it's pretty amazing that they can get us in positions to be able to ride so many waves. I'm positive I had zero grace, but I had a fantastic time and owe it to Mike and Gatu. Highly recommend this surf school if you're in the North Shore area. read more

Really good lesson. 12 foot board they provide can catch almost anything. Overall the two hour lesson was great. Knowledge they provide is top notch, better than other instructors at other surf schools elsewhere in LA and SD. The instructor did have this mindset that if you paddle for or catch a wave, other people around you should get out of the way, which at times felt a bit unsafe since others were sometimes quite close to me in the water. Overall, I'm glad I got a lot of waves. I'm glad I learned a lot. I would recommend Uncle Bryan's to my friends. But I think i also would have been satisfied with this experience if I shared some waves with other people in the water. read more

Outstanding. We as a family come to Hawaii often to visit relatives. Usually here on Oahu, we are on island pretty regularly. There are two types of the Hawaiian experience - the manafactured, and the Real. Here at Sunset Suratt, you get Da Real. It's like this; in Waikiki, you get the manafactured Hawaiian experience with just about everything. Now, that doesn't mean it sucks. Quite the contrary. Waikiki is cool. But, pineapples, coconuts, and palm trees kinda get stuffed down your throat. It is a giant tourist processing plant. Hey, I love ABC stores as much as the next guy...but, one on every freakin corner? So it is with the Waikiki surf lesson. You are just one of perhaps hundreds of wanna be water gods that are processed each and every day. Think about that for a minute. Imagine yourself as one of the Waikiki Beach Center surf instructors. Get em in, let em catch a few, get em out...next. Our then 6 year old daughter took the lessons in Waikiki about 3 years ago. Good instructor. Daughter had a good time and basically stood up on every wave she was pushed into. Overall good experience. But, then.... Flash forward three years. Our now 10 year old daughter and 6 year old son want to shred the Hawaiian surf again. But, instead of dealing with the hassle that is Waikiki, we came to Sunset Suratt. What a great decision that was. First off, I call and talked to Uncle Bryan, the owner. Uncle Bryan is the best. Very personable and the dude knows Hawaiian surfing. We take our kids, including our 3 year old youngest daughter. All three kids go out and have a great time. We actually only signed up the two older kids initially. However, when our 6 year old took a break, the instructor asked us if it was cool if he took our 3 year old out. The instructors were awesome. 10 year old looked like a grom pro out there. 6 and 3 year old went tandem with the instructor and shredded. Great experience. There is no comparison. Sunset Suratt on the North Shore is the place if you want a Hawaiian surf lesson. Now, if you don't mind being the meat in a meat processing facility, adore huge crowds, love heavy traffic, then go to Waikiki. If not, come here and you will not be disappointed. Trust me. For you mainlanders, please check out my review of Numero Uno Pizza. read more

Did a lesson here a few days ago. Overall, awesome experience. Uncle Bryan was there and was very kind. He has a great laid-back vibe and makes sure you are taken care of. He offered water and a beach chair for my friend to sit on while I had my lesson. My instructor was also great- I had Mike. Only things I didn't enjoy- my rash guard smelled of mildew AND b.o. :( I wasn't sure how to politely ask for one that didn't smell and figured once I was in the water it would matter. I was wrong, still smelled. The other thing was learning to surf over coral. We were carefully instructed on how to fall off our boards and not touch the down but a few times my feet kicked it and ripped the skin right off. The coral is maybe 3-4 feet under you in some areas- way too close. read more

Really disappointing experience for the price. "Uncle Bryan" who was very attentive and got us in at $150 each for my two sons seemed very nice and got his "nephew" to take the boys out for their private lesson. My sons who don't say much at all about things because they don't want to cause a fuss said it was horrible, they said he flirted with a girl out there the whole time as they were next to other groups and didn't watch them or give them any advice or help. $300 down the drain as we could have rented boards for $20 ourselves as the boys had a little bit of experience just not confidence, they said they felt like they were on their own out there anyhow. I messaged Uncle Bryan who we couldn't find afterwards and didn't even receive a response! Note the school also goes by Uncle Bryan's, you may see their van parked at the North Shore! Totally ripped us off. read more

We had an awesome time this morning with Alex! We booked our surf lesson for Saturday, the 24th. My boyfriend had hurt his side the day before paddle boarding, so we had to reschedule. I was a little nervous about doing it because usually people are pretty rigid/not too nice about rescheduling things like this. When I called, they were so nice and totally cool about us having to reschedule and I immediately felt relieved! We actually had to reschedule again a second time and they accommodated us! I was so impressed. We're first-time surfers, so I was a little nervous about going out in the waves as they were a little crazy today with a swell that came in. Alex was super calm and assuring as we headed out. My boyfriend was able to get up and ride a wave in the very first time despite being so hurt! He loved it so much! We were both able to ride a lot of waves and Alex was great towing/helping us out each time and making sure we got to ride the perfect wave. He was super patient with us, with little corrections/adjustments to help us and make sure that our form was correct. With those little changes, we were able to get the hang of it quickly and felt totally at ease paddling out, starting the wave and popping up to stand. Very, very cool. I HIGHLY recommend taking a lesson here. They also took some pretty awesome photos of us that we purchased. I can't wait to get them! Thanks Alex and Sunset Suratt Surf School for a totally awesome morning we will never forget! read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

It was my first time attempting to surf and in one lesson I was able to. Instructors were informative and provided clear instructions. Would recommend. read more

The instructors were awesome - Crew and Skylar. This was a two hour group surf lesson. The instructors broke down surfing into three steps: 1) Leaning Back, 2) Kneel and put one foot forward, and 3) Twist and stand-up. With these quick steps, I was able to stand up and have fun with every wave. This is the best surfing class I have taken. The Haleiwa surfing spot had perfect medium waves which was perfect for a beginner. Also, this lesson was better than the ones at Waikiki because of the less crowded beach and excellent instructors. Thank you!! read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

Surfing has been on my bucket list forever and taking my first lesson with this company surpassed my expectations. Setting up the lesson was super easy and our instructor Aina was amazing. He was patient, chill, and easy to talk to while we were waiting for good waves. Other instructors from another school (that I won't be rude enough to name in this review) were teaching nearby and seemed to be loudly barking instructions to their students. Our instructor offered suggestions each time we went out without shouting at us like we were NFL players. I think this school is maybe just a tad more expensive than other places but it was totally worth it to have an epic experience in Hawaii and stand up on a wave even though I'd never touched a surfboard before. Totally recommend these guys! read more

Uncle Bryan was AMAZING!!!!! He was the sweetest and brought all of us flowers to wear in our hair that he picked from his own home. He showed us the boards and they worked perfectly! It was an amazing experience and his hospitality made it 100000x more enjoyable! When we called him he met us at the beach quickly and got us our boards and on the water in no time. When we left he hugged us and it just felt like we were part of his own family. I have never met a business owner that has welcomed and helped his clients as much as Uncle Bryan. He is the absolute definition of the aloha spirit. I would recommend him without hesitation. If you are looking for an amazing experience, great pricing and the aloha experience he is your guy!!!! read more

We put our 2 novice surfer teenagers here today and they LOVED it. Michael, their instructor, was super supportive, gentle, persistent, professional--everything we (and they) had hoped for. This is apparently the oldest surf school on the island, and they do it right. We did have a little confusion over where to meet--ended up at Haleiwa Beach instead of Chun's Reef due to a low tide, but we found our way and it was all good after that. Unexpected plus: they take great pics, right out on the water--which, of course, made it easy for our kids to share with their family & friends on social media. We actually loved it so much, we're now thinking of booking a second day. Time for Mom & Dad to try SUP! read more

Sunset Suratt Surf School - Perfect waves, warm water, and great coaches made for a super-successful day! - Surf Schools Near Me - Haleiwa, Hawaii

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Uncle Bryan Suratt Surf School is the best! My 11 year old son, with no prior experience had an awesome experience! Will definitely return!

I think we would have loved our experience with Sunset Suratt had it not been for one of our instructors who was not particularly nice. The way it's set up is you wait with one instructor near the shore. This guy happened to be Uncle Bryan's son, and he was super nice. From there he directs you out to the other instructor who is out helping people catch waves. This kid was not nice. He more than once yelled at me and my fiance for committing errors. Look dude we're from Chicago - we're going to make beginner's errors. Calmly tell us what we did wrong and we won't make the same mistake. Yelling, "What do you think you're doing?!?!" when we don't even realize we're making a mistake is not helpful at all. Yes, we got up, but more because of Uncle Bryan's son than this other kid. We ended up doing another lesson a few days later with Buttons and they were MUCH better. read more

I'm so glad I made the drive from Waikiki to take a surf lesson at the North Shore! The waves at the North Shore are so much better, plus it's less crowded and the scenery is more beautiful as well. Lisa's warmth and helpfulness on the phone convinced me to choose Sunset Suraff Surf Schools over others in the area. The lesson cost $80/2 hours, all-inclusive with rash guard and board. I was the only one at that time so even though I paid the group rate, I ended up getting a 1-on-1 private lesson. I met up with my surf instructor, Conor, who was one of the coolest and sweetest guys my sisters and I met on our entire trip to Oahu. He was patient and detailed in his instruction and the lesson I received from him was SO much more involved and helpful than in previous lessons I'd taken in Santa Monica. Plus... I STOOD UP!! I STOOD UP AND SURFED!!!! It was beyond awesome. I kept veering right for some reason but I stood up at least 10 times, surfed various waves in and finished the lesson feeling happy and accomplished. Conor was encouraging, inspiring, welcoming and super chill. He provided my sisters and I with one of our favorite and most memorable experiences during our entire trip... I want to keep surfing and get even better so hopefully I can hold my own in bigger surf the next time I return to the islands. Thanks for everything Conor, you're the best! read more

Amazing lesson yesterday! I highly recommend taking a lesson with Uncle Bryan and his whole team of pros. My friend was in town visiting and wanted to take a lesson. I had taken one other lesson a few months back with a different surf "school" and wanted to try another company. Wow was this experience above and beyond what I could imagine! Super professional, very attentive, fun, and above all made us feel extremely safe. (which was not really the case with my last experience) I am already itching to go out again with them, I keep thinking about it. Very good for the whole family, even the little ones. I am in the process of teaching my 4 year old how to swim and once that is complete I will be taking her out with these guys. Seriously the best surf school on Oahu...hands down! (We got the video and photos offered with the session and I will post some once I receive them.) read more

HO - LEE SMOKES. what a Wonderful experience! I had originally called another "highly rated" place to try to make reservations for surf lessons while on Oahu... thank *goodness* they didn't call me back. I went to the next one on the list, Sunset Surratt Surf School who was just down the street from where I was. We showed up, were introduced to Sunny Garcia (seriously. look him up. he was our SURF INSTRUCTOR.) and in mere minutes were suited up and ready for our 2 hour lesson. It was just my husband and me, and another family that wanted their two boys to surf there, which seemed reasonable for one instructor, but no. Uncle Bryan (the awesome owner) called another instructor so that we could have an even more private, customized experience. So after our quick on-land exercises, we were off into the water for our lesson. And I stood up ---- several times ---- probably on my third try! Sure the boards are giant, but that just makes your first trip fun b/c you're able to stand up almost every time!! Surfing is tough. The actual surfing is ok, but the paddling. man. Sunny was awesome. After a successful wave, I would be paddling my darndest to get back out for the next one - on several occasions he'd paddle in to me, put his foot on my board, and tow me back out b/c dang, paddling is tough! What service! Also, there were sea turtles everywhere which kinda freaked me out at first - like I was going to hit one, or get my toe bitten while paddling... Sunny really calmed that strange fear I developed. Turtles really are pretty mellow :) They are serious when they say put sunscreen on the back of your legs. I'm not sure what else I could have done b/c I think just the act of repeatedly squatting/standing/surfing/paddling/sitting/etc. just rubbed the heck out of the sunscreen that I applied, but I had Painful burns on the backs of my legs. painful. but if you have any ideas for better protection, use them. Oh yeah, and we saw the other instructors that didn't call me back -- the girls don't even know how to surf. they just tread water and tell you what to do. Probably okay for beginners, but if you are looking for more advanced help, I'd think an actual surfer would be better. And they weren't really great about their surfing etiquette... positioning themselves and their students in front of us. The photographer that took photos was great. I got the impression that he wasn't really "with" Sunset Surratt, but nonetheless, I wanted photo documentation, and it was reasonable enough of a price to pay. He's got a great gig. read more

UNCLE BRYAN is amazing! He is so friendly, caring and funny! He is my must go-to person to visit and rent boards in the north shore. I am a frequent visitor to Oahu, I have rented stand up paddleboards from Uncle Bryan twice now (a year ago and just recently two 2 weeks). Every time I see Uncle Bryan, he gives me and my guests a heartwarming welcome. I know he didn't remember me when I visited him a couple of weeks ago (because I'm sure he meets so many visitors a day), but I mentioned how I rented from him before. Then, I asked how his family is doing and if he had any new fishing adventures. After that, he would give me a big smile and talk stories with me for a little bit. His daughter was there too, so he introduced me to her and the rest of his staff. I was in no rush to rent the boards right away. I wanted to hear how Uncle Bryan was doing because I enjoyed having conversations with him. In regards to rentals, Uncle Bryan offers the best prices. It's $20/hour or $40 for half a day. AND there is no deposit fee like other rentals requires. So treat his boards with lots of respect! This time around I had 3 guests with me. I am an experienced paddleboarder; however, this was the first for 2 of my guests. Therefore, Uncle Bryan gave us the safety guidelines and quick SUP 101. After that, Uncle Bryan told us to have fun and he gave me a great big hug. My guests and I were on our way to the waters with the stand up paddleboards, and I gave my crew a nice river tour between the jetties near by. We paid for $40 for half of the day because it was a group decision so I assumed that my crew wanted to paddleboard for awhile. However, two of my guests returned back to the beach and returned the boards after an hour! I was kinda frustrated about that since we had the boards for a few hours. If I knew my guests were going return the boards so early, I would have paid for $20/hour. Uncle Bryan overheard my conversation with them, and he can sense I was getting a bit upset. I went to him and told him that my guests wanted to check out Waimea Bay and Valley, and I thanked him for letting us rent the boards. Uncle Bryan said that we can come back anytime later that day (if we are done with Waimea early) and he'll have our boards ready for us if we decide to paddleboard more since we paid for the half day. That was so sweet of him to offer us that! So now you know why I always visit Uncle Bryan when I come to the north shore. He treats his customers like family with kindness, generosity and outgoing personality. Plus, he is a wonderful guy to talk stories with. read more

Such a fun experience! My husband and I have never surfed so we had no idea what to expect. The initial tutorial was quick and then into the water we went. We both caught a lot of waves. Lots of fun! Our instructor, Heath, was great. read more