Nice guy and was very patient! Passed my test with ease. I was a little anxious but he was supportive as heck.

Best Driving School by far! Mark's patience, expert training skills behind the wheel and ability to instill confidence is priceless. Our daughter was nervous and unsure of herself to start. From her first lesson, her perspective and awareness on the road was completely transformed. She looked forward to each session, knowing it would get her to where she wanted to be. She passed her test on the first try with complete ease. The examiner from the DMV told her "Doesn't surprise me, you had the best training!" And wrote "Nice drive!" on her test. read more

We decided to use Surf Check Driving school and had a wonderful experience. Mark was friendly and inviting and allowed my so to get comfortable driving while teaching him the rules of the road. he became an excellent driver and passed his driving tests on the first try with a perfect score. I simply can't recommend his services enough!!! read more

Fantastic experience! I have no idea what the other reviewers were talking about. My kid tends to be anxious and especially was nervous about a male instructor but was so happy with this driving school. Relaxed, knowledgeable, timely, fun, and my kid felt comfortable immediately and.... passed the driving test with flying colors! read more

Oh. My. Gosh. Mark and Surf Check Driving School are out of this world amazing. I just finished up my first lesson with Mark - I am truly blown away. I am an adult driver, who moved from New York City to Santa Cruz. I have terrible anxiety about driving, having never grown up in cars, or driving windy roads. Before Surf Check, I had driven probably total like fifteen (15) times. I got my learners permit at the DMV via written test, but I never had any formal instruction. I dreaded getting behind the wheel - it felt risky and unsafe, without the proper guidance/instruction in the passenger seat. Mark did more for my driving and my confidence in one hour than the cumulative total of all my previous driving experiences. He was patient and kind, but also firm and knowledgeable. He was full of tips, tricks, and mnemonic devices. I felt so comfortable with him by my side - it helped a lot that he had a brake as well, which was helpful at a tricky intersection. Mark's coaching was truly on point, with plenty of corrections, but also positive feedback on improvements in real time. Mark - thank you so much for taking a chance on a rookie adult driver, with a desire to get better, but almost no skill. I am so grateful for you getting me on track to achieve my goal of getting a driver's license! read more

Highly recommend. Both my son and daughter had an excellent experience. I have been recommending to our friends for years.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little suspicious of the driving school being a scam as the website reported that there was no way to create a new appointment. After calling Mark, everything was cleared up and he explained to me that there's a shortage of licensed instructors and their schedules were pretty packed. My overall experience was positive. Mark was on time, kind, and did a great job of giving me clear instructions. We also went over exactly what the dmv behind the wheel test will be looking for, and told me what sort of mistakes to look out for. Thank you Mark for helping me out to become a more experienced driver! I would recommend this to anyone that feels a little shaky about taking the drivers test or is just learning how to drive. read more

I had one lesson with him and he didn't seem all that thrilled with me having very little driving experience , was very impatient and anxious, like he forgot he had a pedal to brake with himself , would give me conflicting directions and wasn't a fan of repeating himself. if you have experience behind the wheel ,he would be an alright teacher ,but I don't recommend him to newbies at all. read more

Surf Check Driving School is great! Mark offers valuable, situational instruction that helped my daughter transition into permitted driving and prepare for the drivers test. It was reassuring that after each lesson, my daughter's confidence grew as she became more comfortable behind the wheel. Mark is clear with scheduling and helpful when conflicts arose. read more

Mark is a great tutor and I had a very good experience learning from him. He was very patient, approachable and patiently answered all my questions well. He knew the routes well which helped me during my exam as i was made to drive on one of the routes Mark made me practice several times. Having failed the test once before, i passed this one so all thanks to Mark. read more

Don't bother with these guys. Terrible customer service, they don't answer phones and there is no information on who their drivers are, if they've done background checks and are bonded. The company doesn't seem too interested in providing that information, instead providing one or two word replies to questions and then saying "call us, you'll find our # on our website" - doesn't give a number, that would be too nice. Then you call and get a vm anyway. You don't need to spend money just to get crappy attitude from these jokers. Good news is they're not the only game in town & I wouldn't work with anyone who wants to work with teens, yet WON'T provide info on who their drivers are. read more

Very responsive and professional. Always on time. I never had any trouble getting in touch with the owner. He worked well with my students. I highly recommend Surf Check. read more

I can't thank Mark enough for helping our son Jay learn to drive. He was not only thoughtful, reliable and professional he also had a sense of humor. Jay always felt comfortable driving with Mark and I'm proud to say he passed his driver's test with flying colors on Friday. Thanks Mark and Surf Check, cannot recommend highly enough! read more

My daughter passed her driving test today and i owe a huge thank you to Mark. He taught her everything she needed. Mark was always a pleasure to work with. Always accommodating with our schedule and my daughter loved driving with him. I couldn't recommend Surf Check and Mark more. Thank you!! read more

My daughter had an excellent experience having Mark as her driving instructor. He taught her everything she needed to know to pass her test. I highly recommend his lessons. read more