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Subscribe and get a free lessonBeginner training plan
Your first lessonHow do I approach the first lesson with a beginner?
If you’re a true beginner, we’re both going to have a blast. Every lesson is shaped by the conditions we get that day—wind, swell, tide—so we stay flexible and focus on maximum fun with minimum frustration.
We’ll start on the beach with a quick safety briefing (rip currents, surf etiquette, how to handle your board in the water) and some dry-land drills so you feel confident before we even get wet. Then we head into the whitewater for your first real rides. The goals are simple: get you some watertime on a surfboard. In order to make that happen we'll first learn basics of walking that board into the water, navigating the shallows, doing laps out into the white water and catching it back in. Santa Cruz is famous for it's perfect waves that can be great for beginners to learn on, but those waves are crowded, and if you want to surf them you can hire one of the established surf schools in the area. If you'd like to work with me, we'll go south of town to where there are small and safe beachbreak waves. The extra wave action is more difficult to deal with, but by focusing on safety and basics we'll be able to have fun with it, and possibly even get you standing up on a wave.
Along the way I’ll share insights about surfing that are handy and interesting—like how to read the ocean, why certain waves are better, philosophies, tactics, training methods etc. By the end of the lesson you’ll have a clear roadmap for your own surfing journey and what to practice next.
Standard drill for this stage: The 3-Point Pop-Up. We practice on the sand first (knees to feet in one smooth motion), then take it into the whitewater. It builds muscle memory fast so you’re not thinking about your feet when the wave actually comes.
What you need to bringYou'll need a surfboard and a wetsuit. I'm happy to chat with you about specifics so if you have any questions send me a message. There are a number of great rental shops in town, also it's great to have a mat to place on the ground for when you're changing into and out of your wetsuit.
