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Surf Lessons in the Bay Area: San Francisco & Santa Cruz

Itinerary
One-Day Surf Clinic
Guide(s)
Adventure Out
Trip options
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Booking for a group?
Reserve spots for 5 or more people, and get $3 off for each

Add-ons

You can take these surf lessons either at Cowells Beach (near the Municipal Wharf) in Santa Cruz or at Linda Mar Beach (near the corner of Crespi Blvd and Highway 1 in Pacifica) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check the box below for your preferred location.

Your instructors can provide you with a surfboard and a swimsuit (though feel free to bring your own if you have it). Booties are also provided at the Pacifica Beach, but not at Cowells Beach. Let us know down below what you need.

Surf Lessons in the Bay Area: San Francisco & Santa Cruz
Itinerary
One-Day Surf Clinic
People
1 Person
Date(s)
--
Duration
1 day
Guide(s)
Adventure Out

  • Head to the Pacifica Beach in San Francisco or Cowells Beach in Santa Cruz and give surfing a shot! This one-day surfing class is ideal for total beginners, about 2.5 hours long, and includes both theory and practice. You’ll have top-notch instructors, the only surf school NSSIA accredited in the Bay Area, and they’ll make sure to create a fun and supportive environment for all participants. After being given an overview of the ocean, etiquette, techniques, and safety, you’ll move into the water. If you’re not a total beginner, but more of an “advanced” beginner, we still recommend this class—it’s all about practice, especially alongside expert instructors!

    • Regardless of what location you choose for your surf lessons—San Francisco or Santa Cruz—you will begin with a land-lesson to learn about ocean awareness, wave breaks, ocean conditions, safety in and out of the water, wave etiquette, paddling, push up and pop up techniques, as well as riding waves and balancing.

      After a theory overview, you’ll move into the water and start out in shallow areas riding the whitewater until you’re comfortable with venturing further out. Please keep in mind that your instructors are all CPR/First-Aid and lifeguard certified!

      You can expect approximately 1.5-2 hours of water time in a 2.5-hour lesson—the start of the class does have some “setup” time built-in to get people suited up and down on to the beach, and the land lesson can take about 30 minutes.

      After surfing, you will get you out of the water in time to make it back to the parking lot by the “end time” of the class so that you have appropriate expectations of the class schedule.

      Surfer in the Bay Area

    • What you get on this adventure:

        • Supportive, expert, lifeguard-certified instructors
        • Surfing lessons in San Francisco or Santa Cruz (one-day or two-day surf clinic — 2.5 hours of lessons each day)
        • All necessary gear — if you have your own, you’re welcome to bring them
          • Wetsuit (if you’re bringing your own, it should be at least 4/3 mm)
          • Surfboard
          • Booties (supplied at the Pacifica location in San Francisco, not supplied at the Santa Cruz location)

      What’s not included:

        • Transportation to the starting point
        • Accommodations
        • Meals
        • Guide gratuities — optional
        • Travel and medical insurance — optional

    • No surfing experience necessary! Surfing lessons in San Francisco and Santa Cruz are ideal for total beginners through “advanced beginners”, so it’s also a great class to repeat several times. In fact, your instructors say that their most successful students have taken this class several times before moving onto private intermediate lessons.

      You must have basic swimming skills to take this class. While you do not need to be an expert swimmer, you should have the ability to make it across the length of a swimming pool and treat water for 10-15 seconds unassisted.

    • Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:

        • Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 25-40L bag)
        • Swimsuit
        • Booties (provided at the Pacifica location, not provided in Santa Cruz) — rental available
        • Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
        • Towel
        • Sunscreen and lip balm with SPF
        • Snacks
        • Sunhat
        • Sunglasses

    • Group sizes and pricing

        • For these surfing lessons in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, the maximum client-to-guide ratio is 4:1.
        • It takes a minimum of 2 people for this tour to operate. If only one person signs up, they will be contacted in advance for a free reschedule or the opportunity to pay for an upgrade to a private lesson.
        • The overall group size may vary, though it will never exceed more than 4 students per instructor.

      Surfing lessons in San Francisco and Santa Cruz can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

      Please refrain from booking any tickets or accommodations until your surf class is confirmed. While you can choose the date that suits you best upon checkout, your instructors might reschedule the surf clinic for a day or two. They’ll let you know as soon as possible.

      Min. age requirements

        • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
        • Minors older than 13 are permitted to join surfing lessons in San Francisco and Santa Cruz on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

      If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

    • Your instructors offer surfing lessons in both Santa Cruz (Cowells Beach near the Municipal Wharf) and in the San Francisco Bay Area (Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica). If you’re flying in, the nearest airports are San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and San José Mineta International Airport (SJC).

    • We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both emergency medical and travel insurance.

      With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more. Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.

      We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!

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