What a blast! I chose Big Wave Dave's based on the reviews and the choice was spot on. John Paul was easy to work with and guided us novices through everything! Easy peasy. Took a guy out who never really went in the ocean, and I think we won't ever get him out after this experience! The feeling once you know you caught that wave is exhilarating. John Paul's guidance made sure we caught every wave! Highly recommend read more

Do not buy their Groupon, it has blackout dates that include most of the year. Better off looming somewhere else for a good deal on surface lessons. read more

Their group-on is a scam, read the print on the application, bad customer service. SCAM SCAM SCAM!! read more

We took a surfing lesson with Peter-- he was great! He made sure that we caught so many waves. Definitely recommend, everyone was super nice! read more

Amazing class! Worth every penny. It's not a tent on the beach - it's a storefront coffee shop on Lewer's street. The guys help you out and it's not in deep water. Recommended for sure! read more

Big Wave Dave - Helpful website - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We are staying at the embassy suites and they are on the first floor, convenience for coffee super early in the morning and surf access to Pops surf break. read more

See all

Single rider waitlist via text, you can only book online if you meet a minimum of 2-4 people per party, minimum 4 for the whole canoe. Big Wave Dave and sister company Pacific Island Beach Boys operate this Outrigger Canoe experience. I was able to text message them to get on the waitlist for a single rider on a Wednesday, and got a slot on Friday afternoon that worked for my schedule. Payment info provided over the phone, confirmation via e-mail. Note this is not located at the Big Dave Coffee and rental surf shop on Lewers, just go straight to the boat. Look for the check-in spot at the Outrigger Canoe at the scheduled time....you can find the boat (it's tan & white) on the water's edge. An easy landmark, it sits behind the famous Duke Statue on Waikiki Beach (across the street from the Hyatt Regency Hotel). The captain will meet you at the Canoe. There were two other groups of 2 people, so 5 of us plus 2 co-captains. There was an umbrella attendant on the beach, storage for personal belongings at the location is at your own risk. I walked in since it was super close to my accommodations, but set aside extra time to park and walk if you're driving in. Parking suggestions provided by Big Dave: Valet at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki, International Marketplace, Waikiki Shell, Honolulu Zoo, metered street parking. The two guides demonstrated how to best paddle, enter/exit the boat, and assigned role crew seating in the canoe based on size and strength. We all worked together to push out the canoe into the water, hopped into our spots, and listened to the captains! We paddled as a team through the shallows and other swimmers/surfers to the surf break, and the captains would observe/read the waves and set us up in the best position to catch them. I'd say, within the half hour 2:45-3:15PM, we attempted 5 waves, and succeeded at riding 4 of them! Dig in as fast as you could, then paddles up (even standing up if you wanted) to ride the wave in back toward the shore. No life vests required. Paddle hard! Matching boat speed with the speed of the wave is key, and it's essential not to lose momentum. The more these speeds match, the more the wave will propel your boat, and you want to milk the wave as long as possible. The feeling is exhilarating! I guarantee you'll want to do it again and again just to get that same rush from this one-of-a-kind adventure. This was very fun. I've never surfed or paddleboarded before, although I have done sea kayaking, whitewater rafting, parasail, jetski, snorkel, and scuba. We even saw a sea turtle! No photos or videos provided. Not sure if bringing your phone in a waterproof pouch would be helpful as you do have your hands full focusing on paddling. read more

See all

Signed up our kids for surf lessons in the early morning about 8ish. Their group was small -total of 3 people. Keawe was their instructor. He did great instructing and helping everyone to be successful on the water. Our kids had nothing but great things to say. The pictures that we choose to purchase from Waikiki Betty Media were amazing. Memories to cherish for a long time. Mahalo! read more

See all

My husband and I very much enjoyed our surf lesson with Derek! He was super helpful in providing us with all the tips and making it a fun experience for us both. We would definitely recommend these surf lessons with Derek to everyone. read more

Big Wave Dave - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I took my grandson who is 4, for a private lesson while the other kids we were with had a group lesson. I was a little hesitant that he would feel comfortable in the water solo with his instructor Josh. Josh was amazing!! He stepped right in and made him feel right at ease! Josh got my grandson up surfing after a few try's. Amazing time!!! Thank you Josh!! read more

Surfed for the first time with the crew at Big Wave Dave last week and had a blast. I was able to stand up on my first run. The team was friendly and supportive. I'll definitely be back. read more

Instructor was on drugs clearly drunk and never gave instructions tried to hit on girls and left after 30 minutes talking about cocaine The place reeks of pot so unless you want your teenager to be exposed to people like this and you're OK with the instructors being on drugs I don't go here Our hotel Moana, Surf told me they never use this operation and that they just took over from another place I wish I asked before exposing my son Cody surf instructor read more

My son had a surfing lesson with JR yesterday. He was very patient and explaining everything. My son had a blast and was able to catch several waves because of his great teacher! Thank you JR! read more

Delicious pizza, açaí bowls, crepes (even a gluten free option) and coffee, served with a nice amount of aloha. Didn't have time to do any surf lessons but given the personable staff, I'd try to do that next time we're in the area. The shop has some attractive swimwear and other beachy stuff. read more

Very fun surfing lesson with nice instructors. The view was very nice and the pictures and photographer were amazing.

The service was friendly and wonderful. The food was delicious and oh that coffee. Entire experience was perfect! Even the day the power was out in the area, they did what they could to stay open and serve with a smile read more

So my husband and I wanted to try surfing. Ok, it was me, but made him come along. We did a semi private lesson with Walaka (so sorry if I have that wrong, please correct me if so, I'll fix it!) and he was great. A good pre-lesson at the shop and he was super kind and helpful. I even caught a wave fairly quickly when we got out onto the water, even if I didn't stand all the way up. It still counts!!!! He was super encouraging to me and really helpful with my husband whose ears don't work well enough to hear anything Wanaka was saying. As I should have expected, I got seasick and he was so incredibly helpful despite my dying on my board in all the waves. He even got me on another wave before I really couldn't do it anymore, and I was able to stand up and ride the wave. Yaaassss! Granted I threw up afterwards and Walaka had to tow me in but he helped get me back to solid land and was really great about it. A million stars to him and a good experience with Big Wave Dave despite my almost dying ;) read more

Big Wave Dave - Practicing standing up. - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

We went on the outrigger ride with my grandkids my daughter, wife & myself kids 4yrs 8yrs and they loved it but my wife 73yrs was giddy. The guys on the boat were the best, helping my wife in & out of the outrigger with all instructions for a safe & fun ride. Totally will do it again Thanks for a great time! read more

This 3-star rating has nothing to do with the outrigger canoe experience. As a matter of fact, the Beach Boys (our guides) were great and definitely made the whole canoeing, riding the waves, an experience we will never forget. However, we were promised, and even called to confirm prior to booking, that all 8 of us in our party can go together on one boat. When we got to the beach, we were told that wasn't the case. We had to split the group in half which wasn't bad but not what we were promised. Even the website indicated that the canoe was available up to 8. What's not indicated was 8 passengers included the 2 guides. Again, even when we confirmed, we were promised something different. Also, my advice for those who have booked the outrigger adventure, make sure you check-in at the coffee shop location 20 minutes before your appointment time. It takes about 10 to 15 mins to walk to the beach. read more

Big Wave Dave - Expect to see awesome views of Waikiki on the canoe. - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Great experience for my son. Instructor was awesome and really made it a fun time. Highly recommend

I bought a "Big Dave's favorite" acai bowl big chunks of ice in it paid extra dollar for extra granola I didn't get it. I also bought a pina colada smoothie it had no flavor of coconut more of a stale taste. We also got a bagel sandwich called the beach boy bagel and it sucked. Girl behind the counter had zero personality. Stick to surfing Dave!! read more

Big Wave Dave - Ice chunks in acai bowl - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This place is off the hook amazing!!!! Great people with amazing attitudes. They taught my Sons to surf 11 years apart. Mahalo Alika for teach my little one and my middle son in 2013. Mahalo !!!!! Book your lessons today!!! read more

Mostly good experience ruined by inattentive instructor The good: We did a group class, which split everyone into smaller groups. Our instructor, Isaac was excellent, extremely attentive, incredibly kind, receptive to comments about being nervous (first time trying surfing) and did everything to ensure we were very comfortable and felt safe. Isaac was very concerned about our safety. He had us lined up so the chance of us knocking into each other or getting injured was lessened. If he noticed we looked tired, he would help us paddle. Very communicative and attentive. He went above and beyond and I would feel very comfortable doing another class with him. Isaac 10/10 The context and accident: One member of our group started feeling very seasick. We alerted Isaac and he immediately brought her to shore and ensured she was okay. He signaled to another instructor (name started with "Sh", can't recall it, not wearing a wet suit, only swim trunks and sunglasses) with only two students (note: Isaac was very attentively looking after 5 of us) to look after us while he took our sea-sick friend back to shore. This guy wasn't very attentive. He didn't communicate with us. He didn't line us up like Isaac, he kind of just left us on our own. As first timers, this gave me a lot of anxiety. A huge wave came and because he didn't line us up or communicate with us, someones board smashed me in the back of the head, I went under the water got smashed again and my lip was bleeding and my jaw was bruised. "Sh" instructor didn't seem to notice. After recovering from the shock, I paddled over and asked him to bring me to the shore as I was hurt and bleeding. He said I wasn't bleeding too much and started paddling me back. But after a while of shoving my surf board a bit, I noticed he was gone and he just yelled for me to paddle on my own. I was in shock from the hit and starting to get a terrible headache worried I had a concussion. I then spotted Isaac, he had finished bringing my friend to shore and was paddling like hell to get back to our group. I called out to him and he immediately came to me, asked if I was okay and held onto my board and paddled me all the way back to shore. He was very kind and sympathetic, sat with me, made sure I was okay, asked if I wanted to go back to the shop to get my stuff. He even walked us all the way back to the shop and monitored if we were okay. Again Isaac was amazing and if he was out there with us at that time, I don't think the accident would have happened. Instructors are hit or miss. Isaac was truly excellent and that other "Sh" instructor was inattentive and uncaring. Now nursing a bruised lip and jaw, and major headache. read more

Ok so it's a partial 1 star partial 5 star deal. The lady who checks you in has the absolute poorest attitude, incredibly rude and condescending. However, the actual surf instructor (Nobi) was an absolute 10/10. I'd absolutely book with him again. He's kind, patient, helpful, and just over all a great instructor. read more

Ono iced latte!!! that is all you need to know lol... Thankfully this place was outside my hotel and I was able to come here throughout my stay. The staff was super friendly and knew a lot of the locals, which made me feel very welcomed upon walking in, just seeing everyone talking and laughing. I got the Ono iced latte and a slice of the local banana bread and let me just say this was by far the best banana bread I've ever had. You can also sign up for surfing lessons here which I thought was pretty cool to see all the surf gear behind the coffee area. Don't skip out on a good morning latte. read more

Big Wave Dave - Ono iced latte - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

My son went out this morning. Had an incredible time. 1 on 1 lesson. Very easy booking, check-in, and appointment. His instructor was thorough. Professional and knowledgeable. Will definitely use them again. read more

Big Wave Dave - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

cute. delicious. has oat milk! although our service was a little bit slow, the food and coffee was spot on. i'll be back tomorrow!!! read more

I do not recommend this place. The owner is incredibly rude and it's apparent the staff follows her lead. I highly recommend going to Hawai'i surf guru instead. Read the reviews and see how the owner responds. Go to Hawaii's surf guru reviews and see the owners responds, what a difference. That should be enough to make you think twice before booking with this place. Unbelievable. If I could give negative reviews for Krystal and staff I would. Edit to add that I've already responded to this owner so his response is comical. Perhaps I'll post his "threat" to get me to respond to his message. Sorry Dave- I'm not on my email every second and it takes me a day or two to respond. Perhaps you should work on customer service skills vs living by the screen. Mahalo. read more

Big Wave Dave personally assisted me in getting the board I wanted, and helping me with a locker to store my stuff, as I was not with anyone who could hold my stuff. He even let me swap out my first choice board when I saw the waves wouldn't be right for my first choice. He and his team were incredibly nice and helpful. Spectacular and incredibly affordable! Best place to rent a board! read more

Excellent for cafe food and surfing lessons!m were great! Everyone got up on the board!

this place is AWESOME!!! I had never surfed before, so i was really nervous about doing this. the indoor board technique lesson helped a ton before we hit the waves. i felt so encouraged the entire time and ended up being able to catch lots of waves. these folks are patient! and extremely experienced. your first time doing anything can really shape how you feel about it! i'm so thankful this was such a positive experience and made me love the sport so much. bonus you get the free coffee at the end! lovely! read more

Big Wave Dave - free coffee, surf boards, happy day - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Store literally has everything needed and the staff are amazing. I lost my phone at the shop and the manager came out to help me find it.

We wanted to try out some surfing lessons, so we went to Yelp and found this gem. Our instructor, Peter, was the best instructor ever! He was very knowledgeable (an ex-pro surfer from the North Shore) surfer himself and taught us the quick on land surfing basics and got us into the water quick to start learning. My friend and I did the private class for 2 people and it was the best move. When learning surfing, it's wise to start with a private session so you can learn more and get more waves quickly. Peter was hilarious, fun to be with, and made the experience memorable! Also, the fellow I instructors in the water give us such great vibes while learning (specifically Chris). Chris is the shit! We will be back! read more

Big Wave Dave - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Let me just say, it was my first time surfing ever! And i enjoyed it! I don't write reviews often, but they deserve one. Big Wave Dave is really easy to find driving or walking. I have walked there and got dropped off there. It is really close to Waikiki Beach. If you are staying on the strip of Waikiki and want to do surfing or other activities I highly recommend Big Wave Dave. I personally cannot speak on equipment since I just started surfing and I didn't rent any paddle boards etc. But their shop is really cute and comfy and open. They have lots of Big Wave Dave merchandise such as clothing/swim gear you can use while you stay in Waikiki. I personally didn't buy one but I wish I did! Their shop also has like a little brunch bar, just for some convenient breakfasts such as acai bowls, smoothies, coffees, etc. I do recommend the Mad Mango Smoothie after your activities! Mad Mango Smoothie was delicious. The staff was awesome! They were one of my favorite people when I stayed in Waikiki. I was able to surf with the Big Wave Dave team twice! Because I enjoyed it the first time. I met Krystal, currently she is handling the front of the shop such as booking lessons, equipment, and appointments. She's really kind and super sweet and she was the first to help me get situated along with Kini! Kini is one of the younger girls working there who also helped me get situated when checking in for my lessons. Kini is super nice and she makes you feel like a friend. There's also an older man there that helps you pick out your equipment, your boards, and tells you what they have available to rent, and leads you to the lockers (I forgot his name, Tory? not sure), but he's hardworking and he's kind! He checked up on me a couple times to ask how my surfing lessons went and reminded me to have fun! I did two private surfing lessons. I highly recommend doing private lessons especially if you are not an experienced surfer and you may be a little uncomfortable with the waves. Plus you get to really learn and get some constructive criticism in the 1.5hour lessons. I chose the private lessons because I really wanted to learn it right and safely, I was also scared. I also chose Big Wave Dave cause they offered a better price for private lessons of surfing for 1.5hrs compared to other places. 1.5hours was more than enough in private lessons! I learned a lot, paddled A LOT, and I also was able to get some ride some great waves! The first surfing lesson I received was from Alika! Loved him! Awesome! He was really kind, super chill, and makes you feel comfortable in the water. You will definitely ride a lot of waves with Alika! Alika is also straightforward and keeps things light and simple. He also told me when to paddle in, when to stand up, and just reminding where to look as I was riding the wave. Alika didn't have to, but he came to me every time I fell into the water/off my board and helped me get back out there to catch more waves! The second surfing lesson I received was from Lee! Great instructor/teacher! Lee is also really kind and gives you so much feedback! Lee is so knowledgable which makes you feel safe and comfortable. He also helped me get back out there when I fell off my board or got hit by some waves! He gives you some ocean knowledge and how to look for waves to ride. At this point he was adding and building off of what Alika has taught me and just giving me more information on surfing! If you ask for any constructive criticism, he delivers his criticism with so much kindness. If you have any questions for him he kindly answers them. **Please keep in mind that being a beginner surfer I also fell a lot and that is expected and got hit with waves, lol. Everyone is really different their first time. I am not a great swimmer, or super fit, and really have no experience, or any ocean knowledge. Where they take you is not super deep, water is to/above my chest, I am about 5'4. I believe you can rent life jackets. **tips: rent a rash guard, buy a surf/spring wetsuit, although you're only out there for 1.5hr, the sun is still nice and high. I did my private lessons in the morning and was getting some good tan lines, lol. If you burn or tan easily get one! **I cannot personally speak on the group lessons, but Big Wave Dave can get busy when they have their scheduled group lessons because they are trying to get everyone situated to the best of their ability. **The only thing I am sad about is during this time of the pandemic they are unable to take photos or videos of you surfing due to short staff. So I was not able to have any videos or photos taken of me while out in the waters. I wish I was able to capture my first time. Overall, I had such a positive experience, and I don't ever wanna surf with another team other than the Big Wave Dave team! Super blessed to be able to experience it with them! Mahalo Nui Loa! ‍ read more

Big Wave Dave - Paddleboarding Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

See all

BWD's seems like it could be a decent place. Services make sense and the shop is nice. Both of my interactions with them however, were negative. Surfing - We signed up for a group lesson at BWD's, for our kids. It was suppose to be 1.5 hours and seemed like the best way for them to experience surfing. The lesson ended after an hour though and the kids complained the instructor was confusing and they never caught a wave -- just paddling the whole time. I couldn't even get the kids to try surfing with me afterwards, because they didnt like it. Coffee - The lessons also came with a free coffee coupon. After waiting in line for 15 mins, I tried to use it but they were out of all milk except whole milk or plant-based . Didnt want whole milk and it was $1 addt'l charge for plant-based (even for a 2oz cortado!) and so the coupon was no longer sufficient. I ended up walking away out of annoyance. read more

Never EVER rent a paddle board for two hours From this business. They are several blocks from the water and do not help you get equipment to or From the water. They were very unorganized and did not have our reservation on their books. When we then tried to cancel and get a refund the Blonde BI _ CH behind the desk screamed at us and said no way. Please do us a favor honey and never come to Florida as you mentioned, none of the 23 million good people of Florida deserve YOU. . On a positive note, Lloyd was very kind like all the other folks We met n Oahu. To the owner, I hope this review will be taken seriously by others, and it was worth it for the lousy $150 you would not return to me and my Family. Aloha and please pray for those folks in Maui!! read more

The outrigger canoe surfing with the Big Wave Dave crew is the BOMB. They are so much fun and absolutely masterful at navigating the canoe between surfers and snorkelers, even on a busy Saturday. This was one of the highlights of our trip, highly recommend - be sure to bring cash to tip your guides. read more

Believe the bad reviews people! They are true! Dave, the owner, is horrible and rude. You may be lucky to not need to ever deal with him, but if you are unlucky like us, you will be mind blown by the worst customer service experience you will ever receive in your life. He will literally yell at you, not let you talk by talking over you, and hang up after he is done yelling when all you did was trying to provide feedback about a bad surfing class experience politely and kindly. The surfing class was not good, I had taken a few different ones while I was on the island, and Big Wave Dave hands down was the worst one. The instructor showed up late, he didn't seem to want to teach, and the class was cut short by 1/3 - 1/2 of the time. As bad as the surfing class was, Dave was significantly worse. If it was a bad surfing class experience alone, I wouldn't be posting this review, maybe the instructor was having a bad day. read more

Mixed review; we traveled to Hawaii to celebrate our son's graduation from college and, while there, he had a great surfing lesson with Big Wave Dave staff. I, however, stayed back in their coffee area and overheard their Summer staff being trained; overall message was - tell the customer(s) anything they want to hear. Sad read more

I can't recommend this spot enough! I've been to Hawaii 5times and finally decided/ realized that's too much without a surf lesson. The coffee / surf shop is chill and friendly. I was in a group class but got expert attention. I got up on the board every time thanks to the great instructions. This is the place to pick to learn to surf and complete your Hawaii trip read more