Nothing like a day on the surf, especially when you have a phenomenal surf instructor. It's been a couple weeks since I returned from Hawaii so I can't remember his name but I do know that he was from Texas and one of the best instructors I've ever had. I had taken lessons the week before in Los Angeles to get ready but never really made it much up on the board. My instructor here actually showed me a much easier technique and I was up and riding in no time including several standing shots that made it worth buying the photos. The only drawback was that I wore a wetsuit in LA and no one told me about how torn up your skin gets without protection in a swimsuit so my legs were in bad pain for days after. Now that I'm healed I can't wait for my next surfing adventure! read more

Big Wave Dave - Me and my amazing surf instructor hanging loose! - Beach Equipment Rentals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I signed myself and my two little boys up for lessons based off a recommendation from a friend and I couldn't have been happier going with BWD. Troy was our instructor but Chris came along to make sure both my boys were safe. While having fun is why you go surfing, the guys at BWD put safety first which really put my mind at ease as my boys are still little. We had an absolute blast as the guys were super friendly and made us feel very comfortable. Alika was out on the waves as well with his group but he was always willing to give a push or some instruction if the other instructors were busy and he had some time to spare. I can't say enough how awesome all the guys were. I am definitely going back the next time I'm in Waikiki and have already recommended BWD to my friends. read more

Thank you Chris!! My daughter Paige loved surfing with you so much on Thursday that she was excited to surf with you again on Friday. This is saying a great deal as we are only in Hawaii for four days. We are lucky that we found Big Wave Dave! read more

Great first time surf lesson. Chris was a great instructor...fun, patient, helpful. Checking in process was a little confusing as they have a retail shop on one side of the hallway (along with a busy coffee shop) and the lesson area on the other read more

I loved Big Wave Dave Surf Co. Actually, so much that I returned a second day. They made surfing be so easy and fun, now I'm addicted! They really helped us to know when to catch the wave and when to stand up. I also really appreciated the "tows" back out to the waves as the time went on and I got tired from paddling. Admittedly, I was SORE the next morning, could hardly move my arms! But, the best thing ever was to get back out there and do it again for a second day in a row! So much fun and the pain went away. Go surf with Big Wave Dave! read more

Kind people, unforgettable experiences. I visited this place few months ago in my last day in Oahu. Luckily, I had some discounts by finding this place in Google or Yelp (can't really remember). My instructor was Alika (hope I remember correctly but, everyone else was also super nice) and provided me with 1 on1 private lesson. As it was my first time surfing, even though I snowboarded for long period of time, I got a little frustrated as I couldn't learn surfing quickly. But my instructor was so nice and helped me learn techniques and gave his best to teach me how to surf and finally I could ride some good waves in the end. Everyone was so nice and I'd love to go back when I have another chance to go back to Oahu and surf again. read more

I had my first surf lesson on 12/24/2013. Jimmy Antunez was my instructor and he was amazing. Strict, preaches safety, and excellent at teaching you the basics. Don't be scared by him being strict, the dude is very friendly and "protects his students". I was out with Jimmy with a group of 4. 2 of my cohort were 12 year olds. There are many people who rent a surfboard and do not know how to surf. You will definitely know who these folks are. These people tend to not pay attention to the directions and often crash into other people. Throughout the lesson, he would yell at these people and did not care who. At one point pushed a person and his board out of the way to prevent the 12 year olds from getting hurt. After, he told me "none of my students are getting hurt". The waves at Waikiki are not massive, the current is weak, and the water is shallow hundreds of feet out so this is a great spot for beginners. I was able to stand up on the surfboard and ride the waves within the first 15 minutes. In total, I had 6 successful attempts at the riding the waves and felt very comfortable. I highly recommend Jimmy and plus this dude has surfed more 35 years. They don't teach you how to turn or do the more complicated maneuvers. I was taught the fundamentals such as paddling on the board, correct body positioning, balance, and riding the waves on a straight path (catching the waves and surfing it directly towards the beach). read more

Booked paddling for my husband and I - and well. My husband fell off and knocked out a few teeth. They were nothing but understanding and professional. I felt cared about and they were concerned. Cody was awesome, he even let us reschedule... Although we never got to because I had a death in the family and we had to leave Hawaii early. They gave us a partial refund that was so kind and we really appreciated their understanding!!! We had a snafu while doing this surfing thing, but it was not their fault my husband has poor balance on a surf board. We laughed in the end while he was in the dentist chair.... Ugh! We still love you Cody! Hope to see you again soon. read more

I went there a few times and I must say, Avery is marvelous. She is definitely a good asset to the company because she's so friendly and approachable. Love her vibes and I think she deserves a raise and a promotion. read more

Chris was the best surf instructor ever! First time surfing and we caught multiple waves! He went around to each person and help them individually to make sure they were able to get a waves in. I got six personally as a first timer. Chris Also gave us personal a tow out to the middle of the ocean(very hard to swim out there) and back to shore. Chris went above and beyond to make sure our surfing experience was amazing! Book him for your next tour! read more

RENTERS BEWARE! I rented a board there only to get charge a damage fee, that was already on the board. They rent older beat up surf boards. I'm sure instead of trying to improve their customer service, they'll leave another sarcastic response like they do with their other 1 star reviews read more

Great place to learn how to surf. We ended up here at Big Wave Dave's because plans with another surfing instructor fell through. Big Wave Dave's was able to accommodate us immediately. Service was excellent from the beginning. My girlfriend and her 11 year-old were a bit apprehensive about surfing because they felt their swimming skills weren't up to par. But Big Wave Dave's offered them life jackets and tried to soothe their fears. Once lessons started, they rolled our surfboards to Waikiki Beach and safely took us out to open water. The instructors, Mikey and Josh, were the best. They were patient with us and made learning the moves easy. They made sure we had the best waves, even moving us to a new spot when it seemed the swells were dead. Thank you, Mikey and Josh read more

Surf lessons= AMAZING experience from start to finish!!! Well worth the money and our instructor was SO dope! My sister and I were visiting from Seattle and decided to try surf lessons for the first time for my birthday. She did research and saw the great reviews on google so we opted for BWD and were not disappointed. Highly recommend to anyone visiting who's considered trying out surfing. Our instructor was hands-on, patient and he definitely knew his stuff! MAHALO!!! read more

Me and my fiancé took a private surf lesson with uncle Kevin. He was very personable and very patient. He showed us the ins and out of everything and most importantly safety. We were both able to get up and ride a bunch of waves. We didn't even know they were taking photos and videos of us until the end which was a nice surprise. We ended up buying a USB with all the images on it. Even the girl at the front desk was very nice. I would definitely recommend this place and would love to come back! read more

We were staying at the Sheraton Waikiki. And the surf lessons were right down the street. They were very accommodating - we called in and said we were going to be late and they said no problem. When we got there we were told our semi private lesson was just us two. We got Uncle Neo - who was excellent. He showed us the ropes on land and took us out to a great beginners spot on the beach. He was very knowledgeable and gave us good pointers and we were standing up and surfing in no time. We got about 100 pictures and some videos burned to a DVD of our experience for an extra $80. If you're thinking about trying surfing this is a good spot to go to. read more

Great fun experience here ! Look for jimmy here , the cd almbum is a must take. I am now surfing in los angeles almost every week. read more

Big Wave Dave - Beach Equipment Rentals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Our surf instructor was very patient and knowledgeable. He was a tremendous help to myself, who has experience, my sister who has never surfed and a friend who is a pro. Very courteous and he always offered encouraging words and practical advice. This is the best and probably only surf shop i would use in the future. A+++++++++ read more

Amazing!! Mahalo, Keyoni and BWD! Went with a friend and had one of life's greatest experiences. Highly recommended, the other reviews are on point! read more

Big Wave Dave - Beach Equipment Rentals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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A perfect day at a perfect location for beginners. Took all 3 of my kids 10,14,17. Instructor was great and made sure they had an awesome time. Well organized, efficient shore instruction, max time in the water. Highly recommended read more

Great people. Had a wonderful time. I haven't compared to other businesses but I have no reason to look elsewhere. We have pictures to remember the once in a lifetime experience read more

Even with Covid going on it was definitely still really fun! I did a private lesson with Lee he was great nothing bad to say about him. I definitely recommend it if you've never or have surfed they were all very kind and I wish I could have been in Waikiki longer. read more

Big Wave Dave's is awesome. Was going to go here on my first trip to Hawaii anyway based on reviews and stuff, but got a groupon that included group surfing lesson and a canoe ride. The canoe ride was so much fun and Dave and his wife were great leading this. Surfing was even better. They give you good instruction back on the shore and then continue teaching once in the water. Aliki and Cody were great instructors and were patient with all of us. I was up on all the waves. BWD also has a guy out there taking pics of everything and he gets some great shots. Make sure and get those. I highly recommend these guys for your next trip to Waikiki read more

I used the groupon deal that included the outrigger canoe + surfing lesson. It was a totally fun experience. The surf instructors were great and incredibly helpful. The location was easy to find, and the pictures that were taken during the lesson were terrific and a great souvenir from our trip. The only reason I am giving this place 4 stars is because during the outrigger canoe session Dave was pretty rude, there was no explanation as to what we were doing, he was just yelling and dampened that experience. But other than that everyone else was super helpful and friendly. read more

We were visiting the North Shore from Florida. We booked Dave himself to provide us a surf tour of the North Shore so we wouldn't have to paddle out to the famous spots with no local knowledge. Unfortunately, the surf reports reported the waves at those spots were 20-25 feet during the entire time we visited the North Shore. Nevertheless, Dave improvised and hooked us up. Dave drove 1.5 hours from Waikiki to Turtle Bay to pick us up and then drove us 1 hour to find some manageable waves on the west shore. Talk about customer service! We hit a few different spots and then we found a perfect spot that had some 6-10 foot surf that we surfed for a while. It was perfect for my level of surfing. Not to mention, the beach was beautiful. We never would have found the spot without Dave's expertise. After we finished surfing, Dave drove us back to Turtle Bay. Dave also invited us out to an event he was holding for his employees a couple nights later. We showed up and had the opportunity to meet some of his staff. Everyone we met was outgoing and friendly. We had a great time. Thanks Dave! read more

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE IF YOU ARE IN HAWAII YOU MUST TRY BIG WAVE DAVE'S I'm a student living out of Long Beach that enjoys surfing. I went to Hawaii for the first time and naturally I wanted to experience what the waves were like. Big Wave Dave's was a great way to maximize my surfing experience on the island. They're super cool people with great attitudes and the time I spent taking lessons felt more like a family setting than instructions. One of the best memories I have from my time with Big Wave Dave's was that after we finished surfing we walked over to a restaurant called Blazing Steaks (11/10) and ate a great meal. Good time all around. Ask for Cody or any of the staff because they're all amazing at what they do. Tl;dr: Go to Big Wave Dave's EDIT: Sorry Cody for the late review man. read more

I was looking for a place close to the beach to store my surf board. This place was far and away the best deal out there. For non locals they charge 40 a month for a locker, and 30 for locals. The closest prices that I could find out there were upwards of 50 a month. It's about a block wall from the beach - you can't go wrong for the price. read more

Big Wave Dave's is the best place to go to rent, store or take surf lessons from. The whole staff treated us with nothing but Aloha. The prices are excellent, and you will always leave happy. While my boyfriend and I resided in Honolulu last winter. They took us in and made us feel like their Ohana. I have nothing but love for this place. Nothing but positive vibes from everyone. The customer service is top notch, I wish I could give them ten stars, they truly deserve it!!! Much thanks to Dave, Chad, Chris, Troy, Katie, Josh, Cody and the rest of the gang here!!! W will be back this winter, and it will be the first place we stop!!! read more

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Solo vacation to Oahu to learn to surf and found Big Wave Dave from online reviews. Had James and Cody as instructors for 4 days straight; they both did a great job in picking waves and assisting me getting up to ride wave and office staff was great with picture review and fresh americanos. Will definitely use them again read more

Just took a surf lesson on our Oahu Trip. Our surf instructor was Ronson and he offered the best hospitality before, during, and after our lesson. He made us feel like locals. Definitively rent from Big Wave Dave and ask for Ronson. read more

All in all, our surfing experience at Big Wave Dave was pretty fun. I booked our private lesson over the phone, where I was also informed about reef shoes (definitely recommend!) and rash guards. I was also promised a personal photographer that would be in the water with us, which is definitely the reason I ended up booking here. When our reservation date rolled around, I received a call asking if we could move our lesson back half an hour due to them being short on instructors. We weren't able to, but they accommodated us anyway. When we got there, we received our reef shoes and rash guards. Our instructor was having a bit of trouble teaching us how to paddle and get up on the board, and told us something to the effect of, "I'm so sorry, I haven't done this in at least six months." This made me slightly nervous, but we went out into the ocean and it ended up being a really cool experience. My only complaint would be that the photographer we were promised was not there, and nobody cared that our experience was not what we expected it to be in this sense. I was really looking forward to getting some awesome photos to remember our honeymoon by, and the in-the-water photographer was the sole reason for booking with Big Wave Dave. If I would have known that this guarantee was going to be broken, I certainly would have spent the several hundred dollars on a different business' surfing lessons. read more

So easy! In and out, great condition of the rented items which is all I needed. The attendant also had a good recommendation for an easy to get to alternative snorkeling location for us and it was awesome. Mahalo :) read more

Gifted my 10 year old daughter lessons while on vacation last week. She was SO stoked. My husband took her to the shop about 20 min before the lesson and came back raving about how kind and friendly the staff was. My daughter felt comfortable and taken care of the whole time. She was in a group with 4 adults and one instructor and he took great care of her and made us parents feel really safe with her going out. She was so stoked to have stood up and ride her first wave on the first try!!!! The instructor (wish I could remember his name. Youngish dude with earrings is all I can remember) even seemed super excited when they came in and was super proud of her. Overall a great experience, my daughter already LOVED the ocean, this just expanded her love ten fold. Hopefully we will be back in a few years so we can bring our younger 2 kiddos!! Thanks so much, keep up the good work!!! read more

tl:dr - Alika was an awesome instructor, he had me surfing in no time. The other employees were super friendly. The photographer was pricey but takes amazing pictures. Will definitely rent from here again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was in Hawaii for work and wanted to do as much as I could during my downtime. You know, make the most of the experience and whatnot. I talked to the concierge desk at my hotel and said I wanted to try surfing. Because I had to go later in the day, my options for companies were limited, but boy did that work out for me. So, it turns out Big Wave Dave has a 5pm group lesson. Perfect! It allowed me to get back to my hotel after work, change, and get down to the shop with plenty of time to spare. Now, normally the lessons are $103 (seems standard from the limited searching I conducted on my own), but my hotel had a $50 dollar voucher on anything over $100, so it made this a VERY affordable option for me. You can (should) rent rash guards for $5 (I brought my own). They have a free locker, but it's really just a big wooden box with a publicly accessible key, so I wouldn't put too much of value in there (I'm talking about your phone, people). You can rent a smaller locker for $5 to put your phone and wallet in. I went to the window and they had me have a seat while my instructor took a few minutes to get himself together after his last lesson. A few of the other employees and instructors saw me and chatted with me, mostly making small talk or asking me if this was my first time surfing, then offering all kinds of encouragement and assuring me that my instructor, Alika, was the best and I'd be surfing in no time. Once he had time to get a drink and all that, Alika gave me my initial "how to surf" instructions by just putting a surf board on the street. After a quick how-to, we carried it to the beach. Leave all your crap at the surf shop! There's no one on the beach to keep an eye on your stuff, so if you take anything with you, it'll be unattended for the duration of your lesson. This includes sunglasses, unless you dont care about them getting lost. You'll probably fall at least a couple of times at first and if they come off your face, you might not be able to find them again. I only brought my flip flops. We immediately hopped in the water and paddled out. Once we got to a good spot, Alika held on to my board while I got situated, then told me when to start paddling. As I caught the wave, he would yell "now get on your knee!" and "now stand up!". Following his direction, I was legitimately surfing on my third try. We spent the better part of an hour and a half attempting to catch wave after wave. After each attempt, Alika would give me tips on how to improve. Halfway through the lesson, he told me "You're pretty much there. I wouldn't get another lesson if I were you, but I would definitely rent a board and practice." Once I got comfortable, Alika started surfing with me rather than just standing out on the sand bar waiting for me to come back after every run. One time he rode a wave in while sitting on his board. Another time, he had a girl on another surf board hop over onto his. Dude is crazy good. He's also super positive and friendly. I know that this is usually a necessary trait for an instructor, but man, he was above and beyond positive. He didn't get frustrated or irritated. He never acted like he was bored or "over it". I felt like he was just out there to make sure that I had a good time and learned as much from him as I could during the lesson. He was awesome. After the lesson, we hung out on the beach for a few minutes to catch the sunset, then hoofed it back to the shop. Once I got there, they showed me my pictures. Their photographer is really good. Normally I'm not a pay-for-photos guy. I feel like it's kind of a racket due to the high prices. In this department, he did not disappoint. The pictures were $40. I'm not sure if that's negotiable. I didn't expect to buy them, so I didn't try. But then he started showing them to me on the big TVs and i'll be damned if these pictures didn't turn out great! He had plenty of shots (70-something, I think) and there were some really good action shots where I look like I know what I'm doing! There were plenty of shots of me falling, as well, but overall it was a good set. Since it was end of the day, he also caught some amazing sunset photos that he stuck on there at the end. Since it was my first time surfing, and the shots were so amazing, I went ahead and splurged. I had such a great experience that the next day I came back out and rented a board to practice what I learned. At 10 dollars an hour, it's very reasonable. It's a pretty quick stroll to the beach from here, too. Overall, I highly recommend Big Wave Dave's, and I'll definitely rent from them the next time I make it out to Waikiki. read more

My husband and I took a lesson today in Waikiki and had an absolute blast! We caught a bunch of waves with the fantastic help of our instructors who knew exactly where to put us into the waves. They also helped me get back out to the break after riding the long waves in so I would have plenty of energy to catch as many waves as possible. They had the boards waiting for us at the beach and didn't have to carry a thing which made the experience even more fun. They took a ton of great photos and videos via a drone which are available for purchase after the lesson. We'll definitely be booking another lesson! read more

Such a great experience renting surf boards from the ladies at Big Wave Dave! It was our first time surfing and they gave us some great pointers on surf techniques and were very knowledgeable about which boards we should start out with. If were ever back in Waikiki, we will definitely be renting boards from BWD!! read more

Just did a semi private lesson with Cody and it was awesome. We managed to get up on the first try as he gave very clear and simple tips. Highly recommended and the location on the shop was near the beach. read more

Coach arrived late; we started late; coach was patient, professional but wasn't as enthusiastic as I expected; okay experience

I decided I would finally try surfing when my husband and I visited Hawaii for Memorial Day weekend. I am SO happy I went to Big Wave Dave! I found a coupon for $49 surf lesson in the local coupon book you can pick up at pretty much anywhere in the area, and I called for a 10:00 lesson as I was eating breakfast at 9:00. They told me to come on over, it was just me and another woman -- it was her 3rd lesson so we were both pretty close in skill. Our instructor was Alika, who was the best! He was very calm & patient, yet very aware of the surroundings as he demonstrated the technique and coached us in the water, which was good because there were a lot of people out there- most just as clueless as I was! I felt very safe with him. I found surfing to be quite natural-- at least on the small waves. Once the waves got bigger, it was more challenging to swim out & get back on the board after getting knocked off because the waves just kept coming before I could squeeze the water out of my eyes! Speaking of which-- my biggest challenge was actually my contact lenses. The salt water that inevitably got into them slowly hazed them up until I could no longer distinguish Alika's bright orange shirt from everything else! That was when I decided to just take them out, which did help a lot. So my tip for contacts wearers-- do NOT try to wear them while surfing! I was thrilled to see the professional photos taken of me surfing (available for separate purchase)-- I look like a real surfer! I am so excited to go back out and try it again now that we're back in LA. It was a great workout for the body and the mind. Oh yeah, and one more thing-- everyone who works at Big Wave Dave is super nice and helpful! Not like the board rental guys directly on the beach-- don't waste your time w/ them, just go to BWD! read more

I wanted to try some surf lessons on my first ever trip to Hawaii and found this place via groupon. I figured it was a steal for a group lesson and a ride on the outrigger canoe so I was very excited. I have to say - they did not let me down! Not even a little bit! I took one of the early afternoon classes and so I got out of having to carry any boards down to the beach (though we did have to carry some back; it's a very very short walk). When I got there I was offered the choice of renting a rash guard for an additional $5 and let me say this - TAKE THE RASH GUARD! I had surfed only once before but the rash guard saved my skin. Literally. By the time we were through in the water I could feel a rather obnoxious irritation on my knees, just below where my shorts stopped, and I know, had I not gone for the rash guard, I would have had it all over my arms, chest, and stomach, too. The group was about 9 people with two instructors but even with the size of our group there was absolutely no problem as far as attention paid to each student. It became clear as soon as we hit the water, which of us had a natural talent and those that needed the extra help and the instructors let the naturals do their thing, calling out tips and advice when needed, but focused the bulk of their attention on those (like me) who couldn't quite hack it. The effort put forth to make sure each of us stood up and got to ride at least one good wave really made the experience special. -If you can I would definitely go for the outrigger canoe ride, as well as a surf lesson. It's not an experience that you'll ever forget. It is hard work, helping to paddle out, but the view you get while waiting for the wave and riding it in are amazing. -GO FOR THE RASH GUARD! -Be ready for sore arms/back/shoulders/neck. Seriously. Paddling that board out is no joke so if you've never done this before - be ready for a beating. -Realize that these are surf lessons on Waikiki. The beach is crowded with every tourist out there. It works in your favor though because you're not surfing with the pros, just other novices like you. And if you're not a novice - why are you taking lessons in the first place? read more

Hands down the best surf shop in Honolulu!! They offer surf lessons, stand up paddle lessons, north shore tours, parasailing, snorkeling and big wave training. I took two surf lessons with wonderful instructors, Kamalu and Alika. I was extremely impressed with them! Right from the get go they radiate happiness and are smiling and excited-it's so contagious you can't help but be stoked too! Bob (the board guy) was nice enough to carry our boards down to the beach so we wouldn't get tired, even though the shop is only a block from the beach (behind the Hyatt on Koa). Kamalu and Alika go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable in the water, keep you safe, keep a smile on your face, and get you up on waves! They are exciting and fun! Not to mention good looking ;) haha. It was awesome! They have the skills and the personality to keep me coming back! I highly recommend Big Wave Dave's to anyone who wants to surf- from beginners to experienced- they got you covered! read more