My boy (11) who is a strong pool swimmer has done this camp 2 times in two year. 1st time he was able to catch a wave or two w some help...2nd time he was catching waves easily himself and even went out further. Nick and his counselors focus on safety, learning, and fun. They are experienced and clearly knows the location. I never had a doubt about safety and my boy is excited to come back next year. read more

We love this surf camp and come every year. Nick is awesome and my son also loves all the other camp counselors who are helpful and fun to be with. It's a great camp. Also, Bolinas is the best place in all of Northern CA for kids to learn how to surf. We are ready to sign up for 2024 summer surf camp! read more

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I had a great time at my first surf lesson with Nick. The communication is really good. He rescheduled my lessons due to bad weather and let me know as early as possible. It was worth waiting because he is closely watching to make sure the conditions are good for his classes. When we got to the class he explained the conditions we should be looking for and recommended surf spots based on our experience level. He is a very easy going and approachable teacher and he provides simple and clear instructions. read more

I've taken 4 or 5 lessons with Nick over the last year and they've all been wonderful. He has lots of local knowledge, and is very kind and encouraging. I can finally catch waves on my own so I'm pretty stoked! Bolinas is a great place to learn and Nick is the best! read more

First surf lesson. Super clear instructions and a very friendly + encouraging instructor. Happy I did the wetsuit and board rental. The beach is also pretty and waves were perfect for beginners. Thank you! read more

Nick is a fantastic teacher and I had a lot of fun during the lesson. Not only did he teach us how to catch waves, he also explained what makes for good conditions for us beginner surfers when we come back to the area to surf on our own. That was really helpful info for me as a beginner. Nick has a great energy and passion for surfing, I'll definitely return for more lessons! read more

Took a private lesson with Henry and he was awesome. Not only taught us to pop on our board he also took the time to tell us hire to read the waves, read surf conditions etc. Had an amazing time and definitely planning to do it again! read more

So fun! My teenage son returns every summer and has such an epic week. Thank you so much for offering these fun sessions. My only wish is that there were an option closer to Sonoma County :) read more

Was a great experience. I've surfed a handful of times before and wanted to get more technical in my surfing. The waves weren't great the day we went out but the teacher was really good and gave me lots of good pointers to work on. Highly recommend read more

Nick is awesome, and had a great time at Bolinas. Conditions were great for beginners, Nick & staff were incredibly supportive, provided great tips to surf other areas of the Bay Area. read more

Nick was the best! I had an awesome time today - beautiful Bolinas day and nick really took great care of us all. 10/10 would recommend!

‍‍ Good will learn faster and safer Private lessons are available for 1 to 20 people and can be scheduled for adults and kids ages 7 and up. Private lessons last 1 1/2 hours and cost $160 for the first person and $50 for each additional participant. Private lessons are ideal for first time surfers and advanced beginners. They're also a great way to learn to surf with a group of friends or co-workers. Foam surfboards are included and wetsuits and booties are available. read more

My son attended Nick's surf camp this summer ('23). He will write his review: I am coming out of 5th grade through this summer and I attended the last week of camp. This camp was a great camp. I was here last year and it is still a blast this year. It is a great camp for beginners since I got a lot better ever since I first went out there. Even though I only did little time( 2 weeks to be exact), I was decent and was getting complimeints for getting better. They will help you even when it gets tricky, hard,or fustrating. The conselers seem to know everyone and they get to know you by name. They are always there to help you for example they helped me increase speed before paddling for a wave. The counsler taught me a trick to paddle faster and be a little less smooth. After she taught me that, I had a lot more success and was able to catch some waves. The schedule starts out as the morning, which you are taught how to read the waves and watch to see where a good spot to surf and catch the waves to the beach. It is generally shalow although as you get furthur, it gets deeper (obviously). Nick is a great head conselur, as he knows everyone by name and age. He is friendly, asks questions, and is very incouraging. The other counslers are the same with each being nice and talkitive in their own way. They will say "great job" or "that was sick". You get better pretty quick ( or at least I did) in 2 weeks, I was becoming a decent surfer with compliments on a lot of the waves. In conclusion, the surf camp was a great camp and I will do it next summer. It is a blast and is fun to catch a wave and hear the compliments from a conseler or even Nick. This is a great camp for beginners and a great training ground for surfers so if you are interested, come here if you need a place so that you can get lessons from instructors that care about you and their student a lot. P.S Dont stay to late otherwise you might lose a shoe or worse like drown. The waves are very high and unless you are going right, you are gonna be stuck on the beach with the waves crashing hard against the wall. read more

Great instruction, fun class and excellent value for your $ . Nick helped me to improve my technique, learn the best Bolinas breaks and also some useful surfing etiquette. Be sure to rent a wetsuit and booties through him, the water is very cold but surprisingly comfortable with the proper gear. read more

Bodega surf lessons helps students based on their individual skill level. My instructor Nick helped me focus on key basics that I had not yet learned. He was encouraging me and giving me feedback on my rides. I felt that my instructor wanted me to get better and to be comfortable enough to actually start surfing regularly. His Goal was to get more people out surfing and it made me feel welcome in the surfing community. 5 stars across the board! Let's go surfing! read more

My son took a surfing lesson, and he loved it. Great spot to catch some waves. Really clear water and the instructors were really friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely do it again. FYI the farm stand on the way from sf is a must visit to get fresh fruit after the lesson. Thank you read more

My daughters did a semi private lesson with Jake. They have had one previous lesson. They were able to improve their skills and get up on the board many times. I recommend the 2 people to one instructor option for more personalized attention. read more

Great beginner lessons and also had a great private lesson experience! Scheduling was straightforward. Nick is organized and responsive and was helpful when I had questions about wetsuits. Lessons were very fun and my kids are starting to get the hang of it! read more

Very professional and fun instructors. They work well with children and adults, specially schools. Highly recommend!

I've been wanting to take a surfing lesson for years and chose to go with Bolinas Surf Lessons based on the amazing Yelp reviews. It lived up to the hype! Nick was amazing and somehow managed to give each of us individual guidance, despite it being a large group lesson. I hadn't realized you can catch decent waves while only being waist-deep thanks to the Bolinas sand bar. This made it a great place to learn as a complete beginner. Highly recommended, and I look forward to coming back for more lessons soon! read more

All instructors were encouraging and friendly! Learned quite a bit as a beginner surfer. Nick was great! There is no changing rooms except for some port-a-potties, I would recommend coming with a swimsuit already on and ready to get into a wetsuit. read more

Both my kids have been going to this camp for several years and now my oldest is a counsellor. It's a real treat to be surfing in such a beautiful spot, to be guided by nick and his crew learning valuable lessons along the way and be able to pass them on to the younger ones. It's a pretty special moment and I highly recommend read more

Our two kids -- 14 and 10 -- had a great week. They both made new friends, had good beach time, and spent a bunch of time in the ocean on surf and boogie boards. Great staff, too. read more

Great experience! The location was perfect for beginners, and the instructors were awesome. Will be going back.

My daughter's last lesson was with surf shop in Stinson Beach. That instructor showed up for the lesson with her two kids and, let's just say, even though she was physically in the water at the same time as my daughter, that instructor spent all our lesson teaching her own kids to surf! Nick, from Bolinas Surf Lessons, was the complete opposite! Friendly and engaging, before they hit the waves Nick took the time to familiarize my daughter with the surfing spot he was taking them too. Once in the water, Nick never left his 5 students, spending all his time teaching them how to be better surfers and advising them on which waves to catch and how to catch those waves. He is awesome and we will not be going back to Stinson for lessons, now that we know what a real lesson with Nick is like! read more

Sam gave me and my brother in law a private lesson. We had a great time. Sam and Nick were both super cool. Definitely will do more lessons after practicing a bit. Update: My daughter did a group class with Nick and had a fantastic time. Highly recommend signing up with these guys. read more

My daughter took her first private lesson with Chloe, and had a fantastic time. The whole vibe of the place is very relaxed and friendly, and it is a stunning location in a great little town. My daughter really connected to Chloe, and got up several times and had a blast. We hope to be back for some of the other camps and activities offered. read more

We loved our surf lesson. I took my big kids, 17 and 20, as well as a friend. From wetsuits to learning how to ride a wave....all new to us....we had the best time! Now we want to surf regularly and are ready to rent or buy equipment and go out on our own. read more

Nick and his crew are wonderful. This is my daughter's second year and she absolutely loves it. She was the youngest last summer and I was nervous about her being out in the ocean but my mind was rest assured by the end of the 2nd day. There is a great counselor to student ratio and I felt that they create a very safe and fun environment. Bolinas is an amazing environment to learn to surf. Nick is very professional, a great communicator and the kids really respect and like him. Highly recommend. read more

We had the best time in our lesson with Chloe!!! I was super intimidated because it was only my second lesson (the last was 10yrs ago!) and I've never been good with board sports but she made me feel really relaxed right away. She was super easy going, friendly, and knowledgable. Nick also happened to be out there when we were and we got to know him a little too. He was eager to share local knowledge about tides and conditions and how to plan our next adventure. They both just got us stoked and eagerly planning our next lesson. I can't stop gushing about how fun it was and am currently trying to get a big group together to support this great company and create a group of surf buddies to go with. Thanks guys! read more

I strongly recommend not taking lessons from Bolinas Surf Lessons (surfbolinas.com). Here is the review I wrote to the owner after my experience: From my experience yesterday, I believe this company is negligent in properly assessing conditions for safety and appropriateness for a beginner surf lesson. The photo of a beginner lesson on the website shows people standing near the edge of the water in shallow depth while practicing standing on a board. This is 100% not what occurred. Online it says that, as beginners, we would potentially ride 20-30 waves in a lesson. We did not ride a single wave because our beginner lesson took place in inappropriate conditions. Having NEVER been on a surfboard, the need to immediately navigate 3.5 - 4ft breaking waves was not only scary but also dangerous. I needed to learn the basics first - attempting to stand up and learning to paddle. We were taken out at the height of high tide through sharp rocks that cut my feet as strong waves pushed us back into the rocks we were trying to get out of, landing us directly into the break zone. We were then expected to paddle through the break and then quite a bit farther north to get to a beach with smaller waves. I have never been on a surfboard before. I have never paddled before. I did not have the skill or strength to paddle through the break and then further north. While stuck in the break zone, large (to me) waves relentlessly crashed on me. I had not received any instruction on how to get through those waves other than to push myself up on my board. Many of the waves were too big for that to work and I was continually thrown back, pulled off my board and dragged under the water. After numerous times of being tumbled around I was exhausted from fighting the waves, but they just kept coming. This left me feeling trapped and scared because I couldn't keep handling the waves crashing on me but with rocks and whitewater by the beach, I also didn't know how to get out of the water. Overall, the conditions were NOT appropriate for a first time beginner surf lesson. In addition to the conditions, there was almost no instruction given about how to be on the board to get through the waves. Someone told me today that I should have been instructed to "duck" the waves with my board when they were too big and crashing down on me. Is this a skill that should be taught before heading into a break zone for the first time? Only when leaving the ocean did the instructor tell me I could bail off the board to get through a wave. Again, is this a skill that should be taught beforehand? Or perhaps it isn't usually taught to beginners as they should not be placed in conditions where they would need these skills. It seems the company is at fault for not making sure its instructors receive sufficient training in risk management, ability to assess appropriateness of conditions for the skill level of students, as well as explaining basic skills prior to entering the water. In this experience, the level of challenge grossly exceeded my ability. As an ocean sport, this created a frightening and potentially dangerous situation rather than an opportunity to develop a new skill. Today my body feels as though I was in a car accident after the beating I took being pushed under, knocked over, and dragged around in the water. With the ever changing nature of water conditions and high risk level, safety must be the primary focus of the lessons, even if it means postponing the lesson. When my sister called for a refund, you repeatedly made statements putting the responsibility for our negative experience onto us, commenting it was too bad we came for a beginner lesson on a day with big waves. Your expertise in matching skill level with current conditions is EXACTLY why we scheduled a lesson instead of renting boards and going out on our own. As far as I am concerned, if what happened for my lesson yesterday is how you operate, you are running a negligent and dangerous operation and shouldn't be trusted to take inexperienced people into the ocean. read more

My son (13) and I had a fantastic, fun and safe lesson with Henry at Bolinas Surf Lessons. Many thanks to Nick the owner for walking us through scheduling, equipment rentals, parking, etc. - great service overall. Looked like all the camp kids were having a blast too. The teachers knew them all, had detailed, supportive feedback, and an overall safety forward environment (with many parents pitching up on the beach in the afternoon to watch the campers come in for their final waves). Thanks for the great experience! read more

What an incredible day! I was nervous about surfing as it's been many years since trying it. Nick was awesome! I felt at ease right away. He has a very friendly, knowledgeable approach to teaching and gets everyone in the water fairly quickly. I will definitely book with a group lesson again! read more

I have tried to surf many times but could never get up. One lesson on land with Lucas and I was up on the very first wave. I highly recommend this outfit. The instructors are friendly, encouraging and laid-back enough to keep things fun. read more

Nick's presence is felt and reassuring. Not only is he genuinely friendly but also ensures that everyone feels comfortable and safe. He keeps his tips/instructions extremely simple so that you can follow, pick up and gain new insight on how to become a better surfer. Signs of a great teacher and mentor! I had a blast and rode my very first wave with his help! Definitely would recommend ! read more

Convenient location right by the beach which makes the process of getting suited up a breeze. Instructor was patient and also mindful of safety, allowing us to focus on enjoying our time in the water. Got me excited to practice and come back to Bolinas for surfing again! read more

Was easy to book and follow instructions. Nick was very responsive and even helped with the instruction from Michael on occasion when could see my rides. Both offered great pointers and was helpful. Definitely great for beginners first time on or early in journey. read more

So great!!! Lessons for my 10 and 13 year old - 2 privates and one group. Nick is great as is his team. Thanks so much!

Delightful! Caught a bunch of waves- had a blast. Perfect location and conditions, friendly, knowledgeable, laid-back instructors. Couldn't ask for a better experience. read more

My daughter has done this surf camp three summers in a row. She loves it every time--what's not to love about spending all day out at Bolinas surfing, being on the beach, boogie boarding, making new friends? The instructor, Nick, is an excellent, kind teacher and my daughter has improved in confidence and competence every year. We don't get out surfing much on between, but she really developed her love and enjoyment of this cold ocean through these camps. Highly recommend. I've also taken one-on-one lessons with Nick. He's the best. read more