Our daughter, 6, had a blast at Beach Camp with CampSurf. She said it was easily her favorite camp all summer. Her counselors were great, and she keeps telling us about all the things they talked about together - very sweet. We will be back next summer. For the parents, logistics of drop/pickup are easy and staff is all very attentive. Thanks, CampSurf read more

I was thrilled to find that Camp Surf had an option for the week of 6/7 while we were in the Manhattan Beach area, as most other camps in California do not kick-off until a week or two later due to the state of California's school schedule. The sign up process was easy, so I did so online and locked it in! While my kids (8 and 9 years old) are very beginner surfers, they love the beach, and the laid back days and small group experience offered by Camp Surf was a prefect fit for both of them. We did not go in with high expectations to get them riding waves within days, so we were okay that there was not a ton of pressure to do so, but I imagine if you have expectations and kids interested in doing so, the Camp Surf staff will follow your guidance. Huge thanks to Cameron and Claire, their main counselors for the week for making sure they had fun first and foremost. read more

TLDR; - they wasted my time twice. If you value your time and don't want to guess whether or not you have a lesson on a particular day, look somewhere else for lessons. These people are horrible communicators. For reference, this is the information on their site: p: 424-237-2994 e: info@campsurf.com a bit more I don't write on Yelp often, something has to be great or bad to get me here. This was bad. I tried to surprise my wife with surf lessons and signed up through their website. Filled out all their forms, email and phone number. I did not get any confirmation email or text. First Attempt: I checked in the day before with a call confirming the lesson, no reply, I called that morning during their business hours, nobody picked up, nobody called back, nobody responded to my voicemail. I figured our lessons wasn't booked because I was never charged any $$ despite placing my card on file, but also nobody ever got back to me, not to my voicemail or email the day prior. So we didn't go. I was bummed, I really wanted her to have this experience. Then I DID get a call 10 minutes after our lessons was supposed to begin asking if I was coming. I explained we weren't aware it was still on since nobody ever reached out. Not once. That person told me it was weird I did not get an email. They put us on for the same time the following week. OK, so I asked for a confirmation email as they have me in their file, and that didn't appear to be too challenging. Well, that was wrong. 2nd attempt We went today for our scheduled lesson, and of course we weren't on the list. I called and left a message, no pickup, no call back. I texted the person who reached out last week and scheduled today's lesson, and the reply was they were out of town and not available to assist. The van was where it was supposed to be, but it was unmarked and hard to spot, we talked to 2 other surfing instructors before we located the right one. When we did find the guy, he checked with dispatch and he told us the unfortunate news. We did find another more helpful surf instructor on site and set something up with them a different day. If you do book with these people, I am certain they do a good job instructing, just be prepared to spend some time double and triple checking your appointment. They may be good and teaching people to surf, but they are lousy at scheduling. read more

The workers are friendly my daughter really enjoyed learn surf. The classes are very interesting

While on vacation with my 9 year old daughter Camp Surf was recommended to us.We live in the midwest and my daughter has only swam in the ocean once before. I was quite nervous about her being safe and well supervised. The team at Camp Surf were first and foremost SAFE. Secondly, my daughter had an absolute blast! After spending time going over water safety they hit the waves and aside from a lunch break they are in the water almost the entire time! Since we were visiting I had nothing to do but sit on the beach and observe. Every child there was getting great one on one instruction..They effectively accommodated multiple levels of experience and ke0t the kids engaged and having fun. When the kids wanted to break from surfing they had a group splashing and playing in the surf, some building sand castles and when they were ready to surf again an instructor was ready to help. I was totally impressed! The only thing that I would have liked is someone photographing. Thank you Camp Surf for providing my daughter with an experience she will cherish! read more

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Tyus came out and paddled out to release a biodegradable Turtle that we wanted released into the ocean. We are in gratitude for his help and his super chill attitude. He was so sweet and humble, had awesome vibes! We will definitely be reaching out for surf lessons soon! Thanks Tyus!! read more

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5 stars isn't even enough. My 11 year old had a private lesson today with Avery. What a great young man. He taught my son so much today. J was able to get up on his board. He talked to him about respecting the other surfers and to always be aware - which can be hard for an excited first timer (he surfed once in a cove in Maui, that doesn't count compared to the actual waves he was dodging/riding today). Adding surfing to his list of must do activities... thanks Campsurf and big thanks to Avery! read more

Campsurf - Surf Schools Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

We just had three great days of training w two terrific surf instructors - Evan and Evan - two different young trainers but equally wonderful. We had three girls ages 11/15/17 from Dallas, Texas. They had a blast and these two young men were kind, helpful, careful, aware, fun, energetic protective - all of the necessary traits that we as parents want for this kind of activity. Also, the owner of Camp Surf was detailed, helpful, responsive - just great - the weekend ended w amazing photos of all of the girls standing on their own and happy as can be for the experience. We will always refer people to Camp Surf. Zamir Siddiqi Manhattan Beach read more

Orion rocked! He was kind and understanding with our delay due to parking. He took his time with me and my friends and we all had a good time doing our best to catch some waves. Glad to be in the hood now as a resident and happy I can count on Camp Surf to deliver great service when my friends commute to spend time with me on this side of town! read more

Words can express the awesomeness that this camp is. The crew is fun, energetic, and organized. My kids rave about all the instructors and by name by the second day. More mama more is all I hear and how can I refuse. Camp Surf has all the gear and offers lunch at 10$ a day by the local restaurants which I like. The instructors know your kids and can give you a little insight on their day. Highly recommend. read more

Campsurf - Best surf camp on thw westside. - Surf Schools Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

My 11 year old daughter had a great experience with a private lesson. Peter was an excellent instructor. In a short period of time she was standing up and able to ride the waves. I will definitely book with camp surf in the future when we are at Manhattan Beach. read more

My daughter has been dying to get on a surfboard and this seemed to be the place to do it. We had a private surf lesson with Connor and she had a blast. We will definitely continue with surf lessons. I was impressed by how quickly they got into the ocean and how patient and encouraging he was with her. read more

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I had my 9 year son Maxwell with Campsurf all week doing one on one private lessons. He's been super stoked to learn how to surf and Conner and Andrew have been awesome. He's getting up, turning right and left. Lots of practice to go, but after these classes, he's in his way. Hoping to put him into a couple weeks of the summer camp! You guys are awesome. read more

My children, their spouses, and 6 grandchildren ages 12-47 did 2 days August 23 and 24. It was high lite of the week. The counselors were great, and worked their butts off to make this the best time. I recommend this to anyone who wants to experience surfing. read more

We had a great time. Father/Daughter surf lesson with photographer. I had surfed a few times a very long time ago as a teen (40+ years ago) on the east coast. This was a first for my daughter and something she suggested. We had an early morning lesson booked and our instructor was on time. The directions were excellent and parking was not a problem. All the meters take quarters or credit cards. After suiting up and a few minutes of some basics on the beach we were in the water. The water temp was 72 and beautiful. Dolphins were swimming all around us. Dana our instructor had us up and surfing very quickly. My daughter a lot faster and smoother than her old man. Dana worked his butt off in the water to insure we had a great time. At first he provided all the power to get us onto a wave and then had us paddle while he pushed. We caught more waves and learned to get up and ride. We both had a great time with lots of laughs. The photographer provided a great collection of images all delivered that day via email. Great time, great memories and possibly another summer retirement activity for me. read more

I have to say I was very satisfied and beyond happy with my son's, Michael, Surf Instructor! Chris Wells is beyond incredible, he is very knowledgeable, patient, and has exceptional teaching skills. We had signed up for the 5- lesson package and were very happy. My son gained a lot of knowledge and now has his own board. We ran into Chris on his day off when he was tearing up those waves, he is a great surfer. He saw my son and taught him a few things, it was his off days but he can't help sharing his knowledge! We will definitely recommend this company but specially Chris to our friends! read more

My 9 year old son and I had a fantastic time with Connor. First day out was really rough but it was super fun and we were still able to get up. We booked a second day really early in the morning and it was GREAT! My son had never surfed before and he had a great time getting up on the board and surfing. We can't wait til our next trip to Southern California to take more lessons! Connor was so great and made it super fun for my little one! He also went the extra mile to make sure we hit the right time on our second lesson. We both had a blast!! Thanks so much!!! read more

We just had a semi-private lesson with Connor. What a great morning! Connor was nice, fun, patient, and caring. Both kids were surfing right away! I love Camp Surf, and Connor is super good with kids! read more

I have to tell you that I wasn't really looking forward to surfing - the water, the whitewash, the potential to see fish under me. Yes, I love living on the ocean, it's beautiful. I'm just not a fan of being in it. But I was going to support by bf who really wanted to try it. And we're also not kids so figured it'd be that much harder. With all that said - it was unbelievable! We took our first lesson yesterday through CampSurf with Conner and it was awesome. I am hooked and will be going back again and again. It was fun, with moments of zen waiting for a wave, moments of triumph to actually pop up on the board, and even a successful ride or two (for more than a half second!). These guys are pros. Conner had to deal with two adults who never surfed before, of different body builds and weights, and handled us with ease. And he was a super nice guy. We had an amazing time, felt great after and are officially hooked! read more

my grandkids had a wonderful time Patrick was very good with them. Patient and kind. An expericance that they will never forget. Camp Surf was very good. give yourself some time to park. read more

Caught my first waves with Campsurf! I took the adult surf class with 2 friends. Two of us signed up through classpass and one through the campsurf website. It was so much fun and a great workout! I recommend taking it with friends. We were able to take photos of each other, and it was just a fun way to spend time with friends. There are meters in the parking area, but we were lucky enough to find a street spot. You meet up with Campsurf by their van in the parking area. Everyone grabs a board and wet-suit before heading down to the beach. You'll spend some time learning the moves on the sand, but then you get right into the water. The instructors are helpful getting you out far enough and then sending you into the waves. Me and my friends all stood up multiple times and felt accomplished! I'll definitely be back again. read more

My son is 9 and we've done both summer camp and the after school surf group. Both are great. My son was interested in surfing but super intimidated to be a "new learner" before coming. They got him surfing and built his confidence right away! Summer camp: great time options and runs all summer so you can fit it around other things. Good instructors. Lunch through El Gringo is likeable easy option. Wed/fri afternoons: this is for kids who have done a camp or private lesson. Great way to improve on skills. Super teacher/student ratio with great instructors. Good price and no long term commitment. These guys/gals are super!!!! read more

This was my first experience surfing and thanks to Connor it was UNFORGETTABLE he was super professional and his advices were so helpful

Camp surf is great. Visiting Manhattan beach for the month and 13 yo granddaughter wanted to surf. Tyus was a great coach and made sure Taryn had fun and success while learning safety and the basics of surfing. Camp surf was responsive and helpful while setting up lessons and communicating with me. Looking forward to our next visit. Thank you Tyus and Camp Surf staff. read more

I've had some good lessons here, but the past few times (last year) were unacceptable. Several times they canceled last minute or just did not show up and I wasted almost an hour waiting there and walking around (after driving from LA). The worst is that the past 2 times they were supposed to reschedule, because I was charged (honestly they should do even more than that), but they never did. After trying to contact them several times about this, I gave up. I just think it's unfair that I got charged for a class, I wasted a lot of time going there and waited, and I can't even get rescheduled for that at least. read more

This camp was an absolute blessing this summer during COVID. The team was easy to get ahold of, answer questions and the kids has a fantastic time learning to surf. We were at the Manhattan Beach location. Highly recommend! read more

Definitely would surf with Campsurf again! Great energy & you actually learn new things! The instructor was awesome and so chill. Can't wait to surf again! read more

Such an awesome lesson! I've surfed with probably 20 coaches over the years and my lesson with Connor was by far the best one I've had. He was nice and fun to chat with, and I really felt like I improved. Also easy to find and great selection of boards and wetsuits. Highly recommend! read more

I came here when my son was younger and it was amazing. Today he did camp surf from 9-12 and had so much fun that he tagged on a private lesson. Andrew Neal was fantastic and enthusiastic and got my kiddo on that board. We will be back. Highly recommended. read more

Our 3 daughters all went to the same camp - 16, 14, and 10 yr olds. Brand new to surfing. They all had great experiences! The instructors are super nice, fun, and experienced. The kids are in the water about 75% of the time. Some time spent before they get in the water discussing safety and stretching. They take 1 break for a game on the beach, water, and snack, and sun lotion reapply. The instructors watch over the kids and work with them one on one as needed or requested by the kids. All the kids wear yellow shirts so it's very easy to identify them. The beach seems perfect for learning to surf. Tons of waves every day. Also, the organizers that I dealt with were SUPER considerate of our need for last minute schedule changes. I am so grateful to them for this. And for all of the instructors, they do a great job. I highly recommend this surf camp. I'm tempted myself! Hang 10! read more

I scheduled a private session with Dana Tuttle. I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd had one lesson in the past, another private one, and in Hawaii no less, but I really wasn't thrilled with that. Dana told me I'd be standing up, riding without issue. I thought, "Sure. I bet he says that to everyone. I'm not saying I won't, but I don't have great balance and I'm not sure confident I'll be able to do this." The surf didn't look particularly good (to my untrained eye). Small, which was good, but kinda messy looking and inconsistent. Sure enough, not 20 minutes into the 90 minute lesson, I was up. Before the end of the lesson, I'd paddled into and caught several waves on my own (without even a push). To be candid, I am a relatively strong swimmer and didn't have any trouble with the paddling part, just the popping up. The way Dana taught me to go through the steps (and to slow down) really, really helped. It basically allowed me to actually catch some waves. I couldn't be more thrilled or recommend Camp Surf (and Dana in particular) more. I will definitely be doing another lesson before the summer's end. Hopefully multiple lessons. I may go with a group next time instead of private, but I really found the private instruction to be particularly helpful on the first time out. I would recommend that if you're serious about learning to surf. read more

This was definitely worth it! Jeff was an awesome instructor. So friendly and encouraging throughout the whole lesson. We've attempted surfing before but Jeff was really patient and helpful teaching us the basics! Super chill guy - we'll be back! read more

I kind of expected more from this place based on the reviews. I signed my girlfriend and I up for the group lessons (6) on a Saturday. Other than a few small hiccups of not being able to find them, arriving late, and their phone being completely unresponsive during this time, we started on the lesson. I'm not sure if the fact that we had a group lesson has a huge effect on the quality of service the instructors provide, but the gist of it were that they were very hands-off. Yes, they'll help push you off the wave. Yes, they'll come over if you wave at them. However, they don't stick around to help correct your stance and fix your mistakes, which makes learning and improving during the lesson a difficult thing to do. I think I might have gotten around 3 minutes of instruction in the entire 2~ hours of the lesson. It may seem like I'm being overly harsh on them, but I was really expecting more based on the reviews. I walked away with only the slightest knowledge of how to surf (which could have probably been acquired through a 5-minute youtube video). If you do want to learn how to surf, I would just advise renting a surfboard and teaching yourself. It really isn't that difficult to start off, especially when you are on a long board. If you absolutely have to have an instructor, I would recommend sucking it up and paying for a private lesson. read more

I can understand why other people give this place 5 star review, but I just did not have a good experience :( I'm not going to give them a 1 star review, because I'm being reasonable. But damn, I was so pissed. YES, I learned how to surf, and YES the instructors were all very helpful, BUT: -They give the most VAGUE instructions on how to find them!!!! My boyfriend and I arrived 30 minutes before the lesson because I actually hate being late to anything and I have a compulsive need to be punctual. They said they "are located to the right of the El Porto parking lot". OKAY, first problem: "right" is a relative direction. Like which way are we facing from the parking lot???? It's not like saying East or West which are fixed directions!! But since we arrived early, we looked everywhere for them!! We parked at the entrance of the El Porto parking lot since we were lucky enough to find good parking, and we thought they would be at the rocky surfing section, but NOPE! We called them 5 times, and no one picked up the phone. We asked everyone on the beach if they knew where Campsurf was, and FINALLY one lifeguard mentioned that they might be a couple of lifeguard stands away, so we hauled ass there and we finally saw their truck in the parking lot. I was actually fuming at this point. Not just from anger, but also from the fact that I had been running around in my wetsuit for half an hour. So even though we were late because we couldn't find them, I put on a neutral face (sorry, I didn't have the energy to do a happy face). -They gave out surfboards for everyone. Mine for some reason was just a plain white one, while everyone else's had designs. I didn't think anything of this though. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I'm not the clumsiest person in the world or anything, but when I was trying to catch waves, I could not, for the life of me, balance on the surfboard. It kept wobbling from side to side, and when I would try to catch the waves, it would sometimes just go sideways...I attributed this to the fact that I was new to surfing and probably sucked. I eventually got more of a hang of it, but it was still so wobbly!!!! WHY?? Well I'll tell you why. -After the lesson, I tried out one of the boards with designs. And then I got so pissed. My stupid white board was SO wobbly in comparison. So I just spend one and a half hours trying to learn to surf on the SHITTIEST board they could possible have found...wtf. I don't hate campsurf at all. The instructors were really friendly and awesome, no complaints there. I still think it's a good company, they just need to fix a couple of things. SO, if you come here, you will probably have a good time! Everyone else seems to. Just do NOT let them give you the shitty white board, and make sure you know where to meet them!! Although my first experience surfing was not the best one, I am not going to be discouraged from continuing to learn :)! read more

If I could, they would get 6 stars from me. Today is my kids last day at Campsurf after a week long camp and they woke up excited to go and sad it was over. They had an AMAZING experience there which meant a lot because they were hesitant to go when they had learned I signed them up for "surf camp". Every night before bed my kids would talk about the instructors they loved (pretty much all of them) and how much they have learned as well as how delicious the ham and cheese sandwich was (who would've thought?!) I can not say enough about how wonderful everyone has been and the program itself. What a great opportunity they offer the fine people of the South Bay. BRAVO Capmpsurf you have perfected the learning experience for surfers!! read more

This was one of the best birthday party experiences for my daughter. She had the best time with her friends and will be trying out the surf camp next. The instructors were very on top of everything for the party and could not of asked for more.. Thankyou!!! read more

My sister and I had a great time at Campsurf! We scheduled a private lesson with Conner, and everything ran very smoothly. Conner was very kind and encouraging, and we both got a lot of time in the water. Neither of us had ever surfed before, but Conner was able to get us both up on the board several times. I would highly recommend Campsurf and can't wait to schedule our next lesson. read more

Group lesson with the wife and two teenagers. Being from the East Coast, we decided to try surfing while on vacation. What a great decision! Patrick had the kids up on their first try and they only improved from there. They were in the mix with the locals (and Patrick) trying on their own to catch more waves. Smiles the whole time! Wife and I love the ocean and were able to have some great rides. Never would have accomplished this without Patrick doing all the work. Staff was friendly and spent an extra 30-40 minutes with the kids and they loved the attention. Highly recommend CampSurf if for nothing else than the smiles from the kids as they had a blast. Easy to find but parking was difficult due to the amazing weather and time of year. Look forward to surfing back on the East Coast when we return. read more

Signed my 9-year-old son up for the after school surfing lessons offered each Wednesday and Friday. We paid online for the Friday afternoon class. When we arrived, there was quite a bit of disorganization. They told my son to just grab a board and head down to the beach in front of the lifeguard tower...oh, and to put on one of the blue rash-guards to help identify you as one of their students. My son is a bit of a nervous ocean swimmer. I told the guy checking us in that this was his first time surfing, but I don't think that really registered (Note to ownership...put someplace on your online sign up some sort of indication of experience. It would help both students and instructors). We made our way down to the water and met up with a dozen or so others. It was evident that many of the kids had some experience, but others simply had none...all of which was grouped together and now heading into the water (Note #2 to ownership...how about taking those that know nothing about surfing and giving them some beach instruction? This is how you put on a leash? This is how you paddle? Duck dive? This is how you stand up?). My son was now paddling through the waves. I give him a LOT of credit to paddle out, get pummeled by waves, and get back on that board and keep going. But where were the instructors? Meanwhile, those kids that DO know how to surf are zipping around on waves...dodging in and out of the traffic trying to get out. I finally ran back to the car and put on my wetsuit to try and help my son. By the time I got back down to the water, my kid was DONE. The life-guard was there telling the instructors to move everyone down the beach further because everyone was basically fighting against a rip-current. My son said one instructor pushed him for a wave ONCE, and that was it. We left the board and blue rash-guard on the beach and ended up just playing in the waves together. Not once did an instructor come over to us and try to ascertain what the situation was or anything. I'm convinced if my son went missing in the water that day, they still would never have known. read more

My girlfriend and I are in California for a week and we spent 90 mins having a private lesson with Camp Surf in Manhattan Beach, CA. Our instructor was Russell Wolfe. Can't say enough about this gentleman. He is very personable, patient, has great knowledge of the waves in Manhattan Beach and is an asset to Camp Surf. You won't be disappointed with having a lesson with Russell. Paul Amato Oakville Ontario Canada read more