Our two daughters (ages 12 and 9) had a wonderful semi- private lesson with Libby over the Labor Day weekend. The lesson ran from 10- noon which was a perfect amount of time for them. They are beginners and the waves were very decent for them to practice in Capitola. Libby was really supportive and adjusted the instruction style for each kid. They both gave the overall experience a 10/10. We appreciated the fact that the instructor and our kids had these bright yellow surf shirts on for the lesson which helped us and others to more easily see them in the water. We think the morning slot was good-- maybe picking an even earlier slot might be better as the water did get pretty crowded. Because we got into town around 9 we were able to find good parking which becomes really difficult later on and most parking spots had 3 hour limits. Neil's registration process for the lessons was really easy and he was super responsive to the follow up questions we had. We would absolutely book with him and his team again. read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle - Libby sharing some final instructions before getting into the water. - Paddleboarding Near Me

Neil was one of the best instructors I've ever had! I can't wait to do more lessons!

I took my Grandson for his 1st surf lesson and we had a blast. Neil explained everything simply and playfully - Jayden got up on his first wave. I highly recommend this business. read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle - Getting the feel for the board - Paddleboarding Near Me

See all

Amazing experience! So so glad I booked it! I had Libby as my instructor and Neil helped us get set up and took footage from the shore. Everyone was so friendly, patient, and encouraging. I had the best time with Libby - a total girls day hanging out in the water and catching waves. Couldn't have asked for a better first time surfing! Will be back with my kiddos the next time. read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle - Instructor Libby - Paddleboarding Near Me

This was our first time surfing the experience was amazing Neil and Haley were phenomenal instructors very poised very patient helpful all the way through! Birthday surprise!! read more

WOW! I could not have been happier with this experience! This was my 20-year-old's first experience with surfing. The instructor arrived early and ready to go when we arrived. The borrowed gear was in good condition. He was very friendly and showed my son the basics. Within 20 minutes, they were out in the water, and my son was catching some waves! I credit that to the great basic instructing! The instructor was attentive at all times and helpful throughout the lesson. Overall, a fantastic experience with no complaints. Highly recommended! read more

Ladies Surf Clinics - so fun and empowering! I've done these with Katy and now Laney and they are fantastic. Laney and Libby were so good with us - there are different themes for the clinics and they walk you through the basics and get you out there practicing. They make sure everyone is catching waves and having fun. They have definitely helped my confidence and skills. read more

Highly recommend taking this classes to learn how to surf, we can't get enough now! We had a great time, felt safe and really learned a lot. Neil was an awesome instructor, very patient and fun. read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle are convenient and responsive. Libby was awesome and just perfect for kids. Everyone had a great time. Thank you!

Our 12 year old grandson had his first surf lesson with this company, the instructors are amazing. On his second lesson, Neil had him riding some great waves standing up. read more

Absolutely amazing company! The instructors were fantastic! I had a lesson with myself and my 2 young kids (9 and 11) who had never really played in waves far out before. Neil and Fiona were amazing and patient and so kind. I felt completely comfortable with my kids (and my) safety despite abnormally big waves. 100% Reccomend!! read more

We had an exceptional experience with Neill from Capitola Surf and Paddle. His approach, preparedness, support and coaching made for a wonderful 2 hour semi-private lesson. My daughter managed to successfully ride a few waves and is now hooked on surfing. I highly recommend them! read more

The staff are incredible! Our now 11yr old has been taking lessons for 2 summers. The staff are kind, knowledgeable, patient and efficient (they're in the water practicing faster than I expected!), and the girls make significant progress in each lesson. We'll definitely be signing up for more lessons! read more

Katy is a Salt of the Earth type of woman & her surf instruction is on point. I'm so glad I found her!

Katy was an incredible instructor! She went above and beyond her job responsibilities. I would highly recommend her. From the beginning, she left a great impression. I went through the list of places that offered surf lessons on Google in the Santa Cruz area. She was actually the fifth person I called but after going straight to voicemail for the top listed places, and others being more corporate-like, I picked Capitola Surf and Paddle because I liked the way she handled the call. She didn't just treat me as just a customer but as someone who wanted to learn how to surf. Since it was the first time for my son and me, I had a few questions. She was very patient and genuinely sounded like she enjoyed the conversation. I have tried to plan a trip in Pismo Beach but the guy I talked to actually got upset and basically told me I was wasting his time, so she is a unicorn. To save you time, all the surf shop lessons offer the same price ($120 per person for a group or $150 for semi-private which is 2 per instructor). This place is newer which is why there aren't as many reviews. They are smaller but more personable. I even brought my GoPro and Katy captured some Kodak moments (I'm dating myself here). She didn't just capture a couple of videos, but every time we tried to catch a wave! She didn't even charge extra. I haven't written a review for a while but if she could handle surfing with a GoPro in one hand the entire time, I wanted to let everyone know her dedication to her job and care for people. Be prepared to have a rad surf with Capitola Surf and Paddle! Today was truly a blessing from God! read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle - After our first surf - Paddleboarding Near Me

Great coaches with supportive people :) The content covered during the sessions are very informative and helpful.

Our whole experience was amazing. I called and left a message inquiring about lessons. Got a call back within the hour and scheduled our class for the next day. Our instructor was Neil and he was amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable and patient with us. My wife and I would highly recommend and would go again. We will always look back on our memory with joy. We also went and got a burrito from a local place Neil suggested. Also a win. Hope to come and take another class. We felt safe and taken care of while also having an amazing time. It was just a plus that it was a beautiful day. read more

Capitola Surf and Paddle - Myself, my wife, and Neil our instructor. - Paddleboarding Near Me

Katy at Capitola surf was super awesome to set up private surf lesson for my 12-year-old son. We are coming in from out of town, and Katy was easy to communicate with and helped us figure out where to park. Emma made the Surf lesson fun and taught my son how to read waves and be able to go out and safely and competently surf on his own. Really grateful for an awesome lesson. read more

Absolutely stellar surf lesson. Also the wetsuits they provide are really nice. If you've worn a rental wetsuit before you'll know how much that matters. Katy is an amazing instructor. She has an incredible technical knowledge of surfing and actually manages to communicate that to her students. There are a lot of great surfers out there but not all of them are also great teachers. Katy was able to come up with a custom lesson plan for us. She gave a lesson that fit 2 very different skill levels and kept it fun and engaging for both of us. This was the second lesson I've booked through Capitola Surf & Paddle, and I'm looking forward to a third. Bonus points. While we were out there a sea otter swam right up to our surf boards. Can't guarantee that will happen to you though. read more

GREAT TIME, GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT EXPERIENCE Katy & Caleb are great. I've taken surf lessons in many different places before but Katy & Caleb are a cut above. Caleb was very insightful and right next to me the whole time in the water. Teaching me not only the basics, and proper surf etiquette, but learning how to see the water as he does and read the waves in real time. He even taught me how to turn on my first wave! He really made me feel comfortable and confident in the water. The amount of tips I received in just a few hours was worth every penny & when I got back to shore Katy was there to tell me what she saw from shore and how I can improve on my technique. I wasn't expecting two coaches for the price of one! Plus she got some cool photos and a video of me too! I highly recommend these two. They go above and beyond. I'll be bringing my family and friends to them when they visit & I'll be returning myself for more lessons when I'm ready to advance my skills. HIGHLY RECOMMEND ! read more

See all

I was initially nervous to go surfing as I'm not that big a fan of the water and we had a wake up time at 7 AM. I LOVE SURFING and I can't thank Neil, Tyler and Riley enough for a spectacular experience for my friend's bachelorette. They really worked with us as a group and individually and highly recommend Capitola Surf! read more

such a fun experience! i haven't gone surfing in so long so it was such a nice refresher. i've done 2 surf lessons with capitola surf and paddle so far and i loved both times! katy was really helpful coordinating the semi-private and group lessons, and the instructors are super kind, supportive and encouraging. they made it such a safe and friendly environment to learn and grow in. def will try again with more friends! read more

Katy is wonderful! Besides being a knowledgeable professional, her style is friendly, encouraging and fun!!! I arranged lessons for visiting teen family members from out of town who had never surfed and they were soo excited afterwards! They learned quickly and did remarkably well! Katy has cute swag for purchase, too, and they all looked west coast cool in their logo hats. I truly can't recommend Katy and Capitola Surf & Paddle highly enough! read more

Such a fun group of people to learn to surf with! i'm getting better with every lesson and the next lesson builds onto what you already know. The instructors are amazing. They teach and keep you safe. They make surfing super fun! read more

Excitement hospitality, equipments in good condition, professional in guiding how to observe waves. Highly recommend

If there was a way to put 10/5 stars, I would. Katy is such a great instructor-- she's extremely knowledgeable in what she does and where she does it. She knows the local area extremely well, and can teach others about how a certain surf break behaves under an array of conditions in an easily digestible way. Even if you have absolutely zero experience with surfing or SUPing, Katy can explain concepts and ideas in visual ways, which was specifically helpful to me. I really cannot reccommend Capitola Surf and Paddle enough! read more

Great surfing lesson, can't recommend enough. My instructor was Caleb. He was very nice, and super knowledgeable. I had been surfing before, but I felt like I made so much progress. Definitely would recommend to friends and family. read more

Katie & her crew were awesome. They handled our large group (age-ranging from 6-46) point on, mixed levels of skill & athleticism were no problem. ALL smiles & very happy with our group surf lesson. The waves in the Capitola area are VERY conducive to catching your first or 40th wave, highly recommend. We will return ‍‍ read more

Katie is amazing! I've rented surf gear from her twice and both times were seamless and wonderful. She drops it off and picks it up right at the beach. 10/10 will rent from her anytime I'm in Capitola. read more

Super fun..Katy and my instructor were super nice. I was able to learn how to surf and caught about 10 waves!!

Emma stayed with my daughter the whole time in the ocean . She helped push her board when needed and helped her with her confidence in the ocean. My daughter loved it and wants to do it again! read more

Katy was a great teacher. She is very knowledgeable and very professional in the way she handles calls and appointments. I learned a lot! Wouldn't think twice choosing this! read more

Stellar surf school, fun and exciting people that are both knowledgeable and fun to learn from. Definitely the go-to place for surfing in Santa Cruz read more

This place was awesome, a friend brought me and 2 other friends for our first time out. Rental for boards were $20. We went out with no wetsuits today's high were to be 73...no vests...both are avail however I'm not sure of they cost more. They had holders for our glasses but to be honest we didn't need then (no charge). The take flown the boards for you and then did a quick overview since 3 of us have never paddle boarded before...helped us in and away we went! It was super easy and one of our friends isn't even a fan if water (lol) but she enjoyed herself enough to say she would come out again! You leave your boards and just bring your paddles with you to the short walk back to the shop...they have a rinse off spot there too with warm water. I had such a blast and can't wait to go back! !! read more

See all

Katy is hands down the BEST! Our daughter took one lesson with her back in September. Super attentive, kind, helpful, and just all around great. Fast forward to now, our daughter has her own board. Wanted to start to feel more comfortable with it so we called up Katy! Kara really enjoys surfing with her and learns something new every time! We will be back in the future, I'm sure. She has helped our girl feel super confident. Thank you Katy!!! read more

See all

Really sweet duo that provides this service. I was wanting to go SUPing in NorCal during this scorching hot weather. I have never suped in this part of the ocean. I usually go to LA. However I got to become familiar with NorCal water and kelp beds. Lots of nutrients in the water. Lol. I was very fortunate that the water was mellow, and I was able to increase my ability by working on foot work and ride small bumps. Katy was very attentive to my needs and kept me safe. I wore a rash guard and some waterproof shorts and that was sufficient. I fell a few times and it was very invigorating because I have never fully submerged myself in this part of the ocean. My pro tip for other perspective clients is to note that after you park walk down to the beach and you will see a seal. That's the meeting point. read more

Such a great option for rentals. They were so easy to work with. Boards and suit pick up right on the beach and such a friendly and knowledgeable team. Would definitely use them again. read more

Great Service, Great Prices, and great wetsuits!

Both of my teens had a great time working with Joe! Joe Rocks! He was patient and funny, making the whole experience a blast for them. They have such a good time that we booked another lesson for the next day! read more

Called to book our lesson. Katy was very friendly and tried hard to help us. Neil, our instructor, is very good. He is also nice enough to extend the lesson for us as we came in late due to traffic. read more