We had such a freaking great experience with this company. I had read so many testimonies on trip advisor. Everyone raved over Jason which I belive is one of the owners. When I called I spoke with him myself and he was great at answering all my questions. He was also very patient with listening to all my mom worries, and gave me a sense of comfort and excitement in exchange of my anxieties. I have 2 boys. A 10 yr old and a 13 yr old. We are from the Midwest and haven't experienced the West coast before so I was very apprehensive with the thought of my babies being in that beast of a ocean. I felt very confident after talking to him. We had to adjust our appointments a couple times which I felt awful for, but Jake also another owner was super chill about it. (Which was our experience with most of the Cali peeps, super cool, chill and laid back). I requested to have Jason as our instructor after speaking with him, but after so many adjustments we ended up having Kyle as our instructor. Kyle was a freaking blast. He was super patient with the boys. He made sure to correct them in a manner that still complimented them at the same time. My boys were enamored by him. I would HIGHLY recommend him. He kept me and my boys safe the whole time. The waves were crazy strong and I'm normally a worrier but in his care I felt we were safe. He even promised me he wouldnt let anything happen to us. Just saying that was a huge reassurance. He instructed my boys so well that they got up on the first try and continued the class with success. Thanks Kyle for everything you are amazing. I hope this review helps the next worried mom to do something out of their comfort zone and experience some excitement with their families. Keep up the good work boys. You're business is ran with perfection. read more

My 7 year old grandson had a surfing lesson with Austin and he had a great experience. This company was professional and easy to work with. I scheduled this at the last minute (called around 4:00 PM for a lesson the next morning). Jake made it work and was very complete in the information he gave me. We met Austin for the lesson the next morning and I was impressed by the quality of the equipment (wetsuit and board) they provided. Austin was excellent working with my grandson. He was patient, kind, understanding, funny, totally cool, and has a great personality. He was also exceptional working with a 7 year old and has an excellent teaching style. He went over safety and basics on how to balance and pop up while on the sand. Then they got in the water and very quickly my grandson was standing on the board and riding in on the waves. Austin always made sure he was comfortable and safe. Austin choose the waves that would give my grandson the best rides so he felt very successful and he was having a ton of fun. Although I was able to schedule at the last minute, next time I will plan ahead. I definitely recommend Learn to Surf! read more

I really thought surfing was going to just be picking up a board and catching waves. But it is so much more than that. My instructor, Jake, had an insane amount of knowledge of the ocean that made the experience incredible. Jake taught me all about sandbars, swells, ripcurrents, tides, set waves, and how all of those little details come together to make a surf session more fun and less frustrating. He taught me how to read waves to know when to paddle out. He taught me how to use rips to my advantage to paddle out and how to escape one when I'm drifting outside. He showed me how to read a shoulder and know which wave is good to take off on and which wave I'm better off passing up. He showed me how to determine when the best time to paddle out would be so I'm not stuck wearing myself out in the white wash. In addition to having a blast catching waves, I developed such an appreciation for the sport and the athletes who have mastered it. There is so much more to this than I thought! Jake was an awesome teacher. read more

Simply the best, true 5-star, go-to surf school!! My first private lesson with Chris was perfect. He was so zen and mindful of curating the lesson to my body type and athletic skills. Not only did I get over my initial fear but I got on the board on my first try and the two hours flew. I fell in love with surfing at my first lesson, but I only had another morning to surf again before my noon flight and Jake made this happen by kindly scheduling a 7:30am lesson after hours the night before!! He also arranged to have a size 4 tiny Rip Curl full-body wetsuit ready for me as I was a bit cold during my first lesson!! My second instructor, AJ, was amazing as well and I'm so happy that he had a different teaching style as it added to my experience and skills - I only wiped out once during my second lesson! I'm looking forward to returning to Santa Monica to surf with this school as they are so skilled, well-organized, full-service and kind!! Jake even provided advice on my buying a full-body wetsuit after the lessons!! read more

So glad we chose this company for lessons for my son while we were visiting Venice Beach. I talked to Jake ahead of time to make the arrangements - my son has some special needs, and I wanted to make sure they could accommodate. Jake listened, explained the process and made suggestions for the lesson. I felt comfortable and we booked. Their sessions are 1:1 and 2 full hours. On the day of, we got a text (as promised) with arrival instructions - very easy. We met instructor Marco and liked him right away. Very professional, warm and reassuring - and interesting. He was a seasoned surfer and took our son under his wing -- and he was standing up within the first hour! My son absolutely loved it - his favorite thing in our whole California vacation! I wish there were more stars to give! read more

I had never surfed before and was intimidated to start a lesson with no experience whatsoever, but my instructor Jake made sure that I felt comfortable throughout the experience and was wonderfully adaptable to allow me to go at my own pace. I really struggled at first, but by the end of the day I improved significantly to the point that I was able to stand up on my own. Ultimately, I attribute this improvement to the personal attention afforded to my learning by Jake, as the one-one instruction was a crucial aspect of the experience and something I would recommend to any beginner surfer. I am really excited to take a lesson again and build upon this first one, and I will definitely come back to Learn to Surf! read more

My first night in California I saw some surfers out on the water and all I wanted to do was learn how to surf. I booked with Learn To Surf and was beyond satisfied. Kyle was my instructor and it was clear he knew how to teach surfing. He taught me all the basics and soon I was standing up catching wave after wave. Not only did he do a great job at teaching me how to surf, he was so encouraging every time. If I messed up he would tell me how to fix it and the next time I was back out there surfing the waves again. It was an amazing experience and I am so pleased I booked with this company. Next time I am in CA I will be sure to book here again! read more

Where do I begin, wow. I'm a pretty decent snowboarder who just moved to California, and surfing is always been on my bucket list. I met Jake while teaching a surf lesson, and he let me know he had an instructor same-day who could get me in for a lesson!didn't even go to the beach that day to surf, and it ended up being the best part. I got up within my first few waves, and have the ability to paddle out afterward on my own thanks to my instructor Sean's great teaching. I just scheduled three more lessons with Sean, and I can't wait to see what I can do.glad I moved to Venice and can't wait to become a true surfer with these guys! read more

I want to thank "LA Surf and Swim" for teaching me how to swim, even in my mid 50's :-) I should say Zac is a truly WONDERFUL coach I've ever seen. He is a caring,patient, kind, and very encouraging instructor. Thank you ZAC for all your kindness and patience with me. I agree with many people who I met them at LA Surf and Swim that this company is very competitively priced, especially for private lessons which I truly recommend. This is why I highly recommend this company, especially, Zac as a swimming instructor if you want to learn surfing and/or swimming. read more

As a first time surfer I was very nervous but my experience here was five stars simply put. After setting up my appointment I had Jake a message away and the communication on what to expect and where to meet was a breeze. Once I got to the meet up Austin sized me up and the equipment was a glove fit. Not only was I able to learn how to stand up but I actually learned how to ride and was able to catch a few waves my first time out. Definitely would recommend to anybody who has ever considered surf boarding these are the friends you want to learn with. read more

While in CA my daughter wanted to experience and learn about surfing and took a surf lesson. Excellent experience! Our instructor Sam was awesome. The lesson started by practicing some basics on the beach and then in the water. He took time to talk to her through everything while still on the sand. Sam was close to my daughter all the time, giving instructions and making sure she is safe, which is the most crucial. Super friendly and professional. Highly recommend this school and can't wait to try it again. Thanks Sam, it was great experience. read more

Been taking lessons with Zac for a few months. He is a true ROCKSTAR. In other words, he is very passionate about surfing. I really like that he is very patient and he pays attention to detail. I truly enjoy his analogy and they can easily be carded in to our daily lives. And that to me is a big deal because it's always nice to get more when not looking for more. I highly recommend you try out LTS and definitely check our Zac! He us really great. And keep in mind, sometimes the water can be a bit chilly but keep on paddling. ;) read more

Took a lesson here with Jake a couple days after taking a lesson with another surf school and I was definitely blown away by the whole experience. Jake not only got me standing on my board, but also made sure I knew how to keep myself safe at the same time. I also felt as though he explained things a little bit better than they did at my other lesson and made sure I understood why something was done a certain way, instead of just telling me to do it. Would recommend Learn to Surf to everyone looking to take lessons. read more

I had been dreaming of surfing since I was a kid, and I finally got to do it at 17 years old! I'm so happy I found this organization to teach me, I had the time of my life! I even paid extra to get some GoPro footage, and it was well worth it, because I have a YouTube channel and I got to document it all on video! I live in Dallas so I don't get the opportunity to surf. But I hope one day that I will live by the ocean surfing my heart out :) Check out my video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngfDKrJhYlM&t=13s read more

Jake is an amazing instructor. I am a mid 20s guy who had never surfed before but Jake made it easy to learn. He's a super positive guy, patient and always willing to take the time to explain or show a new position in the board. I always felt comfortable asking him a question. Highly recommend jake as your surf instructor. I can see jake being a great instructor to children, women, athletes and the elderly! He really did make me feel at ease with surfing. I can't thank him enough. read more

My experience with Learn to Surf was wonderful. Blake was my instructor. He was very professional, patient, knowledgeable, and if you squint (which you would with all the saltwater) when the sunlight hit just right, it looks like you're being instructed by Zac Efron, haha! For real though, with his instruction and pointers, I was able to stand for several seconds, which I was very happy to accomplish my first time. Highly recommended company for first-timers read more

Awesome lesson in Venice! My boyfriend and I had a blast with our instructor. He was super kind and courteous and patient. Made the whole experience fun and we felt safe. We were both able to stand up before the lesson was over. I would recommend this private lesson to anyone. Don't do group lessons!! The individual attention helped us learn more than we did in a group lesson with another company. Super stoked with our progress thanks to learn to surf. read more

The first time I tried surfing was a nightmare. I went with this friend of mine who is a great surfer but not a very good teacher, I'll just say that haha. I called Jake & Jason, they gave me an incredible teacher and even recommended when I take my lesson based on conditions. My instructor Owen was incredible. We've had two lessons so far and next time he's going to take me up to a new break to practice my turns. Can't wait!! Thank you Learn to Surf! read more

Two AZ girls on vacation wanted to learn to surf. We found Learn to Surf on Yelp and set up their lessons. Courtland was their instructor and he did a great job. Both girls were able to get up on their boards and ride some small waves. They both thought that Courtland was really helpful and able to explain what they needed to do and to correct what they were doing. They would definitely recommend Learn to Surf and Courtland! Great day at the beach! read more