Was in Hawaii for a short 23 hours and LB took me out and had me standing on the board in no time ‍…read more Highly recommended. Will be coming back for more lessons. Mahalo LB you da' man! ‍

I had such an incredible time learning to surf with Larry! This was my first time ever surfing, and…read morehonestly, I couldn't have asked for a better instructor. He's so kind, patient, and genuinely cares about helping you feel confident in the water. Before we even started, he took the time to show me how to wax the board, carry it properly, and walk it out into the ocean safely. He explained everything so calmly that I never once felt rushed or nervous. Once we were in the water, he reminded me to breathe, relax, and just have fun -- and it made all the difference. Larry's energy is so grounding and encouraging. You can tell he really loves what he does, and that makes you want to do your best too. He's also a professional surfer, which makes it even cooler to learn from someone who's truly mastered it but still teaches with so much patience and humility. If you're thinking about trying surfing for the first time, take a lesson with Larry. You'll feel supported, safe, and inspired the whole time. I left feeling proud, happy, and already wanting to get back out there. Can't wait to surf with him again next time I'm in Waikiki! Thanks Larry!!!

Great instructors. Tommy and Dev were friendly, professional and so patient! It was great having a…read morephotographer there to catch my two daughters getting up during our first surfing lesson ever! We highly recommend this company!

I signed up my 8 year old for his first surf lesson with Gone Surfing and the experience was…read moreamazing. I will totally recommened this company, they are very professional. They also got us some amazing photos and videos of him surfing. He had lot of fun and cant wait to go back again surfing with them.

One of our best experiences in Oahu. Our plans were in flux, and we decided last minute to take a…read moresurfing lesson. Matt was able to accommodate us on short notice when other instructors could not. We texted some info so he could fit us with boards and water shoes. We met up with Matt in Waikiki, got some on-land instruction, and off we went into the water. He took us to a place where there were small waves water shallow enough for a 5+ foot person to stand and not be carried out by the currents, perfect for beginners who have never before swam out into the ocean on a large board. He picked waves that he thought were appropriate for our skill, and all of us were able to stand on our boards riding a wave for 4 or more seconds. After a few tries, we were mostly able to surf the wave quite a grid distance towards shore. Matt rotated us to make sure we all had a turn and his individual attention. He kept a close eye on us to make sure we didn't drift in the current. Failure is a disincentive to enjoying a new activity, and Matt saw to it we were as successful as we could be. The ocean is an unforgiving force, and Matt made the experience easy and enjoyable. Make sure to bring bandaids - not any fault of Matt's but things in the ocean can still leave you with the usual bumps and scrapes common to any water faring activity. The kids now think of themselves as surfers and want to do this again. Matt tells us he is from the Basque region of France, where he also surfed and taught surfing. Now he teaches surfing in Hawaii. Book a session with Matt for one of the best experiences you'll have on Oahu.

I had multiple lessons from Matt during my stay in Hawaii…read more Matt is the BEST surfing coach that I've ever met. He is knowledgeable, kind, encouraging and has a great personality. I had never seen a surfing board before, and I fell love into this sport after my first lesson with Matt. It was such an amazing experience. I've never paddled into the ocean before but Matt was always by our side to keep us safe. And when the right moment came, he would give me just a little push to catch the wave and signal me to pop up. I was able to stand up on the first lesson!!

Best day learning how to surf. Ask for Hans, Keaton, Tiara, or Nicki'. They made my families…read morefirst time surfing very special.

5 I can't say enough about the gang at Hans Hedemann Surf School Waikiki! Our family of 6 ( kids…read moreages 11,13,15, and 17) from the Midwest had never been surfing before. These guys were so good at providing instructions, keeping everyone safe, and most importantly making it fun! The kids had an absolutely blast. This was after two weren't overly confident going into it! We opted to have them take photos during our session and man did they not disappoint! I can't say enough good things about Peter, Willie, and Kiva. Would recommend these guys and the surf school to anyone who is considering it! - Matt

One of the highlights of our Waikiki vacation!…read more Our entire family had an incredible experience with Stoke Drift Surf Lesson. It was truly one of the highlights of our trip! The package included everything we needed, making the experience easy, comfortable, and completely stress-free from beginning to end. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed. They offer lockers and a safe place to store your belongings. Our family ranged in age from 9 to 19, plus myself and the team did an amazing job accommodating everyone's different ages and experience levels. Our youngest had her own private instructor, our two older daughters shared an instructor, and I had my own as well. This arrangement gave each of us the personalized attention and guidance we needed. They always knew how to position and guide us to avoid running into other surfers, even in the busy Waikiki surf. Throughout the lesson, they also taught us proper surf etiquette, including how to safely share the waves and remain aware of everyone around us. The personalized instruction, attention to safety, quality equipment, photography, and time spent in the water made it an excellent value for our entire family. Our instructors, Jaden, Keith, and Rickey were the best! Patient, encouraging, and incredibly professional. I highly recommend requesting them! They made everyone feel safe and confident while ensuring we maximized our time in the water. Although our family had surfed a little before, this was by far our best surfing experience. The entire team, including the photographer and everyone who helped behind the scenes, was exceptionally friendly, attentive, and helpful. You can tell they genuinely love what they do and care about giving every guest an unforgettable experience. The photographer captured come amazing photos too, each of us catching waves, and some of us taking the same wave together. If you are visiting Waikiki, I highly recommend booking a session with Stoke Drift. They are truly the best surf team in Waikiki, and our family will book with them again without hesitation the next time we are in town. This experience created wonderful memories for our entire family and was easily one of the best parts of our vacation. You won't regret it!

The waves were very far in-between today however they offered to let us reschedule but we went…read moreahead and went for it. And it was 100% worth it. Skyler was amazing with us. He made sure we were ready to go and it was worth every penny. Keith took fantastic photos of us. And this was an experience I would happily do again.

First time signing up for surf lessons and, based on reviews, decided to give Faith a try…read more I think the rates are reasonable for personal, semi-group, and group instruction. 80 minutes for newbies was a perfect amount of time to go over safety, technique, and signals on land then experiment in the ocean for the remainder of the time. Rocco was clear when giving instructions and tips for improving our stance on the board while on land. He was patient and re-stated parts I did not understand. Looking back, I wish I had asked for advice on what to do when surfing directly into/next to someone. Shout to the other person? Jump off the board? Rocco mentioned 'traffic' and who has the right of way but not crash scenarios. I mention this because on three of my practice runs, I was wiped out by other younger individuals No blame or judgment from a first-timer here, but I was excited to get a longer run standing yet almost half of my opportunities were stopped short not due to my lack of skill. You will need to purchase a rash guard either at Faith or purchase one locally (check out Ross, Walmart, Target, etc.). Also would recommend leg protection if you burn easily (like I did). I applied sunscreen on the backs of my legs, as instructed in the confirmation information, but I got a gnarly sunburn on my and legs. I signed up for 11:00 slot and was delayed almost 30 minutes due to overlapping canoe and surf lessons schedules. The staff was apologetic and kind and offered beach chairs while we waited. We were not in a rush, so waiting was no issue. Once we began, we received the full 80 minute lesson and had a blast! Even with the delay, I would highly recommend Faith! The staff is excellent and personalizes feedback on land and in real time in the water. Mahalo ‍

I highly recommend Faith Surf School!!! Rocco is such a great teacher, and he helped make my first…read moresurfing experience a memorable one!! He even took video of me getting up on the board and riding a wave all the way through! I NEVER would've been able to experience success my first time surfing without him. This man knows surfing and knows how to set his students up for success . If you're considering trying surfing, choose Faith Surf School. You'll be glad you did. This is an honest, first class company with fair pricing for the awesome experience they provide!!

If zero stars could be the score it would, but, alas, we're stuck with 1 star. I suppose I should…read morehave done my homework beforehand ... and certainly having Elon Musk as your background picture on Yelp would have been a big red flag .... Avoid: Kahu Surf School. My son was so excited for his first surf lesson and we had signed up with this School based on reviews on Google. I don't even know where to begin - they were late, the photographer no-showed, they didn't have a plan for who would give the lesson, and then they expected my kid - (and this was billed for 6-11 year olds) to immediately grasp it - and this is all before getting in the water (we also had to meet them at an office two blocks off the beach). The instructor told my son to "stop f'ing around" in front of us when he giggled nervously when he didn't get some something perfect immediately. We should have pulled him right there (parenting fail). Verbal abuse is never okay. The surf lesson was an absolute nightmare. The instructor swore at my child repeatedly (including f-bombs) leaving my son in tears, he was impatient with my son as he struggled to learn a new skill, and he seemed to have a little experience or willingness to work with a new-to-surfing kid. Kids need to be told things and receive constant reminders to help them learn. Instead, the instructor was verbally abusive of a child. This was supposed to be the highlight of the trip and instead my son ended up on the beach in tears. The surf instructor took off and paddled away from him as my son was attempting to learn how to navigate on a board and then screamed at him that he was f'ing terrible when my son fell. The whole thing was only 25 minutes instead of an hour. I've reached out to the surf school for a refund (they did give back the photo fee, but have refused everything else and are now LYING that my son is special needs and that I misled them . Our son does not have special needs and is not special needs in any way ... their story has changed ged repeatedly- all to justify financial irresponsibility and verbal abuse of a minor. They tried to say it was my son's fault for not learning his first time out or listening (to verbal abuse). These are kids- they deserve better- and patience is part of it..It was the most unprofessional experience we've ever had and I'm so, so sad for my kid. I would NEVER recommend them and encourage everyone to seek more appropriate options for children's beginner lessons. In fact, the instructor started out saying he would be on the beach watching my son, and he'd come in if he needed help. It was unreal and I think he saw our expressions as he did go in the water with him. Note the photo, that they offer refunds for reviews ... so, buyer beware. I don't suppose I'll get a refund for this? I have also had really strange communications via email with the person I can only assume is the owner and the author of the below response. Each email has changed the story and now he's settled on calling an academically gifted child/swim team swimmer special needs (I think there is maybe a reading comprehension issue? It's alarming and very strange. These are not people I'd want around my kid. It's a violation of yelp and Google to offer incentives for reviews.

This school is a scam. We booked and paid for a $330 group surf lesson for 3pm today. The email…read moresaid to show up 10 minutes before our lesson. We show up at 2:50. Nobody is at the location so we call the business to say that we have a 3pm booking. Immediately the person on the phone who I assume is the owner starts giving us attitude. They said that we need to book online and you cannot just call and expect to be seen. I respond that we already booked and are waiting for the instructor. I mean seriously what kind of response is that. And then he says we need to wait, they're on a tight schedule. Then the phone call ends. Okay??? We keep waiting. Eventually it's past 315pm so we call again and this time the person on the phone says you can either keep waiting or leave and email for a refund. He spews a bunch of excuses like "someone is injured, we are on a tight schedule, we are short-staffed, etc". I simply say okay. And then at 3:24, we leave because this type of wait is unacceptable. We email for a refund and he immediately calls us to say that the instructor was there the whole time and he will not be issuing a refund. WTF? I call again and say you need to honor what you said about refunding us and he says we have to go back to the location to talk to the instructor. And I say why would I waste even more of my time returning to the location we left when you said we could just email for a refund. Then he says he is not responsible, it is through the booking site. Are you not the booking site dude? You are the owner , you can refund us but you are choosing not to because you are a scammer. He then calls me a "piece of shit" and tells us he will not refund and that we need to speak to the instructor. I keep telling him we will not go back, you can just refund us like you said you would. I then say that I have picture proof with timestamps that the instructor was not there and he says the instructor was on the street smoking the whole time because that's how things work around here. MORE LIES. First, someone is injured and you are short-staffed. Now, it turns out the instructor was here the whole time but across the street smoking??? At this point, I hang up because we are getting nowhere. Luckily I took pictures of the empty location/store we were waiting at for 30+ minutes. I have all the proof. Timestamps are included above. Do not engage with this disrespectful and scam of a business.

Thank you SO much!! My kids had a blast and can't wait to do it again…read more 10/10.... Let's do it again, now - 16 yo boy It was fun! I'd try it again - 12 yo girl If I lived here I'd do this everyday - 11 yo girl Our instructor was kind and patient and fun. I'm grateful to DFC for sharing their passion with my family. Mahalo!

Booked a surfing lesson with this place and I would definitely do it again. Jacob, our instructor…read morewas very patient with us and was such a professional. My friend and I never surfed before and we were both very nervous! First wave we caught was such an adrenaline rush but we started on our knees. When we finally got comfortable, we started to stand! There were lot of people surfing but other than that we had an awesome experience! Thanks Jacob for being there making sure we caught the best waves and giving us a push!