Got my husband a class for our wedding anniversary gift. My husband enjoyed the class. It was perfect surfing weather that day. The instructor always responded to our emails and texts quickly. Also met us an hour early to accommodate our changed schedule. read more

Grant is a great instructor. He worked with my 10 year old son and helped build his confidence. I recommend Grant for surf lessons. read more

Stafford Surf School - Cosmo surfing Del Mar Shores - Surf Schools Near Me - Del Mar, California

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My daughter had a great private surf lesson today through Stafford Surf School! She is a beginner surfer and Victor helped her to feel comfortable and be successful her first time out. If you want to learn how to surf in the San Diego area this is a great school to learn from. read more

Stafford Surf School - Surf Schools Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Just an awesome Surf School and was a super "fit" for my two daughters, who greatly benefited from a 2 hour+ lesson, with the Proprietor/Lead Instructor, Grant Clay. Beyond patiently and enthusiastically instructing my daughters (ages 17 and 13), on the mechanics of surfing (selecting the right wave, getting up on one's board, standing up while riding the wave, etc.) Grant went out of his way to remove any fears that they had related to learning and ultimately enjoying this sport! He stressed his own love for the Surf and the need for repetition and just having fun, as the secrets to truly enjoying surfing, as not only a lifetime sport but a lifetime passion! If needed, the Stafford Surf School will provide the Boards for the lessons and in our case we had one and used one of the School's. So pleased with the "learning curve" and wanting to learn further, we've agreed to reschedule with Grant and the Stafford Surf School, in a few weeks. Strongly recommend this School and Grant as the Instructor, if possible, and especially for a comprehensive and intensive two hour lesson. BTW, the suggested 20th Street Del Mar location was super, in terms of waves, parking and accessibility, etc. read more

I totally recommend! My friend and I purchased a lesson for 2, thinking we'd get one instructor for both of us. But we had one instructor for EACH of us! Way better than a group lesson I had taken with another school years ago. I didn't think to ask if Grant always schedules his lessons so each student has personal instruction, so you may want to clarify when scheduling. After my first lesson, I scheduled a second lesson for the next day because I had so much fun and wanted more practice. Grant, Cole, and Victor were all extremely nice, helpful, and encouraging. After I get more practice solo, I'll be calling Grant again to help get to the next level. read more

Grant is an amazing surf instructor. He is enthusiastic, patient & great with kids. We loved how he was very concerned about the safety of the ocean first. His location is right in front of the lifeguard tower and close to 2 other lifeguard towers. I highly recommend Grant to anybody at every level os surfing. read more

Me and my friends came to San Diego for a vacation and booked this place for lesson. Generally our group is loud and wild but Grant was really patient with us and made sure that we all are able to stand on the board in the water on our own. We had a blast and Highly recommend any beginners to book a lesson with Grant. read more

Grant and his guys were AWESOME!!! We had a group of 6 ranging in ages from 12-49 with all different kinda of abilities. Their instructions and coaching were fantastic. I can wait to come back to San Diego for another surf lesson! Thanks Grant! read more

As a beginner, learning to surf can be super intimidating! Grant, the owner, and another instructor, Victor, did a great job of making me feel comfortable, answering questions and providing helpful tips on each attempt. Got to standing a couple of times which certainly wouldn't have happened otherwise! They both have great insight about the terrain and know where to go for the best conditions. Highly recommend this one! read more

Grant is great! He is a talented teacher -- methodical, patient, and positive. I came in with zero surfing experience, and completed the lesson having caught over a dozen waves. Afterward, he identified a number of development areas for future improvement. I really appreciated his emphasis on technique, and, of course, his awesome attitude. I'd recommend Grant to anyone who wants 1-on-1 surf lessons. read more

My husband and I were looking for a sport for our boys to get into. Our boys ( 7 yrs old) have never been big on sports but they have always LOVED the water so we thought we'd try out surfing. We found Stafford Surf School online and on first impression, our instructor (Grant) was very professional and kid friendly. Our boys immediately felt comfortable with him. They had a quick lesson on the sand and spent a good while in the water. Grant was able to get our boys standing up and surfing very quickly. Our boys absolutely loved it! So much so that they are already requesting surf boards for Christmas! :) With the quality of the lesson and affordable cost, we will definitely be continuing lessons with Stafford Surf School. read more

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I had my first lesson with Grant, the owner of Stafford Surf School, and I plan on taking more lessons with him. During the lesson, Grant was incredibly knowledgeable and positive - he is a great coach. I'm an over-40 woman, and I had previously attempted "surfing" in the whitewater, but my goal is to be able to surf real unbroken waves at some point in the future. I get a little scared and fearful in the ocean, which I let Grant know before the lesson, and he was really good at getting me to go out past the whitewater in a safe and comfortable way. I felt really safe in the water with him there coaching me. I was really impressed by Grant's communication and instructional skills. (There are a lot of great surfers out there who don't really know how to instruct and truly teach, but Grant excels at both.) He explains things well, shows you examples, then has you try to replicate and gives you feedback - the good things you did, and the things to focus on or do differently with more practice, all while being enthusiastic, friendly, positive, and patient. He made me feel very comfortable and confident, being out there with him coaching me. By the end of the lesson, thanks to a lot of good coaching and many "pushes" into the waves by Grant, I had successfully caught and stood up on a real (not whitewater; the real deal!) wave to ride the face of the wave. It felt amazing! Obviously, I need more practice to get better, but it was more than I ever thought I'd be able to accomplish in just one lesson. I was pleasantly surprised at how much he taught me in the lesson, including how to turtle roll, how to stay safe and "read" the horizon in order to recognize where to position yourself in relation to waves that are building on the horizon, how to pop up on the board but still stay low, where my body weight and balance should be when sliding down the face of the wave in order to avoid pitching and falling, and how to turn left and right. (We practiced the turning in the whitewash.) If you're looking for surf lessons but not sure which option to choose for instruction, here's a few things that distinguish Grant from other surf instructors, in my opinion: - Grant is friendly, smart, and professional, which can be hard to find in a surf instructor. He's a college graduate, which shows in his ability to explain technical concepts in simple, understandable terms, and to truly teach and instruct. I've taken a couple "tourist" lessons in San Diego (Surf Diva in La Jolla, and another place in PB) and Honolulu, and the quality of Grant's instruction is sooooo much better than what I've received elsewhere. - He's fully focused on you during the lesson. When he goes out in the water with you, you are on a board but he's not - he's swimming beside you, 100% focused on you, able to help position you on the board, help push you into the wave, gets to you quickly if you struggle in the water, and fully watching and instructing you. (In my past "tourist" lessons, past "instructors" took their own boards out and were really more interested in catching their own waves than teaching me. Grant is the complete opposite of that.) - He's very positive and supportive - he challenges you and sets "mini" goals for you, but he never pushes you too far, and always makes sure you feel comfortable and safe in the water. When he gives you tips for improvement or to change something, he does it in a very friendly, positive manner. He's very encouraging, and wants to make sure you are having fun. - He's professional and punctual - His rates are fair and reasonable. Affordable enough that I'll be able to take more lessons with him, so that I can continue to improve! He can provide a soft-top board for you to use during the lesson, or if you prefer to learn on your own board, he's fine with that too. I'm excited for my next lessons with him in the upcoming month. read more

We had Grant booked twice for the private lessons with our 15 and 13 years boys. The boys had a great time, totally fell in love with surfing read more

Grant was great and we had so much fun! I've taken surfing lessons before but he was easily the best as both an instructor and as someone to feel comfortable out in the water with to learn from. He's very patient and fun to work with. 10/10 would recommend to all my friends! read more

Grant and his partner Victor were excellent with my boys on their first trip out in the ocean with surfboards! They gave just the right amount of surf and safety instruction and were out on their surfboards in no time! Out on the water, Grant and Victor educated them on navigating the waves w/ surfboard, wave selection, positioning, more safety tips, etc. In no time they were riding small waves all the way to the beach....all within an hour of us arriving at the beach! They loved it so much, we were back the next day! This time Victor took them out further to catch bigger waves to ride. He pumped them up with confidence and they were able to ride a few bigger waves. We left the beach having a great overall experience. Don't look any further for surf instruction! These guys are it.... read more

Grant is a great person, teaching me my first lessons in the water, he really taught me the important points in order to catch that first wave. I had a lot of fun learning from him and improving, he was punctual and professional at all times. I highly recommend to anyone to take lessons with him. read more

Five stars, and I'm a very tough reviewer on Yelp. Grant is a great teacher, and the value of the lesson is well beyond the purchase price. Went out today for a beginner lesson in very rough surf. Even though it was one of the roughest days of the year in terms of the swell size, Grant was able to help me get up and standing on my board. He displayed a nice ability to analyze what I was doing and to turn it around into actionable pointers and advice. The constant feedback was very helpful. I'll have no hesitation to send my wife and kids to Grant in the Spring for surf lessons. I can give his surf lessons nothing but my highest recommendation. read more

Grant was amazing. He got us into our lesson even though I called last minute and was super professional and knowledgeable. He was a great teacher. If you want an authentic surfing experience he's the best read more

I researched many surf schools and picked Stafford Surf School because of the price and location. First impression was great-it was easy to contact and schedule a lesson for my husband with Grant. Grant started the lesson on the shore, teaching the basics of popping up. Grant had my husband in the water within 15 minutes, starting out in the whitewash, and then paddling out. Grant was able to assess my husbands's skill level and accommodate the lesson to his ability. My husband rode his first face wave within that first hour!! Though I booked a 2 hour lesson, my husband was fatigued after the first hour. Grant did not pressure my husband to continue the 2nd hour and emphasized safety. He was encouraging and even offered his surfboard to practice for the second hour, at no charge and did not charge for the 2nd hour lesson. Grant was an awesome instructor, he was easy-going, fun, but still very informative-about surfing/the ocean/boards, and taught well. My husband had a great time! From the very beginning to the very end, it was an overall great experience. I probably will schedule a group lesson for my kids next summer! read more

Grant did an awesome job with my two teenage boys (15 and 13). Not only is Grant a great instructor, but also a super nice guy. He knows his sport, is super safety conscious, and has a talent for patiently teaching technique and persistence. Most importantly Grant has a great passion for what he does, and was able to bring that excitement to my boys, who really looked up to him. This is the kind of role model you want teaching your kids! read more

Had a wonderful introduction to surfing with Grant! He was very patient with me and my friend and made the process fun and enjoyable for us both. He is very knowledgable/exerienced and helped us understand wave types, safety in the ocean, and how to properly stand up on the board. Would highly recommend this for anyone who is just learning to surf or trying to get better. I thought I was afraid of waves, but this class definitely helped me overcome some fears! read more

Grant is awesome!!!! Not only does he respond quickly but more importantly he is patient, kind and extremely helpful to our 13 year old boy who is eager to surf! We are so happy we found Stafford Surf School!!! read more

An inspiring and positive surfing instructor! I felt encouraged and learned quickly between the on shore lesson and in the water experience. Learning was made easy and fun because the instructor is kind and cares. You will learn how to ride waves, scan for waves, surfing etiquette, and more! I am so happy that I got such an experienced instructor who was supportive and patient with me throughout the whole lesson. After a lesson, I feel more confident and motivated to keep surfing! read more

Grant creates such a positive learning environment! He's so kind, knows the waves where he teaches incredibly well, is very patient and positive. If you have never surfed he builds your confidence by holding the back of your board the first few times to make sure you get to stand up. When your ready he pushes you into waves.. By the end of the lesson I was trying to catch my own and he was showing me how to pick waves. :) All around great guy with such a great attitude! Mahalo!! read more

we were able to take a group private lesson with grant and his brother. great day! lots of instruction, chill environment, very positive instructors. they have a surf board with a go pro on it to capture some of our luckier moments-- really a great business. would recommend grabbing a lesson from these guys if you would like to learn while having fun. read more