Took a lesson/rental They did a GREAT job we had Sooo much fun! Definitely will be utilizing them again read more

Star-Surf did a great job getting both me, 38 year old, and my son age 5. Up and surfing with one lesson each. They had great communication, were on time, friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. My 5-year-old immediately took to Nicole and has been talking about surfing ever since. Nicole did a great job of customizing the lesson to our abilities and comfort levels. read more

Star - Surf saved the day. Our original vendor couldn't make the appointment we'd made so I circled back to Star - Surf who I had originally said "No thanks". Stephanie was kind and considerate as I explained that my special needs nephew was planning to paddle board and asked if could she help. She was gracious and made accomodations for us. Less than two hours later, we met Curtis and got our on land lesson. Curtis was engaging and respectful to both of us and made all sorts of accommodations so Gabe and I could enjoy paddling. We ended up on the same board and had a peaceful Pacific paddle. I live out of state but will always come back to Curtis and his crew for the top notch customer service and kindness. read more

Purchased a Groupon with a few friends. Scheduling was extremely easy and the directions they gave us were very clear. The lesson included a 2 hour surf time, board rental (foam board), and a wetsuit. The lesson started with an on land portion where they demonstrate proper stance, how to stand up on your board, etc. After a few runs at this, our group of 8 was split into two groups of 4 so we had more one on one time with an instructor. Nicole was our instructor and she was great. Amazingly patient and full of great tips. We all loved the lesson so much that we've all gone back atleast once just to rent from them. $30 gets you a two hour rental with wet suit and foam board. Not a bad deal at all! Looking to rent from them soon again! read more

This was the best lesson! Curtis took two of us out in January for a great 1.5 hrs of instruction and constant wave riding. He was humorous, kind and helpful! Would recommend to any beginner. We had a blast! Nicole and Stephanie were both wonderful for coordination and helping us out with gear and photos. Great experience overall. read more

I went with a friend, both of us first timers, and Curtis was a fantastic teacher. We both had a blast, and felt totally comfortable making fools of ourselves and asking dumb questions. Curtis was great about teaching us the basics on land so we knew what to expect in the water, but also didn't bombard us with too much information all at once. Above all, he emphasized that it was all about having fun and not about being perfect. His teaching was the perfect combination of skills and technique, safety & water awareness, and having fun. It was everything I was hoping surfing would be, and I am looking forward to my next lesson! read more

The most fun ever! 10 stars! Found them on Groupon. Called to schedule a lesson the same day and luckily a spot was open an hour later so we took it! Carl gave us exact directions of where they were parked (they work out of a van) and texted it to us as well. We were 30 mins late because of the atrocious parking situation in that area. Carl was very accommodating and understanding about it. He gave us the option to re-schedule or just miss out on the 20 mins of lesson time... we decided to just do the lesson. Our surf instructor was Rob and he was amazing! He was so nice, patient, knowledgable, and encouraging (especially since my friend and I sucked haha). The current was strong that day but Rob made us feel completely safe (he even had to save my poor friend b/c she paddled out a little too far). My friend and I really like taking pictures (lots and lots of pictures) so Carl was nice enough to take a million pics of us on his iPad (since my phone died) while we posed with Rob and our surfboards :). He was even coaching us on some poses lol. He e-mailed me all of our pics from our mini-photoshoot later that evening. It was such a fun experience, good work out, and the staff is so friendly. Definitely going to go again!!!! read more

Awesome experience!!! I fell in love with surfing during my lesson with Star Surf. I had never surfed before, mainly because I live in the desert and I never thought it was physically possible. Thanks to Star Surf it was possible! I was taking a trip to LA at the end of July and I called two weeks before my trip to schedule a lesson for four people. I spoke to Stephanie. She was great!!! All four of us used a Groupon and it was stress free. Make sure to call ahead of time to schedule your lesson because their time slots fill up quickly. We chose to surf on a Monday morning. It was easy to find parking and the beach was almost empty. Show up at least 15 minutes before your lesson time to sign wavers and put on wet suits. There were two other people in our lesson, for a total of six people with two instructors. Our instructors were Junior and Zach. They were amazing to say the least. Both instructors stayed with us in the water for the entire lesson, taking turns helping each student. When it was your turn, the instructors would tow you out into the waves and stabilize your surfboard as the waves began to take you to shore. The hands on help was extremely beneficial. It took me a couple of attempts to stand up on my board but I was actually able to surf. I cannot even put into words how exhilarating it was surfing. I do not think I would have been as successful if the instructors were not in the water with us the entire time. Surfing is beyond physically demanding!!! I consider my self to be in decent physical shape and surfing destroyed me. It was by sheer determination and the help from the instructors that allowed me to stay in the water for the entire lesson trying to surf. The pain was well worth it. Stephanie and the instructors at Star Surf made my first surfing experience wonderful. Thank you so much. I will be using Star Surf again the next time I am in California. I can't wait!!! read more

I'd give zero stars if I could. Our experience with star surf was probably the worst thing I've ever paid money for. 1. I bought the groupon and we booked easily for a noon lesson 2. I called the day before to confirm, and Nicole, quite rude and aloof, informed me our lesson had been moved to 1pm. Ok cool, glad I called, thanks for calling me in advance to let me know. I asked for parking instructions, and she said "we sent a text". Ok, I didn't get a text, so I asked again for address, parking instructions, etc., and she said "I'll resend the text". Ok, I didn't get the first one, so maybe you could just tell me the address verbally, ya know, over the phone since we're talking now. This seemed to put her out in a way I can't describe, like it was so much effort to provide the address over the phone. Yikes. 3. We show up at 12:30, fill out the paperwork, they say "The waves are big today". Fine, we fill it out anyway. 4. Our instructor, Bryan (I think!), was very sweet but was incredibly overwhelmed. We were 4 girls who had all been surfing before, and he kept saying the waves were too big and that he was worried about our safety. After we'd all been out in the water together for about 10 minutes, he told three of us to go sit in the sand while he took each of us out one by one. Obviously, sitting in the sand watching one of your friends surf isn't really the way you'd like to spend your surfing lesson, but safety first, right? 5. When I inquired if Star Surf ever checks the weather and wave size in advance and adjusts/moves location of the lesson accordingly to better accommodate beginners (which, most people taking a surfing lesson ARE), he said yes, but these waves "weren't that big". WHAT? If the waves are so big that you send us to sit on the beach while you take us one at a time, doesn't that mean the waves ARE that big? He said these were 4 foot waves, and they'd move the location if they were 5 foot waves. Clearly, he didn't feel 4 foot waves were safe for us, so something's gotta give. In our 90 minute lesson, I was chaperoned out, and was given the opportunity to catch 4, count em, FOUR waves. Far out. 6. Overall, I was severely disappointed but the unprofessional nature of this organization. My recommendation for Star Surf: 1) improve friendliness and customer service during the scheduling phase (and call people to let them know if you've moved their lesson time), 2) accurately assess the weather in the morning and move your location accordingly (the business is run out of a van, so this isn't THAT hard), or 3) add another instructor if you choose to not move the location based on weather, so that 75% of the group isn't sitting around waiting for a one-on-one. From what I could tell, Nicole sat in the van the whole time we were out, and she could have easily added herself in as another instructor. 7. Nicole informed us that she would honor the groupon rate if we wanted to take more lessons, but that was laughable, since we'd probably have more fun lighting $35 on fire than taking another "surf lesson" read more

My girlfriend and I walked down the beach and considered having a lesson so looked at a view of the vans down the front. This one seemed the most open and organised with the most equipment so we approached them. They were friendly and easy going and more than happy to accommodate us even though we changed our minds about when we wanted to have the lesson. We had Justin and Chucky as instructors and we were very pleased with them. As a teacher myself I know how important it is to get the balance right between explaining and leading people to discover the answers. Brief instruction, then asking us to copy, followed by more advice. I was really pleased and feel I made progress from a previous beginners lesson I had had in England. I got closer and closer to standing up and with a good few pointers from the guys I was able to do it on most occasions by the end. I can't compare them to other companies on Venice beach but we were pleased with what we got. read more

Wonderful experience! I called to schedule a lesson for 3 a week before traveling to southern Ca. The only available slot was 2:00, so I grabbed it! I had a Groupon voucher for a $50 2-hour lesson. The phone contact asked me to text him the information. I inadvertently texted our lesson was Sat 8/10, when Sat was actually the 9th. We met Nicole at her van parked at the beach, (perfect directions, I might add). Nicole was so kind and helpful. She assured me that even though we weren't on the schedule, she would take care of us. When she noticed one of our group was my 12-year old daughter, she asked if I had read the voucher, which stated it was for those "18 years and older". My mistake again....I missed that! Apparently for safety reasons, they need to have an extra instructor on hand for kids. She rescheduled us for a 4:00 session, which turned into a private lesson for just the 3 of us! Our instructor, I think his name was Chucky, was a charming, patient young man (as I sound like someone's grandmother), who gave everyone his complete attention. We had a previous surf lesson a couple years ago in Santa Cruz. My husband and daughter were able to get up once at that lesson. This lesson...my daughter was able to get up no less than seven times! Even my son, a first-timer had quite a few successful runs! I give all the credit to our amazing instructor! I was so very impressed with Nicole and our charming instructor! Our son has just moved down to the area, so we will definitely be back!!! read more

Background: A group of 3 female first-time surfers (first time in LA actually--star surf was recommended to us by our hotel concierge) wants to try surfing in Santa Monica. I called the day before and Nicole was able to meet us at noon the next day for our lesson. As one review mentioned, there is an extra $4 charge to use a credit card to pay. Other than that, you sign your life away, suit up in a wet suit, carry your board to the ocean (omg so heavy), learn on the sand, then get wet. Nicole was very patient with us, and with a group of 3, she was able to help give a boost to each person. She didn't make us feel embarrassed or self conscious even though we sucked, so +1 for that. I think the trick is not having too many people in the lesson, or else you don't get that attention. We had a great time, and I'd definitely recommend this to others. read more

Went for a surfing lesson that I got on buywithme.com. It was awesome! Curtis is a great teacher. He makes things clear and gave each person in the lesson one on one time. With his help I actually was able to ride the waves successfully, and it was my first time surfing ever! I would definitely take a lesson from him again! read more

The website says, "Rates for private instruction are $99 for the first person and $70 for each additional person." We arrived, intending to pay in cash. The owner, Nicole, told us that it was $100 and $80 for lessons instead. We shelled out the extra $10, figuring I misremember the site details. After paying, as she was introducing us to our instructor (who was excellent), she told us that the instructors are primarily paid in tips. So for a $180 experience (2 people), the instructor gets paid in tips. We overheard another instructor soliciting private lessons outside Nicole's business (and no wonder). Nicole herself was rather sharp, borderline rude. read more

I went there yesterday for a surf lesson and had a good time. I bought one hour lesson from Groupon and there was no issue with the purchase. I got there and was supplied with wetsuit and a surfboard. Instructor was friendly and did a good job explaining the basics before we went into the water. We started on the surfboard on the beach, practicing to how paddle and how to position the body on the board. Later on we went into the water and spent about about an hour doing many rounds of getting on the board, waiting for the waves, paddling, pulling up and surfing the waves. It was definitely a cool experience, now I need to practice some more :) Thanks Star Surf! read more

My girlfriends and I had such a BLAST with Curtis at Star Surf in Santa Monica! He was super patient, so much fun, and taught us so much!! I definitely recommend using Star Surf and most definitely will go back in the near future! Thanks so much, Curtis, for a fabulous Saturday of surfing!!! read more

My girlfriend had never surfed before and I hadn't surfed in about 5 years and was rusty. Curtis was the perfect instructor/coach for the job. He was super easy-going, friendly, welcoming, and quickly set us at ease. He emphasized that we were looking to play with the ocean, not to fight it. He spent a good bit of time before we went into the water explaining and demonstrating the basics of how to lie on the board, paddle, stand, etc., and was great about showing us how to get the technique right. His sense of humor and laid-back style of instruction made it a pleasure to learn from him. To paraphrase some of his philosophy, "surfing is like life... you fail every now and then, but if you keep getting back up, being patient, and putting in the effort, you will succeed." Motivational words! In the water, Curtis was awesome at giving us instructions as and when needed. Like he said, he was looking to read what the ocean was telling him, and guide us accordingly. When my girlfriend and I struggled at first, he called a quick break, led us back to the sand, and gave us some additional practice, pointers, and encouragement. We then went back in the water, and were both able to catch some waves and make a lot of progress. I also tried my hand at catching a few waves without his active support, and he was excellent at giving me instructions even from a distance. All in all, an awesome experience. I'd highly recommend Star Surf and Curtis and his wife Nicole to anyone looking to learn to surf and have a fantastic time in the process. read more

My daughter and I wanted to rent paddle boards. She just wanted to paddle around and didn't want to take a lesson. I should have known we'd chosen the wrong rental shop when the wind blew the board out of my daughters grasp and knocked the rental gal, Nicole's, chair over. While my daughter apologized profusely, Nicole snarled "The best part is if you break the equipment we get to charge you for new ones" Lovely. Five minutes into the transaction and we're being threatened. Nicole was going to charge me $4 to use a charge card. Really?! In a tourist town? Gimme a break. I should have bailed but the lovely Nicole already had my money, I was already in my wetsuit,and we just wanted to get out on the water. Like I said, I should have taken it as an omen. The waves gave us trouble getting out. Hmm, hadn't thought of that one. This guy in the water started yelling at us. We moved down the beach to get away from the guy and tried to get out again. I made it out past the waves and while I was paddling around the guy started in again on my daughter. I paddled in and the guy started yelling at me too, telling us he "owned all this" and we almost "hurt a lot of people". I questioned this as I couldn't figure how someone could own the ocean and he barked he owned the equipment. One of life's small pleasures is to meet a small business owner who is burnt out and wishes he was doing something different. My daughter gave up and went in to the beach just to get away from Yelling Man. I paddled around for a while but really, my only interest was because my daughter wanted to try paddle boarding. I watched Mr Star-Surf (never did catch his name) teaching a couple students. I saw him use a technique to launch his students past the waves. I also watched another surf school's instructor use the same technique to "pop" the boards over the waves. This was NOT at all what Mr Star-Surf had told us to do. Had he done so we would have had a fine time. The other surf school just "launched" their customers as a courtesy. I guess the $50 dollars I paid Star-Surf wasn't enough to get any proper advice or even courtesy. After watching him bark at his students ( who had paid for lessons) I decided I wouldn't want him teaching me or anyone else. I hated my football coaches. The problem with acting like one on the beach, with your competition right next to you is it makes choices easy. The next day I paid my money to the guys next door who act like they care about their customers experience. read more

If you've always wanted to learn to surf but were afraid to "get your feet wet" for whatever reasons, this is a good way to begin. You are not on your own, you are with instructors who have years of experience, thus knowledge and wisdom. They are friendly (not in an overeager, obsequious way, but in a comfortable, mellow way) patient and willingly very helpful. They provide the boards (longboards, which are supposed to be much easier to learn on) and wetsuits. The area of the beach is apparently a known one for beginning surfers, so, although there are quite a few surfers around, at least you won't have impatient pros yelling at you to get out of their way. There is also a lifeguard post right where the school bases its entry into the water, so that's one additional layer of safeguard. My advice from my one (and first) time trying to learn, is to relax as much as possible (try not to tighten up mentally, to not panic when waves bowl you over, etc.), and keep the instructions always in mind. If you are distracted, too tense, or tired, you may lose your focus on those instructions, and then you won't be surfing. Especially for a beginner, the instructions are really key to maintaining balance, and balance is key to surfing. read more

Found this place through buywithme.com. Curtis was a great instructor. Knowing it was our first time, he was patient and very helpful with me, my friend and two other girls in the group. He was also attentive and made sure to spend time teaching each of us so it felt like we were getting private lessons. Not to mention, he's very funny and entertaining! Contact Star-Surf if you're looking for quality lessons! read more

I bought a deal on groupon because I have always wanted to learn to surf. I got lucky it was a beautiful day when I arrived. It was very easy to get to and having a parking lot was a plus. I found the surf camp in the lot easily and everyone was very nice. They taught me how to get into a wetsuit and then they took a group of us to the sand and showed us how to stand. When we were in the water the instructor rotated everyone and let us learn at our own comfort level. I had such a great time I inquired about getting a private lesson next week. I am so looking forward to it. I think this may be a new passion for me. read more

This was awesome. Not only was the experience amazing but the instructor as well. She was down to earth, patient, and fun. Incredibly helpful. : ) read more

Good staff, good instructor, good gear, good times :) Great deal. Have now used them 4 times in the last year.

Bought a surfing lesson with Star Surf through buywithme.com. Great deal. Curtis is an AWESOME surf teacher! Kept instructions very simple and was very encouraging. He definitely made the experience a fun one. Am definitely taking a lesson with him again. Thanks, Curtis! :) read more

Had my first of 3 lessons I purchased through Groupon (yea Groupon!!) and had a BLAST!! Nicole was really fantastic. She took the time to run thru all the basics, even though I used to surf as a kid and got me in the water quickly. She was really attentive and gave me really on the spot pointers and tips through-out the whole lesson. The waves were perfect for getting back into the swing and she could not have been a more fantastic teacher! I booked my next lesson in two days and can't wait to get wet again! I would highly recommend Star-Surf to anyone wanting to get out, get wet, learn something new and really have a great time. Maxx read more

Do yourself a favor and take your lesson elsewhere. In my experience at star surf, they were: -Unprofessional -Disorganized -Unbelievably rude -Offered very little actual instruction Long story short, we met on the beach at a van. I'm not sure they have an actual building..if they do I certainly didn't see it. Was greeted without even a "hello" or "hi." The lady tossed a wetsuit at me and told me to fill out a form. I couldn't believe how rude she was when talking to me. Then, while getting the 2 minute or so lesson on the beach before getting in the water, some guy who knew the instructor came up and took one of the boards away, saying it was his and angrily picked up all of our boards to check. Without much instruction at all, we got into the water. Our teacher pretty much offered no guidance at all... he didn't even tell us when to stand up!!! He just said "paddle" and pushed us away. Seriously??? What a waste of money. It would have been much more efficient to just rent a board and wetsuit ELSEWHERE. The place they took us was too packed to be fun. I recommend Venice instead. read more

While planning my vacation in LA, I perused groupon for surf lesson deals in Santa Monica and came across Star Surf. I purchased 1 groupon Star surf honored the groupon price for two of my friends who would join me during the lesson. I scheduled a 10am lesson for the three of us without any problems and they called to confirm the night before. We met Nicole at the parking lot next to the beach. She provided 3 surf boards (foam boards), and 3 wetsuits. Luckily for us, we were the only three in the lesson. The lesson is 2 hrs long and started with the land portion where Nicole demonstrated proper stance and how to stand up on the board. Afterwards we moved to the water to put to the test the skills we just learned. I wasn't the best but I managed to stand up a few times. My two friends did a great job as well. None of this would have been accomplished without Nicole. She was patient, friendly, and surprisingly funny. Her tips were both humorous and helpful. If I'm back in LA anytime this year, I'll definitely hit up Star Surf for another lesson. read more

Curtis was great! They were very accommodating and made sure we had a memorable experience. They will also take pictures and email them to you afterwards. The instructor, Zach was a great instructor and made the entire experience so much fun! We all learned so much and will definitely be back. We recommend Star-Surf to anyone that is remotely interested in learning how to surf! read more

I just finished my surf lesson today with Curtis and it was AMAAAZING! He was patient, encouraging, not intimidating, and super instructive. Oh, and fun. His coaching and tips enabled me to catch a couple of waves (I actually stood up on my board!). If you have ever wanted to try surfing, I highly encourage you get with Curtis. Cowabunga! read more

My wife & I have had a number of surfing lessons before we came to Star Surf, but we found Star Surf with Curtis to be the best instruction we have gotten yet. Curtis is friendly & very helpful. He can quickly discern what you are doing wrong, & he is very good at helping you to correct that mistake. Great value. You won't be disappointed. read more

I've never surfed in life before but Curtis taught me how to get up and surf a wave. Great experience and a fun way to spend a day on the beach. Surf lessons can become expensive but Star Surf was pretty inexpensive and all you need to bring in a towel, some sunscreen, and yourself! Definitely recommend using Star Surf for any age surfer for any experience! read more

Terrible service. My friend and i bought a groupon for their 3 hour surf board rental for Santa Monica beaches. We showed up at the Santa Monica Parking Lot 4 South and there was no one to be found. We called their phone or cell phone for about half an hour to only find out that they no longer are at that location anymore. They are now located at 3100 Ocean Front Walk in Venice. It would be helpful if they would change their groupon address and if they would tell us over the phone while making reservations that they are at a new location. I called several times before hand to make sure our reservation was still standing and no one ever corrected us about the location. Just terrible customer service and communication. read more

A couple of us brought a coupon on LA Deals. Nice surf school. People were friendly. We had a class with 2 people. It was a good class. Surfing is fun. Instruction was OK. read more

Had a great lesson - we learned the basics pretty quickly then headed out to the water. As an okay swimmer I was a little hesitant about entering the chilly ocean, but I quickly got over that. They choose an excellent spot for us to learn - I felt safe through out, and really invigorated rather than intimidated by the waves. Although by the end of the lesson, I hadn't quite mastered popping up, I feel like they'd given me all the tools I needed, and so I just had to practice everything I'd learned. It was also a really good work out, no wonder surfers are so toned. My only complaint is that they should email directions and a map before hand, it took me ages to find them. read more

Yesterday a friend of mine and I took a 90 min surf lesson from Star Surf. We each had a Groupon for a $48 lesson. My Groupon actually expired the day before, but I asked the owner if he'd still honor it, which he did (reluctantly). We agreed I'd tip the instructor well (apparently these guys work for tips) and call it even. I don't believe the tip etiquette is mentioned on their website. It should be, because there's no easy way to get cash once you're in the beach parking lot that I know of. One issue was that I didn't realize we'd have 2 instructors, so their tips were lower than I intended since they had to split it. Anyway, the lesson was great. They both gave us lots of instruction and tips, plenty of safety warnings and such. In the water, I'd say one instructor was more accommodating than the other, but it worked out. They would help walk/swim us out over the breakers, tell us when to hop on, watch for a good wave for us, and tell us when to paddle and stand up. Surfing can get pretty exhausting, so particularly the help getting back out past the breakers was appreciated. We had a blast! read more

I have to say that this is possibly the most fun we have had in California all week!. Our instructor, Nicole, was totally focused and in the zone with helping us, but also she was really cool and down to Earth. My mom, my brothers, and I scheduled a lesson at the last minute, and Star-Surf plugged us in at the BEST time to go surfing for beginners. Once we were finished with the tutorial, she assisted my entire family enough for us to recognize our mistakes and guide us through the process, and she did something rare: she actually made you feel comfortable as a surfer. By the end of the day, I could possibly say with just 1 or 2 more sessions, I could possibly be able to hold my own on a board. I say thank yo to Star Surf, and especially Nicole for showing my family how to surf, and how we shouldn't try to find pearls! Please try this place out! read more

I bought the Groupon deal. The vendors were friendly and easy to contact. The lesson had only 3 person so I was pretty glad it's not a crowd. The instructor (Chuck) was extremely patient. However, I felt that he was not being informative to a beginner. Overall, I enjoyed my lesson. read more

I had a super fun experience and surfed a lot of waves my first time! Excellent instructor, super nice and he explained things really well. It's a unreal sensation surfing a board. Thanks for the great time! A++ read more

Best surfing instructors in town. Nicole, our instructor, was phenomenal, i mean, she was patient and very informative. Had a great time. Can't wait to go back! read more

A disappointing experience. After a Groupon deal it was $50 for a 1-2 hour lesson but it wasn't even worth that. There were about 7 of us in the water and one instructor teaching us. As a result, I can't really say I learnt anything. On the beach he taught us the basic technique of how to paddle and then catch a wave, but that's all I learnt. Once in the water, he occasionally came over to have a 30 second 1-on-1. Overall a very disappointing lesson and a waste of $50. read more