Cannot say enough nice things about our experience with Surf Camp Pacifica. I was a little worried sending my 6 year old out there but the staff put me at ease immediately. My son looked forward to it everyday! You can tell everyone loves their jobs, it's professional and safe, and the instructors totally care about the kids . I wish we could do this all summer. Can't wait until next year! read more

Surf Camp Pacifica - Surf Camp Pacifica - Surf Schools Near Me - Pacifica, California

Booked a lesson in a week, spent 2 hours on the road and got nothing : no one showed up for the lesson. Not a text, not an email that it was canceled. Just that, just ignore. Next business day I get an email saying "we are sorry you were at the wrong place and the wrong time", which is a lie. They said they ordered the refund - will see how it goes. Found another surf school down there, will go with them next time. Ruined experience read more

Surf Camp Pacifica - Meeting point cause no van was there - Surf Schools Near Me - Pacifica, California

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Super nice crew! We rented wet suits and body boards for the day. They explained the whole process to my sister and I being first timers finding the perfect size suit for us. You didn't make us feel dumb for not knowing and I really appreciate that. Thank you for the good experience! read more

You get what you pay for with this camp. My son is an advanced beginner surfer, did a week with this camp last summer and was in the water less than an hour each day. They are short staffed and are not able to give the kids the attention/practice they need. One day the kids didn't go into the water at all, while some others did. The lack of justification for this was disappointing. read more

Our son had a great time at Surf Camp Pacifica this summer thanks to Vivianne and her awesome crew! Vivianne, the program director, was super responsive to our needs and made the camp a fun and safe experience for our son's first camp experience! read more

My six-year-old son wanted to go to a surfing camp this summer. Not being a surfer myself, I turned to the web and Yelp to find something for him. Based on what I learned, I was most interested in this camp. I emailed or called and got a call from Amy called within 30 minutes. I signed my son up and, if your children attend, you can use one of their wetsuits and join in for free, too! I choose the short 3-day camp the week of 4th of July which turned out to be a good fit for my six-year-old--longer will be better when he is older. I think other six-year-olds would do just fine to have a five week camp from the get-go so I don't shy away from it if you think your child is ready for it. The camp is staffed with instructors and aides (who themselves had been campers for four or more years) that puts the ratio of staff to kids very high. There seemed to be about one staff person for every two kids. Kids are divided into groups which seem to be based on skills and age. Each morning the group leader teaches a little bit (about rip currents and how to get out of one and what kind of breaks there are for surfing) then the rest of the time was spent in the water. For new surfers, few of the kids at a time get one-on-one surfing instruction and the rest are in the waves with body boards which gives kids a chance to get comfortable in the waves and start to learn to read them. Older kids who had more experience were all out in the waves with boards with instructors coaching them. Kids spent most of the time in the water but a few kids would be on the beach making sand castles at some times. My son had difficulty getting into the cold water at first (none of the other kids seems to have a problem with that) but the staff was great about cajoling him to get in. I expected him to not fall through the cracks because I was there some of the time but I observed that Amy was paying a lot of attention to the needs of individual campers: making sure all the kids were getting one-on-one time with the instructors and were encouraged to leave the sand castle making for some one-one-one time with an instructor and making sure kids who were cold or likely to be cold wear wearing two wetsuits. In addition to the surfing time, on the last day of camp the kids got divided into teams and the teams competed in some games which seemed to be a lot of fun. I was a bit apprehensive about sending my six-year-old into the ocean under someone else's watch but what I observed made me completely comfortable with safety at the camp. The camp director was vigilantly watching over everything and directing aides where to be and what to do. On our second day the surf was up from the first and aids were stationed to keep a very close watch over the bodyboarders. The kids are asked to stay between two flags on the beach and the staff keeps close watch to both make sure the kids are safe in the water and that they stay in the zone. All the kids have blue Surf Camp rash guards over their wetsuits and the instructor red or white rash guards so it is clear who is part of camp on the public beach. Amy is a pediatric cardiac nurse at UCSF and either she or someone who is at least an EMT is always present during camp. I mostly body boarded while at camp--I didn't want to take time away from paying campers but Amy took me out and helped me get up on a surf board a few times on our last day. What a blast! read more

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I've been sending my son to both surf & skate camp for the past few years and I absolutely love it! The crew is very friendly and great with the kids! Instructors definitely know what they're doing! I highly recommend Surf Camp Pacifica! read more

Amy set me up with her son for a 1on1 lesson. I told her that I'm not a good swimmer and that I had never gone out to the ocean past knee high. She reassured me and I signed up. Boy I'm glad I did! I had a blast. And the cold feet? Well literally, my feet were cold in the waters, but all the worries melted away with Justin's instructions. He gave me lots of confidence and he has the eye to discern any mistakes or root causes. He noticed that the way I paddled was inefficient and gave me tips that worked to my improvement IMMEDIATELY. I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I ended up catching a few waves on my own. I learned how to turn around on a board. We went out as far as the last surfer (I don't know the term) but that just goes to show you how much progress I made that day. No doubt, that is all thanks to Justin. Thank you Amy for hooking me up with an awesome lesson! Like Justin said, it's like riding a bicycle, you can't really lose it, you'll have it forever. I'm confident enough to go out on my own now (with good conditions) and that itself is priceless. If I had to do it all over again, I definitely would! What are YOU waiting for?! read more

My 8 year old son and his two cousins took a lesson with Pat from Surf Camp Pacifica this weekend, and it was terrific. He was great with the kids ad they all had a fantastic time and were standing on their boards in no time. He made sure to cover ocean safety, and he even took some extra time with my son, who was a little nervous, and calmed him down. We're also signed up for summer camp - Amy called me about some questions I had and really took the time to talk to me about the camp and how they handle things. I was very impressed with her thoroughness and her willingness to explain everything. I couldn't be more comfortable with them and look forward to the camp and hopefully some more lessons in the future! read more

I selected Surf Camp Pacifica for a summer weeklong surf camp for my daughter (8) based on recommendation from HMBYC www.hmbyc.org - the first days are a big success - great surfing and she found a new friend - all this despite 60 F slight drizzle, no wind and only cold showers. I talked to Greg (the owner) today and learned important decision points that are not on their website (they are into surfing not marcom and marketing) but will save you a lot when selecting a camp: They are almost 100% focused on lessons for kids, have a rigorous training program and teach the kids in small groups with high instructor-student ratio (or should I say low?) - by gender (girl-only-groups create faster bonding at that age), experience, interests. Every camp is different - so you can come again and again - no over head - their "location" is a beatr-up truck and a folding table on the beach - focus is on surf training - definitely the place for kids to get started in surfing. read more

While I haven't taken any other surf lessons, I'm have taken many snowboard lessons. Surf Camp Pacifica's instructors are excellent, friendly, and extremely humorous. They cover all the basics, teach safety and stretching techniques, and make sure you have the form down before entering the water. Lessons are taught in stages from the instructor holding and pushing off the board to a classmate doing the same. Then once you have enough practice, they let you push off and jump on the board by yourself. The rates are reasonable and Pacifica is a great place for beginners. If you want to learn to surf, definitely check them out! read more

Took my groms here years ago while we did a 2-year stint in Pacifica. The instructers were great with the kids. LindaMar beach is a nice gentle beach break in the summer (most times). Amy and Greg have the cred. Greg's the best longboard surfer I've ever seen (and living in San Clemente, I've seen some damn good ones) and a serious Waterman - ex. Coast Guard and current Harbor Master. Amy's a nurse at UCSF. My son is diabetic, and they took amazing care of him and his siblings. I never once was concerned for their safety. If you don't mind the foggy summer, this is a great place to spend a week in the Bay Area. read more

I was nervous about signing my 7 year old up for surf camp, but it was something she really wanted to try. I first emailed Amy with several questions and she responded within 24 hours and was able to reassure me about some safety issues. My daughter is having an amazing time. The instructors are super friendly and are wonderful with the kids. Lots of positive reinforcement is given. read more

This is an amazing camp this was my daughters 2nd year. "Will" is our fave. Instructor he knows how to work with the shyest of children he worked with my daughter the most. Everyone pays close attention to the children and really knows how to get them in the water!! Can't wait till next year. read more

After trying for nearly 6 weeks to reach the owner, Amy, she finally called me back claiming that her voicemail messed up. That was the first of many red flags in dealing with this company. I needed reassurance that my 6yr old would be cared for and that the instructors would be attentive and it would be safe. Didn't get that here. read more

My 13 yo son was given a group lesson for his birthday! What a great experience, the instructors were awesome, I highly recommend and is definitely worth the price! He now has his own wetsuit and we are looking at boards, I am so glad he gave it a try... read more

We have twin girls, now 11, and they have gone to the surf and skateboard camp for one week two years in a row. Last year, two of their friends joined them. This is a great opportunity for the kids to learn new skills and groove with the power of nature. Our girls are now able to surf and drop into a half-pipe. This program is not for high-maintenance parents; you need to drop the kids off and let the surt take over. And, Amy does not operate with military precision (thank goodness), which was a relief because we get enough of the power mom tripping in the city. The nicest thing about this program is the egalitarian atitude and the young instructors that are able to easily connect with the kids. Go Amy! read more

My 10 year old son, who had never surfed before, absolutely loved the camp. The instructors were so compassionate and encouraging and my son was able to ease into surfing as he gained confidence. He loved that he got to boogie board, and got tips from the instructors, in when he was taking a break from surfing. I highly recommend Surf Camp Pacifica! read more

Awesome time. Great instructors. Couldn't do the full camp , but did a family lesson and Carlos and CJ were great with the kids and everyone had a fabulous time. read more

I haven't been surfing in over two years and was definitely in need of a refresher. Surf Camp Pacifica was easy to communicate with for scheduling a reservations (where others in the area didn't contact me back), and when I got there everything was flawless. The have a huge selection of wetsuits and boards. My instructor, Justin (owner's son), was very knowledgable about the water and gave us a brief tutorial of the currents and riptides and then the basics of surfing. The four people in my group all caught waves. Justin spent time with each of us individually in the water making sure we all were learning the proper technique, and would take us up to the beach to show us things we were missing. He was great!! I totally recommend this place, after two hours in the water, although my toes and hands were numb, I was full smiles and eager to go back for more! Love! read more

Took a lesson on saturday, and it was incredible! We headed right into the water, unlike other surf lessons, which spent 40+ minutes on the beach. Justin was patient and a great instructor. Best of all, it ended up being just two of us, so basically a private lesson. Great father's day present from my favorite daughter ever. read more

Not just for kids! I had a group of 5 guys in town for a business meeting. On Tuesday we realized we were going to be free on Wednesday afternoon. Called and they were able to accommodate us on short notice for a later afternoon session. We had two instructors for our group of 5, Justin and his mom. They were awesome! Everyone in our group was able to get up. Justin and his mom were so positive and encouraging. We all had a blast, and definitely recommend them. Lesson included board and wetsuit. Meet at the beach and off we went, couldn't have been easier. read more

I've known both owners, Greg and Amy, for many years and know they are excellent with children. I would trust my child with them. They know more about swimming, surfing and how to get kids to enjoy something that they might be fearful about than you can imagine. I've seen Amy in action with a four-year old and she was fantastic! read more