Surf Country has gone above and beyond with inconceivable, unrepeatable results for me, yet over and over. cheap fixes, emergency repairs, tricky navigation, high standards, luck, skill, hard work, and honest discussion. They do as much as they can for a price that serves underground community surfers in realistic and against all odds sustainable ways. The prickliness is an important part of the service. I wish this team the best and am thankful for their services. (Photo: This repair could have gone wrong, or could have gone into a less aesthetic result, and still satisfied expectations. We ended up with a best case scenario.) read more

Surf Country - This log fell off a car. The nose, rails, tail, and glass on fin were all repaired. - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

Got a wetsuit here The guy was legit and knew his stuff. He took the time too explain the differences between some of the wetsuits. Reasonable prices too. Definitely will be back read more

Great experience here. Rented a few boards for about a week and Doug was super willing to work with us. He was one of the highlights of our trip! My brother ended up leaving with a few boards that Doug hooked up for us and even took the time to pack it up nice in tight in a board bag with some good padding he supplied. These guys were understanding and helpful and in our process. Would recommend to anyone. read more

Surf Country - Hooking it up with some padding for the flight home - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

I have been going to this shop since the mid 2000s. Doug (the owner) is like Jekyll and Hyde, sometimes nice, and more of than not, a dick. I don't know what he is thinking. He could be doing a lot better (business-wise) if he were just nicer to people. He does have the advantage of being the only surf shop close to UCSB, although he will claim that this is curse. He hates students. With everything available online these day (except ding repair), I don't really need to shop here but I do like to support local shops. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. The owner of this shop is rude and unprofessional. I brought in my surfboard for a repair, and he initially promised to do his best with the color match. When I returned, the board had a large, poorly painted purple section, and the buckle repair was lumpy. When I politely asked if he could repaint it, he became aggressive, demanded payment before I could get the paint, and even threatened to re-buckle the board. He then scraped my board with a screwdriver and shoved it at me, following me out of the store while yelling. Absolutely unacceptable behavior--avoid this shop at all costs! If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. The owner of this shop is rude and unprofessional. I brought in my surfboard for a repair, and he initially promised to do his best with the color match. When I returned, the board had a large, poorly painted purple section, and the buckle repair was lumpy. When I politely asked if he could repaint it, he became aggressive, demanded payment before I could get the paint, and even threatened to re-buckle the board. He then scraped my board with a screwdriver and shoved it at me, following me out of the store while yelling. Absolutely unacceptable behavior--avoid this shop at all costs! read more

Surf Country - Doug scratched the board - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

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If u want your repair board got redamaged then go to this place. The owner Doug is someone who has big ego and impatient. I asked for a color match for my blue board. And he painted it with a purple and he call it color match cuz he said so. He thinks purple match my blue so purple is the color. He obviously doesn't know what he was doing. And he threatened me that I have two options one is he redamage the board and I get it for free or he repaint it. While I was having conversation with him about the repainting and details that I noticed of the board. He suddenly grabbed a screwdriver and scraped the hell of my board. And follow me out of the store by yelling bs read more

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Great family owned local surf shop! I would recommend getting surf lessons here, the owner Doug will take you out. Cool guy!

In college I was looking for a wet suit to paddle out in Northern California the owner told me "where did that come from you guys surf in north California" owner was rude discrimination to its finest! read more

While I like the Beach House and Channel Islands, I'd consider these more "boutique" surf shops; Surf Country is a workin' man's/woman's surf shop. They have a huge and diverse selection of new and used boards, clothing, wetsuits and accessories, in a sprawling but tight space and at reasonable prices. The staff is always very knowledgeable, and my favorite part (I shouldn't be saying it), the ding repairs. Beautiful, beautiful work and usually done within 1-2 weeks. Recently had the smashed nose of my Yater spoon repaired (see picture) and you hardly notice it. Love Surf Country! read more

Surf Country - Repaired smashed nose - can barely tell! - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

Very helpful and accommodating. Great service from all I dealt with. It is a very nice store.

From a UCSB Student who has been Surfing more than 10 years and competes all the time. The front desk guy is chill and happy to help, but be cautious of the owner I think his name is Doug. He is rude and doesn't know how to do business. He has such small personality and big ego at the same time. My board looked terrible after the repair and instead of admitting it he asked me "have you ever fixed a surfboard in ur life?" IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BOARD REPAIR GO SOMEONE ELSE. read more

Great place, great service. Doug is always helpful and friendly when you come in with any questions. Whether it be a new board, wetsuit, or just some ding repair, Surf Country is the spot. read more

Visiting from San Diego, forgot a leash. Gave me a great deal on a used one one, definitely puts people before profit and cares about what he is doing. read more

Owner and staff helped us get a great starter surfboard for our kids and helped us pick out some used wetsuits for the kids. Even helped him with a mini surf lesson. Above and beyond read more

Santa Barbara unfortunately only has a few places that do ding repair and I ended up being recommended to this place. I met the owner and he was very knowledgeable, but was also pretty unwelcoming to the store. They told me they would call me when my board was done and almost a month later I had heard nothing. I ended up calling them and my board was ready... After I picked it up, I stripped the old wax off my board and found a new ding! Most likely from another surfboard fin, or improper storage. Pretty bummed to say the least read more

Surf Country - New ding - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

Doug at Surf Country just gave me the best deal on surf rental equipment while visiting Santa Barbara on a surf quest from Montana. Doug was also instrumental in picking the right board for my ability and picked the perfect fitting wetsuit that kept me warm in the 55o water temp. Doug also told me the best places and when to paddle out. thank you for the best experience of my life for such a low cost! He also gives surf lessons! read more

To UCSB students, If you're looking for a "local" surf shop with jacked up ding repair appraisal (fairly certain they raise the price for students and have a $30 min.) , stock boards with worse glass jobs than Jack's, and an owner who manages to have the worst customer service while also being demeaning, Surf Country is the place for you! Highly encourage you all to check out Bob Haakenson fiberglass for quality ding repair or support your local IV surfers who will have undoubtedly lower prices (i.e maxdoesdings). For used boards, check out Craigslist or CI downtown for higher quality used boards/better deals. If you're thinking of buying new boards here, don't. There's a reason you won't see many people surf Surf Country boards out in the water. Plus you'll save yourself from interacting with doucher doug! read more

Keeping up with new and innovative surf industry products, gotta get 'em .Better than waiting on mail order

I've been in here a handful of times. Each time the same guy is very rude. You should learn how to treat CUSTOMERS. Amazing how you can work in a surf shop and be so un welcoming and disrespectful. Definitely will not be returning . And recommending to everyone I meet and know to not go there. Pretty sure the guy is Doug. Long hair read more

My 17 year old daughter had her second lesson with Doug while I watched. It was excellent and we hope she gets accepted at UCSB and can have more lessons with Doug. Thanks Doug! read more

Best place for ding repairs in SB! Doug knows so much about surfing, and he genuinely enjoys teaching or just helping people learn more about any aspect of the sport. read more

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Surf Country is the "go to" surf shop for ALL your surfing needs. The owner is fantastic and is always giving the customer the most sincere and helpful advice you could possibly receive. He treats everyone like family. read more

Doug helped me find a perfect wet suit to rent for my 5 year old nephew that was visiting. Great experience!

Doug is a truly spectacular instructor! He gave private lessons to my daughter (13) and my boyfriend. He was extremely knowledgeable and extraordinarily patient, 13 year old girls can be a little testy at times :). He was super encouraging and kind. We will can't wait until next time!!! read more

Surf Country - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

The equipment sold at Surf Country (boards, gear, etc.) is overpriced and shoddy at best. Doug does decent repairs and knows his stuff. However, his demeanor is impatient and at times surprisingly rude. I went in to buy a used shortboard. I found one I liked, and wanted to ask him some questions about it. Thus began some impromptu interrogation from him regarding my purpose with the board. I've been surfing for about a year and have made enough progress to get onto a shortboard. Doug essentially saw fit to treat me like a kook and acted rather immature and aggressive. He is a good salesman, but needs to work on his customer service. I went to Channel Islands in downtown Santa Barbara instead and bought a better used shortboard for less $. Doug, if you're reading this, you lost a sale and a future customer because of your behavior. Surf Country = junk sold to unsuspecting customers! read more

Not stoked. I'd like to support the local business rather than buy online, but the dude's vibe is negative, pretty much every time.

Awesome owner, great prices, knowledgeable help. I go here for anything surf related and then some. Support this local owned, family business. They deserve it. read more

Best surf shop I've been to. Nice selection of new and used surfing equipment. Owner is very knowledgeable about a wide variety of surf products. Past two years I've been coming here, never had a bad experience. They also have lessons, rentals, and skateboarding equipment too. read more

Dirty and unkept. We forgot a Bikini and stopped​ in to grab one so we could hit the beach on such a beautiful​ Santa Barbara day; however, the selection was spotty and dated, the prices high for what the had and the bikinis were dirty. We left and went to Channel Islands which was clean and had an excellent selection with a variety of prices. read more

Surf country went above and beyond. They did an amazing repair on the surfboard and now it's good as new. The service was friendly, professional, and affordable. I recommend this spot if you ever need advice or repair. Thanks! read more

Surf Country - Had two monstrous dings the span of my forearm on the bottom and rail. Surf country did a professional job at repair, now it's good as new! - Surfing Near Me - Goleta, California

Came from NY and needed a board for my son to use while here. The guys were great. Friendly and accommodating. Rates were fair and they even took into account we took it out the first day late in the day and returned it before 5 PM a few days later. Took money off due to both situations. Highly recommend read more

I've been here twice, each time was a different person working, but neither of them had masks on! Just suck it up and wear the damn mask. I won't support such idiotic behavior and will not be coming back during or after covid. read more

A friend and I had come to visit SB for the weekend and wanted to try surfing on our own. The service was very friendly and fast. Rentals are very affordable and the employees are lenient as to when you bring back the equipment. Best surf rental that I've been to in the SB area! read more

When you walk in, you might be surrounded by the little surf-rascal-groms that work (hang out?) here after school. They're really nice and helpful. This is a full-service shop, well stocked with boards, accessories, and clothes. When I took my board in here for repairs (big bad Baja rock, bad bad steering skills) the kid surprised me. He said "we could definitely fix it for you, but we have to charge a minimum of $30 and that's not really a $30 job. You could probably do it at home for cheaper, and this would be a good project for you to learn on." If only I could find a mechanic like this kid! read more

Surf Country is my go-to shop in the Santa Barbara area because you don't get stinky-eye surf-punk attitude here that you might at other shops. Some highlights: 1) The owner Doug is down to earth and really wants to get you what you need without up-selling you. I've been in there and he's talking to a mom who wants to buy a board for her son to learn on, and instead of unloading a $600 potato chip the kid is gonna struggle on, he's steering her towards a cheaper learner board and lessons. 2) You will get a lot of tips in there. If you want a wetsuit they will let you try it on and help you get the right size. If you want to know where to surf to learn they will let you know where. If you need advice on ding repair, they will repair it for you or tell you how to do it yourself. 3) The surf lessons are the best I've seen. I see them out at Campus Point a lot doing surf lessons, and I have never seen Doug fail to get someone to stand up on a board. People ask me to teach them and I tell them, you can struggle with me for 2-3 sessions and maybe get up, or you can schedule one lesson with Doug and most certainly stand up. Case closed. Anyway, a great shop with great lessons. The best from Goleta to Carpinteria. read more

Doug is a surf guru that is welcoming and freely shares his knowledge on all things surf. We recently moved to the area and needed a shop to outfit my kids. He was able to guide us on getting the right boards, rack for the car, wetsuits and booties. We will be back often to support local business and learn from Doug. read more

Limited time to write my review, so I'll update it later this week. It's right off Hwy 101 and there's plenty of parking. But in a few words; friendly, laid back, knowledgeable, informative and honest. You can take your time and not feel pressured while you're looking around. The boards very from new to used and from 9'6 long boards to youth sized thrusters. Highly recommend you drop by, especially if you're in the UC Santa Barbara area. read more

I hit a rock on my brand new board at Rincon and brought it to Surf Country for repair. It pushed the fin box into the board, cracked the glass job on the rail, and broke the tip off the center fin. Blake was working behind the desk and was very helpful with getting me set up for the repair. He explained that the fin didn't need to be replaced, and showed me how to repair it with sun-cure. The repair was less than I expected and looks amazing. My go to surf shop from here on out. read more

Solid surf shop. Helped us find the right booties and other surf swag. Rented me a long board on short notice at a fair price. I'll be back.

Great surf shop that Ive been going to for the last 14 years. The owner and staff are all very friendly and always down to chat with you or give you good tips on surf spots. As well as sales they also have a repair shop for anything that may have happened to your board and they have a small selection of skateboarding stuff for sale as well. read more