Avila Beach Surf School

My new years resolution was to learn how to surf! My boyfriend and I finally made the decision while we were vacationing in Pismo beach to try surf lessons. There were so many options on Unilocal I had no idea what to choose. I started calling around and found most were around the same price. This company was the only one who actually answered when I called the first time. I give them 5 stars because our surf instruction STEVE was AMAZING! Steve is not who booked our appt as I believe the owner of the company is the one who actually booked it for the next day. The owner texted me a address of where to meet them and it was very easy to find their mobile truck. The only problem was when we showed up that day no one was there after 15mins. Finally after 20 mins I decided to call. The owner answered again and completely apologized as they had double booked or did not write it on the schedule. He gave us a small discount and it was fine because the best thing though our instructor was there within 10 mins. The view of the beach is amazing so we were not worried.
Our instructor Steve was fantastic! He was so go with the flow, knew exactly how to teach us what we should and should not do. He was very patient with me and was right beside me every second in the beginning when we paddled out. Once he saw I was a bit more comfortable he went out to my boyfriend and helped him go follower out. It was a blast, tiring lol but so much fun. And Steve made is safe, comfortable and fun for both of us. I would highly recommend this company and ESPECIALLY STEVE AS YOUR INSTRUCTOR. He even gave us some excersie to help build out arm strength that we could everyday to help for the next time we go surfing. Check out the photos because I actually stood up for a few seconds and it is thanks to our instructor Steve.
Happy surfing!

My 13 year old daughter and 15 year old son took surf lessons for their first time. I beleive the instructors name was Jonathan? He was AWESOME! There were 8 kids in the class. They all seemed close to the same age; pre-​teen to young teen. This guy hustled. People tipped at the beginning; some have had their kid w/​ABSS before. I wouldn’t have known to tip otherwise. Gave him $ 20 at the end. He more than deserved it. This guy was so friendly and patient and really did an amazing job with the kids. Each kid got to ride a wave. If there wasn’t one big enough, Jonathan would push them and help them balance; especially if the child didn’t have a «natural» knack for the sport. My kids had an awesome experience and will be surfing a whole lot more! The kids surfed at Pismo because the waves were better there than Avila that day.

In town for a wedding in paso came out for some surf fun. Rebecca was awesome highly recommend!

My son, Andy (8 years old) just finished a week of Surf Camp, with Avila Beach Surf School. We are very happy with our choice in surf schools. His instructors, Matt and Kiera, were terrific. Andy is hooked! Their camps focus on surf instruction but the kids could also just play in the waves. He had a great time and has hinted towards his own board but also asked if he can do camp again.

My friend and I (we’re both 23) were traveling down the coast for vacation and stopped here for surf lessons en route to SoCal from Monterey. It ended up raining and since we decided to take the scenic route down Highway 1, we ended up being close to an hour late to our lesson. They were SO accommodating and STILL let us surf even after we were annoying and called them a million times for directions and updates on our location. John was our instructor and he was extremely helpful, very patient with us newbies and also attractive, just saying. Feel free to ignore that last part. Also, I ended up hurting my ankle right in the beginning of the lesson. Real talk, I rode one wave in and sprained my ankle. It was 100% my fault because I’m an idiot but they still didn’t make me pay for my lesson. My friend continued hers so she obviously payed her end.
ANYWAY… I highly recommend this place for surf lessons and will definitely be back next time I’m on the west coast.

I love being in the ocean and have been a diver since I was a kid. Yet, in all that time the one thing I wanted to do that I never did was learn to surf. A company trip to Avila Beach provided the perfect opportunity. I contacted Justin at Avila Beach Surf School and he made the whole process a breeze. He does an amazing job of assessing your capabilities and tailoring the lesson accordingly. I had so much fun that I continued to surf on my own for two more days. The whole time I kept hearing Justin’s voice in the back of my head giving me the instruction I needed to succeed at the sport. Now, if I could only move closer to the Ocean!
I highly recommend ABSS. It is the perfect combination of fun, safety, and thorough instruction, that still retains a healthy amount of surfer chill.

For my 32^nd birthday my wife and I decided to take surf lessons with Avila beach surf school. Justin, our instructor was awesome. I wasn’t expecting to ride as many waves as we did our first time, but Justin was very patient and encouraging. If you are near Avila and want to check out surfing, I highly recommend Avila beach surf school.

After an hour lesson, with fun-​loving, caring instruction by the owner, Justin, and plenty of action in the «wave machine» I felt compelled to write a review. it is pretty apparent and quite lovely the driving force behind ABSS-​to expose you (fair prices) to succeeding at experiencing the best part of surfing (they make it as easy as humanely possible to help get you up catching waves) in an effort to give back to you what the sport has given to them. Pure and simple– their reward is showing customers a fun, accessible, and healthy outlet.
The passion is there and the instruction that leads is tailored to fit an individual to succeed-​no matter what level.
Thank you ABSS for an awesome adventure and the inspiration!

Justin and Mike at ABSS were great! I was on a soul-​searching, solo road trip around California last summer for my birthday and decided that I was tired of my own excuses and needed to get in the water and learn to surf.
From the moment I contacted ABSS, I knew I was in good hands. I was told the best time for surf so I could maximize my lesson, what to bring, and what to expect. The surf lesson was fun and put me at ease being in the water. I was nervous about etiquette (and eventually being on my own and getting in people’s way), but came out of the lesson confident that I would not only be able to hold my own as a beginner, but that I wasn’t going to tick anyone else off too much out there once I didn’t have my instructors around to help me.
I highly recommend paying them a visit if you are visiting the central coast. I was so impressed that a few months later, I brought my daughter down for her own lesson. Again, we had a great lesson and they made sure to take the extra time to go over water safety and pace the class appropriately for my scaredy-​cat kid. We’re both hooked… as a matter of fact, I just bought my first surfboard last weekend.