Kauai Surf School

Kyle was great! I’ve been surfing many times before (I used to live on Maui and used to surf on the east coast) but I was self taught, and never was very good. I thought I just didn’t have it.
It has been about 7 years since I had surfed and my wife wanted to take a surfing lesson, so I signed up with her, a little doubtful about whether it would money well spent.
I can’t stress enough how much I learned and how many things I was doing wrong that it cleared up for me. My wife who had never surfed before was able to stand and ride a few waves and she couldn’t have been more elated.
Every time we had a problem with a wave or getting up, Kyle would walk us through what we could have done better and give some tips for future waves. I felt a solid progression of improvement the whole time and he was very encouraging.

Allan was awesome. My only complaint is that we walked down the beach and it wasn’t clear where were supposed to go. Allan flagged us down and we had a blast after that. My wife and I are now hooked on surfing because Allan made it easy.

Solid. I failed to remember our instructors name but he was great. I didn’t make a reservation because I was looking for Margo’s school who has since stopped her business but the gentleman who was to be our instructor gladly fit me into the next scheduled time. Thanks very much!

My husband and I signed up for a private lesson as a fun anniversary activity. I have limited experience and my husband had not surfed prior to our lesson. We were greeted by our «coach,» Alan, who gave very detailed and valuable instruction on the basics of surfing. After a few dry land trials, the three of us entered the water and enjoyed a solid hour of great waves and positive vibes. Alan coached us on everything from paddle-​to-​surf posture, to reading waves, to surf etiquette. His calm, positive, and friendly demeanor made it a great day and adventure we’ll never forget. We now look forward to our next visit and a 3-​day surf clinic!

We had the most fun taking a lesson from Allan! We had a group of four and all of us got up about 80% of the time. It was all to Allan! Thanks Allan! Larry, Jackie, Allie and Matt

Kyle was awesome! Probably the best activity that I did while on Kauai (other than drinking!)

We had a lesson with Kyle and Allan and both are awesome guys. They split us up into two smaller groups of 4, discussed what we’d be doing, asked if there was anything we were afraid of (Allan noted a slight fear of falling is okay but it’s only water, if you fall flat you’ll be okay), and we started paddling out.
We spent the majority of our lesson taking turns having Allan send us off on a wave after he gave us tips to improve based on his observations.
It was windy out so while there were plenty of waves, not all of them were okay to surf on. Allan waited patiently and stayed over past the class end time to make sure everyone in our group got in a last wave.
Another reviewer mentioned this but I want to pass on the knowledge: if you enjoy your lesson, tip the guy! You’re sore at the end but they worked just as hard!

Special thanks to Alan for being super chill and hanging out with us so we could catch a few extra waves. Highly recommend this surf school for beginners and anyone just needing to rent a board. Just call them they will help you out. Had a SUPER great time riding waves. You will feel like a pro by the end of the lesson because everyone is so positive.

Had a great time with these guys! Me and my wife both took the lessons and we were up in five minutes. They were super friendly and positive and provided an awesome experience!

Our instructor was great, and got my son riding in a wave on the first try. My son didn’t want to learn, but Alex wouldn’t take no for an answer (thankfully since I know how to surf and signed up for lessons just for my son). Had a great time. Got exhausted. Going back for more.

We booked a private 2-​person lesson with Kyle in Poipu, straight off of a long overnight flight ;). Kyle was a fantastic teacher, and we had no trouble getting and staying up, despite our jet-​lag.
Whenever we wiped out, Kyle told us just what we did wrong, and also what we might try to vary, to make our rides more interesting. For comparison, I had had real trouble getting up before this lesson (‘paddle out’, ‘pop up’, ‘wipe out’, ‘repeat’), but now I feel more in touch with the wave.
Also, anyone who is concerned about surfing above stones vs. sand should definitely go with Kyle. His clear explanations and concrete advice made the stones a non-​issue for our rides, all day. More importantly, we now know that sand is a bit deceptive: it may look soft, but it can be plenty hard, too.
Definitely a game-​changer for me!
Thanks, Kyle!

My husband and I have taken two lessons from Kauai Surf School and had a blast each time. The instructors take such good care of your safety but also make sure you have a totally fun experience as well! Definitely will be back for a 3^rd lesson!
Special shout out to Kyle who taught both our lesson. Thanks Kyle!
Jamie and Cameron

Wasn’t my favorite place for lessons. But the experience was okay.

Had a great time and Alan and Kyle were great.
I did the 3 day and by day 3 I was up on most waves.
Would have been sooner, but was my fault, not theirs.
If you want to learn, this is the place

One of the best things that I did in Kauai. Alan is awesome. He explains things clearly and is very positive and supportive. I was up on the board much faster than I expected. The entire experience was a blast. I recommend it strongly.

Kids had a great time. Both were up and surfing by the end of the lesson. Kyle is easy going and friendly. Kids loved it!

5 stars:
— Great instructors. We took the 3-​day surf camp and had kyle for two days, alan for one.
— Military discount. Our 3-​day surf camp was only $ 150 per person.
— Free trucker hats :) Even though I look fobby with mine on, I still love wearing it because it’s a reminder of our awesome trip.
— Great location. If you’re staying at Sheraton, you can very easily walk down.
— The way they teach will have you up in one lesson… unlike Oahu, where I took my first classes, they don’t have you go up to your knees (the falling leaf of surfing).
Each lesson is about an hour or so. Yes, you can «free surf» for longer. I can guarantee you that you won’t want to — especially if the water is chopping (our was for ²⁄₃ days).
Tips:
They provide a rash guard. This is important. You should also wear shorts or swim tights if possible. Water shoes are KEY as the rocks can be sharp.
The hardest part of surfing is getting back out into the waves. On day 3, I realized that if the instructor was standing out there… I should be able to walk/​float my board closer to him. This saved me a ton of energy.
And if you like your instructor, TIP the man! Kauai is expensive as hell. People don’t get paid well. Just sayin’

Kyle was a great instructor and very personable. We had a great time surfing thanks to him!

Here’s the breakdown:
20 minutes of building muscle memory on the beach, learning how to stand up on the surf board.
5 minutes, put on the swim shirt they provide, learn how to put a surfboard on your head, walk down to the left side of Poipu beach with the surfboard on your head.
1 hour, your surf coach stands on coral rocks about 50 feet from the shore, you wait out in the ocean in a line of 4 to 6 people other acolytes, and the surf coach waves you in, grabs your board, chats with you as he sees an acceptable wave, taking notice of kids on the shore and other surf coaches, and then he tells you start paddling, he pushes the board with all his strength, and you attempt to get up on the board and ride into the shore. After a successful or unsuccessful try, you paddle back around in a half-​circle back into line. You get about 10 tries before the hour is up. And by this time you are tired. I stood up about 4 – 6 times out of the 10 tries. On the last two tries, your coach explains to you how to look for a wave and when to start paddling.
30 minutes, your coach leaves you and you try it yourself.
NOTE: Because the coach pushes your board, this momentum is what allows you to stand up on the board even though the wave is not strong enough. So, when you attempt to surf by yourself without the coach, you will need to either have incredible strength when paddling to recreate that push or attempt to go a bit further out into the ocean to where the experienced surfers are catching the larger waves that actually have the momentum to allow you to stand up on your own.
My personal story: I loved it. I had never tried surfing before and I got to a sense of accomplishment within the first 20 minutes of being out in the water. Realizing that the surf coach pushed the surfboard, I felt a little cheated because I hadn’t really learned how to get up on a surfboard by myself. But, when will I have time to learn how to «really» surf? This is the next best thing. Give it a shot!

My sister and I were comparing surf schools to go to in Poipu. After talking to a guy on the phone for quite a while, he had me totally convinced we should go with them. He explained that they don’t just want you to get up on the wave, but learn the fundamentals and be able to take what you learned for the future. Because I live in San Diego, that was exactly what I wanted to hear!
We had Alex as our instructor. He was the best! Alex gave us a great tutorial before we got out there and was super detailed. When we were out in the water he would give us a boost and let us know what we could do better. The best part was he was super easy going and we were joking around the whole time.
If you ever get Alex as an instructor, make sure to say, «let’s catch some tasty waves, brah!» He loves it!