Private Surf Lesson Near Santa Monica Pier
Get personalized coaching with your own surf instructor; board and wetsuit included
Highlights
Learn to surf on Santa Monica State Beach with a private instructor who tailors the entire session to your pace and ability. The lesson takes place on a sandy-bottom break within view of the Santa Monica Pier, one of the most iconic surf spots on the Southern California coast. Your instructor provides all the gear, walks you through the fundamentals on the sand, and spends the rest of the time in the water guiding you through your first waves.
- Receive one-on-one coaching from a CPR and First Aid-certified instructor who adjusts the lesson to your skill level, from first-timer to intermediate
- Start with a 20-minute land session covering how to pop up, paddle, read the water, and handle the board safely
- Spend the remainder of the lesson in the waves with your instructor right beside you, positioning you on waves and correcting your form in real time
- Use a premium foam longboard and full-length wetsuit provided for the session, chosen because foam boards offer the best combination of stability and safety for learning
- Surf on a sandy-bottom beach near the Santa Monica Pier with consistent, manageable waves suited to beginners and developing surfers
What's Included
- Foam longboard sized to the rider
- Full-length wetsuit
- Private CPR and First Aid-certified surf instructor for the full session
Things to know
Lessons are 1 hour and 45 minutes and include all equipment (foam longboard and full-length wetsuit). Ages 5 and up are welcome. Basic swimming ability is required. Wear a swimsuit under the wetsuit and apply waterproof sunscreen to your face and neck before the lesson. Bring a towel and drinking water. There is no locked storage on the beach, so conceal valuables and keep them near the setup area. Arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled start time. Late arrivals will have their lesson end at the originally scheduled time. If you are combining a young child with a much larger child or adult in a single private lesson, be aware the instructor will need to stay closer to shore with the smaller student; booking two concurrent instructors may be more effective.
Perfect for
The Santa Monica Pier is the most recognized landmark on the LA coast, and the stretch of Santa Monica State Beach south of the pier is where generations of Angelenos and visitors have learned to surf. The sandy bottom, the consistent swell, and the relatively gentle break make it one of the best beginner surf spots in Southern California, and the backdrop is hard to beat: the pier's Ferris wheel and roller coaster behind you, the Pacific stretching west, and the Santa Monica Mountains curving north toward Malibu.
Learn to Surf LA has operated on this beach since 2003, when it was awarded the first surf school permit in Santa Monica. The school's instructors use a technique built on two decades of teaching first-timers: a focused land session to build muscle memory for the pop-up, followed by hands-on coaching in the water where the instructor stays within arm's reach, positioning you on waves and correcting your form in real time. The foam longboards they use are the same boards the instructors surf between lessons, chosen for their combination of stability, buoyancy, and safety. Most students are able to stand and ride a wave by the end of their first session.
A private lesson near the Santa Monica Pier is a natural choice for visitors to LA who want a quintessential California experience in a single session, parents looking to give a child aged 5 and up their first time on a surfboard, couples or friends who want individual attention rather than sharing an instructor with strangers, and intermediate surfers working on technique who need real-time feedback. The location near the Santa Monica Pier means you can walk to restaurants, shops, and the beach boardwalk immediately after the lesson, making it easy to build a full afternoon around the experience.
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