Gone Surfing Hawaii — Attraction in Honolulu

Aloha!

Here to spread the gospel!

I booked Gone Surfing after researching the different breaks in the area and saw they go to Populars ("Pops") which has really long mellow rights. Sounded perfect for learning. The paddle out was about 3 times farther than the other schools so the waves are actual waves!

I go to the spot in the directions a little early, pop a seat, and after a few minutes a guy walks up and asks if I'm there for surf lessons. We chat for a sec about some stuff, I tell him I do a lot of wake surfing and paddle boarding, and how I predict it will be different (like my shoulders likely dying in 30 minutes, the art of finding waves, and turning with weight shift instead of leaning). He took that info, shortened the land demo, and popped us out on some boards.

My jaw hurt so bad after that two hour lesson because I had the biggest smile on my face the entire time! I'm telling you, it was freaking awesome. My instructor, Caz, had all the strength in the world to tow my kook shoulders around and would give me an extra little push to make sure I'd catch each wave. It was exactly what I was looking for.

I went back this morning to rent a board and ended up catching some waves with Caz again while he was out for his morning bday surf. That guy just lives it.

I've only been here for two days and this is already my favorite vacation ever. First time in Honolulu and I definitely want to come back. Big shout out to Gone Surfing and a huge shout out to Caz for making some seriously memorable moments! Sean (sp?), another instructor who was out while we were out too, was also incredibly friendly and helpful. This is definitely the highlight of the trip and I can't wait to go rent a board from them...

Trevor was a phenomenal surf instructor. When you're trying a new sport, there's always the chance you pay a price for a lesson and feel like you didn't get enough out of it. Wasn't the case here.

Even if I didn't catch a single wave (which I did :D), Trevor was teaching the whole time - reminding me to keep my shoulders pointed forward, helping with body position for paddling and surfing to maximize my time out there, answering every question I had - and there were hundreds - about surfing.

He taught so much about the physics behind the sport that the price would have been worth it even if I didn't get in the water. And since I couldn't yet catch waves without a little push, to have him there to help plus the in-water guidance of how to get up on the board, tricks to push my limits on each ride, I mean, it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had. I felt like it was a life coaching session through a surfing lens haha. And he had so many great phrases he'd throughout, he was so genuinely pumped for each time I got up, his whole approach to it made the entire time fun. Even though I'm a novice, he made me feel like I belonged out there and was so welcoming and exciting to anyone interested in the sport. Sign of a great teacher :)

I can't wait to come back, visit, and...

We visited the island and my kids wanted to learn to surf. We researched the best place to learn how to surf for beginners and found "Gone Surfing" to be the highest rated with great reviews. They may not have been the least expensive but the cost outweighs the experience of the instructors and the experience my children had. Tommy and Trevor were amazing. Patient, professional and gave my 2 13 year olds and 9 year old an experience they will have for a lifetime. I can not thank them them enough for the amount of time and encouragement they gave my kids! I recommend if you are looking outside of "Gone Surfing" as your go to learning spot ask them if they were ever "Blue Card" certified. The blue card was a prerequisite to be an Instructor in Hawaii, the rules changed (Essentially the standards to instruct have lowered). Ensure you get the men and women instructors with experience, if you want the quality that "Gone Surfing" provides. My son just said he would give them 100 Stars if he could! With regards to the pictures, there is no way to see anyone surfing from the beach, take the plunge and get the whole shebang with pictures, you wont regret it! Totally worth it! The pictures are amazing! Than you...