Kahu Surfing School, Best Surfing School and Water Sports in Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii — Attraction in Honolulu

If you're brand new to surfing, look no further. Hire Paulo! With decades of pro surfing experience and a no B.S. approach to teaching, you'll get much more value than the typical Waikiki surf schools nearby.

Paulo rocks! He is definitely a seasoned instructor and doesn't waste time on the beach talk, talk, talking through things - his goal is to do the basics on land but get you in the water as soon as possible.

Hubby and I did a semi-private lesson, so we could learn together.

Paddling into the waves for the first time took some doing, and I consider myself a pretty fit person on land. The water is completely different, and Paulo did a good job demonstrating and directing every step of the way.

The moment I successfully popped up onto the board after a great push from Paulo, I was hooked. The feeling of the wave carrying you and the energy within it (even in baby waves) was incredible.

Paulo was skilled in telling us each what to do and when, and I feel that the semi-private lesson provided just the right amount of attention. While one of us was paddling back, the other was getting pushed into a wave.

The lesson flew by but at the same time felt like time stood still. Paulo gave us enough positive feedback and constructive criticism along the way to point us in the right direction.

At the end of the lesson, he gave us a good number of tips on parking nearby, the local scene, and good spots to practice.

I was on cloud nine after the lesson and couldn't wait to get back out there again -- after powering down some calories at Duke's nearby.

Thanks to Paulo, our first experience was incredibly positive and was just the jumpstart we needed to start practicing and getting more confident...

Avoid Josh as an instructor if you actually want to enjoy your surf lesson.

I booked a one-hour surf lesson in Hawaii along with a video package, and unfortunately, my experience was far from enjoyable—largely due to our instructor, Josh.

First, when we arrived, Josh was completely unprepared. He had no idea we had paid for a video package and had to make several calls just to confirm it, delaying the start of our session.

From the beginning, Josh was rude and dismissive. He rushed through the basics without properly explaining them and then hurried us into the water. Once in the ocean, he provided minimal guidance, barely correcting our mistakes or helping us improve. Despite the delayed start, he made sure to end the session right on time, showing no interest in making up for the lost time. He even refused to let us take pictures with the surfboard after the session.

The worst part was the video transfer process. Josh insisted we come to his office to download the footage, which should have been a simple process. Instead, he made us install an app and then carelessly transferred all the videos—including footage from other people's lessons! Because of this, I wasted over an hour and a half sitting in his office just trying to get the videos I paid for—all while dealing with his continued rudeness.

Yes, I learned the basics of surfing, but the experience was overshadowed by an unprofessional, disorganized instructor who clearly didn’t care about providing a good experience. If you're looking for a surf lesson in Hawaii, do yourself a favor and book with...

Update: Business owner responded “instructors are human”. That’s true. Being a few minutes late would be fine but asking customers to show up at 8:45 for a 9:00 lesson, then not starting a 60 min class until after 9:20 is not a “small” mistake. They say they will provide a 60 min lesson even if it starts 20 mins late. What they fail to realize is people plan their vacation schedules around other activities so keeping to start and end times is important for most families. A reputable business would apologize and issue a refund if requested. Good thing my credit card company took care of it. Can’t trust this business.

Booked 2 group lessons here. First lesson went as scheduled and was great. Second lesson was rescheduled at my request. As requested, we got there at 8:45am for a 9am lesson. The instructor there tells us he thinks they double booked us but will check with office manager. Owner (Paulo) shows up at 9:20am and I tell him we don’t have time for a 60 min lesson as we have plans after 10am. I request a refund, he says no (angrily). I called my credit card company and they’ve filed a dispute. Key message: when they get scheduling right, all good. When there are scheduling issues, call your credit card company if they won’t fix it. If enough people do this hopefully the company will fix their customer service issues...