Poipu Beach Surf School — Attraction in Kauai

Daughter and I had great experience as first-time surfers. Got a full hour in the water and caught soooo many waves. There were 5 in our group lesson with 2 instructors so rarely did anyone need to wait for help catching a wave. Instructors choose the wave & give you a push so it's really easy to catch the wave. Participants can focus on standing up and balancing. Instructors even coordinated so my daughter and I caught a wave side by side (see picture) About halfway through, one instructor went further out with those who were doing well on the waves to allow them to catch some bigger waves. Appreciated the differentiation for skill levels. The only reason I gave 4 stars is that you meet at Nukumoi Surf Shop, not the address that comes up on when you search Poipu Beach Surf School. Nukumoi surf shop is a 15-20 minute walk from the surfing location at Kiahuna Beach, which was not a big deal but the confirmation email you get says its a mile and a half and they do NOT provide transportation. We ubered over, so did not have a car & you check in, watch a video and meet with your instructor at Nukumoi surf shop, so you can't expect your Uber to sit and wait.. When I called to ask about possible transportation with the instructor (that's a no), the person on the phone told me to schedule a taxi. Instead, we thought we would show up early so we could check in and then walk down, but that didn't work either because you won't be permitted to check in more than 10 minutes early. Glad I didn't schedule a taxi. The woman who checked us in said a taxi wasn't necessary and that the walk along the beach was certainly do-able and she was right. It might be a mile and a half to drive & park, but the walk wasn't nearly that far. The only frustration was the conflicting information I got between her and the gentleman on the phone. Also a little frustrating is that you don't get the information about the meeting location being a distance from the surf location until you book. That isn't anywhere on the website that I saw. Had I known it ahead of time, I may have chosen a lesson provider closer to the surf site. In the end, it all worked out and we had a fantastic experience (plus a brisk walk to...

This was the second surf lesson we had ever had and scheduled a semi-private lesson. We received few directions about where exactly to meet the instructor and once we did, there was very little actual teaching instruction. A short “safety briefing” was given but couldn’t be heard. Outside of a 3 minute video we were asked to watch before the lesson, we received no instruction (with the exception of how to carry a surf board). We were told to “not overthink it” and to “just stand up and relax.” After paddling out (and being unsure where to even paddle to), I asked the instructor to help my husband who was falling off his board (which was much too small for him). The instructor said sure but never did help. No rash guards were given and we were told that we “didn’t really need them” despite the rough burns and rashes the one and only member of our group that actually completed more than 15 minutes of lessons received. My husband cut his foot on some of the rocks and went to shore. I told this to the instructor who mentioned it “happened all the time.” He never asked how badly he was hurt or how to help. We ended up leaving the session to go to the store to get first aid since none was provided. Even after returning to the beach, the instructor never said another word to us or checked in to see how we were doing. The other member of our group also ended the session with rashes, bleeding cuts, and bruises. The waves and reef were particularly rough for beginners. After talking with the other half of our “semi-private” group, we learned that they were told not to ask questions and that they did not like their instructor either. Even after asking the instructor to tell me when to stand up, I never saw or heard him say anything. He was very quiet and gave no feedback after attempting a wave. We were very disappointed and glad we didn’t get more hurt. Overall, it was not a good experience. We did complete surf lessons in Hanalei a few days prior at Hawaiian Surfing Adventures and had a fantastic time. They provided great instruction, rash guards, were much more friendly, had a better beach for beginners, and were less expensive. I highly recommend going...

Yesterday I checked a box on the “someday I’ve gotta do . . . “ list: I took a lesson in surfing, and became a novice surfer dude. (Meaning that I actually joined a wave, made it to a standing positio, and rode the board in to where I, not the wave or some churlish minor deity, decided that wave had been ridden out. And that I did this several times.)

This minor little life achievement was made possible by the good people at Poipu Beach Surf School. Most particularly, I have to credit Doug, the owner of PBSS, and Coach Chris, who took four people through the basics of necessary instruction and turned us into surfers for a brief shining moment. The organization of things was great; Doug even facilitated a last-minute schedule change necessitated by a very unpleasant bout with Influenza A. Cost was reasonable compared to similar experiences on Kauai. Equipment—a soft long board—was in excellent condition. The lesson began a few minutes early when it was discovered all who had signed up were present and ready. And Coach Chris’ instruction was nicely presented, served with dollops of encouragement, and clearly effective. Couldn’t really ask for more from a beginner’s surf instruction experience. I’d heartily recommend Poipu Beach Surf School for anyone from about 6 years old to 60-plus—the latter being my own age group.

PBSS has very recently teamed up with Poipu Surf Shop as their store ‘host’. Our class was the first under the new arrangement. The shop is a good one, highly rated, and handling any gear one might need for surfing and most other island water sports. It’s located in The Shops at Kukui‘ula. NB: the two entities are distinct, and so not really responsible for the activities of the other, but they are forming a symbiotic relationship which seems like it should benefit everyone. There’ll be some growing pains, I’m sure, but all went well for the ‘First Four’ to get lessons via the new symbiosis. Or maybe I should say the Fantastic Four?

I’d certainly give it a go again, and will recommend it to friends, family, and any others looking for good beginning-level...