Locals Surf School — Attraction in New York

I grew up in Jersey right next to the shore so it may seem surprising that I didn’t fall in love with the ocean until I was 20 years old. But when I did fall in love I fell hard. And it was actually on the Rockaway beach where I became obsessed with the ocean. I’d go with my aunt and we’d ride the waves together in Rockaway. I was in my zone the most when the waves were choppy and stormy. Besides Rockaway, I’d also go back home to the Jersey beaches. There I’d watch all the surfers and the windsurfers too. And I knew I was born to surf. Now all I had to do was find a proper school where I would learn. I did lots of research and actually almost began lessons with another school on the Rockaway Beach. But it was frustrating communicating with them. They were hard to reach and they weren’t able to accommodate my time frame and schedule. So I looked elsewhere- and I’m happy I did. I found local.

The thing I love about local is that it is super simple to book lessons. Their website is appealing and easy to navigate. Booking is easy to do on the website (unlike the other surfing school websites I’ve been on) if that’s the route you wanna go. But if your like me you like talking to a human- someone who you feel is listening and giving you his attention. Mike, the owner, personally books appointments through text. You can also call him- he’ll always answer- if not he’ll call you right back. There are no “you must call between 11 and 2”. People freakin work and I hate when there are crazy restrictive open hours. That will not be your experience with local!

Another thing that made me decide to go with local was their lesson packages. It’s like a gym membership. You might decide “gym? Na- I can do 30 push-ups at home every day” But somehow no person ever got a 6-pack by saying that. You need the gym membership. You need the Local Package! If your serious about learning to surf you gotta buy a package- you pay up front and it forces you to find the time. You don’t get stuck saying “I don’t know I just didn’t have time” 10 years after you had your dream to surf. No other school here on rockaway offers packages.

If your still reading- lol, thanks! This is the last thing- I promise! So the last thing I wanna add is that the owners and all the instructors are super friendly. You get to the beach and mike is there waiting for you and already knows your name. They’re all so welcoming and I you feel (I feel) like they are truly invested in giving you the best experience ever!! So- hope this was helpful- and maybe I’ll meet you out...

Signed my 7 year old daughter up for a week of surf camp at Locals, and while she was at it I thought I’d take some lessons myself (41 year old with no experience).

My daughter loved her camp! The instructors were awesome and engaged every kid at whatever their level of comfort was, whether it was just riding a wave in laying on the board or catching their own wave in.

The first day out waves were pretty burly but the instructors still got the kids out, making sure no one got slammed, and my daughter was having an awesome time. That said, it wasn’t without some wipe outs that shook her up a bit (normal part of surfing!) and the instructors did a great job of helping her bounce back and get back out in the water! Supervision was really strong, and I was never worried about my daughter who can swim a bit but isn’t the most comfortable in the water. She said she always felt save and the instructors did a great job taking care of her. For the young group my daughter was in camp was a great balance of getting in the waves and time on the beach playing games. My daughter referred to her instructors as her new BFFs.

I signed up for a 5 lesson pack for myself and took three lessons this week. The first lesson began with instruction on the beach and some practice popping up, as well as learning some key terminology and etiquette. Then you get into the water, and right away the instructors get you catching waves, giving a helpful push when necessary. I had two different instructors and there were several more out in the water with other groups, and everyone was super positive, supportive, and knowledgeable. Just like with the campers, instructors give you whatever level of support you need and differentiate within the group. I was able to begin catching and dropping in on waves on my own pretty quickly and my instructor kept giving helping tips and coaching, while being more hands on for others in my group that needed more. Everyone left the lessons I was in each day stoked on the lesson and excited for more surfing.

After a week out at the beach with Locals my daughter and I are both ready to get our own boards and make surfing a...

Update after response from owner: I appreciate that you are a small business, our family is a small business in a sense too. I booked a group lesson so the instructor showed up regardless whether it was 3 or 2 of us, so the conclusion doesn’t follow your premise. I would have probably been loyal to Locals forever if you had shown me a small kindness in the face of my son falling ill overnight, the morning of the lesson, again having booked within 24 hours of the lesson. I was not a no-show and I wasn’t asking for a refund. I wanted to pay good money for more lessons. Any small business owner makes decisions and it seems like you’re comfortable with this one. I’m comfortable with mine and everyone should know about this before they decide to book with you. Good luck and good day.

Lesson was good. The instructors we had were helpful and friendly - Vinny, Ellington and Adam. I took a lesson with my two boys and returned the following weekend for the three of us again. My older son wasn’t feeling well in the morning the second time and he wasn't able to make the lesson. I understand the 24 hour cancellation policy, but I booked the lesson within 24 hours and I also didn’t know that my son wouldn’t be feeling well until that morning. I tried to get a credit for a future lesson, likely for the three of us again, but James refused. I wasn’t asking for a refund. It’s not an extravagant amount, but for a family it’s a bit of a luxury to take these lessons on an ongoing basis. Instead of keeping a happy, ongoing customer for $100, Locals Surf School lost a customer. I’ll look elsewhere when looking for a...