North Shore Surf Girls — Attraction in Oʻahu

My husband and I took a 2 hour semi private lesson. Spent maybe 1.5 in water. We took another one previously in Waikiki and had lots of fun, so we wanted to try the North Shore waves. Unfortunately, this time we had no fun at all. Both of us wanted to leave half way but we stayed because we’d already paid over $300. You know the feeling of really enjoying something, like painting etc. than taking a lesson and not wanting to ever touch it again? This lesson made me feel like that about surfing.

Our instructor Margery talked too much and was kind of bossy. It was mostly repeating the same information unnecessarily or complaining about something. She complained a bunch of times about my sunscreen making the board greasy. Which I get but one time is enough. She even complained to her colleagues about us telling “they’re too heavy”, which I did not appreciate. We’re around 180 and 280 lbs and we put that information in a form before the class. We both felt that we missed a couple of good waves because she was talking to another instructor, or us. There was nonstop talking for 2 hours. She said our instructor in Waikiki was just trying to take our money and didn’t really teach us surfing but I rode weaker waves for longer in my first lesson. Also said Waikiki surfing would be more crowded but actually it was about the same in this spot.

We had already took a beginner class and wanted to practice a little more in a different place, but instead we just felt like we paid for being yelled at. The other instructors were cool though. Both of their students caught more waves than us. One of them even helped me a little (I think her name was Lily). So I would recommend looking into the instructor beforehand.

Overall was not a fun experience and we regretted paying...

First time surfing and Josh had me standing up on the very first wave. He was so kind and helpful I highly recommend him and North Shore Surf Girls. As a 48 year old guy carrying around an extra 30+ lbs, I was honestly nervous about how it would go. My trip to Oahu was a little last minute and I always “planned” to be in better shape but when the trip came together I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to hit the waves. We met at the Surf Girls truck (which is easy to find) went to the beach and Josh gave me a simple but thorough safety briefing and tips. We were in the water in no time. Here is where his expertise and hard work came through. He did most of the real work for me by towing me out to the sweet spot every time. We paddled past several other schools and instructors and he always seemed to know exactly where to position us. All I ever had to focus on was applying the technique he explained. If I had to do all my own paddling I would have been worn out after 2-3 waves. He was very gracious in answering all my “new guy” questions. I am honestly blown away by how many waves I was able to catch because he instinctively knew where to go every time. I saw several other instructors from other schools sitting and waiting for students to paddle to them or just sitting in the line up not catching. Being with Josh felt like cheating. I don’t mean to gush but I honestly couldn’t have been happier. I will bring my wife and kids back here for sure. Carol was out with a couple young kids and she was obviously great at instructing as well. Carol I hope you read this and give Josh a raise LOL. Bucket list item checked in such a huge way. Take the 2 hour private if you can, but go!!!...

Fantastic experience all around. Don’t think twice about going with them!

We didn’t have plans for the day. Thought about taking a road trip to the North Shore with the family and wife mentioned our daughter wanting to surf. Called just before 9 am and spoke with a nice woman named Carol. We inquired if they had any spots available for 5 people that day and sure enough they could accommodate us!

We met Amy and Josh at the surf spot and they got us oriented on shore with the basics. As we were getting ready to get in the water, they mentioned that Carol was around and would also be helping out. I finally made the connection that Carol is the owner and the woman I spoke to earlier! We have two kids (4,6) so I was nervous how they would do but Carol didn’t seem worried at all. We headed out to the surf break and Carol brought the kids out on her board. Our youngest was wailing the entire ride out and totally out of his mind. Carol took it all in stride and long story short, everyone including the youngest had the BEST time. Carol was able to get the kids up on the board over and over again. While Carol took care of the kids, Amy and Josh had the rest of us cycling through to catch waves one after the other. They were so efficient that we were begging for a break. Even though the two hours flew by, it seemed like just the right amount for our first lesson.

Surfing was definitely the highlight...