Pata Sudaka Surf Trips — Attraction in Oʻahu

I had a wonderful time in Hawaii overall, but that was in no way thanks to the camp itself. The other campers and I eventually distanced ourselves from the provided “itinerary,” which turned out to be nothing like what was marketed and was completely chaotic.

After booking the camp and receiving a welcome email, there was no further communication from the organizers despite multiple attempts on my part to reach out. I provided my flight details as requested and was supposed to be picked up by staff, yet no one responded to my messages. I eventually took an Uber to the camp, only to find that the address provided was not recognized by GPS, leaving me stranded on a dirt road without reception.

On the first day, our host told us he wanted the experience to feel like “friends just hanging out together.” While that might sound friendly, I felt it was more of an excuse to cover for the disorganized nature of a program that people were paying thousands of dollars for. If I had not bonded with the other campers, I would not have felt safe. Inappropriate comments toward the women were frequent. I was personally pushed off my board twice by a staff member, who then told me I should be glad because I “looked so sexy when I was wet.” This same staff member drove recklessly while high and publicly yelled at a teenage volunteer. When we later checked on that volunteer, she told us she was uncomfortable speaking inside the house because cameras were watching and listening, which added to the unsettling environment. One night, the host joined us at a bar, became heavily intoxicated, and had another camper drive us home. The “just friends” idea quickly lost its charm when paired with the reality that we had paid a highly overpriced fee for this experience.

It was also just generally unsanitary. The hosts left raw chicken sitting in the kitchen sink for days, I was told by a volunteer that she had seen rats multiple times, a woman that prepared our food was showing us a gross infection she had on her finger. The 2 showers available were filled with hundreds of ants every single day, and there was a direct view into the outdoor showers from the deck, making it too uncomfortable to use.

The surf instruction itself was genuinely good, and the analysis sessions were helpful and enjoyable, but they made up only a small portion of the program. On one day, there was no video footage simply because the drone had not been charged. The yoga class offered was underwhelming and could have been better led by anyone with even a basic understanding of yoga.

Overall, this camp felt less like a professional retreat and more like a poorly run side project, despite the premium cost. Don’t trust the 5 star reviews- I think a lot of them may be fake and written by the...

Wow! My family and I just spent a week at Pata Sudaka Surf Camp and loved every minute of it. The main part was the surf lessons which were on a very manageable break for us beginners and included extensive analysis using drone and other camera footage. All of us improved our surfing each day and the vibe was encouraging and supportive which made it all so much fun. We also went on excursions to different places on the island. I especially loved the day when we had a class on making poke and they brought in a hula and lei-making teacher who taught us a lot and helped us feel connected to Hawaiian culture and spirituality. There were nine of us staying at the camp and we appreciated that there were indoor and outdoor spaces to gather and also plenty of room to spread out and get alone time. It was a short walk into town or to the beach as well with plenty of shops, restaurants, and places to be present in nature. We had one rainy day and the camp staff made a great choice to move our hike to a less-muddy site. It was a beautiful rainy hike and a great way to be outdoors. We appreciated the yoga classes which helped us stretch out and ground. Breakfast was delicious and different each day. The camp is in a gorgeous country setting with lush plants, friendly chickens, and starry nights. The best part of the camp though might be the people who work there. They were above-and-beyond gracious, hospitable, and accommodating. They were always teaching us new things about surfing, Hawai'i, life, etc. They were always capturing photos and video which gave us those mementos of our time there. After a week, they feel like family. The whole week was magical and a perfect way for our family (who live across different parts of the country) to be together. The worst part of the whole week was having to leave. Mahalo nui, Pata...

This trip was one of the most incredible weeks of my life! It was magical to be able to play like a kid again. I didn’t have to worry about anything - I just woke up, ate beautiful breakfasts provided by the Pata Sudaka team and had fun!

The trip followed the itinerary sent a few weeks in advance of camp. You can tell a lot of thought and care was put into the itinerary. Daniel set up a call with me to check in with any questions before camp, so I was ready when I arrived. During the trip, if there were the potential for any deviations from the schedule, Daniel let us know in advance and/or sent us polls to let us choose our adventure.

The coolest part of the camp was that at the end of the week I was able to meet my personal goals for improving my surfing. Everyone on the trip was able to far exceed their own expectations as well. Daniel is very passionate about coaching and encouraging people to dig deep within themselves to get their best on the water.

Everyone that was volunteering or working with the surf camp genuinely cared, were extremely helpful and I was impressed with their patience. It’s not easy wrangling 12 people on vacation and they all did it with absolute grace.

The house is nice, safe, clean and the bed I was in was comfortable. Water pressure in the shower was good and the AC in the rooms worked great.

10/10...