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Schools and Instruction
Aloha, Florida! Jupiter, Florida is home to the Aloha Surfing School, offering surf lessons throughout Juno Beach to Jupiter Beach, and upon request, beyond that region. All ages are welcome, and summer surf camps (even teaching Pilates for surfing!) are open in Jupiter or Boca Raton. Paul Vargas is the instructor who has put his passion to work.
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Learn to surf with The Betty Series, headquartered in the Melbourne Beach, Florida area. All year, The Betty Series offers two-day Learn to Surf clinics in Cocoa Beach. Surf camps during the spring and summer are available for all age groups. The Betty Series invites corporate registrations for teambuilding while learning to surf, and family/friend groups for birthday learn to surf parties. Surfboards and suncare lotion are available at all camps.
Big Kahuna Surf School’s desire is to propagate traditional Hawaiian heritage surfing in Florida. “Da Big Kahuna,” whose real name is Kali Montero, was a Waikiki Beach surfing instructor for 25 years before moving to Florida. An emphasis in the Deerfield Beach, Florida school is to decrease learning curve time while building self-esteem.
Craig Carroll runs the Cocoa Beach Surf School in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Surfing instructors come from the 1996 U.S. National Surfing Team and East Coast champions. The classes are available in private, semi-private, or group formats, with a special emphasis on beginners. Learning to surf in a large wave machine is also part of the school’s offerings, located at Walt Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon in Lake Buena Vista.
Providing a summer camp for kids is only part of what the Daytona Beach Surfing School offers in Ormond Beach, Florida. The owners of this surfing school are highly experienced local surfers Tim Gilley and Brad Tepper. Surf classes are held in private, semi-private, and group fashion. Beginners are especially welcome at Daytona Beach Surfing School.
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Florida Surf Lessons is located in West Palm Beach. Run by Geoffrey Schmidt, Florida Surf Lessons offers surf clinics and private surf lessons with experienced professionals. Both Florida residents and vacationers cam take advantage of programs offered in fifteen different Florida locations.
Free surf lessons…that has to attract your attention! Honestly, Island Water Sports in Deerfield Beach, Florida has free surfing lessons every Saturday morning from 7 AM to 9AM. You’ll get to work with one of the number of instructors, one of which is the highly skilled Michael Pechonis. All ages and all levels of surfing are very welcome here, and BZ boards are given out at the store to accommodate the specific wave conditions around Deerfield Beach. Don’t miss out on the Cocoa Beach Surf Camp for all levels of 10-16 year olds!
North Florida does have surf instruction available, and one example is John Tully Surf Camp in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. John Tully brings an accepted surf teaching technique used in Australia to Florida, and also his worldwide experiences in good and dangerous surf conditions. John provides surf camps for kids during summers and adults during weekends starting in springtime.
Every day, at the Fort Pierce Inlet State Recreation Area, Lou Maresca’s Central Florida Surf School gives surfing lessons for kids and adults. Both group and one-on-one formats shape the surf classes, and all surfing equipment is provided, no matter what the season. Lou Maresca’s school, the largest and oldest surf camp on the East Coast of the United States, is based in the surfing community of Vero Beach, Florida.
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Natural Art Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida, provides an opportunity for all ages and all levels of surfing to receive teaching from qualified instructors. You can call to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one session with one of three experienced instructors, or opt for a summer camp (Monday- Thursday) program. There are four students allotted per instructor, and ocean safety lessons are included in the program.
Indian Harbor Beach, Florida is the location of NexGen Surf School, where surfing professionals with CPR training teach both surf camps at South Cocoa Beach and private lessons. NexGen believes that the water conditions of this area especially suit surfing beginners. Each surf camp is limited to four students for each instructor. The owner, Brian Gale, has won the Florida State Championship in the men’s division.
For the girls and women only…Saltwater Cowgirls Surf Camp gives day camp sessions in a comfortable environment. The Saltwater Cowgirls was the first all-female East Coast surf camp, with female instructors and participants. Located at Jacksonville Beach, Florida, this surf camp actually introduces novice surfers to longboards. It’s also a great opportunity to build a surfing network of friends in North Florida.
With a director for each gender, the Sebastian Inlet Surf Camp in Florida allows everyone to learn surfing techniques together in a fun-filled and motivated atmosphere. The ratio of instructor to student is about 1 to 4, allowing for a feel of semi-private surf instruction. The consistent waves of Sebastian Inlet, Florida maximize the quality of the learning.
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Since 1997, Surfguys Surf School has been offering professional school instruction for ages 6 and up. Beginners through advanced classes are available, as well as surf camps during the spring and summer months. The surf instruction takes place in the South Cocoa Beach, and the Indialantic/Melbourne Beach areas in Florida.
Weekly surf camps in the summertime are provided through Surf School Tabeling. Mike Tabeling, who runs the school, is a surfing legend from Cocoa Beach, Florida who has been honored in the Surfing Hall of Fame. Mike’s school serves all of Brevard County, and offers both individual and group classes as well. Mike puts a guarantee on surfing results after attending Surf School Tabeling’s programs.
St. Augustine and North Florida surfers have access to the combined store The Surf Station and The Girl Next Door, where a surf school was started in 1984. For week-long surf camp classes, students are introduced to soft surfboards, then graduate to using fiberglass boards. The Surf Station stresses a combination of fun and safety, where qualified instructors are trained in CPR maneuvers. Tory Strange, twice an East Coast champion, runs the surf school.
Enjoyment of Florida surfing is not limited to solely instructional schools. Several institutions of higher education in Florida cater to the statewide surfing excitement. Below is a list of colleges in Florida where nearby surf conditions are great and/or surf teams thrive:
Bethune-Cookman College
Eckerd College
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Flagler College
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Institute of Technology
Jacksonville University
Nova University
Ringling School of Art and Design
Stetson University
University of Central Florida
University of Miami
University of North Florida
University of West Florida
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