These days most coast town offering surfable waves have a local surf school offering lessons and equipment hire. They all seem very similar, however, there are a few things families and individuals should look out for before booking a session with an instructor.
Qualifications
Surf schools are usually connected to main organization such us Surfing NZ or Surfing Australia that offers training to its school members. In New Zealand, to be an accredited school, coaches must have a level 2 certificate and a current Outdoors First Aid course, which guarantees a certain level of quality on the service delivered to customers.
Equipment
There are many types of surfboards and wetsuits available in the market. Some are specially developed to be used for learning. Softops are the to go type of board and entrance level. They are made out of soft foam with flexible fins reducing the chance of major accidents when compared to the traditional hardboards. Therefore, make sure your instructors are offering you softops, especially because you are learning.
Duration
Private lessons are recommended to be 60minutes. That`s enough time to get the basics on the beach before heading in the water.
Group locations should be no shorter than 90 minutes. If you chose the have a shorter lesson, surfers will be missing out on at least one element of the lesson: warm up, safety talk, theory and water time. Many schools chose to offer 1 or 3 hours even, but after 15 years of experience we believe that 1.5 hours with the surf instructor is enough for while you are learning.
Location
Location is a crucial aspect of the surf lessons as it is related to safety and quality of waves. We recommend avoiding rocky areas and places known for big waves. The east coast of NZ offers some great conditions to lean with gentil and shaped waves allowing learners have time to get their feet on their boards and have heaps of fun!
Safety
All surf lessons should include a safety talk as it sets the surfer for the future. It should cover how to handle the board in the water, keep distance from others and positing out rips as minimal requirements. If your surf instructor is not covering these basic points think about getting the knowledge from somebody else.
Fun
This is the most important aspect of surfing, having fun is why you are out there in contact with the ocean and friends. So chose your surf school and get some waves!
Surf n Stay / Surfsup is a Surfing New Zealand accredited school with more than 15 years of experience. We offer private and group , lessons, multiple days passes, holiday programs, after school programs and squad training. Check out our website for further details.
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