Laguna Beach Surf School

Laguna Beach Surf School offers surf lessons, private and group surf lessons, advanced surf coaching, and week-long surf camps during Summer, Winter, and Spring Break. Camp activities include water safety and surfboard safety instruction, surfing etiquette, surfboard skills such as popping up, standing, and turning, and wave knowledge such as how to read the waves and paddling out. The program also includes beginner skimboarding lessons, ocean and beach preservation education, coastal biology education, and Friday activities such as wacky shacky funtastik Fridays with crazy costumes, a pizza party at Gina’s Pizza, and walks to Circle K for treats.

• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Week-long surf camps during Summer, Winter, and Spring Break; Summer Surf Camp 2026 runs June 15–August 21, Monday–Friday, 9am–2pm
• Price: $680 per week for Summer Surf Camp 2026; $650 per week for Spring Break Surf Camp 2026

Laguna Beach Surf School has been operating since 2001 and is affiliated with Laguna Surf & Sport, which has been locally owned since 1982. The program offers private and group surf lessons year-round, as well as guided surf travel to Fiji, the Maldives, Costa Rica, the Waco Surf Pool in Texas, and a curated “surf and safari” experience in South Africa and Mozambique. All surfing levels are welcome, no surf experience is required, and students must be able to swim. Soft-top surfboards are used for better safety and easy ridability, and Laguna Surf & Sport offers rentals of soft-top surfboards and men’s, women’s, and youth wetsuits. Lunch is not included for camps, and parents can either send a lunch or staff will walk the children to Wahoo’s, Adolfo’s, or Gina’s Pizza to purchase lunch.

Surf coaches are CPR and First Aid Certified, including Mo, who has been a surf coach for over 20 years, Steven Chew, and Cayla Henderson, who is a lead instructor and one of the head coaches for the girls Thurston Middle School Surf Team. Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew is the director of Sli Dawg Surf Camp, Mo van de wall “Captain Mo” is a surf coach, and Cayla “Bumble Bee” Henderson is a lead instructor. Laguna Beach Surf School states that it prides itself in providing a fun and safe surf experience for beginners and advanced students and is the only certified Laguna Beach City surf camp in town. Guest teachers from the Surfrider Foundation teach ocean and beach preservation and coastal biology, and there are visits and help from some of the world’s top professional skimboarders, along with unannounced visits from pro surfer friends for a show. One parent testimonial notes that Sli Dawg and the team use fun, progressive wave riding exercises, starting on the beach, and help kids get their first start with soft-top surfboards for better safety and easy ridability.

Last updated July 5, 2026.