Laguna Beach Surf School
Laguna Surf & Sport / Thalia Street Beach, 1088 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
About
Laguna Beach Surf School offers surfing, surf camps, private and group surf lessons, advanced surf coaching, beginner skimboarding lessons, and boogie boarding. Campers and students take part in Summer Surf Camp, Spring Break Surf Camp, Winter Break Surf Camp, and year-round private and group surf lessons. Instruction includes ocean safety, water safety, surfboard safety, surfing etiquette, surfboard skills like popping up, standing, and turning, and wave knowledge such as how to read the waves and paddling out, along with fun, progressive wave riding exercises on the beach and in the water.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Week-long surf camps during Summer, Winter, and Spring Break, typically Monday–Friday with 5-day summer surf camp sessions
• Price: $680 per week for Summer Surf Camp 2026; $650 per week for Spring Break Surf Camp 2026.
Summer Surf Camp 2026 is scheduled from June 15 to August 21, Monday through Friday from 9am–2pm, and Spring Break Surf Camp 2026 runs 9am–2pm on dates to be determined. Camps include Friday activities such as “Wacky shacky funtastik Fridays” with crazy costumes, a pizza party at Gina’s Pizza, goodie bags from sponsors, and a Friday FUN-day walk to Circle K for treats. Lunch is not included for camps, and parents either send a lunch or staff walk children to Wahoo’s, Adolfo’s, or Gina’s Pizza to purchase lunch.
Youth ages 8 and up receive basic to advanced surf instruction, and all surfing levels are welcome with no prior surf experience required, as long as students are able to swim. Soft-top surfboards are used for better safety and easy ridability, and Laguna Surf & Sport offers surfboard rentals and day rentals on men’s, women’s, and youth wetsuits. Guided surf travel is available to Fiji, the Maldives, Costa Rica, the Waco Surf Pool in Texas, and as a curated “surf and safari” experience in South Africa and Mozambique, and guided surf adventures can be customized to all skill levels.
Laguna Beach Surf School has been operating since 2001 and is affiliated with Laguna Surf & Sport, which has been locally owned since 1982. The school states that it prides itself on 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 visit to teach campers about ocean and beach preservation and coastal biology, and the world’s top professional skimboarders provide safety tips and beginner skimboarding lessons. Pro surfer friends of the staff sometimes show up unannounced for a surf show.
The leadership and coaching team includes Mo van de Wall “Captain Mo” as a surf coach, Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew as Camp Counselor and director of Sli Dawg Surf Camp, Cayla Henderson “Bumble Bee” as Lead Instructor, Zac Henderson as the surf lessons contact, and Steven Chew as the surf camp contact. Mo has been a surf coach for over 20 years from beginner to competitive levels and coaches the local Thurston Middle School Surf Team, and Mo is CPR and First Aid certified. Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew is an ex-pro surfer and is CPR and First Aid certified. Cayla Henderson has been teaching and coaching surf, skim boarding, boogie boarding, and ocean safety for six years and is CPR and First Aid certified. The program states that experienced surf coaches offer a fun and safe environment for all levels of experience and that these coaches are CPR and First Aid certified, and that pro surfer Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew and professional surf instructors teach even timid children.
Last updated April 5, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: Week-long surf camps during Summer, Winter, and Spring Break, typically Monday–Friday with 5-day summer surf camp sessions
• Price: $680 per week for Summer Surf Camp 2026; $650 per week for Spring Break Surf Camp 2026.
Summer Surf Camp 2026 is scheduled from June 15 to August 21, Monday through Friday from 9am–2pm, and Spring Break Surf Camp 2026 runs 9am–2pm on dates to be determined. Camps include Friday activities such as “Wacky shacky funtastik Fridays” with crazy costumes, a pizza party at Gina’s Pizza, goodie bags from sponsors, and a Friday FUN-day walk to Circle K for treats. Lunch is not included for camps, and parents either send a lunch or staff walk children to Wahoo’s, Adolfo’s, or Gina’s Pizza to purchase lunch.
Youth ages 8 and up receive basic to advanced surf instruction, and all surfing levels are welcome with no prior surf experience required, as long as students are able to swim. Soft-top surfboards are used for better safety and easy ridability, and Laguna Surf & Sport offers surfboard rentals and day rentals on men’s, women’s, and youth wetsuits. Guided surf travel is available to Fiji, the Maldives, Costa Rica, the Waco Surf Pool in Texas, and as a curated “surf and safari” experience in South Africa and Mozambique, and guided surf adventures can be customized to all skill levels.
Laguna Beach Surf School has been operating since 2001 and is affiliated with Laguna Surf & Sport, which has been locally owned since 1982. The school states that it prides itself on 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 visit to teach campers about ocean and beach preservation and coastal biology, and the world’s top professional skimboarders provide safety tips and beginner skimboarding lessons. Pro surfer friends of the staff sometimes show up unannounced for a surf show.
The leadership and coaching team includes Mo van de Wall “Captain Mo” as a surf coach, Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew as Camp Counselor and director of Sli Dawg Surf Camp, Cayla Henderson “Bumble Bee” as Lead Instructor, Zac Henderson as the surf lessons contact, and Steven Chew as the surf camp contact. Mo has been a surf coach for over 20 years from beginner to competitive levels and coaches the local Thurston Middle School Surf Team, and Mo is CPR and First Aid certified. Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew is an ex-pro surfer and is CPR and First Aid certified. Cayla Henderson has been teaching and coaching surf, skim boarding, boogie boarding, and ocean safety for six years and is CPR and First Aid certified. The program states that experienced surf coaches offer a fun and safe environment for all levels of experience and that these coaches are CPR and First Aid certified, and that pro surfer Steven “Sli Dawg” Chew and professional surf instructors teach even timid children.
Last updated April 5, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.