James was our instructor for a couples lesson, and he was amazing! We are beginners, and he was clear about how we should do basic things and how to correct mistakes. He made sure we stayed safe, and made sure we got the full experience, even when it cut into his own time. His sense of humor was also on point, so we were laughing and learning and had a great time. Highly recommended!!

Scotty is amazing! I’ve taken one private group lesson and 3 solo lessons with him so far. Before that, I’ve tried surfing 10-15 times (2 of those as lessons), but wasn’t making much progress on my own. Things really started to take a turn and everything began to click with Scotty. He’s your biggest cheerleader in the water and will teach you a great deal, while making it fun. The best takeaway, though, is finally feeling more comfortable and more confident in the water—knowing what to do when waves are crashing towards you and not being afraid. I’ve just booked another lesson with him and excited to keep working on this!

The instructor Fernanda was excellent. She was patient and very attentive to my 11 yr son first time trying to learn how to surf. She had a wonderful, great personality that eased the learning experience for him. I would strongly recommend her lesson for anyone trying to learn the first time.

I took a surf camp, the experience was awesome, James has been a great instructor, appreciate his sharing of the sport etiquette, safety, reality of the sport, learning to read the ocean, not only time in the water. I find the intention is to generate passion for the sport rather than just sell you some hours of lesson, thanks for spreading the love! Keep it up!

Im a first-time surfer and my lessons were with Kayla and Robert, both were phenomenal instructors that took the time to go through safety precautions, how to look for the right waves, and proper paddling/pop-up technique. Most of all they made me feel safe and I had a lot of fun. Taught me tips and skills that I could continue to work on when the course was complete. Could not recommend these instructors more.

I got my first lesson with Scotty on Sunday. I was super nervous but he totally put me at ease right away and made it super fun!! The ocean can be a bit intimidating but I really fell in love with those waves right away!! Gotta do my homework bcuz this is something I’m definitely planning on pursuing!! Thanks Scotty!!!

I recently took a lesson with Hokali. I had so much fun! The coach was super friendly and patient. He taught me different techniques and made me feel safe throughout the entire lesson. I’ll definitely come back for more tips! (Not to mention the quality of their website, it’s great to get to know your coach prior your lesson)

Coaching for HOKALI was such a great experience and everyone I worked with was amazing. They shared my passion for surfing and valued safety as a top priority. Management is always very understanding for both clients and coaches. All the coaches at HOKALI are always professional and willing to share tips on how to be a better coach and surfer. I hope I have the chance to work with them again in the future!

I’ve always had a love for the ocean and had been wanting to take up surfing my whole life. I was reluctant to go with some random instructor from Craigslist so I kept putting it off, until I discovered Hokali. My friend and I signed up for lessons together and I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life! Scotty is hands down one of the best people I’ve ever met and he is amazing in the water. The ocean can be a scary place but Scotty does an amazing job of helping you feel comfortable in the water and teaches you technique and water safety, all while making sure you’re having a good time! The past year has been a crazy time for everyone. Anxiety levels through the roof! Every time I stepped out on to the beach for a surf lesson it’s like all of that gut wrenching anxiety would completely melt away and disappear. The ocean is a special and healing place. So grateful for Hokali (and Scotty!!!) for helping me get through a difficult time in my life.

Victoria was a great instructor . Friendly, knowledgeable and great with my kids!

My kid started taking lessons with Scotty Wagner last week and is loving it. He is teaching her not only about about how to surf , but when it is safe to go into the water and what do to if she gets into any trouble in the water. What a great experience it has been.

I had a super great time with Scotty in the water! He is very professional, takes care of your technique and of you. Personally, I liked that he gave me a lot of useful feedback on how to get better, he was super patient and encouraging. You can see that Scottys passion is the ocean and his first love, so the vibes get really contagious and thats just amazing. All in all, I had a blast in the water. Thanks Scotty!!!

We had a group session with Scotty, he was beyond patient with us! He made it really enjoyable even though this was our first time trying to surf. I would definitely recommend Hokali and ask for Scotty if possible!

I booked a premium surf course with the coach Paislee. She was very helpful by providing me a lot of insights in how to paddle, pop-up and read the waves. I learned a lot! Thank you! I highly recommend HOKALI!

Heres a big shout out to Hokali Surf School! I found this surf school at Yelp. Nacho is passionate about surfing. He takes the time to ensure that you learn and have fun at the same time. He is a great surf instructor! I took several lessons from Nacho and can attest that he will give it his all to help you achieve your surf goals. I highly recommend this surf school.

UPDATE: After leaving this review, the owner immediately got in touch with me and apologized for our experience. He fully refunded our money and I appreciated his desire to address the issue. While I have no doubt that Hokali is a great surf school (I love supporting small businesses), I look forward to seeing the changes that will take place to prevent this same situation from happening again to another parent. Hokali: I support you and the work youre doing to live your passion and introduce others to the ocean this way. Please know that I look forward to trying you out when we come back next year.Review: Unfortunately taking my daughter for her first surfing lesson with this company proved to be a mistake as we had a brand new, very young instructor who had little to no experience teaching, and zero experience with kids. Standing up never happened and safety was a big concern. Since we provided all details and payment in advance, I was very disappointed. When I called to discuss our experience with the owner, we never connected and I was very frustrated that we spent over $200 on this outing during our surfing trip to Santa Monica. We had a much better experience with a different, well-reviewed surf school in L.A.

Scotty was great! Not only did he teach how to pop up, he also shared his knowledge of how to read, understand, and respect the water-all while having fun...which is what it is all about! Scotty is a great coach for all levels, from beginner to pro.

Thanks to Hokali app I was able to quickly find a surf instructor in the bay area!Ignacio was my surf instructor. He has a clear passion for the waves and the ocean. He was able to quickly spot what I was doing wrong and helped me improved my technique.The surf gear was fully provided by Hokali and was perfect: premium quality wetsuits, my size!Id definitely get more lessons and be prepared for the summer time!!Thanks!

Took couples surf lessons with Scotty and we had a blast! As beginners, we loved how they prepped us with educational surf videos and gave us a lessons on how to look for rips/currents. Appreciated that we were able to rent wetsuits, boards and get set-up all in one spot. Scotty was super patient with us and determined to help us pop-up and catch our own waves. We also received personalized feedback on technique. Overall, a great experience!

Such a great experience enabled by the best surf instructor!! I set up a lesson with Nacho, the man. During the lesson, he was very good at explaining the basics of surf, which got me on my feet a couple of times. What I enjoyed the most, though, was that besides the technique, he taught me about the lifestyle of a surfer, which I loved. I felt it was a very complete and enriching experience, sure to be repeated and highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn to surf and the culture it has created.

My friend and I took lessons for the first time this morning and it was so much fun! Ignacio was a super fun and patient instructor that helped us to stand on top of the board in no time. The whole experience was incredible! HIGH QUALTY! I highly recommend this place to others looking for a fun experience and a quality lesson. Everything you could need was included

Ive been surfing on and off since I was 14 or so, I had surfing lessons just to see what it was all about and, I think of myself as an advanced level surfer. So - I was looking for a high level instructor to help me hone my skills and take my surfing to that next level. And through confidence and support they provided just that.They truly love what they do. And they are not just good people to say the least, but also great surfers themselves!

As a coach for HOKALI I had a great experience where I got to share my passion and love for the ocean with our student. This is a company that is not only looking to teach surfing but also inform about ocean conservation.

I had a surf lesson with Nico Montuschi and he was great. Best surf instructor ever!

My boys 13 and 15 had a beginner surf lesson with Scotty. He was awesome! The boys had a great time and learned a lot. It was easy to book the lesson on line and there was excellent communication at every step of the way: booking, night before lesson, instruction and post lesson report. We highly recommend and we will definitely be back for another lesson.

Ive had a few lessons with Scotty now and each time its been an absolute blast! Hes been so encouraging and helpful and I really feel and see the progress Ive made since we first met! I love that hes super keen on not only teaching the how-tos of surfing, but also the theory of the water and the waves, and safety and etiquette. Im learning so much. And laughing so much — its so fun to learn with Scotty!

Amazing experience with Scotty as coach! It was our first time surfing and we had a great time. Very professional, easy to follow and fun. We will definetely be back. Thanks for such an amazing day!

I recently moved to San Francisco, California and have wanted to surf all my life.I found Hokali surf school through Instagram. I checked out their website and watched their pictures and I was really impressed with this surf school! Im really happy that I booked my first surf lesson with them!! After I shared some information about my surfing needs and goals they introduced me to Ignacio as my private surf instructor. Im a beginner and my goal is to become a real surfer! From the very beginning, Ignacio was very patience and tried to share all the passion and knowledge that he has for this sport. He is a great instructor! I will definitely recommend a surf lesson with Hokali. The pricing is fair and the gear that they provide you is excellent. Aside from that the location they use is great as well, Pacifica beach is beautiful. There are bathrooms and outdoor showers available.If youre looking for a great and unique surf lesson look no further!

Coming out to the bay for the first time, I was looking for surfing lessons and found Hokali! Took a private lesson in Pacifica and the instructor, Nacho, was awesome - very helpful and patient! I was able to surf a bit, all thanks to his help! Would definitely recommend!

Great app to learn surfing. Aloha!

Took a beginners lesson with Ignacio and it was an amazing experience. We warmed up, practiced the basics outside of the water and then jumped in.With some help and constant feedback I was able to go a bit deeper into the ocean and stand on the board for a few waves.Ive already seen coach Ignacio one more time to keep the practice going. His energy is contagious and he makes surfing a very thoughtful and fun experience.Highly recommend!

Robert was ready to go when we arrived at Sonlit a bit early. After some brief review (our first time with Robert) we were in the waves. Solid lesson. Robert had to swim between me (in the foam) and my son who was out in the green.

Wow what an experience!! After finding Hokali through Yelp, me and my 2 friends couldnt have been happier. This was my first time surfing (my two friends were also at similar levels). It was definitely intimidating at first but Ignacio, our instructor, put us at ease in minutes. He taught us the fundamentals and made sure we understood what we needed to focus on both before hitting the waves as well as while we were out there. I couldnt have asked for a better teacher! Bring some friends and be prepared for yall to fall in love with surfing!!!!