The Surf Retreats
This is where shit gets serious. We love to have a good time, but surfing will always be the biggest focus during the retreat.
The best and fastest way to learn surfing.
Learning to surf can be difficult at the best of times. Unfortunately, often what holds us back in our surfing can’t be fixed by simply trying harder, and even with the best coaching improvement can take years.
Our curriculum attacks the art of surfing from every angle – we combine wave theory & ocean mechanics classes with slow-mo video analysis and a homegrown surf-specific physical preparation method we call Surfitness.
We believe that only a complete approach that helps you improve:
1. Improve your theoretical knowledge and how to read waves yourself;
2. Practice good technique under proper supervision; and
3. Increase your physical capacity to surf longer and safer, can empower you to continue to improve not just while the retreat, but every single time you get in the water.
You will walk away from our retreat not only a better surfer, but with an in-depth knowledge of how to keep improving and break through plateaus on your own.
The Lessons
Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced surfer?
We divide classes into levels 1 – 3 so that you can get the coaching that is right for you and surf at breaks best suited to your skill level. We will chat with you about your experience when booking the retreat. It is common for surfers to move to level 2 when they are ready, and for level 2 to move to level 1 on bigger swell days or just to hone in on more basic fundamentals. Our instructors are focused on setting you up to take the most waves, be safe in the water, and have the most fun.
For all our levels Level 1 (Beginners) Level 2 (Intermediates) and Level 3(advanced surfe) the lesson is two hours long and divided into two parts:
Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced surfer?
1. Surf Theory – an in-depth analysis of proper technique and essential ocean knowledge under the watchful eye of our instructors. Get your popups right on the beach, and you’ll get them right in the water
2. Practical – Surf with your instructor right next to you in the water. Put into practice what you’ve just learned and get immediate feedback on your mistakes. We keep our class sizes small so that you get the focused attention you need to take more waves and have even more fun.
Not only that, we also sometimes combine our lessons with our road trips, so you get to surf at a variety of beautiful breaks!
Surfitness™
Surfitness™ is an intense, time-efficient training program created to keep your body fit and ready for the physical demands of surfing no matter where you are in the world.
Too often we hear about students who go on week-long surf holidays with the best of intention, only to find they’re exhausted after the first hour and take 3-4 days for their body to acclimatize.
That’s where Surfitness comes in.
Short, intense and equipment-lite, we’ve created workouts combining a unique blend of power, mobility & endurance-based exercises that can be done anywhere, so that even if you don’t live by the ocean, whenever the swell hits you’re always ready.
Build surf-specific strength, improve your overall endurance and prevent against injuries all in 30 minutes or less. Train with absolutely no equipment in your backyard or your hotel room, so no matter your lifestyle there’s never any excuse not to train!
Surfitness sessions are held 3x weekly at our retreats.
Video Analysis
3 times per week,they bust out the trusty video camera and film the students and go through the footage frame by frame as a group.
What you are doing on the board often feels a lot different from what it looks like and the ability to see yourself on camera in slow motion gives you a unique perspective that is essential for refining "on the wave" techniques and making the jump from beginner to intermediate.
The focus of the video analysis is on helping surfers understand how to effectively paddle onto and ride green waves. We do a detailed breakdown of timing, ride style, and positioning in the water. The focus for level 1 in the white water is to get you to this stage as quickly as possible, but in order to do that, your number one priority must be to hone the fundamentals so that your paddling and popups become automatic when you are out the back.
These intermediate-advanced concepts are great to have an awareness of as a beginner, but they would rather focus on getting you out of the white water and onto the greenies as fast as possible, and video is not necessary to do so. A great white-water popup and ride style will make your life so much easier down the line, so focus on the fundamentals and you will be shredding on camera in no time.