This February we had the opportunity to visit Pismo Beach and take surf lessons at the Sandbar Surf School. Here's our review!
This was our first time surfing but not our first time swimming in the ocean. The only difference between our regular ocean swimming in the San Francisco bay compared to this experience at Pismo Beach is that we went out at one of the least popular times and it just so happened to be during a stormy weekend. Here's how everything went down from finding the school to returning our surfboards.
Logistics and Travel
Heading into this trip, we already knew it was going to be a stormy weekend but our hotel was already booked which was non-refundable and Sandbar Surf School did mention that they would let us know if it was too dangerous to go out and if it was they would offer a full refund. So, we still decided to go for it.
We drove for about 2.5 hours from Gilroy to Pismo Beach and stayed at the Vespera Resort Autograph Collection which was less than a mile walk away from where we met with our Surf instructor. The day before our lesson, Sand Bar Surf School did call us and ask if we were able to change our lesson time from 12p.m. to 10a.m. Based on the weather they were predicting, they thought it was best to surf at 10a.m. We truly appreciated this gesture because we didn't know what to expect so, of course, we took their professional advice and changed our surf time!
Based on our experience from open water swims and just being out in the ocean, we were going to be using a lot of energy so the morning of our surf lesson, we made sure to eat a high caloric breakfast because we knew it was going to be a long 2.5 hours with our instructor. After breakfast, we then made our way to find the Sand Bar Suf School Truck. Keep in mind, although they are called a school, the actual school is miles away and the instructor will actually meet you at a truck that is parked next to the beach. To be completely transparent, it looks like a beat up, old truck but once the doors role open, it looks like a surfers closet!
Our instructor, Josh arrived a few minutes early and from the minute we met him, we knew he was going to be a joy to work with. Josh specifically has been surfing since he was a kid and has been an instructor for about 10 years. After small talk, he sized us for our wetsuits. Remember that these wetsuits are shared amongst other students so when we put our wetsuits on, it was a little moist. We had no problem with this because we were used to putting on moist triathlon wetsuits, but if it's your first time, you might feel a little grossed out. Just remember, you're going into the ocean and you'll be getting wet anyways. Should I also mention that people pee in wetsuits? Also quick tip if you're a first timer, put on some sunblock because it could possibly help you slip the wetsuit on a little easier. After slipping on our wetsuits, he then measured us for our surfboards. Because I'm a little taller than my wife, my board was slightly bigger than hers.
The Lesson
After receiving our wetsuits and surf boards, we walked down to the beach and started our lesson. Josh started his lesson plan on the sand by sharing each part of the surfboard and its purpose. After this thorough explanation, he taught us how to lay and center our body on the board when positioning ourselves and how to pull water when swimming further out to catch a wave. He then moved into how to pop up and land in the correct foot position to balance ourselves when standing on the board. In a nutshell, we learned that front foot should be on the center of the board, the rear foot near the tailbox and knees should be bent to stay low for better balance.
After practicing these movements on dryland, we went out into the ocean to apply what we just learned. Josh did a wonderful job at progressing us into a standing position. He first had us lay on the board and pulled the front of the surfboard forward to give us a feel of how it's like to ride a wave back to shore while laying down! After a few of those, he then had us lay on the board while he held the front to help keep it balanced while we centered ourselves and waited for a wave. Once he saw a wave, he again would slightly pull the board forward with the wave and had us practice popping up into a standing position. This was the majority of our lesson; ride the wave in and attempt to stand, fall on our asses, swim back out, balance the board, center ourselves, ride the wave in and attempt to stand, fall on our asses and so on. This was really thrilling but also so tiring! There were times when I just had to skip out on some waves just to reset for a bit.
After many entanglements with the tail strap, face planting and rolling under the waves, we started to slowly get the hang of it and actually caught a few waves where we rode the wave back to shore in the full standing position. After our lesson, there were only two downfalls that is not to be blamed on our instructor. First, toward the end, we realized that it was easier for my wife to catch waves on my surfboard compared to her wider and shorter board. Second, my wife got vertigo due to water getting into her ear and had to receive prescripted medicine that dried the fluids out.
Key Takeway Notes
Wetsuits are 4:3mm thick. This means, it can get warm in the wetsuit even if you're in the cold, ocean waters.
Shorter surfboard was more difficult to ride in.
Booties and a neoprene hood can help you stay warm in colder weather.
During our time, the water was about 50 degree F. but felt fine and we didn't have booties or a hoodie.
If you don't want water to get into your ears, wear a hoodie. Although, earplugs do exist, it may be difficult to hear your surroundings.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we loved our experience out there, even it was a stormy day. Within the 2.5-3 hours we had with Josh, we learned so much! Our goals for the day was to ride at least one wave in and we hit that goal thanks to his guidance. Although, we had this one lesson with him, we would still take a few more surfing lessons to become 100% comfortable out in the ocean. In the end, I highly recommend Sand Bar Surf School in Pismo Beach. They had great communication, a wonderful instructor and of course, they're located in such a beautiful location!
If you're interested in takign swim lessons and can head out to Pismo Beach, reach out to Sand Bar Surf School here.
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