FAQ

Surf Schools are by nature a fast forward of your surfing career. We always have been. It’s okay! Not everyone has all the time that WE do to put into this sport! That’s why we exist. You want to learn to get waves. And you want to be treated fairly as a rookie to our sport. MOST surf schools are trustworthy, but there are a few “schools” VERY nearby that are on the fence of being a circus more than a surf school that WE get complaints about every week, and ONLY the LOCALS know the difference. If you’re from Ohio, or Norway or anywhere that’s not in our small area, you don’t know what the locals know. And that’s tourism.

To choose a surf school is difficult if you’re new to our area. We get it! We all look the same. The best way to get that priceless info is call a local surf shop. They’ll tell you what you want to know. The local surf shops don’t look good if they recommend a school that sucks so if you want the real scoop, take THEIR word for it. Trust a local and call the local surf shops. Any of them.

Pancho’s Surf Shop: Biggest surf shop in the local area. Ph # 8057737100

Esteem Surf Shop: Another awesome surf shop been around for 30+ years. Ph # 8057731855

Moondoggies Surf Shop: Another awesome surf shop been around for 30 years at least. Ph # 8057731995

Central Coast Surfboards: Since 1971 the oldest & biggest surf shop in our local college town of San Luis Obispo. Ph # 8055411129

They ALL know who the best is.

You’re darn right we do. It’s a really good question to ask because it’s the equivalent of driving a car with no brakes. Some surf schools nearby don’t bother with surf leashes. That’s straight crazy. You don’t ski down a mountain without ski brakes, do you? We here at Sandbar Surf School use surf leashes. Because we surf and surfers use surf leashes. So unless you want to be chasing your surfboard all lesson (because you WILL be falling off) go with a surf school that has leashes. Seriously. We’re thinking of you in advance.

Anywhere from 2 to 4 students per instructor! If you have a group larger than 5, we will add an instructor to keep the student/instructor ratio to 3/4 per instructor. But we usually overstaff. You’re worth it and your children are too. If for some rare reason you got a group lesson and no one else is in that group, you WILL be charged for a private lesson. (Sorry, just how it’s gotta be.)

If you have your own, you’re more than welcome to bring it and use it. Otherwise, we do provide all the gear you need: surfboards, surf leashes, wetsuits and rash-guards for any size and any skill level.

Every student should bring a bathing suit to wear under your wetsuit that we provide. Bring a big smile, plenty of sun screen, water to keep you hydrated, and a towel. We’ve got the rest!

Payment can be made online, over the phone or through our website. But because fees & stuff are monsters these days and we are not a huge company, we have alternate forms of payment now, so give us a call 8058357873 to arrange. No cash or checks can be collected in the parking lot or on the beach. Just give us a call and we’ll getcha handled.

Students meet their instructor 15 minutes prior to the start of the class by the front door of the Sea Venture Hotel in the beach parking lot at 110 Park Avenue in Pismo Beach. Look for the BIG White Box Truck, that’s us! You’ll most likely see us unpacking surfboards from the truck for your lesson and jamming out to some music.

At the end of the class, the students will be back at the same meeting point. Past this time, parents/guardians are responsible for their kids.

Instructors will wait 15 minutes for a late student, and then will head to the beach to start the class. If a student arrives after the start of the class, the instructor might not be able to let him crash (for safety reasons, the other students cannot be left without supervision).

Look for the BIG white box truck that is mostly white (right now as we’re getting our new logos together) but look on our door and there are magnets that say “SANDBAR SURF” as there are a few imitators in our parking lot you don’t want to get confused with.

Booking/payment has to be done at least 24 hours prior to the class

Booking can only be done by someone 18 years old or older

Payment can be done by credit card if using our online registration center. If you want to pay taxes and fees. If you don’t want to pay taxes or fees we have alternate methods of payment so just give us a call at (805) 835-7873.

No booking/payment can be done at the beach. Unless you speak to Jonny lol. He may jump you in the class if we’ve got room.

In case of difficult/hazardous conditions (storm, pollution, beach closure…), the instructor can decide to cancel a class. In that case, we will re-schedule the class to a later date. We’ll totally refund you if you have a class on a stormy day. Those are boo-boo conditions to learn in.

If a student cannot make it to a class, as long as we have a 24 hour’s notice, we will issue a class-credit and will reschedule the class. Jonny is easy to get ahold of in the case of emergencies or needing to switch or move dates/times around. However, if you stay up too late the night before and drink to many “lemonades” and want to cancel the morning of…No diggity. If you no-call, no-show on us…again, no diggity. Every day is a special project so we have to staff for your safety in advance.