Santa Barbara Adventure Company

This is simple introduction for a first time surfer or someone who has tried surfing a few times and needs some pointers. The instruction starts with beach lesson reviewing: how to position yourself on the board, paddling techniques and proper stance. Once in the water students will get pointers on maneuvering waves, balance techniques and surf etiquette. Santa Barbara Adventure Company’s surf lessons offer students a great foundation to this exciting sport. Our knowledgeable instructors have over 25 years’ combined experience and will use their skills to point out the finer points of catching waves. Instructors choose surf sites based on the current swell and tide conditions, finding the best breaks for successful learning.

Where to Surf

The Santa Barbara area includes a variety of surf spots including Gaviota Coast, Hammonds Reef, Leadbetter Point, North County, Rincon, Sand Spit, The Ranch, UCSB Campus and Isla Vista, and Ventura County. The best time to surf this county is in the winter, and to a lesser extent the fall. Santa Barbara's primary swell source is from storms in the North Pacific that generate waves as they approach the west coast.

How to Surf

There are many aspects to learning how to surf, including buying your first surfboard, finding a wet suit, purchasing accessories like a leash and deck grips, learning surf etiquette, pre-surf preparation, riding your first wave, and improving your paddling technique. Former UCSB PhD student and surf expert Tim Maddux walks you through the process.

Channel Islands Surfboards

Since 1969, Channel Islands Surfboards has been dedicated to performance and quality through hard work, innovation, and originality. Over the last 50+ years, Channel Islands has grown from a local grass-roots operation to a cutting edge organization, catering to the best surfers in the world. It started with hard-core surfing and quality in mind and these guidelines have brought us through four decades of constant change in the surf industry. Channel Islands will shape the new millennium with innovative design and quality as our main focus.

Santa Barbara Surf School

Santa Barbara’s surf school and instructing since 2003. When it comes to taking a surf lesson, we’re confident that our team’s decades of teaching experience will make your surf lesson a memory that will last. We’re incredibly proud of our instructors. All of them are truly outstanding people both in and out of the water. When it comes to your surf lesson in Santa Barbara they make all the difference in the world and are sure to make it a memorable one.