You’ll feel Laguna Beach under your feet as you paddle out with a local instructor guiding every wobbly attempt. All gear is included—wetsuit and surfboard—so just bring your nerves and some sunscreen. Expect salty laughs, maybe a wipeout or two, and that rush when you finally catch your first wave.
Your session includes a wetsuit and surfboard sized for you plus guidance from an expert local instructor throughout your 1.5-hour Laguna Beach surf lesson—all you need is yourself (and maybe some extra energy).
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Read all the reviews ›Same experience, different operators — compare price, rating and length.
Laguna Beach: Surf Lesson with Local Instructor & GearYou are here★ 5.00 (82)1h 30mUS$ 110
Laguna Beach: Open Ocean Kayak Tour & Sea Lion EncountersFeel the Pacific breeze on a Laguna Beach kayak tour, glide over kelp forests, spot sea lions, and paddle with an experienced guide. Includes gear & water.★ 5.00 (201)1h 30mUS$ 95View › The first thing I noticed wasn’t the waves — it was the smell of salt and sunscreen mixing in the air while I tried to wriggle into the wetsuit (harder than it looks, by the way). Our instructor, Jamie, grinned and handed me a board that felt way bigger than I’d pictured. “You’ll thank me for that later,” she said. The sand was warm under my feet but the water? Not so much. It woke me up fast.
I’d always heard about Laguna Beach being this iconic surf spot, but actually paddling out made it real. Jamie kept shouting encouragement over the crash of waves — I could barely hear her sometimes but somehow it helped. There were a couple of other folks in our group too; one guy wiped out right away and we all laughed (he did too). The ocean had this green-blue color you don’t really see anywhere else, and I kept tasting salt every time I tried to stand up. I lost count of how many times I fell off, but when I finally caught a wave for more than three seconds — well, it’s hard to explain that feeling without sounding cheesy.
Afterwards, we sat on our boards just past where the waves break. Jamie told us about growing up here and pointed out a sea lion bobbing nearby (I almost missed it). My arms were jelly by then but honestly? I didn’t want to get out yet. There’s something about learning to surf in Laguna Beach — even if you’re terrible at it — that sticks with you. Maybe it’s just being part of the scene for an hour or so. Or maybe it’s just how alive you feel after getting tumbled around by the Pacific.
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