Surfer Girl Academy Surf School

SGA is a shiny gem amongst the plethora of dull Waikiki surf schools. Found them on Unilocal and ultimately decided to go w/​em because of the positive reviews. And here’s another one to add to their collection. :) So, why pick SGA? First of all, their friendly staff. Mito was helpful and answered any questions I had very promptly, and our instructor Kawika was extremely patient, nice, and insightful. He was always encouraging and had great feedback w/​most waves caught. Secondly, their professionalism. They provided rash guards and booties, along w/​sturdy longboards. Thirdly, the area. We met by a lagoon behind the Hilton, where it wasn’t crowded at all. It was nice, and had decent breaks. Definitely ideal for those trying to get most out of a sesh. Lastly, they have a photographer! Kaz snaps some great shots the whole time. All in all, highly recommend!

SGA is top notch! I’ve had surf lessons from 3 other companies and they simply did not come close. Myself and my husband and 5 yr old daughter had multiple lessons (group and kids and exclusive) with their instructors and had memory-​making smiles and fun and great instruction every time. Kawika is the kindest, most genuine and intuitive teacher. Mari is knowledgeable, upbeat and energetic and friendly. My daughter just ADORED Yuko and I think her face was the sorest part at the end of the lessons from smiling continuously. Mito in the office is organized, responsive and flexible. What a great company! SGA were a significant part of our beautiful family vacation in Waikiki. I surfed for 6 days on our 7 day vacation and would have been happy to surf for eternity (and never return to reality!) thanks to these great lessons. Whether English or Japanese is your first language, I would highly recommend the company.

Kawika picked us up at our hotel and took us in his minivan down the block to a great little beach with perfect beginner waves. Mito and Mari are great instructors! We all were surfing in a very short time and we all stood up right away.
A little pricey but worth it.
Be carful!!! The bottom is loaded with sea urchins. My daughter got a pair of booties with a hole in the big toe and of course after she fell once she stood up and got spined in the toe through the hole. After a $ 200 visit to emergency care we learned that it’s no big deal just painful. The spines break down quickly inside the body and goes away after soaking in vinegar.
My daughter didn’t tell us what happened until later and I saw her limping. I never got a chance to tell Mito about the booties. If this didn’t happen our review would have been five stars.

What an amazing team lead by Mito at SGA! I had requested a beginner’s session completely last minute and she happily accommodated our schedule with an 8am lesson the very next morning. The team was really organized and got everyone set up at Ala Wai with comfortable reef shoes and boards, with very clear instruction on land before paddling out. My 7 yr old son had the best time learning to ride with instructor Jeremy, who was incredibly patient and made the entire experience super fun for my kid who is always hesitant about anything new. He stood up confidently and rode more than 15 waves! When they got back to shore, my son declared it the «best day ever!» :D
To top off a wonderful morning, we purchased beautiful high resolution photos from their professional photographer, Manuel. Perfect way to end a perfect first experience with surfing. It was a true joy to work with all of them. We are already planning to schedule more sessions with them in the future. Thank you so much Mito-​san!

I’ve had multiple experiences with Surfer Girl Academy, and they have all been wonderful. I grew up in Hawaii, but have always failed miserably at surfing. I just assumed it wasn’t for me. However, the first time Mari and Kawika took me out, they let me know what size board to use, where to go, how to be respectful of the other surfers, and how to paddle. I was standing up in no time! They provided brand name rash guards and surf shorts too, which came in very handy. I even got a CD with awesome pictures of my lesson, very high quality. This is a safe, professional, top-​notch surf school, and I will definitely be surfing with them again in the future!

My daughter and I had the best time learning to surf with Kawika. We managed to stand right away. Totally worth the money. Thank you Kawika!

I am visiting from Chicago and had never surfed before. I heard great reviews about surfer girl academy and had to try it. This experience was amazing all around. They taught on the beach first and then went out in the water with you. They were very patient and encouraging. The ladies were awesome to work with!!! I can’t wait to do this again! I had a fantastic time.

Reservations are very flexible Mito stayed in contact and even texted us to see how the day went. My girls were 6 and 9 and both loved the teachers Yoto and David (Kawika). It is a little expensive but worth the personal touch. The teachers are very posistive anf fun.

I’d like to start my Hawaii reviews with a very positive note. It was easy to book a session online and get a quick reply from Mito, she coordinated the lessons. The sessions are great, I had a lot of fun getting to know the basics and my instructor Kawika was really patient with me while I was asking questions about surf conditions, how to do this or that, what to look for, when to go. He told me how to improve myself after I rode a few waves. Mari was my second instructor, she was patient and would try to get you on a wave and tell you stories of how she started out. I never get the chance to cash in my surf lessons from relatives when I’m in Santa Cruz or Boracay, mostly because I don’t want to get yelled at, you know how relatives tend to get. I recommend Surfer Girl because they’re fun and are patient teachers.

My 9 year old daughter loved her private lesson with Mari. She could not stop raving about how awesome she was. They had loads of fun and got some awesome surfing shots together. Many thanks to Kaz who’s a great photographer. Kawika was our instructor and he was super chill and gave us great tips. The school is highly recommended by the Surf Garage as being gentle which is great for kids and first time surfers — they sure were right. Highly recommended.

My 15 year old niece had a great lesson with this Surf School today. They were very flexible in scheduling the lesson last minute. They were very friendly and knowledgeable about surfing and the ocean in general. They teach in an area that is not as busy and easy for beginners to get waves. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for Surfing Lessons on the South Shore. They are a class act!

Our family had an exception experience with Surfer Girl Academy. We were in Waikiki July 2013 and our daughter wanted to try surfing. She is only 5, not a great swimmer, and our resort’s lessons required children be 8 yr old. Also, we wanted private lessons and a more personal experience in light of our daughters age & personality. The SGA website advertised «all ages & abilities» and were local in Waikiki, so we sought them out. Mito was prompt with an email response & after looking at reviews & their Facebook page, we booked a lesson the following day. We were met for pick up at our resort (Hilton Hawaiian Villlage) promptly for our lesson by our instructor Kawika. He is a local. born & raised on Oahu, who was very friendly. Once at the beach, our daughter was given a professional wetsuit (that actually fit!), a high quality Neoprene life vest & water shoes. Kawika provided board knowledge, paddling instructions, wave basics, ocean safety & an intro to «how to stand» when riding a wave all – on the sand, before entering the water. He then took our daughter out for 1.5hrs of FUN! Yes, they surfed, enjoyed the waves, she got to stand (with him always holding her hand) and even saw a sea turtle while waiting for waves. Kawika was very attentive & really in tune with kids and how to make them feel comfortable. She loved the experience! The icing on the cake were the photos taken while she surfed, provided by Kenny of Fire Shots Surf Photography. Kenny surfs alongside students, is a knowledgable surfer who also helps students, and takes the most amazing pictures of you out on the waves! After your lesson, he lets you view them right there at the beach parking lot in a studio inside his van, and provides you the DVD of all of the shots.
ALL AROUND AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. Nothing short of 5 stars!
Take yourself or your kids to SGA. You will be glad you did. And ask for Kawika.
PS: We have returned home from HI and our daughter still says her FAVORITE part of our vacation was her surf lessons with Kawika and SGA.

The staff is very knowledgable about the water. Japanese/​English speaking. They provide shoes/​rash guard for every student.