Islands Surf Camp

I tried to use their services again last summer, but their response time was too slow or lacking that I couldn’t get scheduled in time/​at all. I think they are understaffed, which is a shame. I really liked everyone who worked there.

Be warned: if you are a busy executive expecting tight calendar adherence, don’t. These guys are surfers, and good ones. We had to wait thru PCH traffic in Malibu, but once we got in the water it was all good. Das was great and we had a lot of fun out in the water. Even saw whales and dolphins!

Well, I can’t change that in the past I had an excellent surf lesson. The instructor got me to stand up and was really attentive — worth more than 5 stars.
However, I have been trying to get a hold of them all summer (starting in May). The voicemail is always full, they don’t return emails and so I will no longer be able to take lessons with them because they are totally unreliable.

I think I had probably the worst experience i have ever had with any kind of business ever with Islands Surf Camp. I bought a 90 minute SUP lesson through Zozi with them. When I called them several times, there was never an answer, so I emailed them. The person at the other end said that my voucher is not good for lessons, so I copied and pasted the voucher for her to see.
When I finally had the lesson scheduled (a couple of weeks beforehand), I got an email about where and when to meet exactly. Which was promising. When I showed up at the designated spot and place. There was no one to be found. I was there 15 minutes early and waited an hour. The worse part was i brought my infant and husband along, he wanted to take pictures and we had driven 45 minutes to get there, getting up early in the morning and getting the baby ready.
I called Islands surf camp, no answer. i called the instructor no answer. The instructor was supposed to be Das.
My suspicion was that they could not get enough people signed up for this lesson since I was the only one waiting at the specified time and place and instead of wasting their own time, they decided to waste mine. I thoroughly despise this company and have never been this angry at any entity before.
i should have read Unilocal reviews before signing up with them.

Don’t know how this even got an average of 3 stars. My story is going to sound awfully similar to others who purchased a deal through LivingSocial. Bought my voucher (along with 3 of my friends), called to schedule, got a voicemail which instructed me to send email, sent an email and never heard back. Friends also called and sent email with no reply. At this point, I’m thinking it’s lost money. I may report to Better Business Bureau as suggested by another Unilocaler.

TOTALLY disorganized. I bought a groupon, was told the wrong location, got rescheduled to another time but was never told the time and location. this was after i waited around at the beach for a couple hours and talked to a few different people. Then I was told for the troubles I would get a free lesson. But once I tried to use the free lesson, not a peep from anyone in the office. Tried calling and emailing them a FEW times but no response whatsoever. So for all the hassle and disorganization I would not go to them ever again! Don’t waste your money.

Looks like I had a similar experience to a lot of people on this site. I got a voucher through Spreebirds and after trying to reach out to someone for nearly a month via phone & e-​mail, I received only one very unapologetic & nonchalant response saying that the day that I wanted to use the voucher didn’t work for them. After trying to get another response to schedule a new date, never heard back. The voucher expired with me never getting a response or a chance to even use it. I have no idea how anyone on the site rated them with a 5*??? If there was an option for negative stars, I think that would be more fair. Most frustrating experience I’ve had dealing w/​a business ever…

yeah people always say «I wish I could give it 0 stars», but in this case most people should agree with me.
I first scheduled a surf lesson with the company for a Saturday morning at 8AM. Getting up that early on our day off was worth it to me and my friends, because we were really excited about trying surfing for the first time.
We were supposed to meet our instructor at a parking lot close to the beach in Malibu, but after having waited for 30 minutes, we left. We tried calling several times, only to reach their voicemail. We got stood up. They emailed me 5 days later (!), told me the instructor had dislocated her shoulder earlier in the morning, and therefore missed our session. Fair enough, right? Well, not really. They could have sent another instructor, or at the VERY LEAST called us to let us know. But they didnt.
We still felt bad for her and resecheduled for another early session, this time a Sunday at 8.30AM. Guess what? Noshowed us again. No call, no email, no customer service.
This was a scheduled event. Already paid for. noshowed us TWICE.
Just horrible customer service. They always have Groupons etc but you would be wasting your time, I promise.

Don’t book with them. At this point, it’s a very good chance that you will be taken for your money. Three of us booked separately online and not one of us have received a confirmation email and we can’t even leave a message due to a «full voicemail box”(too many complaints?). You should read all the recent negative Unilocal reviews.
There are some great reviews but that is if they show up! There are so many other surf and paddle boarding camps that is not a crap shoot; a legitimate business, unlike this one.
We will need to go through our credit card company to get our money back and we will be filing a complaint with BBU (Better Business Bureau). Here’s the website, just in case… http//los-angeles.bbb.org

Highly Recommend this place for surfing lessons!!! Teddy was our instructor and we had a private class for just the three of us. He was super patient with us and helped us with our boards in the water. Best yet all three of us surfing beginners were able to stand up on our boards within the first 30 minutes. Das was really cool about letting us pick the location and time to train.
We had a great time and will be back!

After some mix ups the scheduling was worked out. I really appreciated that Das made an effort to resolve the issue and it was really fun. Great laid back help and a lot of patience.
I am going to update this review… I’ve not actually tried the stand up paddle, but Das (the owner?) did reach out to me and has made the lesson available. I really do appreciate the effort that it takes to really try to resolve an issue. I don’t think it’s something a lot of people do and that really says a lot– whatever happens.

I had my SUP lesson this past Saturday, and it was awesome.
Das was our instructor, and — in addition to being a cool guy who «passes the beer test» (would I want to have a beer with the dude?) — he’s a good instructor as well. There were a variety of skill-​levels in our group, but he was available to help the stragglers and (within reason) didn’t stress about the quicker kids venturing off ahead of the group. His teaching style is a good mix of covering the basics, repeating the fundamentals along the way, and generally encouraging the group.
I’m looking forward to signing up for another round — paddling off Malibu is going to be way more interesting/​exciting than doing it in the Marina… should be great!

Love it! Thank you Island Surf Camp for making the whole experience amazing and easy!
We purchased an Amazon Social Deal and were able to set up an appointment asap. We got our reservation secure and showed up 15 minutes early. Our instructors were on time and very professional, but also super laid back and chill.
Dom and Jake were our instructors and made surfing a breeze! Definitely two thumbs way up! Recommending it to everyone!

I had a coupon for a paddle surfing lesson — I have never surfed in my LIFE, so I didn’t know what to expect. Das (pronounced «Doss») was our instructor and he was excellent.
Now, I didn’t know that you’re supposed to TIP these instructors after the class. I didn’t have any cash on me at the end of this class, so I am writing this review as my TIP for Das. If you go, definitely bring extra money so you can TIP your instructor!
He was very patient with our group, which was comprised of people from varied levels of ability. Demonstrating caution, he did not allow those people in our group who were less proficient out into the open harbor, and this is the right thing to do. The harbor is full of boats and obstacles, and it would have been very dangerous. So, I appreciate his concern. He had an assistant-​guy hang out with the less proficient folks, and he and I headed out to the harbor.
It was such a cool experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Turns out, Das is a lifeguard and a surfer — a perfect combo for teaching this new watercraft activity. He obviously loves the water, and his enthusiasm spills over to students. I highly, highly recommend this experience.
Boards, paddles and PFDs (inflatable belts) were provided — it was too warm out for wetsuits, though they would have been provided as well. All equipment was in good condition, and instruction was thorough and easy to understand. Good job, Das, and many thanks for such a fun day!

Doas (spelling?) was super cool and very helpful. He had faith in our class and just let us paddle board away.
If any of us felt uncomfortable or cautious he’d just tell us we could do it and keep going! He was a very positive teacher!
He did take pictures of our class, I just don’t know how to get them from him …

I’m with the people who are complaining about communication and customer service with this company.
Last summer we bought a Groupon for our son to try out a day of surf camp, and got an email back right away with general information, but not exactly which location he was going to attend. In spite of a number of phone calls and emails asking for the specifics of where and when to show up, we didn’t get a response till the day before the lesson. He did enjoy it, though, so we decided that this summer we’d have him go for a week’s camp.
So I wrote to ask about the week and location I was interested in, because the link to their camp info page showed nothing but the words «Thank You!» I also filled out the online registration, which got an automated reply right away and directed me to pay for the week. I wrote them again to ask questions that the form hadn’t answered and said I’d pay for the class when I got the answers, and called them a few days later, and left a message that wasn’t returned. So I wrote again, and again, and called again — this time I got someone! But they were a teacher for the private classes; they knew nothing about the camps, so they gave me the owner’s number to call. I left a message there as well and sent another email. And another.
No answer to any of them so far, so I’ve had enough. It’s been nearly 2 weeks of trying to communicate with these people and give them $ 300. Clearly it’s not important enough to them to call or email me back. Instead I’ve booked a week’s camp with another surf school, which has verified it right away *and* lists all the pertinent info on the web site.
The instructors may be as fantastic as everyone else says they are, but if the company can’t be bothered to respond to potential customers, what’s the use?

What a fun Saturday! Would definitely suggest taking lessons through Island Surf Camp!
I had friends in from out of town and I wanted to do something fun by the beach. We happened to find a deal on Living Social for stand up paddle board lessons and we swooped it up. Unfortunately the beautiful 80 degree weather from the previous weekend flipped a switch to rain the weekend my friends came! We thought paddle boarding and the beach was out of the question. But «Storm Watch 2011» was as unpredictable as usual and the skies cleared.
Das was great, he called us the day of the lesson and said the weather looked clear enough for us to hit up the Marina. He also extended the deal we had found to a third friend who joined us last minute. He was super fun and made the 2 hour lesson awesome! … My personal favorite was watching my friends eat it and fall in the water haha. But he was right there watching out for their safety.
On the way in we got hit by some major wind as the storm rolled back in. Das made sure no man was left behind and helped my 2 friends get safely back in! This was such a great adventure, he helped make their visit a memorable one!

My sister wanted to do something interesting and different for her birthday so we went surfing. There were 5 of us in the group and none of us expected to really be any good, but the instructors were so AWESOME! Everyone in our groups caught their first wave! We had so much fun! Peter and Das were patient and very helpful. Everyone had a great time. My sister even decided to continue the lessons and bought her first surfboard! We can’t wait for the next lesson.
If you want a great time on the water give them a call!

Five stars without a doubt! And this is from a girl with no surf experience whatsoever.
First off, to address some of the reviews of people angry about the locations being difficult to find, or nobody answering the phone when they called: I’m not sure why anyone ever had any problems with either directions or communication. It should all be pretty straight forward. I scheduled my lesson in Malibu, and Das was great about e-​mailing confirmation and directions of where to meet and when. I followed the instructions, and we met exactly where it said to meet. Considering I was driving up all the way from Newport Beach, wasn’t familiar with Malibu, don’t have a navigational device, yet found it without any difficulty should prove that the directions (and instructions) were spot-​on.
Das wasn’t there at the exact moment I showed up, but he was easily reached by phone. Turns out, he had taken a few minutes to go down to the water and check the surf conditions to see if it would work for us that morning. Please note: you can’t just surf in any conditions, hence the reason they mention that there may be a possible need to reschedule if conditions are not good on your scheduled lesson. Das was totally on top of things so we’d get the best experience possible, and he was still right on time. It was a gorgeous day at one of the most famous beaches for surfing, the waves looked decent, and I was completely psyched!
We met up in the parking lot area before we were led out to the truck to get suited up in wet suits and get us some boards. Das took the time to get to know us a bit, tell us about the beach we were at, tell us about his surfing background, tell us a few stories, answer any questions we had… He not only has incredible skill and a passion for the sport, but he also has a love of and talent for teaching as well. Add in someone who is professional, genuine and doesn’t treat you like a number, and that’s the icing on the cake.
Once we hit the sand, we grouped together to learn some of the basics — pop-​ups, timing, placement of feet and at what parts of the board (and why). Before jumping in, he was also sure to go over some safety tips.
I wasn’t so great with my balance, but Das was positive, really encouraging, and kept rooting for me. He motivated me to keep trying no matter how much salt water I swallowed and no matter how many times I fell off that board. And believe me, that was plenty! ;) When I was ready to give up, he convinced me to give it another try and to believe that it was possible. With each try, I felt like I got a little more confident and better understood what I needed to do.
I never was able to get up on the board (one person in my small group actually did — and looked like a pro doing it, and the others were close), but I was personally trying to function on a severe lack of sleep. I’m sure 3 – 4 hours of sleep would affect anyone’s level of strength and balance. ;) However, bottom line: I had a ton of fun and that’s what mattered the most to me. Also, I got to cross off one really cool thing from my bucket list!
I got an amazing deal via Groupon for this lesson, but it would have been well worth the full price to me. (FYI — I had a friend inform me that it’s customary to tip the instructor after the lesson. If you got a Groupon or Living Social deal, remember to tip on the regular, full cost — not the discounted cost. I was a doofus and didn’t know better. This is my tip to you so you won’t feel as embarrassed as I did when everyone else is tipping.)
Remember to book your lesson day/​time early as the classes fill up fast. I think they ask that you give them at least 3 dates and preferred locations. You have to be somewhat flexible. There is a small number of students assigned to an instructor so that each student gets plenty of personal attention. This is also why the classes fill up quickly.
I highly recommend Islands Surf Camp! To those who have yet to take a lesson — you’ll have a great time! You’re definitely in good hands with these guys!

Great lesson! It was my first time and I want to surf all the time now! Mark was a great instructor.
Only downside is that weekend availability for classes fills up fast, so you need to book a while beforehand.

This is a rare instance where I really earnestly wish Unilocal had a ZERO rating. My friends and I were über excited this summer with illusions of fun in the sun pretending we had mad wave shredding skills but actually looking like rhinos in a glass shop.
That dream never materialized.
We waited for two and a half hours at the specified meeting spot at Pacific Palisades beach and no one showed for our surf lesson. I came with 3 others and met 7 other people waiting for the same lesson. We all called and e-​mailed to no avail. I did get a voicemail back from Das two whole days later citing a «scheduling error» (for a class of 11 people, really?). Slightly disingenuous if you ask me considering they wasted 10 hours of my group’s time collectively (4 people @ 2 ½ hours each). Unsurprisingly my return call went to their message system and I never heard back from them again.
I’d also like to mention that during the entire email coordination to make the reservation I was assured repeatedly that our lesson would be in Malibu. Only upon my reminder to Island Surf the night before about the absence of our confirmation-​email did I learn that they scheduled us for Pacific Palisades. Their operation is lacking some serious professonalism making me think that it’s being run by the stoner instructor from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

UPDATE: alright alright, so after actually having my lesson, my opinion about islands surf camp has changed completely…
the back and forth and the missed lesson was certainly annoying (original review follows this update) and gave me a really bad first impression of the business, as i’m sure it did for many people. i feel like they could probably be a little more organized when it comes down to it though… just the way the situation was handled the day of the missed lesson was quite unprofessional. like i said before, a simple phone call the day of the mishap could’ve helped avoid a lot of unhappy customers and the negative reviews on Unilocal.
BUT i will have to say that i absolutely loved my lesson this past weekend. Das, the owner of Islands, was my instructor. he is very knowledgeable about everything related to surfing, from the reason to why waves are created to why the wind picked up later during our lesson. he was just so well informed and it was obvious that he is very passionate about not only surfing but teaching as well. my two hour lesson actually ended up being about 2.5
despite the back and forth and the missed lesson, the quality of the instruction was 5 stars… das was really great and i had a fun time out in the water with him. so five stars minus 1 star from my previous rating = 4 stars for islands surf camp
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This review is not a reflection on the quality of the instructors by any means… because I haven’t even had a chance to take a lesson since my instructor never even bothered to show up.
First of all, it took about 3 weeks to finally schedule something. After several emails/​phone calls, I was set to meet with an instructor for my private lesson. I think I should’ve taken their non-​initiative in setting a date as a warning sign…
In addition to NOT showing up, I called several times the day of my lesson and of course, their phone was turned off. I left 2 messages and also wrote them an email, but did not receive an email or a phone call from them.
Only when I called MYSELF to check on what happened TWO DAYS AFTER not hearing from anyone did I learn that the instructor actually failed to show up for all his lessons that day.
I’m not sure what to think of islands surf camp. I could possibly change my review after actually having a lesson since everyone seems to be satisfied. Until then, I probably wouldn’t recommend this surf school due to their lack of professionalism. A phone call prior to missing my lesson would’ve been sufficient, even if it was last minute. That’s just common sense.

I took a group beginners class Sunday at 3pm and loved it! It was my first time to attempt surfing, and in spite of my glaring lack of athleticism and the gloomy less than ideal weather, I truly enjoyed myself and the class time (about 2 hours) flew by! Das was really nice both in person and over the phone. I liked their teaching style, which was very relaxed, hands on, and non-​threatening. Kudos to all the instructors Das, John Henry, and Tika. (Sorry if those spellings are off). They were all really encouraging and fun!
The class met in the parking lot where we struggled into our wetsuits, then we had a brief lesson/​overview on the beach before we jumped in. Just a warning, be prepared to have fun but also swallow salt water and get sand in your ears! haha
If I weren’t moving away, I would go again. I recommend this to other people, because I definitely had an unforgettable experience. It was awesome!

Took a class with these guys through Groupon at 8am at Santa Monica. These guys were awesome, chill instructors of Das and other instructors who know what they are doing. The environment was very casual and learn at your own pace.
The customer service is also fast and if you call you speak to Das directly.
Highly recommend it, take advantage of our socal beaches!