Richard Schmidt School of Surfing

Had a beginner group lesson today and the entire experience exceeded my expectations! Selah was our instructor and she was fantastic. She helped us understand many aspects of beginning surfing without making it overwhelming. Our group was at Cowell's Beach and the tide/swell was perfect for a beginner day. There were others in the water with us (not from our class) but Selah was expert at helping us to pick our line.

The day couldn't have gone better. For a first-time beginner, I highly recommend this school!

Richard and his staff were awesome. They were patient and encouraging. The only reason I gave them four stars is because they had way too many surfers in the water at the same time. I was able to fully ride 3 waves but had to jump from my board at least 5 times to avoid other surfers from the same company but a different class.

The highlight of my friend's visit to California was our Santa Cruz surf lesson with Zolton! When I selected a group surf lesson with Richard Schmidt Surf School, I had no expectations other than having a bonding experience. I thought surfing would be "hard" for 2 mature newbies, but Z made it happen. His patience, knowledge and genuine enthusiasm allowed us to catch a few waves! This is even more amazing since Z is a surf legend who was the first to do a complex kick flip on the surf board--I knew he made surfing look easy! Our day couldn't have been more perfect, and we will definitely be back and send everyone your way. I appreciate that Richard Schmit is exactly as advertise but also better than expected! Couldn't have selected a better place to have our first surf lesson on the first day of summer.

My 18 year old daughter is off to school in Santa Barbara, and after One! Lesson, she is a surfer. Great customer service. Magical experience

How is every instructor the best? I am writing this review a little late so I've forgotten our magic instructor's name but check out the photo. If you see you've landed her, be prepared for a great surfing lesson!

She is super personable and was basically able to get my partner (who never surfed) to catch almost every wave he went for. Our nickname for her was NOS because if you can't manage to get your paddle going to catch the wave, she'll come up beside you and give you the boost that'll have you flying down the coast. SUPER FUN. I had a bit of experience and she was still able to give us the proper attention we needed. She encouraged me to track and watch for on coming waves but still provided the signal to start paddling. For my partner she was analyzing his form and getting him started on the waves. It was just an all around great session. 10/10 would recommend again.

Stoked! That's what my daughter is thanks to Richard Schmidt's school and his awesome instructors! My daughter is 12 years old and we live 165 miles away in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas but we have traveled every month for 6 of the 9 last months to do a private lesson. From a father's perspective, it's one of the best investments in my daughter's life I have ever made. My daughter decided a year ago she wanted to surf and Richard's school is helping make her dream come true. I know that she is learning a sport she can enjoy her whole life and to me that's one of the best gifts I can give her as a dad. While I do surf myself, I am novice and can't teach my daughter what she needs to get for the level she dreams of. That's why a surf school is essential. Richard's instructors are kind and patient and simply the best. His prices are reasonable and he schedules lessons at times and locations that help set students up for success with the waves they need for their skill level. He truly runs a school and not simply a business. If you want the best... choose Richard.

Ok, so you're looking for surf lessons or more info on surf options in Santa Cruz - here's the reality. Richard Schmidt w/ his team should be at the top of your list.

Why? Richard is a local icon, everyone in the community knows and respects him - because he's a great surfer and surf teacher. But more importantly he's an amazing leader - he consistently attracts the best surf instructors and his staff makes the process of learning a blast!

I've had multiple interactions with Richard and many of the talented folks on his team - they prioritize teaching you how to surf/improve, and making sure you have fun doing it. Highest recommendation.

Great experience with Kai and Richard teaming up to teach my daughter and me with our first time out. Kai was coaching both of us and then Richard stepped in to help my daughter. Wet suite provided, board carried to/from water for my daughter, little mat to change out of wet suite to keep off hot asphalt, let us keep a couple of personal belongings in their van. Awesome day !!

I really had high hopes for this experience so I'm a little disappointed that I have to write this review. My fiancé and I got the recommendation for these lessons from a surf shop in town. This class promised to be a great space to learn as well as providing all of the equipment we needed.

Because I was just starting out any my fiancé only had limited experience, we wanted to make sure we knew all of the basics to make sure that not only we'd have fun but that we'd stay safe as well as keeping others around us safe.

Basic Instruction = 3/10
Unfortunately, the instructional part of the lesson felt like an afterthought. Point 1 was to be safe but virtually no additional context was given aside from never turn your back to the ocean (insert my father's voice from 25 years ago here). Point 2 was surfer etiquette = look over your right shoulder before taking a wave so you avoid getting in someone else's way. We did a few board pop-ups and then we were paddling out.

Equipment = 5/10
They provided all of the equipment. My board was huge and really wide which made paddling a bit more challenging (also hauling that thing back in the wind and rocky shore was overwhelming after 2 hrs of surfing). About 20 mins in, my leash broke and there was no spare. Every time I bailed I had to go chasing after my board and sometimes being right at the surf break without the board meant being tossed around the rocky bottom...which *sucked*. One of the instructors offered to fetch my board for me when it got carried off, and while I appreciated the gesture, it still wasn't ideal. Also, the safety element was a problem. A couple of times my board nearly hit other surfers and even though it was a foamie, it could've hurt someone.

In-water Instruction: 7/10
The instructors were fun and really tried to help us catch waves. There was less emphasis on technique and more of just paddle and push. Even so they were nice guys and pleasant even though they were stuck with a group of suckie newbies.

I waited a bit to write this review so I could process my feelings and separate out my own frustration with learning from actual issues with the class we paid for. $100 each wasn't a lot but it was really missing the value that we expected. I don't know if this was just an anomalous day or how they typically operate but I doubt we will try again to find out.

Thank you for a great experience! All of your instructors was kind and knowledgeable and I became more comfortable with the ocean each time. I can't wait to go again and make more progress :)