Let's Go Surfing

Hubby and I are, let's just say, not natural surfers, nor very good swimmers, but we try really, really hard. As in we have had a couple dozens of lessons across Hawaii, Southern California, Costa Rica, and now Australia. We've tried going out on our own with friends to a new spot before, and nearly drowned. So since then, we've decided to always get a lesson first in an unfamiliar beach to get some local insight, and, well, try not to die, plus maybe just get a tiny bit better at catching a few waves.

We got 10 students to 2 instructors, not a bad ratio for a group lesson. Lenny and Fred were super laid back and friendly. It was 2 hour lesson, but we spent over half an hour of it just stretching and doing introductions. For another half an hour, we learned about how the waves are formed, the areas to avoid, where the riptides are, etc. All important information, don't get me wrong. Just know that 1 hour of active time is more than enough for most beginners. Our instructors were great at pushing us into the waves at the right time. Every time they gave me a push, I popped up with no problem. When I tried on my own, it was more failure than success. They gave me only a couple pointers as to what I could do to improve, but understandably they were busy with everyone else. I believe every single student had a good pop up by the end of the class.

The only thing I was disappointed about was that we stuck to white water only and did not go to the line up for some green waves. However, we came back the next day on our own and rented boards from here at a very reasonable price (A$70 with wetsuit for 2 hours per person), carried it over to the beach, and I actually paddled out and got a great session in! At home, we still use foam boards, and there are signs everywhere on the beach that said foam boards only, I guess for safety reasons? Intermediate to pro surfers, I'm not sure if you'd get the same enjoyment out of Bondi, but maybe try Manly instead.

amazing i have been going there once a week for about a year and the instructor (Greg) is really nice and before going to this surf school i knew nothing and now i am almost a pro, it is really safe and i have the best time surfing (i totaly recommend for kids learning to surf.‍‍
AMAZING!!

Overall: Ariane is a great instructor and all the staff at Let's Go Surfing will make sure you have a super fun surfing experience in your lesson or if you just rent equipment from them.

Private lesson - I took an hour and 45 min private lesson with Let's Go Surfing. Ariane was an amazing instructor. I've taken many hours of surf lessons and am a regular, though not very skilled, surfer. But as many surfers know, you can always learn more and get better, and I think she did the best job breaking down some of the more technical aspects to help me better master catching and dropping down the wave. I noticed an improvement immediately. In addition to being a great instructor, she was super friendly and tons of fun to spend two hours with!

Equipment rental - after my lesson, I took a lunch break to refuel, rest a little and to enjoy a beer. After a short break, I was ready to hit the waves again and returned for a board and wetsuit. The guys at the shop were friendly, efficient and helpful. They all seem to embody the "no worries" expression and had me set up in a jiffy.

Bonus points: convenient, private changing rooms; storage for your belongings; excellent responsiveness to email inquiries; options for private or group lessons

Let's be honest. Aussies don't go to surfing school to learn how to surf. I'm strongly convinced that every single Aussie was born knowing how to surf already (and the dogs too, have you seen those YouTube videos??).

This is more for backpackers or travelers, and I was one of them. I signed up for an one-day learning class. I really enjoyed it because the instructor was not only teaching you how to surf, but everything around surf. The breaks, the rips, the leash, i.e. everything that you need to know before it potentially kills you.

The waves on Bondi that day were miserable (see picture), but it was hard enough for a guy who paddled against the current for the very first time. Instructor spent a good amount of time care taking every individuals, so at least I had learned and memorized the right skills.

Could have been a five star, but the foam boards provided were more for safety than anything. Actual surf board, mini mal or whatnot, is a different beast. So while the lesson gave you the false illusion of actually knowing how to surf (again, see the picture), I practically had to start from all over again and failed another hundred times on my own board to start getting the basics. Or I'm just not very talented. Yeah I guess I'll have to go for that reason...

AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

My wife and I were Honeymooning and had spent 2 days in Sydney before returning back to the States. Our time was limited but we were so happy we got to experience Let's Go Surfing. I highly recommend their surfing lesson. They keep the groups small which is really enjoyable and allows for ample opportunities for everyone to surf. Our instructors Justin and Ed / Eddie were fantastic in providing instruction and evaluation. I've been surfing before with friends but their instructions were a far cry from that of Justin and Ed's. You'll spend about 30 mins on the beach becoming familiar with your boards (long /soft) prior to actually going into the water. You'll also be provided wetsuits which may seem tight, but tight is good! There are a few changing rooms along with bins for your belongings ie: backpacks and footwear. Once proper technique is explained you'll be led into the water and designated surf zones. Be mindful of others around you, while Justin and Ed explained our rotational progression in the water so everyone can be safe and take turns, there were a few individuals who got lost in the excitement. You don't want to get hit in the head / hit someone with the board due to lack of contextual awareness. There were lots of Portuguese man o' wars in the water so again be mindful of your surroundings; unfortunately a girl in our group was stung. We were also given sunscreen which was really heavy duty, but feel free to bring your own! There's no guarantee you'll be able to pop up on the board but regardless you'll have a good time. Thanks to their instructions I was able to pop up a "heap ton". Once again can't recommend this place enough!

As many of the reviewers mentioned this seemed to attract a lot of tourists, myself included. I had only surfed once before and really wanted to try it out at Bondi. The lesson was well structured. We warmed up a bit - went over a few techniques and then swam out to the water. The instructor would assist and I believe everyone was standing up on the board before the lesson was over. I had an overall positive experience.

My 5 stars however came from the way the staff treated myself and family. At the end of the lesson I got into an accident and hurt my leg. Please don't let this deter you from trying it because it really wasn't the fault of the school - just a situation where a wave knocked the board into the wrong place in my knee. A complete accident and out of anyone's control. When this happened - Lars and the rest of the team were so thoughtful and did everything to take care of me. Helping me out of the wetsuit - which they offered to cut off so as to not bother my leg. Lars drove my family and I to the doctor and waited the entire time we were there to ensure that everything was alright and then drove us back to make sure I got home safely with my banged up knee. They were so supportive and kind through a stressful experience.

If I'm ever in Sydney again I will be back!

You're on Bondi, there are surfers everywhere - you want to be part of the action but somethings stopping you...but what is it?

1- Too scared
2- Never surfed before
3- Surfed ages ago
4- Think you're too old/ young
5- Worried you're going to be too awesome you'll scare off people
6 - You can surf but don't have a board or suit.....

Well aren't you in luck....

Let's Go Surfing provides solutions to all of the above... whether you're an absolute beginner or just need to rent a board, you can stop by this cruisy store and get what you need....

Now, if you're a beginner like me and you're umming and ahhing....let me just say "do it".... It's really fun and who cares if you can stand or not - when people ask you what you did today you can say "oh, i was surfing at Bondi".

The instructors are all surfers who think they have the coolest job in the world...and their passion is very clear....

Definitely give it a go...

Board and Wetsuit hire starts at $25 an hour and lessons start at $95 for 2 hours and includes everything you need...yes, its a little expensive but I think worth it....

Staff are super cool. Hired a board for 2 hours and it was a really straightforward process. They take a credit card or passport as a form of deposit in return for the board. Board rental was $25 for 2 hours and $40 for the day which was pretty fair. You could also hire wetsuits too I think for about $15 for 2 hours although I am not 100% certain as I had my own.

Boards themselves were in excellent condition, no dings, well maintained so I could catch the waves Bondi beach had to offer.

They are literally on the beach too so walking to and from there was extremely easy.

5 star service.

Great lessons. Geordie (sp?) was an awesome instructor and was patient and supportive. He gave us some good tips and was good at rotating his attention and assistance. The staff didn't rush us even though we were a little late getting there (sorry!) and also didn't hold back on the rest of the group. They had one instructor wait behind for us then the others started with their stretches and pre-lesson info.

I've taken a few surf lessons before and this was the best in regards to attention and assistance in the water, esp for a group lesson.

To note also, the gear they have was in good condition too, which is a big plus in my book.

Had an awesome day with Hugo learning to surf in a private 1 hour session. Good quality equipment provided (wet suit and board with ankle strap), clear and helpful instructions, felt very safe, easy to find location, more time was spent in the water than was spent receiving instruction on land, effort was put in to make sure we were having fun, price for private lesson was fair, and photo package pricing was reasonable--ended up buying 3 photos. Would advise future surfers to be sure to listen and implement the instructions as they make a huge difference in being able to catch a wave! My husband and I both stood up on several waves that hour. We had a bit of a rainy day but it turned out to be better because there were less people in the surf (didn't have to worry about collides as much) and there was less wind! The wet suits had us perfectly warm. They recommended we not bring our gopros as they did not have any board mounts.