The Channel Islands not only offers an excellent selection of sea caves, but the stunning ocean off Santa Barbara and Ventura also offers the perfect conditions to surfers of all skill levels. Whether you’re new to surfing or looking to improve your paddling skills, the expert instructors at Santa Barbara Adventure Co. would love to have you join them at their surfing school! To my surprise, Santa Barbara Aventure Co. not only provides year-round tours at Channel Islands, but also fun water activities as well!
Santa Barbara Adventure Co. will be the first ones to tell you that the ocean isn’t just for sunbathing and splashing around. During our spring break trip to the central coast, we were looking for an exciting fun water activity and decided on our family’s first surf lesson together. Santa Barbara Adventure Co. chose Mondo Beach in Ventura, due to the location’s sand bottom, beach break and steady waves which provide ideal conditions for beginner surfers. Although sunny Cali is consistent with (mostly) constant sunshine; on our reserved surf lesson, this was not the case. We had stormy conditions and rain in the forecast. Beau, our surf instructor contacted me a few hours before our scheduled lesson and prepared me in advance of the less-than ideal weather conditions for beginner surfers. I decided to not reschedule our lesson and move forward with our surf lesson that morning.
Although the weather conditions were cold, Beau made sure we were well taken care of, and he was a fantastic surf instructor. He provided us with foam surfboards and wetsuits along with encouragement, detailed instructions and got us ready to go!
All of the surfing classes at Santa Barbara Adventure Co. are suitable for all levels, whether it's your first time surfing or you are advancing your skills. Spend some time training on the beach, then hop in the Pacific Ocean for instruction in the water, followed by time to practice your new surfing skills!
Our 2-hour group lessons consisted of 20-30 minutes training on the beach and the rest of the time with the two instructors, Beau and Brian, in the water. They were available to offer us advice and a nudge/push as we were gearing up on a wave ready to surf. We had so much fun and remarkably stayed warm throughout the entire lesson in the wetsuits provided, even though the water was 50 degrees!
Beau did a great job making the lesson fun for my family; including modifying it to each of our levels, and we each had our moments to stand up on the boards to ride the waves. It was a great day on the water, despite the weather conditions, and I would definitely book another lesson with this company the next time we are in the area!
Santa Barbara Adventure Company is perfect for first-timers or beginners looking for pointers, our surf and stand-up paddleboarding lessons will help you build a strong foundation for these enriching ocean activities. To book a reservation, visit: Santa Barbara Surf & SUP Lessons (sbadventureco.com)
