This is a safety measure as we like our instructors to have full focus on one child in this category. Children of this age are not able to paddle the board as well and this allows our instructors to push the child back out past the white water after surfing a wave without leaving the rest of their group.
We use 7’10” foam surfboards, made by the surf company Formula Fun. We use foam boards for teaching because they are softer and more stable in the water than traditional surfboards. These boards are also made with 100% recyclable materials and made to last longer than other foam boards, so we can reduce our environmental impact.
On Bald Head Island, the time we have to surf in the day can be limited and is always changing as the swell, tide, wind, and weather are all constant varying factors. Having flexible time slots allows us the best chance at aligning these factors and getting the best conditions for our students. Since our instructors have grown up surfing on Bald Head Island, we are able to look at all the different forecasts for the day and pick the best times
Although we wish we could control mother nature, we can’t, so sometimes the conditions for the day different from the forecasts that we based the lesson times on. Your instructor will contact you 30 minutes before the lesson start time (at the latest) to let you know if the lesson is NOT going to happen so please try to keep your phone on you. In that case, we will try to reschedule to a better time.
With ocean currents and waves being unpredictable, we have found that 3 people per instructor is the perfect balance in order to have our students catch as many waves as possible while keeping a high safety standard. This also helps our instructors keep track of their students to make sure they are all catching equal amount of waves. If you have more than 3 people in your group that want to take lessons, its no problem! Just contact us and we will set up a lesson with multiple instructors out to help accommodate your group.
With our surf lessons, all you really need is sunscreen! Other items that people tend to bring are a water bottle, towel, and rash guard.
Our red umbrella at Access 39 serves as home base for check-in before the lesson, but the actual surfing may take place in varying spots depending on the conditions. If we do not surf right in front of Access 39, this usually means walking along East Beach to find the best spot for the day, or in few cases a different access which will be planned ahead of time with your instructor. Our goal is to get you in the water at the best place we can for that time!
We can accepts cash payments and have a mobile card reader on the beach. There is a 3% fee for debit and credit payments, but there is no additional tax on our lesson prices.