Surfing · Waikiki
Surf Lessons in Waikiki
A first surf lesson in Waikiki costs $99 to $129 in a group or $135 to $209 private, and every school on the beach promises you will stand up. What separates them is who you share an instructor with, how long you are in the water, and how the last few thousand students rated them. Here are seven top-rated schools compared on the numbers, plus where to rent a board if you can already surf.
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Waikiki’s surf breaks sit a short paddle off the sand, over a shallow reef that turns ocean swell into slow, rolling waves. That is why nearly every surf school on Oahu teaches here. Our Waikiki surf map covers the breaks themselves and today’s conditions. This page is about picking who teaches you.
Quick Picks
Which School for Which Trip
Highest rated: Stoke Drift, 5.0 from 3,806 Google reviews, lessons with your own group only. Solo or a couple on a budget: Hans Hedemann ($100, 2 hours) or Ohana Surf Project ($99, 1 hour, quieter spot). A champion’s school: Jamie O’Brien, 2004 Pipeline Masters winner, $119 group. Kids: Waikiki Beach Services, private to your family, or Ohana from age 2. Most instruction per dollar: Ty Gurney, never more than two students per instructor. Already surf: rent a board from $15 an hour at the beach stands.
Waikiki Surf Schools at a Glance
| School | Google rating | Group | Private | Length | Per instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke Drift | 5.0 (3,806) | Own group, $117 | $197 | 1.5 hr | 1 to 4 |
| Hans Hedemann | 4.9 (1,810) | $100 | $175 | 2 hr | Open group |
| Jamie O’Brien | 4.9 (1,479) | $119 | $209 | 1.5 hr | 4 |
| Ty Gurney | 4.9 (189) | None | $135 (1 hr) | 1 or 2 hr | 2 max |
| Ohana Surf Project | 4.9 (414) | $99 (1 hr) | $145 | 1 or 2 hr | 4 |
| Waikiki Beach Services | 4.7 (171) | Party of 4+, $95 | $150 | 1 hr 15 min | Your party |
| Big Wave Dave | 4.4 (655) | $129 | $179 | 1.5 hr | 3 to 5 |
Prices are per person from each school’s booking calendar for October 2026, before tax and fees, and most schools charge more in peak weeks. “Own group” and “party of 4+” mean the rate applies only to people booking together, with no strangers in the lesson. Google and Viator ratings checked September 2026.
The Seven Schools
Stoke Drift Surf School
The most-reviewed school we checked, with a perfect Google score across nearly 4,000 reviews. There are no lessons with strangers: $117 a person for your own group of two or more, or $197 one-on-one, 1.5 hours with one to four students per instructor. A photographer goes out on every lesson. Children under 13 take one-on-one lessons. Park at Fort DeRussy by the hour, or free by the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, a 10-minute walk.
Hans Hedemann Surf School
Hans Hedemann surfed the world tour through the 1980s, peaking at number four in 1983, and opened this school in 1992. The open group lesson is $100 for 2 hours, about half an hour on the sand and the rest in the water. A board, rash guard and reef shoes are included. Groups are 14 and up; younger kids book private from age 5.
Jamie O’Brien School of Surf
Jamie O’Brien won the Pipeline Masters in 2004, at 21. His Waikiki school meets at the Twin Fin hotel and teaches 1.5-hour lessons at four students per instructor: $119 in a group (ages 14 and up), $149 a person semi-private, $209 private from age 3. Board, rash guard and reef shoes are included; photos are $65 for one surfer. Checkout pre-selects a 10% trip protection add-on, so uncheck it if you do not want it.
Ty Gurney Surf School
No groups at all: Ty Gurney never books more than two students per instructor. Lessons are at Pops, a long, forgiving wave that breaks most of the year. A private hour is $135, or $110 a person for two. The $160 Aliʻi lesson has the instructor tow you back out after every wave, so the hour goes to riding, not paddling.
Ohana Surf Project
Ohana checks you in at the Waikiki Beach Marriott and runs a courtesy shuttle to its own spot, which the school says is less crowded than central Waikiki. Open group lessons are $99 for an hour or $120 for two, four students per instructor, ages 13 and up. Private lessons start at $145 and take children from age 2, in life jackets.
Waikiki Beach Services
The beach concession at the Royal Hawaiian and the Sheraton, operating since 1955. Every lesson is private to your party, which makes it the easy call for families: $150 one-on-one, dropping to $95 a person for four or more, 1 hour 15 minutes. From the Royal Hawaiian stand the beachboys teach at Canoes and Baby Royals. Children 12 and under take one-on-one lessons, from age 5.
Big Wave Dave Surf & Coffee
Owner Dave Carvalho has worked Waikiki as a beachboy for more than 35 years, and the shop doubles as a coffee bar. Group lessons run 1.5 hours at Canoes and Queens, three to five students per instructor, ages 9 and up, for $129. A rash guard is $5 extra. Park with validated valet at the Embassy Suites next door.
Also good, booked direct. Three well-reviewed schools are not on Viator: Faith Surf School in front of the Outrigger Waikiki, family run since 2000; Gone Surfing Hawaii on Kālia Road, private lessons only from $205; and Hawaii Surfing Academy, the one school that includes photos and drone video in the price. Book them on their own sites. Waikiki Surfing School shows up in searches with an $89 group price, but it teaches at Ala Moana Beach Park, about two miles west of Waikiki.
Group, Semi-Private or Private
A group lesson puts you with up to five students per instructor. You get the land lesson and a push into waves, then you wait your turn. For a confident swimmer who wants to try it once, that is enough.
Semi-private, two or three people with one instructor, is the best value for a couple. You get more waves and more coaching for $20 to $40 more per person than a group. Private is worth it for children, nervous swimmers, and anyone who wants to learn rather than try. Several schools require kids 12 and under to take a private lesson anyway.
Everyone has to be able to swim. Waikiki’s lesson breaks are over coral reef, in water that is often shallow, which is why schools teach you to fall flat and away from the board.
When to Book
Book the first or second lesson of the morning. The wind is lighter, the water is smoother and the lineup is thinner before the trade winds pick up, usually by afternoon. Most schools start between 8 and 9 a.m. The good slots go early: Stoke Drift’s 10 a.m. lesson for October 5 was sold out 11 days ahead.
Waikiki has learnable waves all year. The south shore’s swells come in summer, roughly May to October, which means more waves and more crowding. In winter the big surf is on the North Shore, and Waikiki is usually smaller and gentler, which suits a first lesson fine. The water stays warm: our Waikiki water temperature data shows why nobody needs a wetsuit here.
Check the ocean safety conditions the morning of your lesson. For the rest of your beach days, see the best beaches on Oahu.
What to Bring, and What Costs Extra
- Swimsuit, towel and reef-safe sunscreen. Hawaiʻi bans the sale of sunscreen with oxybenzone or octinoxate.
- A rash guard. Most schools here include one. Big Wave Dave charges $5.
- Reef shoes. Hans Hedemann and Jamie O’Brien lend them. Stoke Drift would rather you surf barefoot.
- Photos. Usually extra: Jamie O’Brien charges $65 for one surfer. Stoke Drift sends a photographer out on every lesson. Book photo packages ahead; some schools do not allow your own camera in the lesson.
- A tip. Customary, not required. One school puts the norm at 15 to 20% of the lesson.
Surfboard Rental in Waikiki
If you can already paddle out and catch a wave on your own, skip the lesson and rent. A board costs $15 to $25 for the first hour or two, and several of the schools on this page rent boards too. The beach stands hand you a board on the sand; the shops sit a block or two back from the beach.
| Where to rent | Location | Surfboard | Longer rentals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waikiki Beach Services | Beach stands at the Royal Hawaiian and the Sheraton | $15 for 1 hr | Hourly only |
| Faith Surf School | Beach stands, in front of the Outrigger Waikiki | $20 for 1 hr, $25 for 2 hr | $45 for 4 hr |
| Ty Gurney Surf School | Shop at 205 Lewers St | $20 for up to 2 hr | $50 a day, $250 a week |
| Hans Hedemann | Shop in the Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel, 150 Kapahulu Ave | $25 for 2 hr | $60 for 24 hr |
| Gone Surfing Hawaii | Shop at 2169 Kālia Rd | $25 for 1 hr ($30 peak) | $60 all day ($70 peak) |
Prices are per board, before tax, from each shop’s booking page or website, checked October 2026 (Waikiki Beach Services September 2026). Gone Surfing’s peak rates apply in its busy weeks, including Nov 25 to 29 and Dec 18 to Jan 5. Ty Gurney rentals cannot be booked online, so call or email the shop.
Which board. For your first sessions on your own, rent a soft-top longboard, 9 feet or longer. It floats you, catches Waikiki’s small, slow waves early, and hurts less when it hits you or someone else. Ty Gurney includes fins, a leash and a rash guard, and Faith carries both soft-tops and fiberglass boards. Gone Surfing rents only performance longboards (NSP and Takayama), which suit someone who already surfs well.
Where to paddle out. Canoes and Baby Queens are the two breaks a beginner belongs at, and our Waikiki surf map shows how each one breaks and names the best beginner break for today’s swell. Canoes is also where most lessons happen, so give the lesson groups room, and never drop in on someone else’s wave. For the lay of the beach, open our Waikiki map.
Rent or take a lesson? If you have never stood up on a board, the lesson is the better buy. Hans Hedemann’s $100 group lesson includes the board, a rash guard, reef shoes and two hours with someone pushing you into the right waves.
Waikiki Surf Lesson Questions
How much are surf lessons in Waikiki?
Group lessons run about $99 to $129 per person and private lessons about $135 to $209, for 1 to 2 hours. Semi-private lessons for two or three people fall in between. Prices move with the season, so check the school’s calendar for your dates.
Which surf school in Waikiki is best for beginners?
For a first lesson in an open group, Hans Hedemann ($100, 2 hours) and Ohana Surf Project ($99, 1 hour, at a quieter spot) are the best value. Stoke Drift is the highest rated, but teaches only your own group. For the most attention, Ty Gurney never puts more than two students with one instructor.
What age can kids take surf lessons in Waikiki?
Private lessons take children from about 5 at most schools, and from 2 at Ohana Surf Project. Group lessons usually start between 9 and 14, and several schools require children 12 and under to book one-on-one.
Do you tip a surf instructor in Hawaiʻi?
Tips are customary but not required. One Waikiki school puts the norm at 15 to 20% of the lesson price.
What is the best time of day for a surf lesson in Waikiki?
Morning. The wind is lighter, the water is smoother and the lineup is thinner before the trade winds build. Book the first or second lesson of the day.
How much does it cost to rent a surfboard in Waikiki?
$15 for an hour at the Waikiki Beach Services stands at the Royal Hawaiian and the Sheraton, $20 at Faith Surf School, and $20 to $25 for two hours at the Ty Gurney and Hans Hedemann shops. A full day runs $50 to $60. Rent only if you can already paddle out and catch a wave on your own.
Where should you surf on a rental board in Waikiki?
Canoes and Baby Queens, the two beginner breaks. Canoes is also where most lessons happen, so give the lesson groups room and never drop in on someone else’s wave. Our Waikiki surf map’s live report names the best beginner break for today’s swell.
