Five years ago, I signed up for surf lessons with my 8 year old daughter. Our instructor was an enthusiastic young man who had us standing on the boards and cruising to shore within an hour. Of course, my daughter learned faster--kids usually do--but I got the hang of it! When our hour was over, we opted to keep going. We spent two hours trudging/swimming to where the waves were forming, hanging out waiting for a great wave, madly paddling to get momentum, then get 'popping up' as we caught it, and either riding to shore--or falling off! We were hooked! Two hours might be a bit much for beginners, but it's such a cool thing to do, we didn't want to quit. I have to admit, after two hours we were exhausted--but happy. Surfing isn't a skill everyone can master, but everyone can enjoy. You should be comfortable in the water, be a fairly strong swimmer, and be in reasonably good shape. The most physically demanding part of surfing was the 'popping up' move. Once you learn it, it's effective to practice it at home before going surfing subsequent times. Getting that move to be fluid will really help your surfing ability. We had such a good time, we've returned every year since for more lessons. Last year, my daughter (who is now 13) attended a summer day camp at Ron Jon's. By the end of the week, every kid in that class could really surf! She wants to go to surf camp again. It's a skill that you feel very proud of accomplishing. Have you ever heard of a surfer who WASN'T cool?!??!

Great shop for all your beach needs, and the prices match the cheap beach shops, but better quality.

We really like to walk around in that mega store and browse around first to see all they have to sell. Of course everytime we get tempted in buying a few souvenirs.

I've had surfing lessons on the East Coast and the West coast from multiple schools. Ron Jon Surf School is BY FAR the best! Their instructors are great and will teach you how to surf, not just throw you on some huge board and have you stand up in the white-water.

They are great at determining your level and ability and going from their.