Surf Lessons? Rentals?

JAMIESMITH

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
We are tentatively looking at a week long trip over fall break in mid-October. I have found a great price on a hotel room on Huntington Beach. Can my husband and ten year old take surf lessons while we are there? Neither of them has ever tried it. Can they rent a surf board if they do get the hang of it?

Is the water warm enough in October for swimming and surfing without wetsuits?

We are also considering spending our first nights in Santa Monica. Should we just head straight to Huntington Beach and skip that? Our last two nights would be in Anaheim so we can go to Disneyland.

Thanks so much! SoCal is overwhelming. Disneyworld is so much easier to plan for.
 
Southern California is overwhelming because there is so much more than theme parks!

There are several surfing school in Huntington beach; Ive never used any of them so can't make a recommendation. Any of them should include a wetsuit with the lessons. The water is cold year-round (current comes down from Alaska on the west coast) and I wouldn't recommend surfing without a wetsuit. For shore swimming, probably no wetsuits needed if the day is warm. My kids were fully wet last October while they went boogie boarding.

As for Santa Monica, if you are using it for a base to do LA-based things then certainly stay up there -- much less driving. If you're looking to relax more and just do beach both places, consider just staying in Huntington and making a couple short day trips to OC beaches or attractions.

PHXscuba
 
Southern California is overwhelming because there is so much more than theme parks!

There are several surfing school in Huntington beach; Ive never used any of them so can't make a recommendation. Any of them should include a wetsuit with the lessons. The water is cold year-round (current comes down from Alaska on the west coast) and I wouldn't recommend surfing without a wetsuit. For shore swimming, probably no wetsuits needed if the day is warm. My kids were fully wet last October while they went boogie boarding.

As for Santa Monica, if you are using it for a base to do LA-based things then certainly stay up there -- much less driving. If you're looking to relax more and just do beach both places, consider just staying in Huntington and making a couple short day trips to OC beaches or attractions.

PHXscuba

Thank you!
 
Yes, there are plenty of surf schools in HB, and they will provide surfboards and wet suits as needed. There are plenty of places nearby to rent as well. The water is always too cold for me, but I'm a wimp. We were there a few weeks ago and my kids had no problem swimming, but the surf school people still had wetsuits. Personally I would stay a couple nights in HB or the surrounding areas, but if you want to sightsee in the LA area as well Santa Monica is the better choice.
 


Yes, there are plenty of surf schools in HB, and they will provide surfboards and wet suits as needed. There are plenty of places nearby to rent as well. The water is always too cold for me, but I'm a wimp. We were there a few weeks ago and my kids had no problem swimming, but the surf school people still had wetsuits. Personally I would stay a couple nights in HB or the surrounding areas, but if you want to sightsee in the LA area as well Santa Monica is the better choice.

Thank you! We aren’t necessarily interested in LA, but the Santa Monica Pier looks neat. Of course we would be spending a few days in Disneyland so maybe it’s a silly thing to consider.
 
Thanks so much! SoCal is overwhelming. Disneyworld is so much easier to plan for.
Not of you want to see anything but DisneyWorld... There is a lot to see in Florida - something Disney is very successful in suppressing.

Spending half a day learning to surf isn't a silly thing to consider. It's really fun! Your hotel most likely has a deal with one or two of the surf companies in HB for a nice discount.
 
Not of you want to see anything but DisneyWorld... There is a lot to see in Florida - something Disney is very successful in suppressing.

Spending half a day learning to surf isn't a silly thing to consider. It's really fun! Your hotel most likely has a deal with one or two of the surf companies in HB for a nice discount.

I meant it might be silly to waste beach time at the Santa Monica Pier. We definitely want to give surfing a try, but I hadn’t considered asking the hotel about aurf companies! Thanks!
 


The water is cold year-round (current comes down from Alaska on the west coast) and I wouldn't recommend surfing without a wetsuit.

Yep. While the weather is pretty temperate year-round, the water temp stays in a relative narrow range from the high 50s (Feb) to the high 60s (Aug). Compare that to the East Coast or the Gulf where the water temps get well into the 80s for the summertime.

It's hard to make a recommendation on the SM Pier. It's nice to walk during the day (there is a small aquarium) and looks beautiful lit up at night, but the amusement side is relative small (much smaller than its '60's heyday). I val;ue it as a landmark and made a trip out to see it when I moved to L.A., but I'm not sure I would plan a stay around it. It will kill a couple of hours in the day and a couple at night, and then you would need other plans to keep busy (granted, you have all of L.A. to pick from).
 

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