Update after response from owner: I appreciate that you are a small business, our family is a small business in a sense too. I booked a group lesson so the instructor showed up regardless whether it was 3 or 2 of us, so the conclusion doesn’t follow your premise. I would have probably been loyal to Locals forever if you had shown me a small kindness in the face of my son falling ill overnight, the morning of the lesson, again having booked within 24 hours of the lesson. I was not a no-show and I wasn’t asking for a refund. I wanted to pay good money for more lessons. Any small business owner makes decisions and it seems like you’re comfortable with this one. I’m comfortable with mine and everyone should know about this before they decide to book with you. Good luck and good day. **** Lesson was good. The instructors we had were helpful and friendly - Vinny, Ellington and Adam. I took a lesson with my two boys and returned the following weekend for the three of us again. My older son wasn’t feeling well in the morning the second time and he wasn't able to make the lesson. I understand the 24 hour cancellation policy, but I booked the lesson within 24 hours and I also didn’t know that my son wouldn’t be feeling well until that morning. I tried to get a credit for a future lesson, likely for the three of us again, but James refused. I wasn’t asking for a refund. It’s not an extravagant amount, but for a family it’s a bit of a luxury to take these lessons on an ongoing basis. Instead of keeping a happy, ongoing customer for $100, Locals Surf School lost a customer. I’ll look elsewhere when looking for a surf lesson.

I had great experience surfing and i really enjoyed my first lesson and i would recommend it if you are a beginner.

Best surf school! Everyone is so nice. I’ve taken a handful of lessons with Locals with different instructors and not one has pushed me too hard and all have been super attentive. And FUN! There’s no one else I’d surf with at Rockaway.

This is a review for the kids surf camp. Initially signed my shy 7 year old up for 2 days. She had such an amazing time that I had to move my work schedule around to bring her for a 3rd day. Camp was from 9am-1pm. You can drop off but I stayed on the beach to hang out. The camp is well ran and organized. Kids were in the water 3 times and had plenty of 1:1 instruction when surfing. Lessons on safety/surfing, games, and snack time filled the rest of the day. Every instructor I saw was friendly, alert, and engaging with the kids. It was amazing to see the progress the kids made towards the end of the week. My girl is obsessed and we will definitely return next summer! She learned a new skill and made new friends all in a safe and fun environment.

Awesome surf camp for kids!! Weeklong fun in the sun. Staff is just great with kids. A good ratio of kid/instructor in the water. My 12yo was getting on every wave he chose by the last day. Solid basics and judgement. We are investing in a wetsuit for him and will definitely be back! I'll be taking lessons as well.

Private lesson with Joe was amazing! He catered the lesson to my current level. Joe taught me so many details to be mindful of when considering waves, turning, paddling, and he troubleshooted my previous nose-diving issue with proper body placement. His encouragement and support restored my confidence at this beach break after a previously not-optimal session the week prior. Additionally, after a wipeout, Joe always made sure to look back and check if I was okay so I felt safe under his watch. He emphasized that surfing takes reps so immediately after the lesson, I rented a board and was able to catch waves on my own continuously! Definitely a day I will remember! On top of that, the Locals staff at the check-in tents were very attentive and constantly updated me as I had showed up earlier to suit up. Thank you so much!

Highly recommend Locals to anyone who wants to learn how to surf or improve their skills. I am a total beginner and have had a great experience with their private lessons. The instructors are super patient and supportive, they provide everything you need, and their customer service/communication is awesome. Each lesson helped me improve and learn a new skill, I am by no means athletic so I was surprised I was able to stand and catch waves - with guidance from my instructor- on my very first lesson! Definitely looking forward to booking more lessons!

My daughter and I took our first surf lesson ever here and it was AMAZING! Our instructor was so nice and accommodating. He really kept an eye on us and where we were in the water so we always felt safe. The location was beautiful and the cost was super reasonable. I'm already planning when we can come back for our next lesson!

Locals surf lesson was amazing! Our instructor was great with both my boys. He kept my teenager interested and made it fun for him even while having his hands full with my 8 year old nonverbal autistic son. He had patience and hot my little guy participating and trying to stand up on his own. It was a great experience!

Best time! Locals was super well organized and very chill. I got the group lesson and it was just me and one other person with our instructor (they staff many instructors per group). We got tons of attention and got up on the board super quickly. You can tell how much the instructors genuinely love when people catch their first wave. Genuine spot and I’d recommend to anyone! Aleka (instructor) is the best.

Super awesome instructors! Their cafe is delicious and they have clean bathrooms. They provided a shaded canopy to hold your stuff while you learn, as well as boards and top wet suit. Guillermo, Ellington, and Eric (I think that's his name, he was the lead instructor) were awesome, super thorough, and just good vibes all around. I'll be signing up again! I had a great time!

Great skateboard school . We came with a large group for and the girls absolutely love it. The instructors were great and positive. It was very organized and the girls felt so accomplished! We will def be back

Awesome crew of legends, great teachers, super friendly - 100% recommend!

Loved my lesson with Locals! Adam was super helpful, gave me great pointers to improve my pop-up and on a day of hurricane swell, he took good care of me and made me feel super comfortable in the water. My only regret? No photos! I'll be back for more.

Adam is amazing! He taught my 3 kids how to surf in no time and was so patient, caring and fun! Made the trip for us and our kids worth every minute 🙌 Highly recommend.

Lesson with mike was great! He provided some great tips and ways for me to improve and got me excited for my upcoming trip to surf ranch. Highly recommend!

The experience with Locals was great - good communication and logical interface with the online booking. Ray was my instructor and was awesome. Assessed my skills and ability quickly, gave clear instruction, helped my learn a lot and even catch a few waves. It was a bit of a crazy wave day, but Ray got me into good position to take on the challenge. Highly recommend Locals (solid Americano at the coffee shop after too).

Amazing. Very welcoming and relaxed environment with people of all ages, all while not being crowded or overwhelming. Had a blast and will definitely go back. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf or love the ocean and are looking for something to get you out there more often I definitely recommend booking a lesson with Locals.

I just took my second group lesson with Locals. I like the group lessons b/c you get several instructors tips and advice in the 2 hours (3 to 1 ratio of instructors to students). Every one of the instructors had something different and uniquely helpful for me to work on. Always positive and fun vibes there! Highly recommend.

I have been surfing with Locals over the last 6 months and I have learned so much from them. I started as a complete beginner, and I can now catch my own waves while maintaining a good surfing form. All of their instructors are fantastic, and I always leave with a smile on my face. The best kept secret of Locals and the Rockaways are the shoulder months. I highly recommend going in the off-season because the beaches are way less crowded, and the atmosphere is phenomenal. Fortunately, they provide all the equipment you need to stay warm in the water. The Local's location is also a very easy commute on the A-train. I travel from Manhattan and never have any problems! TLDR: If you want to learn to become a surfer, go to Locals, especially in the off-season.

I had a recent lesson with James who was a fantastic teacher. Great lesson and a great time, would definitely go back to Locals, highly recommend.

such a wonderful experience! my husband and I took a 2-hour group lesson (there was about 10 people in total for 4 instructors). the staff was lovely, very friendly and helpful! they gave good advice and helped us catch waves as we were beginners. we will do it again for sure.

From booking the session til pulling up the surfboard back to the sand the whole experience was awesome. So professional accessible skilled patient and positive . My 14 yo daughter has been attending group lessons and my 9 yo has been doing private lessons. My kids feel so empowered special and unique with a vibe that can’t be qualified. I’ll Never chose another surf school and look forward to more sessions for me and the kids alike

Had a really great experience taking surf lessons with Locals. As a beginner, I got lots of good tips from paddling to properly putting on a wetsuit. The Locals cafe is around the corner and a great spot to grab some post-class food. Will be going back!

I’ve been having an awesome time surfing with locals. In my lessons so far I’ve learned from Adam and Ben who made it fun and taught me so much already. Looking forward to more lessons and getting out there!

Had an incredible surf lesson! Really good instructor-to-learner ratio. The patient, attentive instructors created a supportive environment. Felt comfortable asking questions and receiving feedback. The location is also shallow and sandy. Felt very safe throughout.

I'm a 70 something first-time surfer with an artificial knee. After a cloudy morning, we arrived at Locals just as the sun came out - a great omen for a thrilling adventure! Adam made it easy to catch a wave or two and shared his love of the ocean. A great day at Rockaway, one I will always remember. Thank you, Adam!

Have taken a few lessons here with Adam and Pat - both were great and made an hour in the water a blast! Locals is great with communication and the booking process is very smooth. All of their staff is super friendly and welcoming. The actuals lessons gave me a ton of knowledge and confidence to improve my surfing - I can't wait to get back out there with Locals!

Signed up my daughter for a surf lesson with Locals Surf School. The lesson was fantastic. My daughter had a great time. Her surf instructor Danny was so sweet and reassuring. Everyone I have interacted with at the school have been great. They are very professional and skilled, but also fun, supportive, and easygoing. Book a lesson. Support a local business!

This is our second summer attending surf camp. My kids are aged 12, 8 and 6 each of them with very distinct personality, learning styles and challenges All have loved their time at surf camp. It’s really well organized and the instructors are knowledgeable, clearly love surfing and really enjoy teaching the kids and above all I know the kids are safe. It’s been amazing to see the progress they gained in just a week of camp. I would highly recommend! We are already looking forward to next summer.

Being my first time surfing, I had an incredible experience here! The staff is amazing, well-organized and extremely attentive! Shout out to Nicole for giving me all the pointers to successfully ride my first wave! She let me do my thing and was very patient! I am definitely looking forward to taking more lessons at Locals!

Had such great time with Erick! He was an awesome instructor. My mom and I had a blast, will definitely be back!

We went with Locals for a week of surf camp for my 6 y.o. daughter and recently did a family semiprivate lesson. I can say both are highly recommended. For camp, my daughter didn't take full advantage. She probably spent more time playing with her friends on the beach, or doing joint rides on the board, but overall it was a great, fun experience for her. I loved the semiprivate lesson. Instructors were really helpful and did everything possible to create a positive experience. The almost one on one attention was also much better for my daughter who got a bit more out of this lesson.

I’ve had a wonderful experience learning to surf with Locals! I’ve taken four group lessons with them so far and each one has been a pleasant learning experience. Every time I finish a lesson, I feel a bit more confident and comfortable with surfing. The instructors are knowledgeable, professional and genuinely kind people. Plus, there’s the bonus of year-round instruction, which means you can learn to surf anytime you want! Finally, there’s no extra cost when you sign up for a lesson. They provide the surf boards and wetsuits for you during your lesson so you can just show up and get ready to have fun! If you want to learn how to surf and you’re in NYC or even Long Island, Locals is worth the trip!

My son has been taking lessons and going to Locals Surf Camp for years! Every single instructor is so enthusiastic and completely engaged. The Locals team is highly recommended!!

Locals is the place to go to learn to surf! I have bought multiple packages with them after having negative experiences at other surf schools. Each instructor is incredibly professional and there to teach you how to surf with confidence! They are present, attentive, and work with your current skills to help you get comfortable in the water. They know how to help you advance and get you to the next level. The community is kind and encouraging, which makes lesson days always something to look forward to!

I wish there were six stars. The team could not have been any friendlier, and my instructor, Pasha, could not have been any nicer or more encouraging and patient. (But never patronizing). As a 55-year-old, first-time surfer, this was greatly appreciated. This was also the third summer my daughter did the day camp. Totally worth the trip from BK. She loves it.

Great instructors! I took a begginer group class and despite the number of people we had a very personalised lesson. We learned not only to pop-up but safety and surf etiquette. Highly recommend!