Pacific Beach · San Diego

The waves here are patient.

Private and small group surf lessons at Tourmaline — the Waikiki of San Diego. Long, mellow, rolling waves that give you time to paddle, time to think, and time to actually feel one pick you up. 90 minutes, boards included, and never more than four students in the water with us.

Book a lesson Sunrise to sunset weekends · Evenings weekdays
A beginner standing up on a soft-top surfboard on a small wave at Tourmaline
First wave, first lesson

Why Tourmaline

The friendliest water in the county.

Long mellow waves rolling in at Tourmaline Surfing Park in Pacific Beach
Tourmaline, Pacific Beach

Tourmaline is surf-friendly in a way almost nothing else in San Diego is. The waves roll in long and slow over a forgiving bottom — the kind of surf that lets a first-timer make mistakes without paying for them.

It's why most of our lessons happen there. When the swell direction favors somewhere else, we'll move to whichever Pacific Beach peak is working best that day. You'll know where to meet us the moment you book.

When we surf

Pick a day.

Weekends run sunrise to sunset. Weekday lessons catch the evening glass. Every other Friday we're on the water all day.

August 2026
All day Evening only
Pick a date

Choose a day on the calendar and available start times will show up here.

FRIDAYS — availability alternates. Every other Friday we're on the water all day; the rest, it's the 5:00 or 6:30 slot. The calendar shows which is which.

Everything included

Show up in a swimsuit.

  • Soft-top surfboard sized to you, plus leash
  • 15–20 minutes of land instruction covering ocean safety, positioning, and your pop-up
  • 60+ minutes in the water with your coach right beside you
  • Small groups run with one or two coaches depending on availability

What to bring

  • Swimsuit or board shorts
  • Towel
  • Sunscreen
  • Water

That's it. We bring the rest.

What you'll learn

Five things, ninety minutes.

Paddling
Positioning on the board and moving efficiently instead of gassing out in the first ten minutes.
Popping up
The transition from lying down to standing, and landing in a stance that actually holds.
Reading the ocean
Which waves are worth going for, where the rips are, and how to get out past the break.
Etiquette
Right of way, dropping in, and how not to be the person everyone hates in the lineup.
Trimming
Once you're standing — steering the board and staying on the wave longer.

Your coaches

I'm Mac.

Mac, founder and instructor at Mac's Surf School, with a longboard at Pacific Beach

I've been surfing for over ten years up and down the California coast. Longboarding is my specialty — but I shred a shortboard too, and I'll teach you on whatever suits what you're after.

I'm not the only one on the water. Our coaches all bring 10+ years of surfing experience, with specialties spanning longboard, shortboard, and everything in between. Tell us your goals when you book and we'll match you with the right one.

Pricing

90 minutes, all in.

No equipment rental, no beach fees, no surprises when you get there.

Private $135 per lesson

One coach, one student. The fastest way to progress — every wave is yours and every correction is about you.

1 coach · 1 student
Semi-private $110 per person

Two students, one coach. Good for couples, or a parent learning alongside a kid.

1 coach · 2 students
Small group $90 per person

Three or four students, run with one or two coaches depending on availability. Friends and family only — we never combine separate parties.

1–2 coaches
GoPro footage, sent same day — $35 Professional photographer — $60 3-lesson package — 10% off 5-lesson package — 15% off

Book a lesson

Tell us when.

Fill this out and we'll confirm your spot and meeting point. Nothing is charged here.

Board sizing

So we show up with a board that actually floats you. Booking for more than one person? Add everyone else's height and weight in the notes at the bottom.

48-hour cancellation policy. We surf rain or shine — on the rare day conditions are genuinely unsafe, we'll reschedule you at no charge.