LA Surfing Guide

Back to Los AngelesLos Angeles Surfing Guide

George Freeth (1883-1918), who first surfed Redondo Beach in 1907, is widely credited with introducing the sport to California. But surfing didn't catch on until the 1950s, when CalTech graduate Bob Simmons invented a more maneuverable lightweight fiberglass board. The Beach Boys and other surf-music groups popularized Southern California in the minds of beach-babes and -dudes everywhere, and the rest, as they say, is history.

If you're a first-timer eager to learn the sport, contact Learn to Surf L.A. (tel. 310/920-1265; www.learntosurfla.com). This highly respected school features a team of experienced instructors that will supply all necessary equipment and get you up and riding a foam board on your first day (trust me, it's a blast). Private lessons are $100, and group lesson are $70.

If you want to try it on your own, surfboards are available for rent at shops near all top surfing beaches in the L.A. area. Zuma Jay Surfboards, 22775 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu (tel. 310/456-8044), Malibu's oldest surf shop, is about a quarter-mile south of Malibu Pier. Rentals are about $20 per day, plus $8 for wet suits in winter. For more information about surfing in Southern California log on to www.surfline.com.

The Surfing Rabbi--This is so only-in-L.A.: Surfing instructor and orthodox rabbi Nachum Shifren hosts "Surf and Soul" sermons on the sand in Santa Monica. Not only will the rabbi teach you how to surf, his wise words will empower you to succeed in this competitive world we live in. Yes, even gentiles are welcome (tel. 310/877-1482; www.surfingrabbi.com).

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