All  Lessons:
Wear Sturdy Swimwear (board shorts), this goes for men and women. Wear a rash-guard shirt.
If you are buying one, get a long sleeved rashguard. Bring your booties if you have them.

We have them if you don't. If you have a "shorty" wetsuit, bring it along.
Always wear a good waterproof sunscreen, that is designed for surfers. Good sunscreen will be a 30+ or 40+ SPF,
and it will not wash off or burn the eyes. Wear a hat, or baseball cap.
Wear your hat at all times when you are not in the water.
Wear sunglasses, preferably polarized, at all times on the beach.

Ideally you should purchase water-sunglasses, like the Oakley Water-jackets, or Sea-Specs.
Bring plenty of water to drink at the beach. Bring your usual medications (if any).

Shortboard Jibe Lesson:
General rule;  floaty slalom boards with slightly underpowered sails. 
(Students should already be using the harness and footstraps).
For longboard jibes we do a warm up exercise on the HiFly Revo 335's. (with the CB up)

A floaty wave/bump style board is best, is a big floaty short-board (aka funboard). When learning the straps you need an easy planing board that has a wide unsinkable tail.

Beginner Surfing lessons:
9ft longboards like the "BZ foamy" for students up to 185lbs.
10 foot longboards for heavier surfers 185-210 pounds.
11 foot longboards for big folk 210-230 pounds
Children can use the 8ft BZ if they're very small.
We recommend a rash vest and booties. 

Big is beautiful. We have more success and more fun using a slightly oversized surfboard. Larger boards are easier to paddle and have more stability, than shorter ones.

GEAR GUIDE
RECOMMENDED GEAR FOR AFTER YOUR LESSONS
Once you have learned the basics, you will want to buy your own gear that will grow with you as you progress. Having used user-friendly gear in the learning process, was just the stepping stone to something a little more challenging. In this section we recommend the gear that is quality and offers the most versatility for a rapidly progressing student.

ACCESSORIES

BOARDIES
Wear Sturdy Swimwear (board shorts), this goes for men and women.  Shorts offer protection against board rash and sand infiltration. Surf shorts will be made of a synthetic fabric so they quick dry, and have a tied fly so they don't fall off in the surf, or Velcro fly with a snap, Not a rusty metal zipper. Good shorts will allow freedom of movement. My latest O'Neill shorts have stretch panels made of ultra thin neoprene. I like to have one pair of shorts for every day-per-week I surf. I surf seven days per week, so I have seven pairs. I try to rinse off my shorts in fresh water after every use, I jump in the shower with them and kick them around in the soapy water. This is the surfer's laundry trick. A good pair of shorts will cost about $50.00.

RASH GUARDS
Wear a rash-guard shirt for sun protection or under a wetsuit to increase warmth, and to reduce friction that could chafe and cause a rash. When you are buying one, get a long sleeved rashguard for the most protection. There are different styles and makes, some are slinky Lycra, and there are polypro fleecy fabric for more warmth. Take care when choose a color because white becomes transparent when wet.

BOOTIES
Bring your booties if you have them. You can get thin ones or thick ones. Split toe or round toe. Try them on and check your footstraps to see if they will still fit.

DaKine fusion seat harness, for kiteboarding and windsurfing. offers the most support and comfort. (Hammerhead bars are for kiteboarding use only) get the generic hook if you intend to use the harness for both sports.

 

When setting up a new rig 'a la carte" get the most reliable mast and booms. We use and recommend Fiberspar masts.

*After your lesson you will want to take about one foot off the board length you used in your lesson.
*If you used a 10 foot board in the lesson, buy yourself a nine footer.
*some consideration should be given to your fitness level, and anyone else sharing the board with you.
*If two different size people are to share one board, you should choose the board to suit the heavier surfer.

Surftech make a range of boards called soft-top, they are made of advanced materials, styrofoam, epoxy, and have a distinctive EVA foam skin on the entire deck. they do not need surf wax. The foam gives them grip, and makes them softer to lie on. especially at the pressure points of the hips and ribs. The foam skin also acts like a bumper that will protect the board from many bumps and dings. However you have to were a rashguard to protect from the rubbing. (These boards are the number 1 choice of surf schools, and could be your choice for your first board)

*After your lesson you will want to take about one foot off the board length you used in your lesson. 

*If you used a 10 foot board in the lesson, buy yourself a nine footer.

*some consideration should be given to your fitness level, and anyone else sharing the board with you. 

*If two different size people are to share one board, you should choose the board to suit the heavier surfer.

New Surf Project make a line of lightweight epoxy styrofoam construction boards, that are lighter and stronger than regular boards. they have a thin plastic top-sheet that protects the board's finish from scratches. (your second board) After your learning phase you may want to step up to the NSP type construction. Still quite durable, but light enough to take you to the next level. These boards will need wax and are best kept in a padded bag.

Surftech also make a complete line of epoxy/sandwich boards, which are light, stiff & high performance. They call this line, "Tuflite". Tuflite construction is more expensive and lighter than other constructions. That is why we only recommend it to advanced surfers.
     

Southpoint make a superb line of lightweight foam sandwich construction boards, that are durable and lightweight. their line of production boards includes a variety of mini-tankers, and fish, and fun shapes. the extra lightness of this construction will only be appreciated by the more advanced surfer. (your third board) This construction is less robust than the other two. The boards are stiff, light and fast. The finish coat may scratch up if not cared for. This board will not like to get hard knocks on the rocks. This board type should be kept in a padded bag, and repaired with epoxy if necessary.

Board Types: Here is a range of different kiteboards.  The Alien is a semi-directional board that has surfing abilities. The Kitewave is a full on surf style board for the waves. The Thorns are hard edged twin-tips inspired by snow boards. The Sol is the wake style twin-tip. And the Haze is the entry-level twin-tip board with easy riding and durability.

Twin-Tips:
Naish Thorn -  sizes 126 / 129 / 132 / 135
This is our favorite production Twin-tip board. The Thorn 126 is also the board that I set the Maui open water kiteboarding speed record on at over 40mph. This board uses snowboard technology for the ideal combination of flex, weight and strength. New uni-directional laminates of carbon and Kevlar have been added to increase the reflex speed making the board feel super positive and lively. There are three types of Thorn, The smallest is the Grom at 111cm, then the Rose Thorn is slightly larger at 122cm, and the largest is the Thorn and it comes in 126cm, 129cm, 132cm, 135cm.

Jimmy Lewis does a killer sandwich wavesurf model in various sizes.