Surf HNL: Ala Moana Surf Lessons!!!

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Oahu, USA

1 hour (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Learn to surf or improve your skills at Ala Moana Beach with a 1-hour lesson from a qualified instructor. Choose between a private or group session and practice paddling, catching waves, and safety techniques in the warm Hawaiian waters. Best of all, all equipment—including rash guards—will be provided so you don’t need to buy anything ahead of time.

Perfect for people who want to try out surfing
Surf gear provided, including surfboards, rash guards, and reef shoes
Choose between private and group lessons
Classes for adult and kids are available

What's Included

Surf gear such as reef shoes, surfboard, leash, long-sleeved rash guard
Wetsuits and life jackets
1-hour surf lesson
Never more than 4 students/instructor
Experienced lifeguard, CPR certified instructors
Transportation available for selected hotels

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Towels, Swimsuit, and Sunblock

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

71 Ala Moana Park Dr, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Meeting point is at the volleyball court.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.8:00 am

What To Expect

The Oahu surf lesson begins when you’re picked up from your Waikiki hotel, and are driven over to Ala Moana Beach just minutes from Waikiki. This is where you’ll meet your surfing instructor, who will get you fitted with the proper size board and gear you might need for your lesson. Since this tour is limited to only four people, you’re ensured a small-group, personalized experience. You can also upgrade to a private lesson, if you wish.

The surfing portion begins on the sand, where you’ll learn the proper spot to lay on the board and how to efficiently paddle, as well as the basic etiquette of surfing and how to duck under the waves. You’ll practice beginner techniques on land, and also learn how the history of surfing has roots right here on Oahu. Having run through the basics up on the sand, grab your board, strap on your leash, and begin paddling out towards waves that gently roll towards the shore. Your instructor will be there right by your side helping push you into the waves, and will offer tips for how to stand up, how to fall down and how to steer on the wave.

When your Oahu surfing lesson is finished, you’re transported back to your Waikiki hotel to rest your weary arms, and reflect on what you could do better next time — since you’ll definitely want to go again.

Ala Moana Beach Park

Surf HNL

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Minimum age is 12 years for group bookings
Not wheelchair accessible

Minimum age is 5 years for private bookings
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 52 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Wonderful surfing experience

Chris_D, Dec 2025

The entire team was absolutely awesome. We got plenty of time out on the water, even though the waves weren’t quite hitting. My seven-year-old rode tandem with an instructor and he had a wonderful time. My 10-year-old, my wife, and I all got to catch plenty of waves and had a great time. The team was organized, friendly and amazing they took GoPro video of all of us surfing, and the footage was exceptional. Nice long rides, and they provided trash guards and water shoes. I can’t recommend them enough.

Great time on learning to surf.

Christin_C, Oct 2025

This was a great experience! Staff was patient, knowledgeable and so encouraging. My husband caught waves and really enjoyed himself. I learned to face a fear of waves in the ocean and actually caught a wave. I highly recommend! Thank you so much. They also gave advice on future surfing spots.

You guys need to try this...

Dian_P, Apr 2025

You guys need to try this experience!! And also thank you so much for liane who teach me how to surf, she’s so nice and patient with me the whole time.. gotta try again foe sure!!

Amazing!!!!

Kyle_G, Mar 2025

Hands down one of the best experiences my family has ever had. Just perfect. Everything was perfect!

Exceeded All Expectations

Jasmine_A, Jul 2024

We (two novices who has never surfed before) went in without any expectations and we had a blast! Reaves and Deuce were the best. We caught more than one wave which was way more than we thought we would catch. Highly recommend this surfing lesson!

1st timers

Evette_S, Jun 2024

Awesome instructors !!! They were so patience with me 16 yr old and 9 yr old. Liane and the male instructor (my apologies- forgot his name) were amazing and are very good at what they do. My girls had a blast. Totally recommend!

Great experience

Paul_M, May 2024

Liane is a nice surfer instructor. Im fairly new to surfing. I certainly recommend that you book lessons here and start enjoying the waves;)

First time surfers in our 50’s

Kieran_B, Apr 2024

Thoroughly enjoyed our surfing lessons. My wife and I had never surfed before but would come back again and again. Very patient & excellent instructors who helped us step by step.

Amazing

Daniel_G, Jul 2023

Would recommend anyone looking at surfing for first time to use this service. Namaka and James were fantastic teachers for me and my 9 year old daughter they were through and patient. Great service. Dan and Ivy

#SurfingMarshallitos

Marga_M, Nov 2022

We had a fantastic experience! Loved our Surf Instructor and how great the kids did surfing. We would do this again and we highly recommend it.

Great Lesson

Christopher_K, Sep 2022

Justice was very professional and knowledgeable and got me off to a great start. He showed me how to choose a good wave, figure out where they would break, and pushed me to help me up to speed.

Surfing lessons, five people, 01272022

Ana_H, May 2022

These guys were AWESOME! I grew up boogieboarding in Cali and wanted my teenage nieces and nephews to have a similar experience while we were in Hawaii. We had a BLAST! They provided the boards and the knowledge, and we all had such a great experience. Definitely recommend.

Highly recommend!!

Emily_G, Jul 2021

This was amazing! I stood up on the first wave! Great instructors! One-on-one help and guidance. The Ala Moana location is great, the waves are just right for beginners. The instructors were friendly and helped us in the water. It was so much fun!

Great surfing Instructors

Gabe_d, Jul 2021

Nate and the rest of the team were awesome. My kids enjoyed having them as their instructors. My kids were up and surfing within 10 minutes

Great people

Bryant_H, Jun 2021

Great time as a family! Very nice staff and also accommodating. Picked us up from our lobby, made great conversation, and pointed us to some fun activities while we're here.

Surfing novice

Joseph_L, Jun 2021

Nate and his buddies are all amazing.My husband and 2 daughters really enjoyed the whole experience very friendly and accommodating to our needs

Amazing life long memories!

Brenda_W, Jun 2021

Sam and Ridge made this experience turn from fun to amazing! They are rock stars that did everything to make this surf session just amazing. So much so we booked again! This is hands down a must try!

Great experience

Jacqueline_M, Jun 2021

Nate made sure to give us an amazing experience!!! Picked us up and dropped us back off, provided all of the gear, and actually got us surfing!! My hubby stood up on his board on his 2nd wave! Would definitely recommend!

Best time!

Margo_N, May 2021

The instructors were really awesome and super helpful! It was one of the coolest things I’ve done in Hawaii! Highly recommend!

Stellar Service

Kailey_J, Apr 2021

This lesson was absolutely amazing. The instructor, Nate was superb! I would definitely recommend this company for your lesson!

Great time!

Chad_W, Mar 2021

Great experience, the instructors are super nice and helpful. Our whole group was able to get up and ride waves. Very safe and professional. Great time!

Excellent instruction

Shannon H, Jul 2018

Instructor was very helpful! I got up a few times and had a ton of fun, would definitely recommend this company.

My 17 yo daughter had an amazing...

Lisa T, Aug 2015

My 17 yo daughter had an amazing experience during her 2hr surf lesson. There were two instructors to only 2 guests so they ended up with private lessons. The water was not overly crowded and the waves were perfect for a first lesson. Given her athletic background she rode may waves and loved surfing. She appreciated being towed out to catch waves by her instructor too saving more energy for surfing. My only regret is that they didn't get any photo's and only 2 very short video's. they were too far out from shore for me to get any either. Overall I would highly recommend using Surf HNL. Aloha!

Customer service was excellent. My...

Rob A, Aug 2015

Customer service was excellent. My friend and I both had our own personal instructors, who were super friendly. I would definitely recommend to those interested.

I was nervous for the lessons but...

Mary R, Jun 2015

I was nervous for the lessons but this was a very organized and safe setup. The instructors were great and made it even more fun. Definitely a must do!

This was a very nice experience...

Wilhelmina G, Mar 2015

This was a very nice experience. Instructor and helper were awesome. Patient, friendly service. Great views. Comfortable location. Would certainly recommend to others.

This was fantastic. There were three...

Karly, May 2014

This was fantastic. There were three of us and we had two guides to help us and they were great. The water was perfectly calm so it made it easier to balance once up. They were very cruisy so we could take our time and stop and swim if we wanted to. Highly recommended.

Girls Who Surf is a great company to...

Holly F, Oct 2013

Girls Who Surf is a great company to go surfing with for the first time! I and one other person were in the semi-private class, meaning there was plenty of attention for both of us from our instructor. He chose a good spot for us to start with enough waves to actually surf on but not so much that we'd get swamped on our first attempts. We spent several hours out on the water getting a feel for what we were doing, how to paddle and balance and plenty of other nuances. Our instructor was very friendly and easy-going and was very encouraging. He happily answered any questions we had and kept up conversation while we were hanging out waiting for waves. Pick-up and drop-off were both timely and very convenient. The equipment we used was in great condition and sized well for us. All in all, a great company for first-time surfers!

Awesome instructors. Really fun. An...

David C, Aug 2013

Awesome instructors. Really fun. An experience we can't get on other vacations and was worth every penny. Myself and my 11 year old son did this and he said it was the best part of the trip.

It was a great experience. There was...

Kendra_S, Aug 2013

It was a great experience. There was just the three of us and the surf instructor. We had plenty of time to surf after the basic instruction. We would definitely recommend this. We had so much fun!!