Get ready for the ultimate summer adventure and the best beach day ever learning to surf with Skudin Surf School! It is a family-run business that is the premiere place for New York surf camp and surf lessons! With locations in Rockaway, Long Beach, and Nickerson Beach (locations accessible via NYC ferry, LIRR, or car), they offer kids and adult camps, group and private lessons plus birthday parties and corporate events.
Kids of all ages will love the thrill and fun of surfing and parents will love that all surf lessons are taught by professional certified instructors. Skudin specializes in teaching all levels from beginner lessons for first timers like my little lady to coaching for the experienced surfer. Bring gear for a normal beach day and they do the rest. Arrive in a bathing suit, and bring a towel, sunscreen, and a drink to stay hydrated. Skudin provides you with any necessary equipment for surfing including a surfboard and a rash guard.
Get Surfing
We signed up for a private lesson for some one-on-one instruction to learn from the seasoned Richie Bogart who has been with the company since its founding. My little lady started with a 15-minute land lesson consisting of pop-up, board control, and safety, and then it was right in to catch a wave with her instructor right by her side for an hour. That hour was incredible! It just went too fast.
My little surfer dudette was fearless and got such a huge rush. She did a great pop up and caught her very first wave and surfed right in. She looked back to see a big thumbs up from Richie and couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear. It was so neat to watch her in action catching wave after wave and having so much fun. She was determined to keep going and going and sometimes she caught the wave and surfed in but other times she crashed and fell. Thanks to Richie, each time she was equally excited to go catch another wave.
Richie told us that the best way to learn is not to be too nervous, saying “It’s all fun and she just needs to focus on popping up and riding in.” He keeps students encouraged and tells them to go back out there. It’s the only way to learn. Richie also added, “When you’re on your own you need to be in the right spot and it’s all about timing. When to paddle and wave selection is really important.” He tried to get my little surfer girl the waves that roll and that aren’t rough on the inside.
When asked how surfing was my daughter exclaimed, “It’s super fun!” Skudin Surf gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from their newest little surfer. Once you catch one wave, you won’t want to stop!
Getting There & Started
Skudin Surf is a short walk from the LIRR. For all camps and private surf lessons, the minimum age is 5 years old, and there is no upper age limit. If your child is 4 years old and would like to take a lesson, that may be possible as well.
The kids’ camp is wildly fun and popular. The morning starts with a fun testing period and introduction; campers are placed in groups based on age and ability. Campers are given a land lesson and are taught how to position themselves on the board and do the pop up. Our surf instructors work in the water with the campers. Younger campers are one-on-one with the instructors while they are in the water, no experience needed. Older campers work in the water with our instructors. The day is split between surfing and recreational activities designed to enhance the campers surf performance. All of the ocean managers are lifeguard CPR and first aid certified, and the beach is supervised by lifeguards.
For more information about lessons, summer camps, and more, please visit Skudin Surf School
About Skudin
Skudin Surf brings the sport of surfing to people of all ages and abilities in a fun, positive and safe environment. The company offers a range of private instruction, group lessons, camps, corporate events, and birthday parties for adults and children in the seaside town of Long Beach, Atlantic Beach, Lido-Nickerson Beach, and Rockaway Beach 67th Street. The previous nine summers were a demonstrable success; thousands of surfers traveled to us from the tri-state area to participate.
The Skudin family has been teaching surfing for over 30 years. Parents Dave and Beth Skudin surfed together as children in the 60’s with Beth’s dad Dick Bolton. They continued Beth’s father’s tradition and shared their love of the sport with their four boys. The family comes from a heritage of lifeguards, swimmers, and surfing champions. Dave and Beth raised their children in some of the most famous surf spots in the country, and have lived in Hawaii, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Long Beach, New York.
