Hans Hedeman Surf School

Details/ Background:Took one private surf lesson (1-2 hours) while in Hawaii. I'm a novice who's had 2 or 3 semi-private lessons about once per year for the past two NJ summers. My last surf lesson- over a year ago- was unfortunately stressful and resulted only in killer full-body workout, 100% falling in the water. I've been wanting to try surfing in a warmer climate and different instruction to rekindle my excitement and hopefully catch some waves!!Very happy with my experience with Hans & my instructor, Jimmy. What I appreciated about Hans:1. Scheduling: was able to book the day before. If hoping for semi-private or group, plan in advance.2. Facilities: clean, attractive, decent merch, easy parking across the street by Honolulu Zoo. After the session, there was clear protocol for discarding / sanitizing used rash guard + shoes.3. Introduction: quick but thorough PowerPoint presentation with examples of what to do / not do while in the water, followed by on-land demos.What I appreciated about my instructor:Jimmy was easy going, confident, and catered to my experience and stamina (I am relatively very healthy but don't workout or swim regularly). His vibe made it easy to relax and apply simple techniques to the time in the water. Jimmy shared stories from his person experience and prior students that were insightful and relatable. Jimmy is a natural encourager and demonstrates a genuine confidence in his students in their ability to surf. Jimmy also demonstrated an intimate familiarity with the beach and water. He was able to pinpoint the distance out into the water that would yield the best result for the appropriate amount of effort based on my goals.My surf goals for this session were pretty mild-- #1: get out there #2: have a good time, feel comfortable and ENJOY #3: catch 1 or 2 waves (even kneeling would have been great). With Jimmy, I easily surpassed my goals-- got out there had a GREAT time caught several waves (standing) and finished about half to the very end of the wave, coming back down on the board for smooth completion. I would definitely recommend Jimmy for instruction at Hans Hedemann Surf School. I only wish Hawaii wasn't so far from home or I'd already book my next session!

We had a great time! Our kids took private lessons- age 9, 12 and 14. They felt safe and attended to the whole time. Got up multiple times and just had a blast. Hans was even part of the group and my kids were stoked to surf with him! This morning they totally rubbed it in our faces that Han Hederman taught them how to surf.

I was nervous to try surfing but as soon as I showed up all of my nerves were gone. Charley was a great guide and I knew I was in good hands. I did a private lesson as I thought I would need the extra attention. Charley got me up on the very first wave! It was pretty cool We were staying at Turtle Bay Resort and this is the surf school at the resort. It is open to the public as well. Check them out!

Danny, Hugo and Kainoa were awesome instructors and had me catching waves within 15 minutes of being on the water. I'm so glad our group did the lessons!! So worth it!! I would definitely come back for another round as a graduate ‍ of Hans Hedeman Surf School.

Rude. Condescending. Don't recommend renting anything here. Boards are beat up and crazy expensive ($25/hr is insane when they're $30/day nearby). I'm sure their lessons are great because that's what they are there to sell you. If you're not taking one of their lessons, all bets are off, in the water as well. Let's back up a bit. About 4 years ago I stayed at turtle bay and needed a board. So I went downstairs to rent one from those guys. It was convenient, a little pricey but not crazy expensive, and they had a nice selection of decent boards. All in a a decent experience.We found ourselves back at turtle bay. Surf was too small for the board I brought so I thought I'd rent one from these guys again. Let's just say there are better, cheaper options within a 10 minute drive. First, they were condescending about board rentals and didn't want to rent me a board unless I had at least 3 years of experience and had surfed recently. I said no problem. I get it. They don't want people going out and getting hurt. Fair enough. Next, they didn't want to rent boards while they had lessons going on so it wouldn't get crowded on the break. Huh? You don't want hotelguests who already know how to surf to paddle out? What kind of business plan is that? Not to mention, the boards they did have were really beat up. Lastly, their surf guides think that a surf lesson is like a ski lesson, where you get priority in the lift line, sometimes have your own area, etc. Not so with surfing. No such thing as a private wave. Wave etiquette is what keeps people safe out there. Someone on the wave already? Don't take off, or push your student into the the set wave they're going to pearl on anyway. That's called "dropping in". Wait for the next one. There are plenty of smaller waves out there to learn on. Prioritizing rides over safety is a great way to get paying customers a cool picture, but not a good foundation for learning how to surf safely. So if you want to pop up on a wave and say you surfed one time, I'm sure they're great. But if you actually want to learn surf etiquette and how to be safe in the water, or rent a decent board for a fair price, there are other options.I'm not one to just complain without being constructive. So here are some suggestions. 1. Its Hawaii. Be nice. Aloha y'all. This ain't pipeline. 2. If someone wants to rent a board and not take a lesson, be nice. Your sign says you rent boards. 3. Let people know when you have lessons in the water and suggest either other places to paddle out or just say it's going to be crowded, rather than essentially being territorial. 4. Teach your students some surf etiquette. Lead by example. Like, "see how that guy caught that wave like 50 yards out and is going to ride past us? We'll get the next one."

My kids (6 and 8) were nervous and stubborn about trying surfing for the first time. Jamie and Strider did an amazing job making them feel at ease and of course as soon as they got on the board they LOVED it. Bryson and Jonah even got mom and dad to catch some waves too! Thanks to the amazing staff here - we will be back again (it's already booked!)

We had such a great time today with Raye and Hugo from Hans Hedeman Surf School. They took me (46) my daughter and son (12 and 8) and my niece (17) for 2 hours and gave us great lessons. They were super positive and super helpful, getting us all to catch waves, have fun, and really just enjoy ourselves. We have done lessons once before, and this was totally different and better. The personal attention, postiveness, and awesome teachers totally made the difference. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't surfed before and wants to try it out. Tell them Merv sent you :)

This place is attached to Turtle Bay Resort next to the lobby. Parking is free on the right hand side as you enter the resort.I was a mildly annoyed that the business hours were not posted on their website, on the yelp page, or through their answering machine. I was limited in time but wanted to try and get a surf session in before heading home.I showed up on Saturday morning and the hotel concierge told me they would open at 8am. I waited from 7:30am on and was one of the first people there (soon after, about a crowd of 5 began to wait).8:05am rolls around and nobody is still there, so I call their other location and a lady answers and says she knows nothing about what time this location would open. She took my number and said she'll call the manager and call me back. She never did.8:20am rolls around and nobody. I had to leave as I ran out of time. 20 minutes might not be a big deal, but it would've been nice to catch some waves before saying A hui hou to the beautiful island. I guess I learned the true meaning of Hawaiian time.

Booked a private lesson for my bday was promise a photos and shirt. Fooled me, no photos and shirt. Was told "@ least photographic memories" Wtf? Instructors played like nothing happened. Bad customer service. Gave this place a deathstar. Beware!

I can't say enough about the team at this shop. We've surfed with them many times over the past ten years - in large groups and in private lessons, at Turtle Bay and Waikiki - and I can't imagine surfing with anyone else. With my 10-year old son, Scott was a machine, getting him up on wave after wave and making sure he left feeling confident and accomplished. Derek and Jaime (a world champion) were so positive and constructive with my older son that he completely turned a corner and had a huge second day. Charley is a teacher by nature. He was gracious enough to remember my family from last year, and brought so much experience to my lessons that I was able to tandem surf AND catch my own wave by the end of the week. (It's harder than you think!) Skylar took killer photos, so the kids stay inspired for our next trip. These guys all work really hard to give everyone a great experience, so be generous where you can. Don't miss the chance to surf with HH!