Through our many years of running our Bodhi Surf + Yoga Family Surf Camps, we know a thing or two when it comes to surfing for kids.
Within the last 13 years, we’ve taught more families with kids to surf than we can count.
We understand the apprehension that can come with booking an ocean-vacation, especially with children.
We get many inquiries from families interested in our family surf camps but aren’t sure if it’s right for their kids. Regardless of whether they’re adults or youngsters, teaching people to surf safely and independently is our topmost goal.
We hope that this honest and transparent blog eases your stresses and is the sign you’ve been looking for to book that family surf vacation!
“It was the perfect holiday for a family with kids. 10/10 would go again.”
backcountry2016, 2018
What do we know about surfing for kids?
Having had so much experience with families putting their trust in us, we’ve become very accustomed to teaching kids to surf and ensuring their safety in the ocean.
In writing a blog based on safety for kids, we want to keep it both informative and fun.
I sat down with the surf-obsessed 7 and 11 year old daughters of co-owners Travis and Pilar and asked them their thoughts on surfing for kids. Who better to ask, right?
Their thoughts that they shared with me are scattered throughout the blog, but you can jump to the main part here.
Beyond this, co-founders Adrianne and Travis have also both been surfing since they were young. Adrianne aged 20, and Travis aged 12. Travis has even been teaching kids to surf since he was 20!
Our home – the Marino Ballena National Park
We are beyond grateful every single day to conduct our surf lessons in the paradise that is the Marino Ballena National Park.
This is the ideal location for teaching kids to surf! The size of our waves vary throughout the year, but overall consists of smaller waves in the shallow part of the beach for beginners and kids, and larger waves further out for more intermediate learners.
The beach is wide and extends about two miles from end to end, meaning we never have to worry about it being crowded during our surf lessons.
You have your own space to make mistakes, learn, and get better.
The national park also has lifeguards on duty and park rangers doing regular safety patrols!
It’s a beach break with soft and powdery sand. That means that you don’t have to worry about falling off your board and landing on rocks or reef.
We should also mention that the national park is absolutely breathtaking, just as a bonus.
What age can kids start learning to surf?
This question is dependent on the kid.
Some kids pick up certain skills and abilities quicker than others, and can naturally be more physically and mentally adept to it.
Kids can start out on a boogie-board as young as two years old, and then be on a surfboard not too long after. Again, this depends on the child, their abilities, and their comfort level in the ocean.
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga we feel comfortable teaching kids to surf from around the age of six.
But this doesn’t mean we won’t accept younger kids. We have plenty of experience teaching kids under the age of six!
A lot of the time, if kids have experience with sports such as skiing or skateboarding they can be taught to surf from a younger age.
Having used certain muscle groups and built muscle memory, these kids are likely to have the strength and abilities that make us feel comfortable to teach them to surf, albeit at a younger age.
For example, over Thanksgiving 2022 we had an amazing family stay with us with their five year old kid. The family are big skiers, so the kid had experience controlling and using his muscles and body weight.
So we were able to teach him to surf!
The reason we say around the age of six is because we feel that at this age kids are more attentive and receptive to instruction.
The board can be a danger to the surfer and others if it isn’t controlled and is left to be slapped around by the waves. At this age kids have better control of their bodies and muscles, helping them control their surfboard.
We also feel that at around the age of six, kids are better swimmers. For obvious reasons, this is better for us as surf instructors.
What height do you have to be to surf?
For us, it’s less about the height of our students and more about their ability to manage themselves in the water.
We don’t want to place too much emphasis on the need for strength for surfing for kids. There’s no need to put your son/daughter through a HIT bootcamp before your trip!
What we mean by ‘ability’ is:
- Swimming skill and experience
- Handling and managing the surfboard
- Body control – i.e. their weight and muscles
- Comfort in the ocean – ability not to panic in the waves
- Receptiveness to instruction – not just for proper technique, but for ensuring safety
Check out our video on Surfboard Control for Beginners in our Learn How to Surf series.
“The instructors are very knowledgeable but also know how to make surfing fun! Our kids are young and are new at surfing and the instructors were amazing with them.”
Hayley K, 2022
Is surfing for kids difficult? Is it dangerous?
Surfing is an unpredictable sport.
Why is that? No wave is the same.
Surfing is not like soccer or basketball, where you can stand in the same spot perfecting your shot for hours.
You can pop up perfectly on one wave, and have a mouth full of salt water on the next (yum!).
Some waves are small and gentle, and others huge and powerful. This variation of conditions can occur within just minutes.
This is why we’re cautious with the age of kids that we teach to surf. A five year old for example can be fine surfing the smaller waves, but would be in trouble if a larger set of waves passes through.
In this vein, the only main danger that occurs exclusively to kids that adults won’t necessarily face is lack of strength. It’s not just about their ability to stand up on the board, but it’s imperative that they’re not in danger of the force of the waves and conditions.
Having said that, we’re not silly enough to have kids paddling out and facing the same challenges that our adult students do!
When working with kids, we have a dedicated surf instructor that works with them.
Yes, this helps the kids tremendously.
In addition, it helps you, parents! We believe that this allows you to focus on yourselves and not be concerned about your kids. Can you even remember what that feels like?!
But depending on the conditions on the day, even the whitewater (where the waves have already broken) and the midzone (between the whitewater and the lineup) can be challenging and tire kids out quickly.
These challenges posed by the conditions can include:
- Being dragged by currents
- Being pushed by strong waves
- Having to paddle through and get hit by large waves
In true kid style, Maya was brutally honest in sharing that “the hardest part is paddling because it takes a lot of strength and is boring”.
We told you we’d be transparent!
Check out our blogs on Is Surfing Hard and The Dangers of Surfing for some more information, as well as how to deal with these challenges!
There are advantages to being a kid, too!
While surfing for kids certainly can be a challenge at times, there are advantages to being a kiddo!
We’ve found that a lot of the time during our family surf lessons, kids end up picking it up a LOT quicker than their parents.
I’ve helped assist a few beginner family surf lessons.
Every single time I’ve been blown away by how quickly the kids figure it out, while their parents are still gripping onto their boards for dear life.
It’s actually hilarious seeing the sheer awe on the parents’ faces when within 10 minutes into the lesson the kids are up on their feet – and they’re still nosediving.
There’s nothing wrong with nosediving. It’s all a part of the learning process!
It’s just that kids have somehow been blessed with the ability to skip half of this process and get straight to the fun parts.
We put this down to a few things.
Kids aren’t necessarily so concerned with how they look while they surf, they don’t have the fear of failure, and don’t put as much pressure on themselves.
We find that adults tend to see surfing as a test, while kids see it as a fun activity. Kids are also more resilient and bounce back quicker from wipeouts.
To be honest, there’s a lot we as adults can learn from kids!
“Once we got there the kids (8 and 10) had a wonderful week of surf lessons and fun and we enjoyed the relaxed vibe while learning, not quite as fast as the kids, how to get up and enjoy riding the surf!”
Steve A, 2019
How do we teach surfing for kids at Bodhi Surf + Yoga?
Here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga, we have our very own curriculum for teaching surfing for kids.
Just like with our Bodhi Sessions lessons for adults, we start kids off with bodysurfing.
We’re obsessed with bodysurfing here.
Actually, we’re kind of pioneers in using it and teaching it with surf. We’re one of the only surf schools around that teaches bodysurfing!
So why start with bodysurfing?
There are immense benefits of learning to bodysurf.
One of our lead surf instructors and bodysurfing guru, Spencer, has written a blog explaining everything you need to know about bodysurfing.
But in a nutshell, bodysurfing allows kids to get comfortable in the ocean.
Instead of rushing straight into the water with a surfboard, bodysurfing helps children:
- Read waves
- Experience the feeling of catching a wave
- Surf without the pressure of having a board
- Get used to being in the ocean
And not to be forgotten – it is SO much fun.
We find that having bodysurfed for a bit, kids (and adults) are pumped up, confident, and ready to head into the ocean with a board!
Fun and engaging theory formatted for kids
We’re not big fans of the idea of rushing students into the water as soon as possible.
There’s no rush. We teach our students some important info on the sand first.
This includes theory aspects, such as:
- What waves are
- How waves are formed
- What affects waves
- Reading the ocean conditions
Although this information is important, we don’t want to make this part of the lesson boring for kids. Our surf instructors keep it fresh and entertaining by bringing along pictures and diagrams for visual aid!
Our students are also taught about where they’re surfing, in our case the beautiful Marino Ballena National Park.
The national park gives so much to us, the least we can do is educate ourselves and learn a bit about it!
We teach kids and other students about:
- The significance of the national park
- Its islands and the surrounding area
- The animals that call it home – whales, dolphins, stingrays
We let kids play in the sand, exploring the shells, reef, lizards, birds – the surf lessons become an environmental education course!
Surfing for kids is all about safety
What’s the best way of ensuring safety? Teaching the correct techniques.
Again, what we see from a lot of surf schools is the need to get their students standing up on their boards as soon as possible.
In doing this, a lot of important information is sacrificed.
There’s so much more to surfing than popping up and getting to your feet. Did you know that there are even correct ways to fall off your surfboard?
Our surf lessons include how to correctly walk your board out, correct paddling technique, turning around, stopping, reading waves, etc.
When teaching surfing for kids, placing importance on these things will help them be better surfers! But most importantly for us, this correct technique will keep them safe as well as those around them.
You and your families can practice these techniques before even arriving here, FOR FREE! Just head over to YouTube and check out our Learn How to Surf Series.
Creating independent surfers
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga our philosophy is to empower our onsite guests to be independent travelers.
In terms of surfing, this means that our goal is to empower you to be independent surfers!
What do we mean by this?
The goal is that after your week (or two) with us, you’re able to continue your surfing journey elsewhere.
Many of our guests that have had previous surf lessons have only ever been pushed into waves by their surf instructors.
Yes, this is fun and easy. But it doesn’t teach you anything. You’ll still need to be pushed into waves anywhere you go.
We structure all of our lessons for kids on giving them the correct instructions and practice to be able to take what they’ve learned with us and surf anywhere they go!
“My kids killed it out there and I couldn’t have been more proud to watch them tackle something difficult and succeed. Thanks to the instructors they were both surfing the green waves and having the time of their life.”
Laura J, 2023
Surfing for kids – the benefits
Surfing for kids (and anyone for that matter!) has immense benefits. Trust us, we know.
In fact, we’ve written an entire blog on the physical, mental & spiritual benefits of surfing.
What we love most about what surfing does for kids is that it teaches them to fall in love with the ocean from a young age.
Our thesis is that by falling in love with the ocean, we feel more strongly about wanting to protect it.
This is what we at Bodhi Surf + Yoga refer to as creating ocean guardians: people who care for the ocean and make it their responsibility to protect it.
Surfing for kids can be beneficial in that it teaches them from young not to be fearful or scared of Mother Ocean, but to respect and admire her.
It will help kids become stronger swimmers, keeping them safer when they go swimming, and teaches them skills such as:
- Endurance
- Patience
- Determination
Why not hear it from two kids that surf?
Here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga we have two of our very own kid surfers!
They are Maya (age 11) and Clea (age 7), the daughters of co-owners Travis and Pilar (they’re in the two pictures above).
Before writing this blog, I thought why not ask the two of them about the benefits of surfing for kids?
Who better to talk about surfing for kids, than two kids who surf (very well) and love doing it! They both started boogie-boarding at the age of four, and learned to surf at five.
So, one day during their school summer vacation I convinced them to pause a very intense game of Mario Kart and talk to me about their love for surf.
My first question was “Why do you love surfing?” The responses were as followed:
- Maya: “It’s fun. I love being in the water because it’s refreshing and connecting. Whenever I get home from a session I feel refreshed but not in a cool way. Like, I’m in a good attitude.”
- Clea: “It’s fun. It’s nice exercise. It doesn’t feel like exercise but it is. It helps me recover when my legs hurt from doing gymnastics. I love the animals in the ocean.”
My following question was “Why are you glad you learned to surf as a kid?”:
- Maya: “In the future if I do wanna’ become a good surfer it’s good to have the extra practice from early on. It’s good surfing from a young age because it helped me feel more comfortable in the ocean from young.”
- Clea: “Because I get to enjoy my whole life surfing. Now that I’m seven I get to stand up and paddle out and ride big waves.”
Their words are simple but clear. Surfing from a young age has helped and empower them to feel comfortable and confident doing something they love.
We’re so proud of Maya and Clea.
Surfing is often viewed as a “boy’s sport” – but they don’t care. They’re helping break down this barrier and proving that surfing is for everyone!
Honestly, they’re two of the most natural surfers I’ve ever seen.
Tips for surfing with kids
Having read up to this point in the blog, we hope you’re learning towards learning to surf with your kids!
Trust us, it’ll connect you and your family like nothing else.
Surf instruction makes a huge difference
A surf school recommending that you take surf classes? Surprise surprise!
But seriously, even just taking one or two surf classes can be the best thing you do for your surfing journey in the long run.
Through quality and intentional surf instruction, you are having an educational experience as well as being ensured safety!
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga we always say, “you don’t know what you don’t know”.
Think about concepts like surf etiquette – how do you know what you’re doing is right? Are you following the rules or are you just being a straight up menace out there?
We’ve seen a lot of students that claim to be ‘advanced surfers’ because they can stand up in the white water, but don’t even know how to attach their leash!
Like Clea said –taking lessons from a young age starts your surfing journey early and avoids you having to take a few steps back when you’re older.
Surf equipment for kids
Just as if you’re an adult, using the correct board size as a kid is very important.
We usually have kids using a board that’s just a bit taller than they are.
We tend to put “newby” kid surfers on softboards. These are more buoyant and allow you to be more stable and balanced. It’s also safer than using a hardboard.
As kids generally have less control over their surfboards (as do newby adults as well), it’s sensible to use a leash. This protects others in the vicinity from the surfboard being pushed away and hitting them.
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga we have all of our students use leashes, whether they’re in the white water or surfing the blue green waves out back. Safety is our number one priority!
We also recommend that our kid students wear rashguards. These act as great sun protectants and also prevent rashes on the chest or stomach from rubbing up against the soft deck of the softboard.
Surf hats are also highly recommended for protection against the sun.
Here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga we provide all of these things, but we also have the Costa Verde Surf Shop very nearby where guests can purchase their own!
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga we also partner with fellow B Corp company Badger Balm for their sunscreens. We’re huge fans of their kids mineral sunscreen.
Surfing can be quite tiring, especially for kids who haven’t fully developed their muscles yet and haven’t reached their peak strength.
Because of this it can be useful to bring along a boogie board to the beach. This is slightly less tiring and physically demanding than surfing.
At Bodhi Surf + Yoga, we’re actually not huge fans of using life jackets while surfing. These hinder your ability to pop up on your surfboard, and can be quite annoying.
We don’t find that they help safety-wise either, as we’d never have kids that aren’t confident swimmers paddling out in deep water. In this case, they’d be no further out than waist deep.
Check out the Surf Gear for Beginners video in our Learn to Surf Series!
Take your kids on a family surf vacation!
Like we said – the purpose of this blog is to be honest and transparent.
Yes, we want to convince you that your kids can indeed learn to surf.
But as a trusted family surf and yoga camp, we also have a responsibility to give you the entire story.
We’d be beyond stoked to have you and your family down here to learn to surf with us and fall in love with the ocean together.
And if not with us here in Bahia Ballena, we hope we’ve still made you feel comfortable to learn to surf with your kids elsewhere in the world.
And on that note, we’ll leave you with this profound quote from Clea: “Don’t be scared. Because then if you’re not scared you can ride more waves and enjoy them”.
She’s not wrong!
