Island Style Surf School

Water felt great in the morning. I got up and rode several times. The waves can last pretty long, so you don’t have to rush standing up (despite the adrenaline rush).
Just as everyone said, Sergio was super nice and laid back. I was just staying down the street, so he just picked me up and dropped me off at my place. I never realized it before but just paddling around works your arms and lower back pretty hard, but Sergio totally saved my arms by towing me in. Definitely someone you can pound a few beers with and just talk story.
Tip: Go at the beginning of your trip. That way, when you like it then you can go again.

Sergio is seriously the best. My dad and I had surfed maybe twice before, so we were far from experts. Sergio made everything incredibly easy for us – he had the boards, the wetsuits, and the drinking water all waiting for us. I wouldn’t say I’m the most coordinated athlete, but Sergio got me up and surfing in just a few waves. It was an incredible experience. Though I think my favorite part of the whole thing was when Sergio hooked his feet onto the top of our boards and paddled us out past the waves. What’s better than cruising through the ocean without having to do any work! ;)

We came back for more! This time my husband and I had a delightful time with Sergio and Carly on a Paddle board trip up the river in Haleiwa. It was so peaceful and beautiful to see the gardens and homes on the river and enjoy the company of Sea turtles and tilapia swimming beside us. Highlight of our trip!

Absolutely wonderful! Sergio and Carly really make sure that you enjoy ever moment of your surfing lesson. I am always super nervous in the ocean and had never surfed before but during this lesson I really didn’t have anything to worry about. Very attentive and knowledgeable, as well as patient!
I would highly recommend!

We found Sergio’s surf school on Trip Advisor and so glad we booked a semi-​private with him, $ 95pp for 2hrs. We surfed on our last day in Hawaii and couldn’t have imagined a better last day. We surfed some gnarly waves, saw sea turtles and a humpback whale! Sergio pointed to the open ocean and told us to look around because humpback whales come up for air and a HUGE HUMPBACK leaped OUT of the water. It was amazing. BEST PRIVATE EVER! He was very kind, personable and affordable. He had long sleeve rash-​guards for us which are a MUST. Also, Pictures and video are available for only $ 30pp. Make sure to ask for them when you book, because they don’t offer it or try to «sell» you once your lesson starts.
THANKS SERGIO for a great First-​time experience! If you’re unsure who to book with, schedule a lesson with him– a Pro!

My husband and I booked a 2hr lesson with Sergio. He was exactly what we thought: down to earth, patient, and friendly. During our 2 hour lesson, We were getting tired and he paddled both of us only using his toes… WHAA? I know, he is strong. He was very knowledgable and with his help and guidance I was able to successfully and safely surf several waves.
What an amazing day. Book with Sergio and you won’t regret it. Don’t forget to request pics and video; I wish I did :(But we still got awesome footage with our Gopro!

i don’t have a lot of time to elaborate but this was probably some of the best money i’ve ever spent. I’ve always wanted to try surfing and finally got a chance to do so.
i phoned early in the morning to inquire about lessons and Carly was very friendly and thorough explaining everything to me and suggested the best time for me to give it a whirl.
Sergio met me at the beach and was very friendly and easy going. Gave me a quick lesson in the sand and within minutes I was standing up in the water.
i’m almost 40 years old, i haven’t been in an ocean since I was in my teens. I won’t even go in lakes back home (chicago).
He put me at ease and made me feel confident in what I was doing.
If I ever come back or if I could just spend more time on this lovely island, I’d certainly request his services again.

Sergio and Carly are hands down the best. My friend and I had a two hour lesson with Sergio and Carly took pics and video. Sergio is a very patient instructor and made us feel really comfortable in the water. He made sure we caught the best waves and gave us really good specific feedback on each of our runs. By the end of our lesson, both my friend and I were standing up riding waves in. We were so pleased and proud. I highly recommend them.

This was my first surfing experience and Sergio made it easy and stress free! Great instruction and relaxed style worked well for me. Highly recommended.

So we purchased a groupon deal for this because we were going to be in Oahu and wanted to try surfing. There isn’t a real shop that these guys operate out of, but finding them wasn’t too hard at all. They send you text messages to keep you updated of their up-​to-​date location based on the best waves and crowdedness. Sergio and his wife Carly are super nice and personable. Sergio instructs you for about 10 minutes where you practice/​simulate on the beach before you head out. Then he gives you rash guards to wear on top, but our knees succumbed to a few rash but nothing that didn’t go away after a couple hours. Once out in the water, he holds your board until he finds a good wave for you to work your magic. And he won’t let you fail. Once you get up, it gets addicting and you keep wanting to do it again. After we were done, we find out that Carly was snapping photos and videos for us. When you see them, you can’t help but want to buy them for $ 20/​person. And of course at that price, we want our first time surfing documented. Overall, Sergio is an awesome teacher, Carly is awesome, the lesson was awesome, the experience was beyond awesome.

I did my first lesson with Sergio and had an awesome time. He walked me through all the basics and I was able to get up on my first wave. He helped me understand all the basic techniques and provided feedback after each wave on ways to improve. Very professional and stress free environment. I am considering doing his surf course to continue improvement. Definitely check him out if you are in Oahu.

Sergio and his wife Carly are amazing and the sweetest people! My parents, sisters and I had visited Oahu and were looking to learn how to surf– we really couldn’t have found a better surfing instructor than Sergio! He was incredibly competent, patient and motivating in teaching my sisters and myself the 101 on surfing. My dad was happy to brush up his skills with Sergio as well– all in all we all left the lessons super excited that we actually managed to ride some waves hahaha and can’t wait to be back. Carly took some awesome photos and gave us plenty of advice on where eat like the locals. We will definitely recommend Sergio and Carly to everyone and hopefully we will return soon enough to enjoy their company again!

In summary, Sergio is the best, a true professional level surfer and a man with exceptional character. During my honeymoon in Brazil, I had the pleasure of meeting Sergio and his wife. To say the least after a few days we became friends and he went out of his way to make sure we experienced everything the beautiful Island of Fernando de Noronha had to offer. Mind you without even a mention of payment, he took us on some of the most compelling hiking trips I have been on, snorkeling trips, and invited us over for some home cooked Island food. To say the least the highlight of our 17-​day honeymoon through Brazil was our time spent with Sergio and his wife in Noronha.
Then once I heard he moved to Hawaii and started his surfing school we could not wait to visit. Considering that, I am a typical guy who believes he can do anything without being taught, I initially backed off when Sergio offered to show me a few pointers. I recalled that the last time, I went surfing in Hawaii was during a work trip and to say the least it was not an enjoyable moment. Getting pounded at the North Shore without any guidance (Bold but stupid). So this time, my 3-​month pregnant wife and I went out to learn how it’s done from a pro. I was a worried at first but where we went had the perfect balance of safety and excitement. My wife and I caught more waves that day than we had throughout our lives and the pictures Carly took were fantastic. But don’t take my word for it find out for yourselves. After you take a lesson from Sergio if it is not the best surfing experience of your life, ask him for John’s contact info in San Diego and I will gladly pay for your lessons. This review may sound like BS, but it’s the truth, you’ll see.
If you have time check out this video of Sergio ripping it up:

Our group of 4 friends just took lessons with Sergio a few days ago. We were all beginners and with Sergio’s help, we all got up on our first wave! We had so much fun that we rented boards from him a few days later and hit the waves again. I also signed up my 5 year old son for lessons and Sergio was great with him too. We’ve got a DVD of pictures from our lessons and Sergio used a Go Pro camera to get video footage of my son’s first surfing lesson. I highly recommend Sergio and Carly.

Believe the hype. Sergio is a great surf instructor. He made us feel confident that we would stand up on our first time on a surfboard — and he was right! His lovely wife, Carly, caught it all on her camera so we’d have the memories forever. This was one of the highlights of our honeymoon trip and that’s saying a lot since we also took a helicopter flight over craters with red lava and into 2500+ foot valleys. We’re considering a trip back to the North Shore just to take another lesson… or maybe surf camp!

My wife and I received our first surfing lessons from Sergio in January and had an incredible time. Sergio takes his professional expertise and breaks it down into key instructions without overwhelming your mind with too many thoughts. He was fun, polite, and will absolutely not make you feel like a dumb tourist. I was always nervous about getting a surfing lesson from someone that would only see me as a quick way to make a dollar, regardless if I actually stood up or not. This team genuinely cares about their students and do a fantastic job. My wife and I both got up on our boards right away and loved every ride, and even the wipeouts. I had the surf bug the rest of my time in Hawaii and am very glad that I had such a great lesson to get me started. You will not be disappointed if you check out Island Style!

I took a friend to Island Style Surf School on the North Shore, Haleiwa — Oahu and it was awesome! We both learned so much. It wasn’t my first surf lesson I have had 3 different schools before Sergio and this was the best one I have had yet. Sergio is Super personal and Carly his wife took some awesome photos. I had a lot of fun, felt comfortable, and was much more confident about surfing when the lessons were over. I will definitely go back.

Sergio is one of the funnest people you can be around, his energy and excitement is contagious. He truly has the desire to see you succeed at surfing and puts you in the best possible situations to be able to do that. He is great for beginners and also has the skill level of a professional surfer, so his skill set is suited for all ages and abilities. I had never surfed before, but was immediately catching waves and improved vastly throughout the day. Couldn’t have had a better experience!