CampSurf

About CampSurf

CampSurf teaches in Manhattan Beach in the South Bay of Los Angeles. It offers 90-minute lessons for beginners through advanced surfers, plus youth camps and birthday parties, and sells five-lesson packages for people who want to keep progressing.

Its pricing is split by level: beginners pay more because they need more hands-on help in the whitewater, while intermediate and advanced surfers pay less for coaching on their own surfing.

What a lesson looks like

Beginner lessons start with board safety, paddling and the pop-up on the sand, then move into the whitewater. Intermediate and advanced lessons focus on paddling out through the waves, picking the right wave, angling down the line and lineup etiquette. A five-lesson package lets you build those skills step by step.

Manhattan Beach waves

Manhattan is a wide, sandy beach break that faces west, so it picks up both winter northwest swells and summer south swells. The waves change with the sandbars, which shift through the year. El Porto, at the north end, is usually bigger and busier; the areas around the pier are often a little more manageable for lessons.

Mornings are usually the best learning time, before the afternoon sea breeze makes the surface choppy. For a beginner lesson, look for 1–3 ft with light wind on our Manhattan Beach Pier forecast. If El Porto is showing Good or bigger, beginners may prefer a smaller day.

Who it's best for

South Bay families with kids heading to camp, locals who want regular coaching through a package, and visitors who want to learn in a classic LA beach town. Advanced surfers can use the cheaper level to get feedback on their own surfing.

Local tips

Parking near the Manhattan Beach Pier is metered and gets busy, especially on summer weekends. South Bay water is cool most of the year, so a full wetsuit is a good idea outside late summer. Stay clear of the pier pilings and of other surfers' paths when you're on a wave.

Check the surf before your lesson

Live forecasts for the breaks where CampSurf teaches.

FAQs

More surf schools in Los Angeles

• Santa Monica Surf School · Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach and Malibu
• Kapowui Surf Club · Santa Monica / Venice border
• Badass Surf School (BASS) · Venice Beach, Los Angeles
• Cali Surf School · Los Angeles and Orange County beaches
• GoSurfing · Manhattan Beach Pier
• Surf Academy · Los Angeles (South Bay)
• Sunrise Surf Academy · Los Angeles

Breaks near CampSurf

Nearby surf spots with live BODI forecasts, tides and wind.