Star Beachboys: Where You Need To Go for All Your Surfing Adventures!

To be honest, surfing wasn't on my list of things I needed to do in Hawaii until my boss told me I needed to do it. Okay, boss, challenge accepted! This was the perfect way to spend my last day in Oahu: going on a quick hike and then spending my last few hours in the ocean learning the most popular sport in Hawaii, surfing!

What You Get with Star Beachboys

While waiting for an Uber after hiking Diamond Head, I called different places to see if I could get a last-minute surfing lesson on a Friday afternoon. It was crazy to do this since surfing is one of the most popular and touristy things to book, but they had an opening for a private lesson!

I rushed back to my hostel, changed, and walked to Star Beachboys, where I met my instructor, Yogi. Everyone there was super friendly and helpful, and they provided a safe area where you could stow your items.

They offer private and group surfing lessons and SUP (stand-up paddle board) lessons. If standing up on water isn't your thing, they also have a Hawaiian Outrigger canoe you and your friends or family can rent.

Prices for surfing lessons range from $75 for group lessons to $125 for private lessons, which last 75 minutes.

If you decide to rent a board, you’ll need to pay $10 for the first hour and $5 for each additional hour.

Honestly, they were the least expensive company I saw for private lessons. Other places I looked at charged between $150 and $200 for a lesson.

Star Beachboys also guarantees that you will get up on the board and ride a wave, and my goodness, they were right, all thanks to Yogi!

The Best Instructor Ever!

I HIGHLY recommend Yogi. Words can't describe how sweet, caring, knowledgeable, and patient this guy was! He was a natural confidence builder. I should have known he was the perfect instructor for me when he patiently listened to me jabber away about how excited I was to learn surfing and how much I loved being in or on the water.

First, we had a 10-minute lesson on the beach, which included a safety lesson about the water, how to get on and off the board, and practicing the things above. To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed and nervous because I really wanted to be a good student and a good steward of the water. But his guidance and all the drills on land helped me get out on the water!

Once you are ready to go out on the water, your instructor will help you paddle out into the ocean, and then they will help you get into position for the next wave; once they spot the next wave, they cue you to paddle until you hear them yell for you to stand.

My first wave, I didn't make it up at all. But we tried again, and that's when I felt like I was walking on water! I got up and rode that wave! I even yelled and put my hands up, excited that I just stood up and rode a wave despite crashing a few moments later. But it didn't matter; because of Yogi, I got the confidence to paddle back out against the waves and try again.

Surf Etiquette

That's I lost all my confidence . . . even Yogi was getting frustrated with the swimmers since a few of them were causing trouble. They were in the way of the surfers, which meant that navigating the waves without hurting them or myself was hard. I got up multiple times and crashed seconds later for fear of hitting them. Yogi even tried to steer me away from them and even yelled at the swimmers to move.

*NOTE TO SWIMMERS*

If you see surfers, please do NOT swim or stand in their area; you are putting them and yourself in danger. And it's annoying!

The more I tried, the more defeated I felt, and I just couldn't get that magical feeling I had from the second wave. But with a pep talk and a lot of breathing, I finally caught a wave and then another and another. All because of Yogi. I even rode a wave almost all the way in and turned the surfboard, something we didn't practice.

I got my grove back and then some! I was so excited that he kept saying, “Let's ride another wave!”

And we did!

At this point, I was 100 percent sure we were over time, but he allowed me to play since I had gotten my confidence back. I did one more wave, which wasn't as good as the others, and he asked if I wanted to do one more . . . as he had kept asking me for the past 10 minutes. I told him that no, I wanted to end on a high note, which I did!

Surfing the Famous Waikiki Beach!

After my lesson, Yogi was an excellent sport, returning to the beach for pictures since I couldn't get any while surfing.

This was my second highlight of being in Oahu—after swimming with sharks, of course! Riding some of the most famous waves will stick with me forever.

Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo to Yogi, Star Beachboys, and Oahu for the most incredible and life-changing experience. I can't wait to come back. 

Shaka!