Surfing with the Hawaii Surf Guru

I’d never tried surfing before, so I figured…what better place to learn than in Hawai’i?

hibeachsurf

I do most of my “travel research” on Yelp because I tend to plan my travels around food, so after a bit of digging around, I found amazing reviews for the Hawaii Surf Guru, otherwise known as Kimo.

Kimo is a magical human being. That’s all I gotta say.

I booked a 90-minute private lesson for $120 that ended up being closer to 2 hours. Truth be told, I was a little apprehensive that I’d be a lost cause with surfing. As I mentioned in a previous post, my back had been hurting quite a bit and just getting myself to stand required way more effort than it should have.

…But I also didn’t want to leave Hawai’i without at least trying it, so I decided to just go with it. Thankfully, my body cooperated (for the most part). I’d actually had an SUP yoga class lined up for a couple hours after this one, but I apparently messed up the scheduling so that one didn’t happen. (It was probably a good idea to give myself a break though.)

 

Kimo is super down to earth and such an amazing teacher! He’s been surfing for 50+ years and is super super chill. He gave me reef shoes, a surf shirt, and a board, and started off the lesson on the shore to discuss safety, explain the basics of surfing, and to have me practice getting up on the board before we paddled out onto the water.

Once we were out there, he would read the waves and tell me when to paddle. I was actually up and standing by the 3rd(!) wave! :D!!!

I really liked Kimo’s surf philosophy–when you’re out there on the water, nothing else matters. Just enjoy yourself and let your inner child out.

He noticed very early on that I have a major tendency to overthink things–something he found common in all his “doctor-type” students (har har), so he said this would be an especially good thing for me, because it’d train me to stop thinking and just go for it.

We got to talking about life while we were out on there and I found out that he does lots of outreach and volunteer work, including helping out with a surf camp for autistic children!

He was super patient and encouraging and really good at noticing little details so he could help me fine-tune what I was doing. I apparently had a natural tendency to surf down the line, so he just went with it, and by the end of the lesson, we’d moved off to much deeper waters/bigger waves!

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If not for the fact that I’d booked my lesson on my second-last day in Hawai’i and already had a stand-up paddleboarding lesson (read more about that in a month for Travel Tuesday! :P ) scheduled for the next day, I totally would have scheduled another lesson.

If I ever get to move to Hawai’i, I’d love to take regular lessons with him. I had so much fun! *-* My only regret is that there is no pictorial evidence of me killin’ it on the water. (So sad. :'( ) But what did I say about leaving a bunch of excuses to return to Hawai’i? That’s right. There’s another one.

After my lesson, I headed back to Tropical Tribe for a celebratory breakfast!


I went to chill at Ala Moana Beach Park for a bit before heading back to where I was staying and promptly KO’ed for about 3 hours (…surfing is really tiring? So much paddling!).

alamoanabeach

I had ambitions to go hiking at Manoa Falls in the afternoon but missed basically every bus ever and decided it was a sign from above to not go…so I explored downtown and found a glorious shave ice place instead: Waiola Shave Ice!


I may or may not have gotten another one for the road. (It was a somewhat rainy mile each way to get there!)

waiolashaveice


  • Have you ever been surfing?
  • Do you have a tendency to overthink things?
  • Are you the type to pack in a billion activities or do you prefer to just chill/relax when you’re on vacation?

Permanent link to this article: https://www.fairyburger.com/surfing-hawaii-surf-guru/

22 comments

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  1. You really did make them most of this trip, and that is SO AWESOME. I would love to try surfing. When I was in HI, the first tim I went in the water, I scraped my foot badly on volcanic rock… and that was the end of me going in the water…
    Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Help Suz Out!My Profile

    1. Oh I tried! ;P I’m sorry to hear about your first Hawai’i water experience! :[ Hope you get to try surfing someday! <3!!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  2. Yaayyyy!! I’ve done two surfing lessons on my trips to Hawaii. The second was the morning after my wedding and we did a group lesson with most of the people who traveled with us. Even the Hubs Dad tried! EVERYONE got up on the board and next to the actual wedding ranks up there as one of the happiest moments of my life. It was one of those magical out of body experiences to share that with my loved ones.

    If I ever go back to Oahu (I’m more of a Maui/ Kauai fan) I will DEF look this guy up!!! Looks like you had a great time too.
    Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…Farro, Mushroom, Cranberry & Walnut Stuffed Acorn SquashMy Profile

    1. That’s all sorts of awesome, and I’m totally with you–it’s such a magical experience! I reallyyy want to go back to take more lessons! :] It was so much fun!

      I need to make it over to Maui/Kauai at some point! <3
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  3. Seriously so fun and such a killer experience!!! Surfing has long been on my bucket list!
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Roasted Apple & Cranberry SauceMy Profile

    1. I hope you get to try it sometime! :D It’s so much fun!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  4. So much fun, in all the times I’ve been to Hawaii I’ve never tried surfing there, I so need to correct that! Well that and getting back to Hawaii again!
    What a fun time, I haven’t surfed since I was a kid on a CA trip, LOL
    Runaway Bridal Planner recently posted…A Unique Beach Experience for the Coming WinterMy Profile

    1. I hope you get to do both soon! :]

      I’ve never been surfing in CA! I’m a wimp when it comes to cold water and northern California beaches = freezing, hahaha. x_x
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  5. what an amazing experience, Farrah! I would love to learn to surf, but I’m also terrified of sharks lol. Sounds like a blast though! Loving that celebratory breakfast!

    1. haha, darn! I guess that’s always somewhat of an underlying fear that I kinda tried to shove to the very back of my mind, but it was so much fun!!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  6. Kimo seems like one of those people you meet in life and you never forget them – even if you just met them briefly. How fun that you had surf lessons – definitely on my bucket list.
    Kaylin@EnticingHealthyEating recently posted…Facial Care Gone GreenMy Profile

    1. For reals! It was awesome talking to him about life–that zen/”at peace with life” vibe he has definitely rubs off! :] I hope you get to go surfing sometime! :D
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  7. We honeymooned in Hawaii. We did a lot and barely relaxed for the whole two weeks! We did not surf. Wouldn’t try it with a bad back.
    I do over think things.
    We had an awesome fish taco in Kauai. The fruit was incredible. Papaya and pineapple was so sweet! The sushi was great too. I think I will be writing about this great trip in my travel section of my blog in Jan!
    Joanne | No Plate Like Home recently posted…Pumpkin Alfredo with Egg NoodlesMy Profile

    1. I was pretty concerned that I’d effed up my already-hurting back for good after this lesson but it ended up being okay! (Whew.) I like to think the ocean cured me, haha.

      Ahh, fish tacos! That’s one thing I meant to have while I was there that I never got around to getting! (I will save that for my to-do list for next time! :P ) Will look forward to reading about your Hawai’i trip! I’m all for more reasons to convince myself to go back again! :P
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  8. What an awesome experience! I have never been surfing and I feel like I’d be too scared of hurting myself….. or you know, sharks :P
    Kristy from Southern In Law recently posted…Recipe: No Bake Pecan Pie Energy BitesMy Profile

    1. haha, sharks are definitely a valid fear but I also feel bad for em’ because they’re so misunderstood and half the time, they’re really just mistaking humans for seals because their eyesight is so terrible! D:
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  9. I totally want to go Surfing! I had an opportunity last year, but my now ex-boyfriend is terrified of sharks and large bodies of water. It’s kind of funny because I can’t swim but I love being in the water. I’m really happy your back didn’t act up, and you got an excellent swim lesson in Hawaii. Those Shaved Ice’s look pretty darn tasty

    1. Thanks, Mary! I’m super glad too, hehe. I hope you get a chance to try surfing sometime! <3

      I want more shaved ice, haha. It feels like it's been ages since I've had one!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  10. That’s great that you tried surfing. Your teacher sounds amazing! That’s so cool that he works with autistic children. The ocean really freaks me out, so I don’t know if I could do surfing. hah As for activities on vacation, it depends! I went to London in September and I was pretty busy because omg! London! If it’s somewhere I could more easily visit, then sometimes I want to relax more.
    ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Heat Wave by Karina Halle Release Day BlitzMy Profile

    1. He was so cool! I’m really glad that I got to take my first lesson with him, except now I’m hooked but not in Hawai’i anymore so…super sad. :'( I wanna take more lessons!

      I feel ya! There are definitely some vacations where I want to just sit back and do absolutely nothing, but others where I pack everything in the world into em’!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

  11. Angel was all into surfing and body boarding when he lived in California. He still has multiple wetsuits stored at his parents’ house, ha! I don’t think I’d be successful at it so awesome job being brave enough to try learning a new skill! I tried stand up paddleboarding in Hawaii and loved it, but I did spend most of the time just sitting on the board and having fun paddling around. :)
    Rachel G recently posted…Things You Do When You’re Hoping for a BabyMy Profile

    1. Is it sad that I’ve never gone surfing or body boarding in CA even though I spent most of my life there? (In my defense, I was in northern California and the water there is cold as crap? haha.)

      SUP is so much fun! I got to try that the next day and that’s coming up in a future Travel Tuesday post! :D It was a lot of fun paddling around, whether standing or sitting! :]!
      Farrah recently posted…Surfing with the Hawaii Surf GuruMy Profile

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