In Reply to: Surfing lessons for Kids posted by Prada on Tuesday, 17. May 2011 at 18:33 Bali Time:
From someone who has surfed for over 40 years, surf schools, in my opinion are the greatest con of the sporting industry.(apart from overpriced clothing sold by corporate thieves who have conned our kids to buy poor quality crap, made in third world countries which advertise their garbage for free).
Whether in Bali or Australia, most so called surf schools charge exhorbitant fees for something the kids can mostly do on their own.
Often in Bali, the instructors cannot surf themselves and to pad out the lessons, have the kids running up and down the beach and exercising on the beach, instead of doing what they paid for.
Surfing has to be fun, or the kids will not learn..its simple...in Bali, you are far better off taking a Kmart boogie board with you, if the kids are learning, let them play round with it, have fun, and leave it there when you leave for some local kid to enjoy.
If you want your kid to learn to stand up surf, and dont want the hassle of taking a board with you, by all means rent one off the beach, but be careful that the board is not overpriced. Ask around before you get conned into renting a board that is waterlogged, over, or under sized, and totally useless to learn on.Most surfers will only be too happy to take a few moments to hand out tips to kids, and will keep an eye on them.
This doesnt mean that parents shouldnt watch the kids all the time in the water. Surf can be treacherous, and you should never rely on others to supervise your kids who are learning to surf.
In saying all this, probably the only thing the surf schools have going for them is that the boards they use are ideal to learn on, its just the crap you have to put up with, with their so called 'lessons' at ridiculous prices.
Far better to walk along the beach, ask Aussie surfers what type of board will suit your kid, and dont be afraid to ask for help regarding a fair price etc.No surfboard rental is cheap if it isnt a board to suit.
The new soft boards are ideal to learn on, just remember that it has to be fun.Its not fun if the kid cant ride it or the instructor doesnt know his job.