Kids and Teens Surf Lessons in Siargao

Kids learn to surf faster than adults. They are lighter, less afraid of falling and they do not overthink the pop-up. Our job is to give them a safe, shallow place to do it, a board that floats them easily and an instructor who is close enough to touch. Kids and teens sessions have no fixed price because the length, the ratio and the spot change with the child's age; message us on WhatsApp and we will quote for your family.

How we set up a kids lesson

Board. Always a soft-top: a foam deck, soft fins and plenty of volume. Kids can bump into it, sit on it and fall on it without getting hurt, and it catches small waves without much paddling.

Water. Shallow. On small days we use a sandbar, where an adult can stand waist deep and there is only sand under the board. When there is a bit more swell we move to Jacking Horse, the soft rolling wave next to the Cloud 9 boardwalk, and stay on the sandy inside section. We do not take children onto the reef proper.

Ratio. One instructor stays with your child in the water, holding the board, picking the waves and giving the push. For a group of kids we bring more instructors rather than stretching one thinner.

Time. A session is up to two hours in the water, but with younger children we often stop earlier, when attention runs out and before the sun does the damage. Better a good hour than a tearful second one.

What happens in the session

1. Pick-up from your hotel in General Luna. Parents ride along.
2. On the sand. The instructor shows how the board works, how the leash works, and the one rule that matters most: fall flat, never head first. Then pop-ups on the sand, made into a game rather than a drill.
3. In the water. The instructor walks the board out to waist-deep water, turns it towards the beach, and pushes your child into the whitewater. Lying down first, then knees, then feet. Most kids are standing within the first half hour.
4. Riding to the beach. Once standing is easy, the instructor works on riding all the way to the sand, looking ahead and staying on the board when it slows down.
5. Back on the beach. A quick debrief with the parents: what went well, what to try next time, and whether the child is ready for a family board rental.

Safety

• Soft-top boards only, with soft fins
• Sand underneath, or the sandy inside at Jacking Horse; no coral takeoffs for kids
• An instructor within arm's reach the entire time your child is in the water
• Rash guards to keep the sun off, and we ask you to apply reef-safe sunscreen before you arrive
• We stop when the child wants to stop. Nobody learns anything while they are crying

Water is 27 to 29 degrees all year, so cold is not a problem, but the sun is. Bring a hat for after the session.

Where parents watch from

At Jacking Horse, the Cloud 9 boardwalk and its tower look straight down on the beginner lineup, so you can sit in the shade with a coffee and see every wave your child catches. Bring a phone with a zoom lens; the boardwalk is where most of the photos in Siargao are taken from. At the sandbar you can simply stand in the water a few metres away, and many parents do.

Parents who want to surf too can book a beginner lesson or a private session at the same time and spot, with a separate instructor.

What to bring

• Swimwear or a wetsuit-style swim top for smaller kids who feel the wind
• Reef-safe sunscreen, applied before pick-up
• Water and a small snack for after the session
• A towel, a hat and a dry t-shirt
• No valuables; leave them at the hotel

We provide the board, leash, wax and a rash guard in the right size.

Teenagers

Teens who already surf, or who pick it up in the first session, move quickly onto a longboard or funboard and out to the shoulder at Jacking Horse. For a motivated teenager the private coaching format often makes more sense after the first day or two: one instructor, one goal, real waves.

How to book

Message us on WhatsApp at +63 962 422 5438 with your children's ages, how confident they are in the sea, your dates and your hotel. WeChat users can reach us at lily_barrel, and there is a form on our home page. We reply in English, Russian and Chinese, and we will tell you honestly whether the conditions on your dates suit young kids.

Want your kids to catch their first wave on Siargao? Message us on WhatsApp and we will plan a session around them.