Private Surf Lessons in Siargao

Private coaching is the session where everything is built around one person: the spot we pick, the board we bring, the hour we start and what we work on in the water. We run it for complete beginners who want more attention than a standard lesson gives, and for surfers who have been riding for years and are stuck on the same plateau. There is no fixed price; tell us what you want to work on and we will send you a quote on WhatsApp.

Who books private lessons

• First-timers who want the whole instructor to themselves. Same content as our beginner lesson, but nobody else is waiting for a push.
• Nervous swimmers or people coming back from an injury. Slower pace, more time in the shallows, and an instructor whose only job is you.
• Intermediates who stand up but cannot progress. Late take-offs, a pop-up that lands too far back, a bottom turn that never turns. These are the things an instructor watching every one of your waves will catch in a session.
• Experienced surfers new to reef. A guided session to learn how the General Luna reefs break, where to sit, when to go and how to fall on coral, before you paddle out alone.

What a private session looks like

Before the day. We ask a few questions on WhatsApp: how long you have surfed, what board you ride at home, what you want to change. This tells us which spot and which board to bring.

Pick-up. We collect you from your hotel in General Luna with the board already on the rack and drive to the spot we chose that morning based on tide, swell and wind.

Land work (10 to 20 minutes). For beginners: the pop-up, the leash and how to fall. For everyone else: a look at the lineup from the beach or the boardwalk, where the peak is, where the channel is, and one or two clear things we are going to work on.

Two hours in the water. Your instructor stays with you the whole time. With beginners they hold the board and pick the waves. With intermediates they sit a few metres away, call you into waves, and after each ride give you one correction, not five. Where the spot allows it we can film from the beach and go through the clips afterwards.

Debrief. On the beach we tell you exactly what changed, what did not yet, and what to do in your next free surf.

Where we go

For beginners and lower intermediates the answer is almost always Jacking Horse, because it is the most forgiving reef on the island and it works most days. For surfers who are ready for it, the private format is how we introduce people to the Cloud 9 lefts and rights, Tuason on the right swell, or a boat trip to the northern lefts. If you want a full day built around chasing the best wave rather than working on technique, that is our surf guiding service.

We do not promise a spot in advance. The tide and the wind decide, and we tell you the plan the evening before. Our surf spots guide explains the reasoning.

What is included

• Your own instructor for the full session
• A surfboard matched to your level and the wave that day, from our fleet of soft-tops, longboards, funboards and shortboards
• Leash, wax and a rash guard
• Free pick-up and drop-off at any hotel in General Luna

If the plan involves a boat, booties for a rocky exit, or a long drive to the north coast, we tell you in advance and include it in the quote.

What to bring

Swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen, water and a towel. If you have your own board and want to work on it, bring it. If you have footage of yourself surfing at home, a thirty-second clip on your phone helps us plan the session before you even arrive.

Price

Private and semi-private sessions are quoted individually because the cost changes with the spot, the transport and the length of the session. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates, your level and what you want to work on, and we will reply with a clear price. For the standard beginner package at Jacking Horse, which does have a fixed price of 2,500 PHP, see the beginner lessons page.

How to book

Write to us on WhatsApp at +63 962 422 5438, on WeChat at lily_barrel, or through the form on our home page. We speak English, Russian and Chinese. Once we have your dates we watch the forecast and confirm the plan and pick-up time the evening before your session.

Ready to work on your surfing with someone watching every wave? Message us on WhatsApp and tell us where you are stuck.