SummerTime Surf, offering Stand-Up-Paddle Board private lessons and classes since 2008 !
- Locations
- Shark River
- Manasquan River
- Private Lessons
- 1 hour and 15 mins of technique instruction and individualized attention
- $75 per person
- Includes Equipment
- Up to 6 students per lesson
- Private Group Tours
- Private group tours can be arranged with large groups
- Please email shaun@summertimesurf.com to set up your group tour.
- SUP Classes
- FOR EXPERIENCED PADDLERS
- 1 hour of professionally led practice
- $30 per class w/o own equipment
- $10 per class w/ equipment
- Classes Include
- SUP Yoga
- Technique Coaching
- Timed Courses
- SUP Community Involvement
- S.U.P.P.E.R. Club
- $180 for 4 weeks including equipment
- $50 for 4 weeks with own equipment
- Membership Includes:
- Free enrollment to all SUP Classes
- Access to Board Storage
- 2 Guest Passes
- Club T Shirt
- Sticker
SummerTime Surf Stand Up Paddle Philosophy
We operate under the mindset that everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the joy of surfing. SUP provides an opportunity for more people to get a taste of the surfing lifestyle. We think that’s a good thing.
Surfing culture has exploded in mainstream popularity in the past 10 years. Stand Up Paddle is the most accessible aspect of surfing culture for the curious beginner looking to get a taste of the ancient sport of kings.
Anyone can learn to surf. To become an expert surfer, you need to dedicate years of your life to the surfing discipline. So how do you get started?
For most people who don’t have a solid background of ocean experience, Stand Up Paddle can be an ideal entry point to the surfing lifestyle. Athletically, SUP is the mid point between kayaking and surfing. It will get you in the water, provide you with a great workout, and connect you to a higher level of natural existence that can be traced back to ancient Hawaiian roots. But it must be approached correctly. So how do you get started?
First things first, take a lesson!
Stand Up Paddle technique is something that is most often practiced incorrectly by beginners. You want to maximize your energy output so proper technique from the beginning is essential. Bad habits are hard to break, so start with a lesson and get some guidance before you head out on your own.
If your instructor wants to bring you in the ocean for your first lesson, hang up and call Summertime Surf. The ocean is NOT the right place to get your feet wet, and navigating the beach breaks of New Jersey is a great way to hurt yourself or even worse, someone else!
With big boards come big responsibilities. Surfing etiquette dictates that it is your responsibility to control your equipment at all times. An average SUP is 2x to 3x larger in volume than even the biggest longboard surfboards. The bigger your board, that harder it will be to keep within your control. Even experienced surfers have difficulty controlling huge surfboards in the ocean.
The danger involved makes it understandable that most surfers have a negative stigma towards Stand Up Paddle Boards in the surf lineup. Unfortunately for some, that stigma has carried over to all of Stand Up Paddle. We think that is a narrow-minded approach.
Stand Up Paddle should always be taught in FLAT WATER. This means somewhere other than where breaking waves may become present.
Good places to get started in flat water: rivers, lakes, bays, or reservoirs.
For the beginner approaching surfing, flat water SUP is like a secret weapon against surfing’s steep learning curve. If you have mastered the skills of flat water SUP, you can start to think about transitioning to the ocean.
Stand Up Paddling is here, and there is a tremendous amount of interest in it. As ambassadors to the surfing lifestyle, our goal is to provide the best possible guidance to those who would like a proper introduction to what we think is the greatest lifestyle on the planet.
If you are still intent on getting out there and catching some waves on your Stand Up Paddle Board, learn to surf with beginner-friendly craft and take the right steps. The pros at SummerTime Surf School will guide you.
If you are experienced enough of a surfer, and feel
confident that you will be able to maintain control of your SUP, be sure you can:
1. Paddle out and in navigate breaking waves
2. Deal with being caught inside
3. Learn to successfully get your board and paddle back after losing control
4. Responsibly enter a lineup with other surf craft
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Riding waves in New Jersey
You see guys riding SUP’s in big surf on TV out in Hawaii and California, but
that is an entirely different scene than what is really appropriate for
NJ. If there are waves over about
3 feet in NJ, the best equipment is really a high-performance shortboard,
basically the opposite of an SUP.
New Jersey is 99% beach break, and Stand Up Paddle Surfing is most
appropriate for point breaks and mellow reef breaks.
In NJ, we think the SUP scene should really be considered a cross training tool or a separate activity. Once in a while catching a small session at an uncrowded spot is OK. Also, catching a few waves after a long distance ocean paddle is a good way to reward yourself. But to paddle out expecting to become part of the lineup at a crowded spot that is more suitable for other equipment, is completely and totally against surfing etiquette.
If you do find yourself in a crowded lineup, please be cool to everyone out there. Remember, your heightened perspective gives you opportunity to see oncoming sets before your prone brethren. Show some Aloha, give the pack some heads up, and don’t abuse your significant advantage. If that’s your approach, you might be welcomed next time.