Private Surf Lessons near Clearwater Beach
Beginner-friendly private surf lessons held in Indian Rocks Beach, just south of Clearwater Beach. CPR-certified instructors, personalized coaching, and all equipment included.
Pinellas County’s First Surf School, est. 2018.
We specialize in private beginner surf lessons for kids, adults, and families, while also helping returning surfers build on their skills.
Our goal is simple: build your confidence, strengthen the fundamentals, and get you out there surfing and having fun.
Private Surf Lessons in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
Beginner-friendly private surf lessons in Indian Rocks Beach, near Clearwater Beach, with CPR-certified instructors and all equipment provided.
Pinellas County’s First Surf School, est. 2018.
We specialize in private beginner surf lessons for kids, adults, and families, while also helping returning surfers build on their skills.
Our goal is simple: build your confidence, strengthen the fundamentals, and get you out there surfing and having fun.
Savannah Jo “Sister Jo”
Founder
About Us
Sister Jo’s Surf School began on Indian Rocks Beach, FL, when beachgoers kept asking, “Where can I learn to surf?”
At just 18, I realized Pinellas County needed its first dedicated surf school. So, I launched beginner surf lessons right here.
Today, Sister Jo’s is one of Florida’s most sought‑after surf schools for both visitors and locals.
Private Surf Lessons
Private 60-minute surf lesson for all ages.
✓ CPR-certified instructors
✓ All gear included
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Calm-water paddle sessions focused on balance and fun.
✓ Private 60-minute class
✓ Equipment provided
Skimboarding
Learn to ride with confidence and style.
✓ Private 60-minute class
✓ Board included
Skateboarding
Build balance and board control before hitting the waves.
✓ Private 60-minute class
✓ Gear provided
Student Testimonial
Livia Bloomer
2 months ago
Never surfed before this lesson and had such a great time! Definitely would recommend to everyone
eserge18
2 months ago
Luke was an awesome instructor! I’m still a beginner at best and learning more and more each time out! He was patient with us throughout our entire lesson and extremely helpful in teaching a couple of guys in our 40s! Savannah was quick and easy to communicate everything with from start to finish for booking!! Highly recommend and will absolutely do this again.
Ryan Miller
3 months ago
Perfect teacher, learned so much in just an hour, everything was perfect. My first time ever surfing and learned so much. Thanks for being a perfect teacher!!
Joseph JB
3 months ago
Awesome time learning to surf! Thank you! Noah is great! We would love to come back again when we are back for another vacation!
Tiffany A
4 months ago
Highly recommend!! We took our toddler here this summer and it was AMAZING. Savannah helped to ensure we had the best weather/surf that would provide a SAFE and FUN experience, she was constantly in contact with us. On the day, Olivia was our instructor and she was outstanding!! She was so patient with my toddler, helped her learn the basics, surf a few waves and practice standing on the board!! If we are in the area again, we will definitely be repeat customers!! 12/10 recommend!!!
Susanne Johnson
4 months ago
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Sister Jo’s Surf School.
Sister Jo’s Surf School was the highlight of our trip! My daughter took private lessons and had an amazing experience. Her instructors were fantastic. In just a short time, she learned how to handle the board, paddle, pop up, and catch waves. She was even riding them all the way to the beach! The lessons gave her so much confidence. She felt comfortable enough to rent a board and surf.
We also booked a family lesson, and it was wonderful. Everyone in the family had different goals for the day. The instructor did a great job making sure each of us achieved what we wanted. We all had a blast!
Anna M. Davis
4 months ago
What a fun experience for our kids that they will never forget! Cooper is a wonderful surfing instructor. He was so patient and kind to our first-time surfers. Any ability level can participate. He really seemed to care about our children doing well and catching waves. He took his time helping both of them equally, and he is just an all-around good guy. I’m so glad we were able to do the lessons, and we are so thankful we met him. For anyone who is hesitating, we recommend him and doing the surfing lessons 100%. Thank you, Cooper!
Reese Talbot
5 months ago
Instructor was great! Very helpful and made me feel comfortable! I wish we would have tried a different beach with more wave action - seems very pricy for lessons on a beach that isn’t a popular spot for surfing… (i’m not local so i wouldnt have known that :()
Carmen Palacios
5 months ago
Mary Shaver
5 months ago
I had such a great experience! Booked two lessons and feel 100x more confident surfing on my own in the gulf.
Both Colin and Olivia gave me so many pointers to focus on as I continue surfing and I really feel like the lesson was catered to be valuable for me.
If you’re interested in surfing or even if you already know how to surf and want to learn about surfing on the gulf coast, these lessons will be so, so worth it!!
Jeremy
6 months ago
Olivia was amazing! I had so much fun surfing, would definitely come back 🌊🙌
Jeana Oh
6 months ago
My 10 year old son and I were visiting from NYC, he’s taken some surf lesson in Waikiki and Cocoa Beach before. Sister Jo’s Surf School’s Google reviews were the deciding factor. Savannah and Olivia were very welcoming and his lesson went very well and he learned a lot. The beach they chose for lessons was so clean, safe and easy to access in Clearwater Beach area. Olivia has calm and watchful presence in her instruction methods. She is encouraging and empowering in her social engagement with children.
Kevin Hutchinson
6 months ago
We had a great time today with Olivia and Noah. They stayed right with us the entire time and gave us lots of opportunities to get into the waves.
Not only was the surfing a good experience, but the school was very accommodating. We got a message the night before our lesson letting us know the conditions wouldn't be very good for our lesson and they pushed us back a day, without charge, so that we would have better waves. We also had some trouble finding parking and the instructors stayed with us for the full hour anyway. We were very pleased with the attention to detail and flexibility from everyone.
Even though we were supposed to get to the beach almost an hour before our lesson, we picked a very busy day for the beach. Parking is limited along this beach, so I would recommend planning ahead if you book lessons with Sister Jo's, especially if you have a long drive during a holiday weekend.
Rachel Castle
6 months ago
I loved working with Sister Jo's surf school. 10/10 lesson experiance
Blossom Uwishema
7 months ago
Olivia was an amazing instructor! Very easy to understand and overall helpful!
Jaclyn Jones
7 months ago
My family loved working with the instructors at Sister Jo’s. My daughters, 10 and 12, were so excited. They loved the experience and the people.
Miranda Dietrich
7 months ago
Our three teenage daughters took lessons at IRB today and they loved the instructor Olivia and the waves she helped them catch! Highly recommend —it was so easy to get to and the skills gained was awesome!
Sean Padden
7 months ago
Absolutely apathetic instructor, disappeared for 20 minutes. I ended my lesson early, waste of money and time.
Seth Erickson
7 months ago
Sister Jo’s Surf School came in clutch during my week down on the Gulf Coast. My instructor Olivia was very helpful, knowledgeable & relatable when it came to demo, instruction & assistance. Especially being able to relate surf terms/body mechanics to snowboarding which is what I was used to being from the north. Also the school was very accommodating when it came to scheduling to give me the best possible conditions for the time I was there since I was flexible for the week. I would highly recommend this to people like myself that are new to the sport in having a not so daunting introduction to the sport!
Austin Broadie
7 months ago
We had such a great time. Our instructor, Olivia, was so helpful and taught us the basics as well as getting us out to start surfing super quick! We had no prior experience, but she made it easy to learn and we had such a good time. 100/10!
Seresa Lindberg
9 months ago
My daughter absolutely loved her first lesson with Lindsay! She was so patient with her and explained everything thoroughly. By the end of the lesson, my daughter was able to pop up on the board and was surfing! We are already planning the next time and we can’t wait to see her rip it up! ❤️
Jingyuan Liang
9 months ago
A good experience for a beginner! Thank you for Olivia's teaching and assistance. And good photos!
Milana Sobol
9 months ago
Excellent communication follow up and most importantly really fantastic teachers. Mature, responsible and so fun. Both of my kids took classes for a couple of days in a row during the Winter break and it was the highlight of every day. Cannot recommend the school enough and will be coming here every time we’re in the area for vacation
A Michelle
9 months ago
We are 2nd year repeat seasonal customers at Sister Jo's! My daughter looks forward to returning every year during her college winter break. The instructors have been top notch, and Olivia has left an everlasting impression, giving my daughter an extra boost of confidence and support. We will continue to support as repeat customers, thank you so much!!
Sam Crookshanks
9 months ago
Sister Jo’s surf school is definitely one I would recommend to anyone! Savannah and her team are very nice and accommodating. You can’t beat learning to surf in Indian Rocks Beach.
Holden W.E.
9 months ago
Olivia was amazing. She was so sweet and patient. We had trouble parking but she was very understanding and waited for us. I had my teenage boys take a lesson with her and they had a blast. She was so encouraging and celebrated little wins with them.
Connie D
12 months ago
So far we have had the pleasure of meeting: Olivia, Noah and Tre. My 5 yo daughter loves them all, each for a different reason. They are amazing instructors and when the waves are not cooperating they do fun drills on the flats!
Mario Licor
1 year ago
Had a lesson with Noah. He was great and the day went really well 🤙
Roxanne Pepe
1 year ago
My surf lesson at sister Jo’s was a blast. My instructor was very knowledgeable and explained everything clearly. She was patient and answered all my questions. I was able to get up on the board several times which made me feel confident. The beach where we had the lesson is gorgeous.
Lara Feltz
1 year ago
Everyone at Sister Jo’s was wonderful! Savannah is well in tune with the surf reports and she made scheduling easy! My first lesson was with Olivia. I was able to learn the basics with ease and ride some small waves out in Indian Rock. My second lesson was with John in Coca where the waves were more challenging. By the end I was able to catch some waves. If you are looking for lessons I highly recommend booking with them!
Pali Evaristo
1 year ago
My instructor Olivia was sooo sweet and patient. She explains super well and simple, and tries as many times as needed to get the best results possible for a beginner! Loved the experience
Mandy Allbritton
1 year ago
All coaches are 10star in knowledge and fun. Our girls are leaving for college up north and wanted to know basics before they’re thrown to the wolves there to surf. They had two private lessons and feel 100% confident going now. They had a blast! Surfing is a workout!! As my youngest said - continuous burpees! Thank you guys! Highly recommend. Mom (me - I’m 50YO am I too old lol) may want skateboard lessons next for when they leave!
Dustin
1 year ago
Savannah and Olivia were great! Incredibly flexible, accommodating, and informative.
Aphrodite Stavropoulos
1 year ago
We booked a beginner surf lesson with Sister Jo’s Surf school for our daughters while on vacation. From start to finish they were professional, provided clear communication and were well organized. Our instructor, Colin, was great and we had such an amazing time learning how to surf. Highly recommend for any families or anyone interested in picking up surfing or something fun to do.
Vani Singh
1 year ago
Thank you so much for an exhilarating and fun experience! Coach Luke was super patient, personable, knowledgable, and awesome!
Elizabeth Nagy
1 year ago
We had an awesome experience! If you're thinking about it just do it! Colin was patient and a great coach!
Paige
1 year ago
Our nine year old had an amazing lesson with Lindsey. Booking the lesson was easy and meeting up was a breeze. She enjoyed it so much we did an extra lesson before we left to head home. Lindsey taught her all about saftey and wave patterns, the importance of good balance and so much more. We are already counting down until her lesson next year.
Amber Olweiler
1 year ago
My daughter had a surf lesson with Jamie this week and absolutely loved her. Jamie was extremely professional and my 9 year old daughter had the best experience. When we come back down to Florida we will definitely be reaching out to Sister Jo’s again.
Everyone was extremely professional and answered all my questions in a timely manner before we even landed in Florida
As Seen on 10 Tampa Bay
Featured on Great Day Live
Sister Jo’s Surf School was featured on Great Day Live, where viewers got a behind-the-scenes look at learning to surf on Florida’s Gulf Coast and one of our lessons in Indian Rocks Beach.
AS SEEN IN NEWSBREAK
Featured in NewsBreak
Read our NewsBreak feature to learn how Sister Jo’s Surf School is helping beginners experience surfing on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Surf Lessons Near Clearwater Beach & Tampa Bay
Staying around Clearwater Beach or the Tampa Bay beaches?
Our private surf lessons are held in Indian Rocks Beach, where beginners can learn with personalized instruction, a sandy-bottom beach, and all equipment provided.
Whether you’re visiting Florida or live locally, we’ll tailor your lesson to your experience level and the day’s conditions.
Ready to Catch Your First Wave?
Book your private surf lesson and experience why locals and travelers choose Sister Jo’s for fun, safety, and personalized instruction. Lessons are held in Indian Rocks Beach, near Clearwater Beach, with all gear provided.
Plan Your Private Surf LessonSurfing with us already? Some families love our printable Surf Kids Memory Book as a keepsake. Learn more →