Los Cabos: Costa Azul Surf Lesson with Pickup & Snacks

4.97

(397 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed at Costa Azul was how the morning light made everything look sort of washed out and golden — even the sand looked softer somehow. Our guide, Luis, waved us over from under a blue umbrella, grinning like he’d just come out of the water himself. He handed me a rash guard and a foam board (I asked about fiberglass but honestly, I was glad for the soft landing later). There was this salty breeze that stuck to my skin right away — not in a bad way. Just part of being here, I guess.

I’ve never surfed before — unless you count watching YouTube videos at 1am — so I was nervous. Luis showed us how to pop up on the board right there on the sand. “Don’t overthink it,” he said, which is exactly what I did anyway. When we finally paddled out, I could hear kids laughing nearby and someone selling tamales up on the road (didn’t expect that). The water felt colder than it looked but not shocking. And when I actually caught a tiny wave for half a second? It’s weird how loud your own heartbeat gets when you’re standing up for the first time.

We took breaks under the umbrella with bottled water and granola bars — nothing fancy but after swallowing half the ocean it tasted perfect. Luis told stories about growing up surfing here; he said everyone’s family has at least one person who surfs in Los Cabos. On the ride back (air-conditioned van, thank god), we all swapped stories about our best wipeouts and someone’s kid fell asleep holding his board wax like a trophy. I still think about that view from out past the break — looking back at shore, sun on my face, feeling like maybe I could belong to this place for a minute.