About

In 1994 it all began.

(As the story goes) Local surf shop Central Coast Surfboards employee and surfer Benoit Vallois started it up as ESB Surf School in 1994 with a old station wagon and a few duct-taped surfboards and dental floss stitched together wetsuits. Teaching surfing was usually only done in this time by someone’s older brother or sibling as localization was prevalent and teaching the sport of surfing wasn’t highly encouraged. Hey, it’s was the 80’s and noone knew any better lol…but from a large shop with mad respect…the school kept on. As the years went by, it grew and grew as surfing grew and in 2008 the ownership was transferred to Jerry & Heather Damron and the Damron family renamed it Sandbar Surf Company for 4 years or so. In 2011, Arroyo Grande local freesurfer and outdoor enthusiast Jonny Ziegler took the helm and then, just as luck would have it…surfing surged and pulsed with popularity.

Sometimes you just have to be at the right place at the right time. Like a wave.

Since 2011 I have had the pleasure of being the owner and thus the keeper of keys and answer-er of phones for Sandbar Surf School and in the 12 years that I have owned this business sometimes I marvel at exactly how many people from just about every country we’ve heard of and a few we’ve not heard of that we’ve taught this awesome sport to. Ten thousand people? 20k? More? Probably more.

How many has that surfboard taught. How many has THAT one taught. And so on.

I have a secret to admit to you….It’s such a wonderful feeling. Seeing the light go on in someone’s eyes that has wanted to check this off their bucket list for so long. And then if you didn’t get up the first day, we go home and figure out what it’s going to take to get you standing! That’s what we’re here for! It’s what we do. And it’s because we’re selfish lol…..nahhh It’s just that we want that joy again. Not for us but for you….it’s that joy that we felt on OUR first waves. When we see that joy in a clients face that wiped whatever great trauma that person was going through a week before, but completely forgotten about now. That feeling is unbelievable…It’s truly fantastic.

Sometimes the clients are here for a week. Sometimes they are only passing through. But they WANT to see if they can. We’re here to help you through those tough beginner moments to help you get there faster! And once you’re up, you’re addicted to it. Like we are. You will find yourself daydreaming It’s just that way. We call it mind surfing and you’ll end up doing it too, later after you’ve left us. Probably at work or during a class. And you’re welcome.

We at Sandbar Surf School are truly proud from the bottom of our hearts that you trust us with your lives and your children’s lives as we lead you out into the ocean that you have called us to do so many times over the years to help and guide you through your beginner surfing stages and further on. It is an honor to be trusted with that responsibility and we do not take it lightly. On a lighter note, you will not find a more fun group to lead you into your first waves or even progressing from beginner to intermediate and then writing us one day that you’re charging Bali! You’ll hear us hooting and hollaring all down the beach for you and that’s what thing sport is about is having FUN!!! You’ll find that this sport, with the proper safety precautions, is the most free and fun sport (in a world of ever-rising inflation, the ocean never raises it’s rates) you could ever be a part of.

No lift ticket needed, no team that you have to assemble to play….. all you gotta do is learn and go…. And that’s why we’re here. From all aspects of surfing from the beginner balance and breaking the wedge to bottom turning and lining up your wave so you too can be at the right place at the right time!

Thank you for trusting us for all these years to be your guide into this unbelievable and wonderful gift from nature we call surfing.

We think you’ll like it.

Mahalo.

Jonny, Bucky & the crew at Sandbar Surf School