As one of New Zealand’s most experienced surfing instructors and owner of Learn to Surf, Aaron Lock’s passion is to encourage others to love and embrace the ocean without fear.
“It’s easy to get started with surfing, a series of lessons will give your child all the basic skills. All equipment is provided and we try to keep the cost to a minimum. We have one instructor for every six students so each child is safe and getting plenty of individual attention. Our instructors are great at encouraging everyone to progress at their own rate and enjoy their time in the water,” says Aaron.
Aaron and his large team of coaches dedicate their skills and time to share their ocean knowledge and educate families – both in and out of the water. Group lessons are split into adults, kids (age 8-14) and teenagers (13-18).
“The ocean can be a scary place but with a few basic skills it can be the world’s best playground. Every lesson begins with a bit of land time, checking the surf, looking for any hazards and talking about how to deal with rips and currents and also how to wipeout safely [when the nose of the surfboard digs into the sea often causing the rider to tip off the front]. We then do a few drills and skills on the beach before we hit the water for the rest of the session. Students are gaining confidence in every lesson, developing new skills, while at the same time having a heap of fun,” he says.
