Ohana Surf Project

What Ohana Surf Project does

Ohana Surf Project is a Honolulu, Hawaii-based for-profit company founded in 2015 that provides surf, paddleboard, and bodyboarding lessons alongside equipment rentals. The company operates as a small business with 11-50 employees, serving tourists and local residents seeking water sports instruction and equipment access in the Hawaiian market. Its operations are anchored in Honolulu, leveraging the area's status as a major Pacific surf destination and gateway for Hawaii tourism.

The business model centers on direct consumer-facing recreational services, monetizing through per-lesson fees, lesson packages, and equipment rental rates on a transactional retail basis. As a privately held company without public financial disclosure, Ohana Surf Project operates without documented external funding, parent company affiliation, or revenue metrics. Leadership is concentrated in Sean Anderson, who serves as CEO, COO, and Co-Owner, indicating an operator-led, founder-controlled business structure with overlapping executive functions.

The company's strategic positioning relies on its Hawaii location and the "Ohana" brand, which carries Hawaiian cultural resonance. No proprietary technology platform, software product, mobile application, API, or digital infrastructure is documented in available sources, indicating a primarily service-based, in-person operating model with no clear technology moat or data flywheel. Available evidence is limited to basic firmographic data, which constrains deeper strategic assessment of unit economics, customer mix, or growth signals.

Name

Ohana Surf Project

Website

https://ohanasurfproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ohana Surf Project is a Honolulu-based surf school founded in 2015 offering surf, paddleboard, and bodyboarding lessons and equipment rentals to tourists and local residents, operating as a small private company with 11-50 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surf Instruction & Water Sports Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Recreational Goods Rental (532284), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Surf Schools & Surf Camps (THAAAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Surfing & Kitesurfing Experiences (Lessons, Camps) (THAJAJAJ), Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB), Paddle Sports Retail (Kayak, Canoe, SUP, Paddles) (CRAMAIAD)

Keywords

• Surf lessons
• Paddleboard rentals
• Bodyboarding instruction
• Water sports school
• Beach equipment rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Core offering

Ohana Surf Project provides surf lessons, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) lessons, bodyboarding lessons, and rentals of surfboards, paddleboards, and bodyboards. The offerings are delivered to individual consumers seeking ocean recreation experiences in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surf Lessons In-person surf instruction delivered to individuals in Honolulu, Hawaii; designed for beginners and recreational participants who want to learn surfing during a beach visit.
• Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Lessons Guided stand-up paddleboarding instruction for individuals in Honolulu, targeting beginners and hobbyists seeking ocean recreation on calm Hawaiian waters.
• Bodyboarding Lessons Instructional bodyboarding sessions in Honolulu for individual participants who want a guided introduction to bodyboarding waves.
• Surfboard, Paddleboard, and Bodyboard Rentals Rental of surfboards, stand-up paddleboards, and bodyboards to individual customers in Honolulu who want to self-paddle without taking a lesson.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Others

• Surfline: Industry-leading surf forecasting, content, and camera platform. Not a direct competitor, but a key ecosystem player — surf schools like Ohana routinely co-market with Surfline and rely on its surf data for operations.

Direct peers

• North Shore Surf Shop: Oahu surf retailer and rental operator offering lessons and board rentals. Comparable diversified revenue model combining surf retail, rentals, and instruction in the same Hawaiian market.
• Hans Hedemann Surf School: One of the largest and most established surf schools in Hawaii, offering lessons at multiple locations on Oahu. Direct competitor to Ohana Surf Project in Honolulu across the same surf-lesson and rental customer base.
• Hawaiian Surf Adventures: Hawaii-based surf school and adventure operator offering lessons and rentals targeting visiting tourists. Directly comparable in product mix, customer segment, and island-based service model.
• Big Wave Surf School: Surf school operating lessons and rentals on Oahu's North Shore. Comparable to Ohana Surf Project in core lesson + rental offering, serving a slightly more advanced surfer segment.
• Goofy Foot Surf School: California-based surf school with multi-location operations offering lessons, rentals, and camps. Comparable business model and product mix, though based on the mainland; useful for sizing expansion playbooks.
• Moku Surf: Oahu-based surf school offering group and private lessons plus rentals. Operates in the same Honolulu/Waikiki market as Ohana Surf Project with a comparable lesson-and-rental business model.
• Surf Hawaii: Local Hawaiian surf school offering lessons, camps, and rentals. Direct competitor in the same geographic market with a similar target customer base of visitors and beginners.

Regional players

• Waikiki Beach Services: Long-standing beach concessionaire in Waikiki offering surfboard and beach equipment rentals, plus lessons. A scale incumbent in the same physical market, providing overlap on the rental and lesson offerings.

Emerging players

• Kai Sutch Surf School: Smaller, individual-instructor-led surf school operating on Oahu. Comparable offering focused on personal, coaching-style lessons — competes with Ohana at the private-lesson price point.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ohanasurfpro
• Facebookfacebook.com/OhanaSurfProjectHawaii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohana-surf-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohana Surf Project