Banzai Surf School

What Banzai Surf School does

Banzai Surf School is a privately held, founder-operated surf instruction business based at a beachfront location on Pacific Coast Highway and Brookhurst Street in Huntington Beach, California. Founded in 2009 by Jaz Kaner, the company delivers in-person surf lessons, summer surf camps, and add-on photography and merchandise services to individual consumers, families, tourists, and corporate groups. It holds NSSIA (National Surf Schools and Instructors Association) accreditation and maintains partnerships with California State Parks and the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort for credibility and distribution reach.

The core product offering consists of 2-hour private lessons (priced from $169 for one person to $599 for six people), 1.5-hour daily group lessons at $89 per person for ages 14 and up, and a week-long summer surf camp at $440 per person for ages 6 and up, with instructor-to-student ratios of 1:3-4 for groups and 1:2-5 for camps. Discounted lesson packages (3Pack at $375, 6Pack at $690 for solo private lessons) and add-ons including GoPro photo packages and gift certificates provide secondary monetization. The school also accommodates corporate groups of up to 60 participants and has extended operations to Newport Beach with a dedicated summer camp program.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with bookings processed through the company website and phone, supported by Instagram and a company blog for marketing. There is no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or software product; the operating model is fundamentally a localized services business that scales by instructor utilization and lesson throughput. No external funding, acquisitions, or headcount data are disclosed, consistent with an independent, founder-owned small enterprise.

Name

Banzai Surf School

Legal name

Banzai Surf School

Website

https://banzaisurfco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Banzai Surf School is a privately held, founder-operated surf instruction business in Huntington Beach, California, delivering private and group lessons, summer camps, and corporate events to consumers, families, and tourists, with NSSIA accreditation and a satellite Newport Beach offering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surf Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

akta.pro primary industry

Surf Schools & Surf Camps (THAAAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surfing & Kitesurfing Experiences (Lessons, Camps) (THAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Surf instruction
• Surf lessons
• Surf school
• Surf camp
• Beach recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Surf Lessons: Revenue generated from private and group surf lessons at various price points. Private lessons range from $169-$599 depending on group size; group lessons are $89/person.
2. Summer Surf Camp: Week-long surf camp programs running Monday through Friday during summer months, priced at $440 per person. Includes equipment, photos, and t-shirt.
3. Lesson Packages: Discount lesson packs offering bulk pricing for private lessons (3Pack at $375, 6Pack at $690). Provides recurring revenue through package purchases.
4. Add-on Services: Additional revenue from extra surf time ($30/pp), surf photos, GoPro rentals, and gift certificates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Banzai Surf School is a Huntington Beach, California surf school that delivers in-person surf instruction with all necessary equipment. It sells 2-hour private lessons (priced $169–$599 depending on group size), daily 1.5-hour group lessons at $89 per person, a $440 week-long summer surf camp, discount lesson packages, GoPro photo packages, gift certificates, and corporate group bookings of up to 60 people.

Product overview

Banzai Surf School is a surf instruction provider offering private and group lessons as core products, supplemented by summer surf camps, corporate group sessions, GoPro photo packages, and discounted lesson packages. The core instruction consists of 2-hour private lessons ($169-$599 depending on group size) and 1.5-hour group sessions ($89/person), while add-on services include week-long summer camps ($440), bulk lesson packages, and photography add-ons to enhance the instructional experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private 2-Hour Surf Lessons 2-hour private surf lessons including surfboard and full wetsuit, with 20 minutes of safety/land instruction and 90+ minutes in the water with a dedicated instructor. Priced $169 (1 surfer) up to $599 (6 surfers), suitable for individuals, families, advanced surfers, and guests with physical limitations including children as young as 3.
• Group 1.5-Hour Surf Lessons 1.5-hour daily group surf lessons at 11AM for ages 14 and up, priced at $89 per person, with surfboards, full wetsuits, 15 minutes of beach instruction, and approximately 80 minutes of water time. Staffed at one instructor per 3-4 students.
• Summer Surf Camp Week-long summer surf camp running Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:30pm, priced at $440 per person for ages 6 and over (median camper age around 14). Includes surfboards, wetsuits, action surf photos, and a t-shirt, with one instructor per 2-5 students.
• Corporate Group Surf Sessions Customized company and office group surf sessions for team building and corporate events, accommodating up to 60 people with custom pricing arranged via direct contact.
• Discount Lesson Packages Bulk purchase packages for private lessons, including 3Pack ($375 for solo, $599 for two people) and 6Pack ($690 for solo), offering per-lesson savings.
• GoPro Photo Packages Action surf photography service using GoPro cameras, available as an add-on to lessons or as part of the surf camp package.
• Surf Lesson Gift Certificates Surf lesson gift certificates available for purchase as gifts through the school's online store.
• Surf Camp Newport Beach Surf camp program offered at the Newport Beach location, separate from the main Huntington Beach facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• Small class sizes: 1 instructor per 3-4 students for group lessons, 1 per 2-5 for summer camp
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• California State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanzai Surf School is a proud partner of California State Parks, displayed prominently on their website. This partnership provides legitimacy and access to state park beaches for instruction.
• The Hilton Waterfront Beach ResortcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner displayed on website with logo, likely referring hotel guests for surf lessons and providing cross-promotional visibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Surf School: Southern California surf instruction outfit offering group and private lessons at multiple SoCal beaches — comparable in operating model and beginner focus to Banzai.
• Surf Diva: Southern California surf school based in Imperial Beach/La Jolla offering private and group lessons, women's surf retreats, and beginner programs with a similar direct-to-consumer model targeting tourists and first-timers.
• Corky Carroll's Surf School: Long-established surf school operating in Huntington Beach, offering private and group lessons, summer camps, and beginner-friendly instruction in the same beachfront market as Banzai — the closest head-to-head competitor.
• Wavehuggers: Santa Monica surf school providing lessons and surf experiences for beginners and travelers with comparable direct-to-consumer bookings and tourist-oriented positioning.
• Safari Surf School: Santa Monica-based surf school offering group and private lessons, summer camps, and kids' programs with comparable pricing and beginner focus — directly analogous SoCal surf instruction business.
• Aqua Surf School: Los Angeles area surf school offering group and private lessons, surf camps, and beginner programs targeting tourists and locals — analogous service menu and price points.
• Zuma Surf & Swim: Malibu-based surf school offering private and group lessons and kids' camps, sharing Banzai's emphasis on beginner-friendly instruction and small instructor-to-student ratios.
• Surf Happens: Santa Barbara area surf school providing lessons, camps, and beginner-focused instruction targeting tourists and locals with a similar hands-on, instructor-led business model.
• Ocean Experience Surf School: Southern California surf school offering beginner lessons, camps, and rentals with a similar tourist and first-time surfer focus in the SoCal market.

Regional players

• Newport Surf Camp: Newport Beach-based surf camp operator offering summer and school-break programs for kids — comparable in product mix (week-long summer camps) and overlapping Banzai's existing Newport Beach camp offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/banzaisurf
• Xx.com/banzaisurfco
• Facebookfacebook.com/BanzaiSurfCo

Compliance1 record

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 Banzai Surf School