Isla Surf School

Name

Isla Surf School

Legal name

Isla Surf School LLC

Website

https://islasurfschool-charleston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surf Instruction Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAKAC

Surf Schools & Surf Camps

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Adventure Sports & Activity Centers (Paragliding, Skydiving, Surf Schools)

SECONDARYTHAJAJAJ

Surfing & Kitesurfing Experiences (Lessons, Camps)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Marine & Water Experiences (Boat Tours, Diving, Snorkeling, Fishing)

Keywords

• Surf instruction
• Surf lessons
• Summer surf camps
• Paddle board tours
• Surfboard rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Folly Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surf Lessons: Private lessons, group lessons, corporate outings, parties, and camps for first-time surfers to advanced coaching.
2. Equipment Rentals: Half-day ($35), full-day ($40), and weekly ($170) surfboard rentals with optional delivery/pickup for Folly Beach locations.
3. Summer Surf Camp: 12 weeks of summer surf camp (Monday-Friday) for children at Folly Beach location. Limited to 12 campers per session.
4. Paddle Boarding Tours: Morning, afternoon, and sunset paddle board tours ($45-$85) plus combined surf and paddle packages ($145).
5. Apparel Sales: Premium blended tee shirts, hats, trunks, and hoodies sold through Driftwood Apparel partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Isla Surf School is a Charleston, South Carolina-based surf instruction service founded in 2015. The school delivers surf lessons, summer surf camps, paddle boarding tours, surfboard rentals, and branded apparel primarily to tourists, visitors, and local recreation seekers in the Charleston coastal area.

Product overview

Isla Surf School is a Charleston, SC-based surf school offering a portfolio of water sports services centered around Folly Beach. The core offerings include surf lessons for all ability levels (private, group, corporate, parties) and a 12-week summer surf camp for children, complemented by surfboard and wetsuit rentals (half-day, full-day, weekly). The company also offers stand-up paddle boarding eco-tours and sunset/full moon paddles, plus branded apparel merchandise. The business operates out of 3rd West Street on Folly Beach and also provides lessons at Isle of Palms. All services are booked through Peek.com and operate seven days a week with lifeguard-certified instructors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surf Lessons

Quantifiable outcome

• Small instructor-to-camper ratio (1:3) at summer camp ensures safety and personalized attention
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charleston SUP SafariscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Isla Surf School and Charleston SUP Safaris teamed up in 2020 bringing Charlestons top surf school and paddle board tour companies together. Charleston SUP Safaris has led over 4,000 paddlers through Folly Beachs waterways during their nine years in business and has been voted Charlestons best stand-up-paddle company for three years running.
• Warrior Surf FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Andy Manzi in 2016, the foundation helps military veterans through surfing and professional counseling. Peter Melhado met Andy in 2016 and they have been great friends and partners. Featured on CNNs Americas Heroes and nominated as top ten organization in 2017.
• Folly Beach Chair CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for beach chair and umbrella rentals. Clients can reserve chairs and umbrellas for surf lessons through Isla Surf School.
• Ocean Surf ShopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLongtime staple surf shop on Folly Beach offering surfboards, wetsuits, sunglasses, clothes, and more. Refer customers to Isla for lessons.
• Famous AdventuresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDay camp for Charleston area providing transportation and daily activities. Part of their week-long sessions include surf sessions with Isla Surf School.
• Clemson Youth Learning Institute: Camp SeweeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeekly sleep-away camps focused on marine science education. Camp Sewee campers surf with Isla on a weekly basis.
• Shred SeasonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated to transforming used surfboard industry into honest and easy way to get the right board. Provides referral network for used surfboards.
• Locals Surf School (NY)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferral partnership with surf school in New York for travelers seeking quality surf lessons outside Charleston.
• Driftwood ApparelminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHandles Isla Surf School merchandise production including hats, tees, trunks, and hoodies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Charleston SUP Safaris: Charleston-based paddle boarding tour company partnered with Isla since 2020, voted Charleston's best stand-up paddle company three years running. Operates Folly Beach waterways with comparable customer segments (tourists, families, corporates) and overlapping GTM in the Charleston adventure-water market.
• Locals Surf School: New York-based surf school with which Isla has an explicit referral partnership. Operates the same direct-to-consumer surf lesson model with small instructor ratios, comparable customer base of tourists and beginners, and is the most direct comparable in their own partnership ecosystem.
• Surf Diva: Long-established women's and co-ed surf school in San Diego running private lessons, group lessons, and surf camps on the beach. Closely aligned business model — beach-based instruction, beginner-to-advanced coaching, multi-format lesson offerings, and branded apparel — making it a strong direct peer for Isla.
• Nancy Emerson School of Surfing: Pioneering surf school in Delaware founded in 1986 offering private and group lessons, surf camps, and rentals on the East Coast. Operates with a similar direct-to-consumer beach-based model, lifeguard-certified instructors, and a multi-decade local brand — the closest comparable in scale and tenure to Isla on the U.S. East Coast.

Broad incumbents

• Surfline: Dominant surf forecast, media, and cam platform used by surfers globally and actively referenced in Isla's content marketing. Not a competitor in lessons but the broader incumbent that defines the surf ecosystem, drives tourism, and shapes how surf schools (including Isla) market.
• Quiksilver: Global surf apparel and equipment brand with deep heritage in surf culture and youth surf events. Not a lesson provider but a broad incumbent in the same surf category that competes for the same end-customer apparel and equipment dollars Isla monetizes through Driftwood and rentals.
• Billabong: Heritage surf brand with global apparel and surf-school-adjacent marketing. Functions as a broader incumbent in surf apparel/lifestyle, parallel to Rip Curl and Quiksilver, and competes with Isla's Driftwood apparel line for the same tourist and local surf customers.
• Rip Curl: Global surf brand and equipment maker with strong U.S. East Coast presence and surf-school partnerships. Operates in the broader surf industry rather than the lesson niche, but is highly comparable as a defining brand in the surf ecosystem and a potential partner or competitor for branded apparel.

Others

• Peek: Online booking and experiences platform used by Isla for surf lesson and rental reservations. Not a competitor but a critical infrastructure provider — listed for ecosystem context as the channel through which Isla captures a meaningful share of direct-to-consumer bookings.
• Warrior Surf Foundation: Non-profit founded in 2016 that uses surfing to support military veterans, with whom Isla has a long-standing partnership since 2016. Not a competitor but an ecosystem partner that shares brand association and the surf-therapy niche, included for ecosystem context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/islasurfschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/islasurfschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isla-surf-school-llc

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 Isla Surf School