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Camp Surf (Visit this link)

Our Vision is to offer residents and visitors to the Los Angeles area a complete and pure surfing experience through proven teaching techniques with experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly local surf instructors and lifeguards.

This vision was created by Jim Miller who leads us in all of our lessons in and out of the water. Jim was and will always be the true definition of Pure Surfing Experience. Jim is no longer with us on this earth, but we know he is riding waves, getting barreled and sharing with others his love of surfing.

Our Goal is to make surfing accessible, fun, and safe for people of all ages with the desire to ride waves.

Pure Surfing is the essence of surfing. It occurs the moment you connect to the ocean, the wave, and the environment.

The Pure Surfing Experience is stretching the stoke of that moment to last until your next surf session.

One hot September evening in 1977 while boogieboarding at 4th Street, an 8 year old sunbleached grom dropped into a wave, angled left, and the wave pitched out over him. He found himself surrounded by water, yet untouched in the hollow of the wave looking out toward the Manhattan Beach Pier through an almond shape frame of water. He felt the electric energy of the wave, heard a whooooo, and his skin prickled. The 3 seconds the wave held him inside were the longest of his young life. The vision, the sound, and the feeling he got as a gust of wind from the depth of the wave pushed him out toward the light was incredible, his first Pure Surfing Experience.

Jim was stoked, and wanted to share his stoke with all the kids in his 3rd grade glass as he tried to describe the sensation that was still running through his body. He also wanted to experience the tube while riding a surfboard.

The summer of '78, Jim's dad bought him his first board at a garage sale for $15. His course was set. Endless hours surfing Manhattan beachbreaks, hitching rides with parents and older surfers up to County Line and down to San Diego in the early 80's until he could drive himself.

After searching the coast from Mexico to San Francisco and a few trips to Hawaii in the late 80's, Jim began traveling the globe in 1987 in search of, and finding, moments, sessions and days of Pure Surfing.

He returned to share what he found with family, friends, younger surfers, and the junior lifeguards he instructed from 1991-1999. He also shared his adventures with the community in "Hot Tip" articles he wrote for the Beach Reporter.

In 1997, Jim created the Pure Surfing Experience Surf School to fill a niche in the Los Angeles area and offer top quality surfing instruction to people of all ages with a desire to learn to surf.

In our 8th year, we have taught thousands of students from the South Bay, the Los Angeles area, and the world. We offer lessons at four locations: Manhattan Beach Pier, Rosecrans Avenue, El Segundo, and Dockweiler Beach.

We are also the Official Surf School of the City of Manhattan Beach and offer discounted community lessons for the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recs Dept.

In 2003, we added a complete online reservation and booking system to simplify the entire experience.

With 26 years surfing the local beaches, 15 years lifeguarding in LA County, and 15 years teaching surfing, Jim's vast knowledge of the local conditions has been passed on to all of his students.

Jim passed on his teaching techniques to instructors who are experienced surfers, lifeguards, teachers, and waterman in their own right.

Our crew includes long-time friend and former owner of Peninsula Surf Shop, Chris Brown, top competitive longboarder, Tommy Ostendorf and Mark Gerold who have six years teaching with us, as well as a number of Brazilian and local instructors who bring their surf culture and stoke to our students.

All of our lessons emphasize safety and fun, but we also take the next step and teach our students to view the ocean with a surfer's eye so they can safely and confidently ride the waves on their own as soon as they're ready.

http://www.campsurf.com