“Where do I begin???

Not having had surfed before this was a trip I was eagerly anticipating for months. "I hope I get up on the board, I hope I get to learn....

• Surf/Coaching - did I get up on the board? Hell yess! Did I learn the basics? Absolutely 💯. Jason simplified IMO, the how but more importantly, the mindset needed to feel good and learn. He was patient with the reminders.."eyes up! Look at the beach! Knees to the chest". He made learning simple and FUN!

• Yoga - He had a great teacher, best locations and a welcome compliment to stretch out after mornings of 🏄‍♀️. I am grateful 🙏, and thankful 🙏. Namaste.

• Accommodations - location, location, location is what they say, yeah? Well, right across a beach / park. Comfortable and welcoming place.

• Adventure Day - access to an Albatross Sanctuary where we saw the most adorable lil ones. Snorkeling and having been greeted by a sea 🐢 upon entering the water. Jumping off Jump Rock, an iconic landmark @ Waimea, and at Shark Cove.

• Food - ummm...he catered to us being Vegan. Made sure we had what we needed to replenish after catching some 🌊. A great cook!

• Jason - what a kind and humble soul. Started as a coach, left as a friend. Pretty sure everyone who's had the opportunity to have booked with him felt the same way and would probably rebook. I know I would, even to just hang for a day or two. One can have the most technical teacher but a teacher without good mana, is simply a book. I left the retreat confident in the skills imparted. Thank you Jason.”

“I traveled to Hawaii for a work trip, which was lovely, but was stationed chiefly in the main tourist area in Waikiki. I hoped to get more of a feel for the local scene while I was there, so I booked five days with Haleiwa Surf and Yoga Retreats for after the work trip ended.

I could not have made a better choice. My schedule presented some challenges with meetings and flights, but Jason was happy to work around those to help me get as many surf sessions in as possible. That meant a lot to me, because the surfing was my main draw for the retreat.

From the moment he picked me up, Jason was preparing me for my first surf session. He explained his three-step procedure for standing up on the board, and he also explained the traffic pattern, what to do if someone is surfing at me, and what to do if I am surfing at someone. In the entire five days of surfing, multiple hours a day, I NEVER experienced a situation where I felt like I didn't know what to do. Even as a beginner surfer with a lot of nerves around being able to stand up, I felt comfortable being in the water and doing all the things I knew I might have to do. For reference, I have spent two summers trying to surf before this retreat. In those whole two summers, including with lessons, I stood up maybe twice, for a total of maybe 3 seconds. By the time I finished a week with Jason, standing up was no big deal. Even riding a wave all the way to the beach was exciting, but expected.

Moreover, Jason made me feel totally welcome and at home on the retreat. I'm more or less vegetarian and eat quite healthy, so it ends up being pretty tough to get my dietary needs met on a vacation. Jason knew exactly what he was doing, and everything he made was delicious. I recommend asking for his strawberry banana pancakes, his roasted garlic salad, and his black lentil and potato stew. We also did a taco night with all the sides and toppings, which is perfect for a post-surf refuel. In the evenings we'd listen to music, play board games, and watch movies. My chill playlist increased in length by about an hour from all the songs I scraped out of Jason's playlist :).

For yoga: we practiced yoga most of the days, and the instructor Riza did an excellent job of tailoring the difficulty level to my skill. These yoga sessions are focused chiefly on recovery and preparation for the surfing, which will be strenuous particularly if you don't have a lot of upper body endurance. This is not required but, if you happen to have some weeks before you get to Oahu, I recommend preparing yourself with some strength sessions for upper body pulling and paddling. Even a couple of weeks of this, at 2-3 20 min sessions a week, will IMMENSELY increase the number of wave opportunities you get on the water, which will make a big difference in how many times you can try to stand up.

One day, instead of yoga, we did an adventure day where we paddled out to a nearby island and climbed to the top for an incredible view. Jason knew exactly where to climb for the best route, and when we got back to the bottom he knew where to look to see some adorable albatross chicks. He also pointed out all the "famous" Hawaii surf spots on the drive there and back, including the notorious Pipeline. We took tons of pictures, which I used to make all my friends jealous :).

HIGHLY recommend this retreat. When I got home, I immediately looked up how to surf in my city. The next time I am in Hawaii I will not hesitate to call Jason and book literally as many days as I can manage to take off of work. Fantastic experience.”

“A super nice peaceful local spot on the North Shore. I quickly felt at home with Jason. He does his best so you can turn your head off. Provided with great breakfast and dinner, so that you always have enough energy for all the activities on the island. The apartment is just a stone's throw away from the beach, so you can relax and enjoy the sunset every evening. The beach is never crowded or touristy. You can easily cycle to Haleiwa by bike. It gives you a great vibe and impression of the small surfer stronghold.

All around experience with useful surfing tips. The important thing here is - it's really local and not a hotel/apartment atmosphere, you live with Jason. I personally love that very much!”