Frequently Asked Questions

All you need to do is wear a bathing suit and bring a towel, however, we recommend bringing water and a light snack. Feel free to also bring anything else you’ll need for the day such as sunscreen, a change of clothes, a hat, etc. We have a Hammer Surf School tent on the beach where it is safe to leave your belongings, however, we are not responsible for any lost, misplaced, or stolen property.

What we provide: everything you need to learn how to surf—boards and wetsuits will be on the beach for you to use during your time with us. You also do not need a beach badge at any location for the duration of your lesson. If you are on the beach before or after your lesson, you will need to purchase a beach badge.

Our guaranteed student to instructor ratio is 4:1. However, if there is lower attendance on any given day, we always aim to keep it at 3:1.

During a group lesson, instructors will be in the water with their assigned group and will alternate helping students ride waves while always staying with the other students on their boards. All instructors are not only CPR-certified, they are fully capable in the water to deal with all conditions, and will not only guide students into waves, and give verbal cues, they will also help those unable to carry their boards back into the water from the shore.

No, you do not have to do the classes in a row, however, we recommend not waiting too long in-between each so that you can really benefit from the learning process. You can purchase any of our multiple-class packages & choose any day combination to fulfill them that you want. Just be sure to choose your days within our Wellness Living application to ensure your place in that day’s Group Lesson.

You can purchase 1-class &  then if you want to upgrade to a higher package such as 3-class,  5-class package or more, email hello@hammersurfschool.com to do so. This does not apply to purchases made using any of our discount codes.

Please note, that we do not reimburse/refund any HSS Group Lesson purchases. If HSS cancels a class entirely, the credit is automatically put back in your account. You can log in & sign up at any time to use it. We do not refund credit cards or give money back for classes or lessons purchased. If HSS cancels a class that has already started due to Mother Nature in any form, the monetary value of the time you did not use based on the package value you purchased will be added to your account upon request to be used for or toward a new purchase in the future. Account balances do not expire.  

Yes. The expiration date depends on the specific package you purchased. 1/3/5 Group Class packages are valid for the duration of the summer you purchased them. 6 packs &  higher are good for 18-months from the date of purchase, which means they do carry over partially into the next season. It is your responsibility to use all purchases by the expiration date. You always have access to that date by logging into your account or can get in touch with us to inquire what the expiration date is for your active purchases.

No, they cannot. If you purchase any group class package, they cannot be used toward private lessons. Please only purchase a group class package if you are sure you want to continue with group classes. You can always purchase a single class and then upgrade to a larger package once you are sure that you would like to continue with group classes vs. private lessons. Private lessons will be charged separately and in addition to any group lesson purchases.

If you plan to bring your own foam board, that is totally fine. If you want to bring your own hard board, we need to approve you doing so for your safety and the safety of other students. We need to be sure that the student can properly handle the hard board in the water. If you are going to be bringing your own board, please email hello@hammersurfschool.com to let us know so that we can alter the head vs. board count.

And if you haven’t yet purchased a board but are looking to, be sure to discuss that with either Sam Hammer or one of our instructors as they can help explain the size and type of board that could be best as well as tell you some of the local surf shops that we are associated with.

Yes! We created 6-, 10-, 15-, and 20-Packs that have a family discount built into the price and can be shared among siblings ONLY. All prices are on the site under the tab for each location, as well as in the ONLINE STORE when you click SIGN UP on the site.

Please create an account with one child’s name, then add the other children’s name under Family Members. When you go to sign up for a specific day, you can choose which child or children you are adding to each day. You must add each to the attendance list to hold each of their spots. Please use our Hammer Surf School app to book Group Classes where you can easily switch between siblings after adding your additional relationships online from a computer. At this time you cannot add members via the app however, once they are added online, they will populate in the app.

If you sign up for Hammer Surf School on a specific day(s) and are unable to make it, we do require a minimum of 12 hours notice. Which means, if we are starting at 8 a.m., then we need you to cancel by logging into the system or emailing or calling HSS by 8 p.m. the night before. If you fail to do so, unless backed up by a doctor’s note, you are responsible for payment for that Group or Private Lesson and the credit and/or amount will be deducted from your account.

Please log into your account to cancel officially. Please only call or email if you cannot access your account as we cannot guarantee that we will get the call/email in the proper time frame to cancel your reservation. You are responsible for cancelling the needed classes in the 12-hour time frame.

For Private Lessons, because we provide the accurate 1:1 (or 2:1 for groups or more than one surfer) ratio for all privates, confirming the number of people in your group prior to the lesson is crucial. If someone cancels or no longer wants to do the lesson, you must contact HSS prior at least 2 hours prior to the lesson start or we will have to charge you the confirmed rate for all participants who do not want to join the lesson, or if the entire group is cancelling.

Also, group lesson and/or private lesson purchases are NOT interchangeable. For example, if you purchase a group class or package, it cannot be applied to private lessons. You must purchase these separately. There are no exceptions.

Safety is our number one priority, so we will only cancel Hammer Surf School if the surf or weather is unsafe for lessons. Which means if it is only raining (as in no lightning or thunder), we will still surf (you’ll be getting wet anyway!). And it is when there is rain that it is possible to get amazing waves! However, if we foresee unsafe weather conditions (such as lightening or thunder), we will either cancel the Group Class ahead of time. Please see above about how we handle mid session cancellations. Please discuss which apply to that specific day with an instructor before leaving the beach if you want to leave at check in due to Mother Nature. For Private Lessons, if we cancel due to unsafe weather, we will rebook your lesson. Note: if we deem there are still safe and conditions albeit gloomy skies or some amount of rain to surf, then you cannot cancel or not show up. You will be charge half the price of your confirmed lesson.

At Hammer Surf School it is our priority that all students, young and old, feel comfortable in the water. Safety is also our main concern. If there are waves that are too large for any group or individual and anyone feels that they do not want to surf due to that reason alone, please let an instructor know the issue and we will allow you to come back on a day when there are smaller waves. Please note that it is your responsibility to let us know that is the case so that we can credit your account and you can sign up for another day.

If we predict a large swell, and are able to let you know ahead of time, we will do our best to do so; if that is not possible, and we decide to cancel the group lessons, we will have someone waiting on the beach to explain the conditions and then allow you to sign up for another day instead.

Unfortunately, we cannot predict what Mother Nature has in store! We always hope that when you are with us that you have the ideal surfing conditions. However, sometimes that is not the case. If the ocean is flat or waves are very small, we will always keep our students doing paddling drills and other in water activities as long as possible. We will choose these to build strength for swimming and paddling (and have fun!) as these are crucial aspects and the fundamental of surfing.

If we have these conditions, we will under no circumstances reimburse or refund a class credit. If you would like to know the surfing conditions prior to signing up or showing up, you can always reach out to us 12 hours prior to the start and we will share the forecast with you so you can decide in advance to change the day you join us.

That really depends on what you are looking to get from your time at Hammer Surf School. We typically recommend the group lessons not only because they are fun and have a great dynamic, but because you will receive a significant amount of individual attention. However, we can schedule a private lesson with an instructor who is available either before or after the Hammer Surf School group lessons at each location (please check the schedule to see when that is). If you would like to discuss any specific circumstances, please contact hello@HammerSurfSchool.com.

That is because our max student to instructor ratio has been filled, as well as our board count. Our current sign up technology will contact you if you are taken off the wait list & prompt you to either accept -or- decline the slot made available to you.  If you have your own board (or the student you are signing up does), please email us directly to let us know as that may change whether or not we can get them into the class on the day you are requesting. We limit the number of students that are able to sign up each day to ensure our student to staff ratio is at one that we feel comfortable with and it is in the best interest and safety of our students as well as instructors.

Of course! If your child has any special needs, it is required to make this known to us prior to signing them up so that we can be on the same page in terms of having the appropriate instructor with them as well as confirm the ocean’s conditions are safe. Please call or email us at 732.966.6430 or hello@HammerSurfSchool.com. This is for the safety of your child and others and so that we can ensure they have the best surfing experience.

Absolutely, we can accommodate any group size or party. Please email us to discuss details—as the price depends on how many are included, as it will alter how many instructors are needed. Also, remember Mother Nature, not us, dictate the weather and swell, so while we can predict both, we can’t be sure that the right conditions will arise. Once booked, we’ll ask for a small deposit to hold the time slot but if the weather or ocean conditions are not safe to have the lesson, we’ll let you know as well as return the deposit.