Here is Nik holding my board after her second lesson. As you can tell she is as stoked as can be. We ran paddling drills in between the 64th and 65th St. jetties to build up paddling comfortability and board control. Nik caught a few nice waves, but as always there is still more work to be done! She's an ambitious sous chef so I have no doubts that she'll succeed at surfing and at all else she tries her knife to.

Lesson Updates

Hello all. I expect a few of you will be directed here by the boys at Saturdays. Good on them for that. Much appreciated. As I have mentioned in a few previous posts, I have been getting lots of hits for lessons. Most people's first question is price. Lessons are $200 per person for the first lesson and $120 per person every thereafter. I do not do discounts for groups or raise/lower rates for weekdays vs. weekends. I teach up to 2 people at a time, no more than that. For those looking for a more bargain deal out of Manhattan hold tight - I am working on a surf camp that will span a weekend and will include lunch, stretching, surfing, and other awesome shenanigans. For now my rates stay as they are and I can guarantee you that you'll be getting the highest quality private surf lesson available in the NYC area. I have been surfing for 25 odd years and teaching lessons for 11. I competed at the professional level and simply have a massive desire to share the intricacies of the sport with others. But with this desire comes an enormous care about making sure people are introduced to proper style and etiquette, surfing ethics if you will, and this is what sets my lessons apart. Hear from you soon! -Di

Your Ride to the Beach

Oh and this will be your ride to the beach. What more is there to ask? Riding in style 24/7.

An Image of Success

Here's an image of a recent surf lesson. This is Oli. He stood up on his first wave, but this is probably his 7th or 10th wave of the session. This is in New Jersey, where I don't normally teach because, as you can see here, the waves break really close to the shore. Oli managed to deal with the sand pretty well, running off when he reached the shore. A total success! In other surf lesson news, I've heard from a number of you inquiring about lessons. Just wanted to say that I'm still here whenever you're ready to go. You won't receive one on one surf lesson expertise of the sort I provide anywhere in the NY area, so I just want to remind you all that lessons are well worth the price and the time and the energy. You will get back ten fold and be progressing much faster than those who simply try their hands at surfing on their own or in group lessons where there is little to no attention to detail. Really, it's just like any other sport, if you are serious about getting good it pays to get an expert instructor or coach. This is especially true with surfing where the environment is much more dangerous and dynamic than in any other sport. Plus it's a lifestyle and you'll want all the tips about the risks and rewards of adding surfing into your life. Take the plunge!

Yours truly with my recognizable "surf goth" zinc and my Al Merrick fish. Photo: Anya Chibis at www.anyachibis.com

Summer Surfing!!!!!

Hello everyone!!! Here's a pic of the board storage situation at Saturdays. It's epic. The board I teach with has the yellow fin. The other big board is my friend, Charles'. I have used that once for a very successful double lesson, but plan to add another log to the quiver by summer's end. Sooo, hopefully a few of you will just be visiting this blog for the first time, as I went down to Saturdays yesterday to make sure they had the url, as the email address on my old cards is severely out of date. Due to client feedback, I have done a small shake up to the surf lesson package. This is what has changed: First lesson is $200 per person. If you commit to four lessons, each following lesson is $120. I want to stress that these are the highest quality surf lessons you can get on the east coast. I will not be sending you out into the chaos of the crowded summer surf in a blind fashion. You will learn all about how to avoid and maneuver around crowds using maximum board safety and control. This will be a key component in your development as a stylish, graceful, and stoked surfer. Email me at mattison.ds@gmail.com to schedule your lesson(s) today! I can also arrange pickup if you live in Brooklyn. No problem. -Di

This is a Blog about Surf Lessons

Hello to my two followers and to anyone who checks this site because you've picked up my card at either Mollusk Surfshop in Brooklyn or Saturdays Surf in Soho. This blog was about style, music, etc., but now I have a tumblr account: http://burningfromtheinside.tumblr.com for all that fun stuff. This blog is now solely about my surf lessons, which, yes, are still happening and are going to be more awesome than ever as the days roll forth. On April 1 I am moving from Brooklyn to the West Village. Thus I will be more centrally located in Manhattan, making meeting up pre-lesson a much easier affair. We will now meet at Saturdays Surf on Crosby and Grand, and head to the beach from there. Lessons are $200 a pop, which includes all equipment, ride to the beach and back into town. It's about a 3-5 hour affair, so you must definitely plan for that in your day. Weekends are definitely do-able, but you will find that if you can break away on a weekday morning you will be able to get the most out of the lesson, as there will be many less people to contend with in the surf. I will teach 2 people at a time maximum. I do not believe in group surfing lessons. It is too dangerous a sport for those kind of shenanigans. Remember that if you chose to take a cheap ($60) group lesson you will most likely not get any attention and the instructor is also likely to have minimal experience. I have over 20 years experience surfing and over 10 years teaching private lessons. Like a well fitting shirt, my lessons are tailored to each individual's level of comfort and experience, and you'll be able to take this experience to enhance all of your future surfing endeavors.