Richard Schmidt Surf School | Santa Cruz's Original Surf School For Over 25 Years

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Richard Schmidt Surf School

Santa Cruz's Original Surf School For Over 25 Years

Summary

In 1978 Richard Schmidt decided to share his passion for surfing and started teaching in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California. He started lifeguarding that year as well and worked the next 15 summers on the beach in addition to his teaching surfing. During that same period he would travel to the North Shore of Oahu every winter to compete in the Triple Crown of Surfing series, thus his professional surfing career was gaining recognition. In the late 80's the surf media crowned him as California's top big wave rider. During the season of '89-'90 he recorded two 1st and two 3rd place finishes in Hawaii, which was the best competitive season anyone from California had ever had.

Through his years of teaching and experience as a professional surfer, Richard developed the 'Schmidt Guarantee', which guarantees that one will stand up and ride down the face of a wave in their first lesson. His calming character and unending patience makes learning to surf an unforgettable and enjoyable experience. Especially, when you have the added benefit of him or one of his trained instructors riding along side of you and literally lifting you to your feet! Since that time his instructional programs have grown to include year round lessons, summer surf camps in Santa Cruz, winter surf clinics in Costa Rica, and the "Learn To Surf & Ocean Safety" instructional DVD touted by Surfer magazine as "the best how to video ever released."

Today Richard and his wife Marisa run the Richard Schmidt Surf School. Together with a dedicated staff, they operate year round surf lessons for both private and group lessons. They also operate seasonal surf camps in both Santa Cruz, California and Nosara, Costa Rica.

"Over the past 25 years I've introduced people to surfing from ages 3 to 70. I've found that, with the teaching techniques I've developed, the only prerequisite for learning to surf is knowing how to swim. I guarantee it!... Don't hold back --- let me or one of my qualified instructors introduce you to the sport of kings."

- Aloha, Richard

Location

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Accommodation

The camp is based out of the KOA Kampground in the south county of Santa Cruz near Aptos. It is a very family-oriented campground with 24-hour security. Amenities include pool, hot tub, general store, laundromat, video arcade, miniature golf, and bikes for rent. For more information about the KOA campgrounds, please visit their web site.

The surf camp set up consists of three sites adjacent to each other with a variety of tents set up in a U-shape. In the middle of the tents there are ping pong and fuss ball tables. In front of the sites there is a basketball net set up. One site has a screened in eating area with various games to play in the evening. Another site is an outdoor kitchen, which includes stoves, refrigerator, microwave and tables. The third site has a fire pit and a screened in carpeted tent set up for viewing surf videos shot of the days surfing as well as other top surfing DVDs.

While nights are spent at the camp, days are spent surfing around the beaches of Santa Cruz. Campers surf along the beaches of the South County, Cowells Cove or Steamer Lane to the North or the Pleasure Point area in between depending on where the surf is best.

For directions to the KOA campgrounds, take Highway 1 to San Andreas Road exit. Exit toward Seascape and continue about 3.5 miles on San Andreas Rd. Crossover the railroad tracks and the campground entrance will be on your left at Spring Valley Rd. When you get to the gate/office, just tell them you're with the Richard Schmidt Surf Camp.

Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay KOA
1186 San Andreas Road
La Selva Beach, CA 95076

For general campground information call:
(831) 722-0551
E-mail: santacruz@koa.net
www.koa.com

Packages

Package	Description	Price($)	Book
GROUP LESSONS	GROUP LESSONS are available at $80 per person (two-hour class). Any subsequent group lesson is $60 per person. No more than four students per instructor	80.00	Book
SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS	SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS with a STAFF INSTRUCTOR are available (2-3 students per instructor) are $100 per student (two-hour class)	100.00	Book
PRIVATE LESSONS	PRIVATE LESSONS with a STAFF INSTRUCTOR are available at $80 per hour	80.00	Book
PRIVATE LESSONS with RICHARD	PRIVATE LESSONS with RICHARD is $130 per hour	130.00	Book

The Schmidt Guarantee

As featured in Surfer magazine, young Northern California wannabes start right in the Richard Schmidt Surf School. The Schmidt Guarantee is uprightness on the first go-out -- if necessary, beginners will wear a Schmidt-invented harness, which positions a handgrip at their lower back. As the groms prone shoreward on a Cowell's beach roller, hands clenched tightly around a soft-foam rail, Richard rides parallel, controlling their edge with one hand and pulling them vertical with the other. By the end of the day, students are riding the whitewater to the beach very stoked. Schmidt spends his entire summers now teaching kids and elders the basics of water safety and wave selection.

Instructors

Helping Richard in the water are a team of accomplished, world-class surfers. All instructors have a genuine interest in helping you acquire the necessary skills to pursue surfing on your own. All are CPR certified and have been trained by Richard. Not only will you learn basic fundamentals of the sport, but also etiquette and how to deal with potential hazards. Each instructor also brings his or her own unique approach to surfing that creates a more in-depth learning experience. So whether you're a first-timer or an advanced shredder, it's always a good idea to do a follow-up lesson with a different instructor to help get you to that next level in surfing. Here are brief bios on each coach:

		MIKE BRUMMET Mike has been working with the school since the summer of 1998. Being an outstanding surfer, lifeguard, and Junior Lifeguard instructor make him well qualified for the job. He has recently made quite a name for himself in the big-wave arena, surfing Maverick's whenever it's breaking big, and is currently the only goofy-foot invited to the annual Quiksilver Maverick's Surf Contest. The following is a quote taken from an article written by San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Bruce Jenkins: "I would peg Brumett as one of the up-and-coming guys slowly chiseling his way into the lineup," says Doug Acton, who consistently produces the best still photography from the water at Maverick's. "He's a real soulful, spiritual-minded guy, but he's a lifeguard, and he knows his [stuff]."

		KAI CONNER Kai grew up surfing on Santa Cruz's West side. Although she has fun on a longboard she prefers to ride her short board. Steamer Lane is where she most frequents as it is close to home. She graduated in 2005 from CSU Monterey Bay with her teaching credential. During college she spent three years going to UC Santa Barbara. During that time the UCSB surfing team won the national title each year. She was one of three girls on the 25-person team. She has been teaching Richard's school since 2000. She has a lighthearted, cheerful approach that creates a good environment for learning.

		VAN CURAZA Van and Richard became good friends in the early 90's when they lived together on the North Shore of Hawaii. They surfed many good waves together there and have been friends ever since. In 2005 Van was hired as camp counseler. His infectious enthusiasm helps push the campers to new levels in their surfing. Van hails from the central coast of California near Morro Bay. He has long been recognized as one of the top surfers in that area. The last couple of years he has opened a lot of eyes by towing into some bottomless, pitting barrels with ease. The school is fortunate to have such a top-notch surfer in the program.

		ANUTTARA DENLAY Anuttara started working in the summer of 2005. Growing up in Malibu, CA, she is the classic "watergirl." Her water skills include coaching the Malibu High School swim and water polo teams, and teaching all levels of swimming. She spent a few years with Baja Surf Adventures. Her responsibilities included driving a 15-passenger van from San Diego into the Baja peninsula, managing food, water and electrical supplies, along with helping provide a sense of security in a remote place. Her background and solid surfing skills combine to make Anuttara an awesome instructor. We have received many compliments from students on Anuttara's positive and helpful teaching qualities.

		BRIAN EBERT Brian grew up on the west side of Santa Cruz, walking distance to Cowell's and Steamer Lane. Every summer he participated in the in the Junior Lifeguard program and surfing Cowell's cove. Surfing has been his passion his whole life. He has a very dynamic surfing style suited for small surf but can also excel in the bigger stuff. He has an innate ability at seeing the problem areas with students and is very articulate on coaching them to higher levels. He is a dedicated family man with a 4 year old son.

		JOEY HUTSON Joey comes from a big surfing family in Santa Cruz, so it's only natural that he's one of the best surfers in town. He's worked for the school since 1999. From 2000 to present he spends 6 weeks each summer as head instructor for the O'neill Surf Academy, a program Richard started. His amiable, upbeat personality is infectious to the students. The following is Kenny Collin's description of Joey as it appeared in Surfing magazine: "Joey Hutson is the latest addition to the 'Westside Warriors' current lineup at the Lane and has definitely proven to be one of the fittest. He looks more like a body builder than a surfer, 'cause he's sooo flexed out. But it pays off in the power surfing department... Joey's full of energy, and he explodes when he hits his turns."

		CHRIS LYNCH Chris called the spring of 2000 and said he would like to be a part of the school. To say the least we were quite honored to have him on board, as Chris is one of Santa Cruz's top professional surfers. He started surfing at fourteen and within 2-3 years was already one of the best in the area. He has an explosive, vertical, snappy, backside approach, which doesn't lack style or flow. Chris is currently working on a degree at Cabrillo College. He hopes to work with youth in some sort of positive way. His professionalism, surfing ability, and social skills have made him an excellent surf instructor and a great attribute to our team of instructors.

		TOREY RIEMAN Torey grew up in Ventura where point breaks are common and Rincon, the crown jewel of the coast was right down the road. Torey has spent many a winter on the North Shore where the waves are mean and fun. He has an "old school" style Torey's love of surfing and sports lead him to a Masters degree in Kynesiology from CSU Humboldt. Thus, his understanding of motion makes him a great teacher. His other passion is coaching. He was the coach for Humboldt's womens soccer team. Torey's experience in surfing along with his degree made him a perfect candidate for our instructor/counseler position for our surf camps. Torey has been head counseler and instructor at our camps since the summer of 1999. He thrives on being outdoors and immersed in the ocean. His coaching style is, "Don't hold back or hesitate. Give it all you've got!" After a long day of surfing listening to "Torey, the storyteller" around the fire is a great way to cap the evening.

		REUBEN RUIZ Reuben grew up surfing in Santa Cruz starting at a young age. All his time and experience in the water gives him a tremendous knowledge base to draw from. He has surfed and traveled extensively in South and Central America, Europe, Hawaii and Tahiti. He started teaching while on a trip to Spain and enjoyed it so much he contacted Richard when he came back to Santa Cruz. His calm, unprecoscious manner fits right in with Richard's similar teaching style. In addition to being a top-notch surfer he is also a professional photographer. He has worked with many major surf companies on shooting for ads.

		DAVID SCHMIDT Dave has been a mainstay in the Santa Cruz surfing scene for well over three decades. Through the years David and his brother Richard have shared countless days of epic surf together. In the early to mid 80's on the North Shore of Oahu, with David being a goofy foot and Richard a regular foot, there was always a constant battle on where to surf; the rights or lefts, Sunset or Pipeline. David's tall frame seemed to fit perfectly in the big North Shore surf. He was definitely one of the best at Pipeline during this period, also a standout on many days at Sunset and Waimea. On Jan. 22, 1990, Dave and Tom Powers were up at Ocean Beach (San Francisco) admiring, perfect 15' A-frame peaks going off, unfortunately with no channel to paddle out in. Jeff Clark pulled up and said, "You guys want big perfect surf with a channel? Follow me." Although Jeff had surfed Mavericks for years before this day, this was the first time he was able to share it with other takers, up until this day a hard commodity to come by. David was shell-shocked. "I saw so many waves that you could fit 18 wheelers inside of! I never imagined anything like that in California!" Jeff's comments on Dave that session: "Dave caught a beauty that day and S-turned his way all the way through to the inside rock." This happened to be the same surf that produced an epic Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational event the day before in which Dave's brother Richard placed third. According to Jeff. "That day definitely changed everything." Dave's knowledge of the ocean is invaluable to the school. His SSA's (struggling surfers assists) are the most powerful in the business. Besides teaching surfing, Dave is also very active as a real estate agent for Network Alliance. He can be contacted directly for any real estate needs: (831) 227-3679.

		MARK YANOWSKY Mark is a self-accomplished surfer, he has been surfing the Santa Cruz area for 15 years. He is a graduate from the UC Santa Cruz and now teaches at North Monterey County High School. Mark's workday usually begins with a few barrels out at Moss Landing on his way to school. In addition to his teaching, he volunteers a lot of his time to the school's surfing club which he helped form and runs. He enjoys introducing and inspiring his students to the sport of surfing. Mark has been teaching with us since 1996. One of Mark's greatest assets is his warm and friendly, yet professional personality. This makes him a great "people person". We've had nothing but compliments from our clients. Here is what one satisfied costumer had to say about him, "Mark is everything a good teacher should be: patient, encouraging, courteous, and genuinely interested in the students and the sport -- I was greatly impressed."