We booked a private beginner 7 am lesson for two of us. Everyone was nice both on the phone and in person. Our instructor Fillippe was very knowledgeable, showed us how to stand on the board once your are in the water, how we would be taking turns and that we should wait at the bouy, as there would be other people there, what to do if we're losing control, etc. He said that safety is the priority. It was a low tide time. The water area where the class took place is all rock, but we were given shoes. It sounded great in theory. Then we were instructed to paddle to the buoy. Fillippe instructed me to start paddling to the shore to catch the wave and slightly pushed my board, reminding me the sequence of the steps. I stood and rode for a bit and then lost the balance and fell, brushing my knees over the rocks. Same with my husband who got less instruction in the beginning. After a while the area has become crowded. I did not feel comfortable going straight at the other people in the surfing area. I told Fillippe that I was to sure what to do in the end so that I would end up falling. He said that we chose an extreme sport and falling was part of it. Finally, both my husband and I were able to ride the board for a bit and it was fun, but almost every round ended up with us falling into the rocky bottom. My husband tried to stay in the area where it was not to shallow but the instruction was to keep moving to the shore. Once out of the water we noticed my husband's leg was bleeding. Our instructor said it's not a big deal. We asked at the front desk what people typically do with these cuts and were suggested washing it with peroxide. Being excited, we wanted to book another lesson and we're encouraged to do so. What they did not tell or did not know was that even a minor cut in Hawaii is dangerous and we should have sought medical attention because there are bacteria in the water, including antibiotics resistant staph. After the lesson we stopped swimming to wait for the wound to heal. It did not heal on its own, we went to the doctor after 5 days, and are now on antibiotics. With the waiver policy the whole idea of safety is skewed. Could be better: don't downgrade the seriousness of the lava rock cuts, practice safely getting down on the board, provide protective socks, negotiate space in the water with other schools. There is more to say about the organization of the class itself. Note: never apply straight peroxide to the wound, dilute it 1:1 with water.