We could not be happier with the experience we had with Gulf Coast Surf School. Our three girls (ages 12, 12, and 8) had a first time surf lesson with Braden and A.C. on Navarre Beach last week. Both of the instructors were fantastic, infused our kids with confidence in their abilities, and taught them the basics on land. Then, they took them out in the waves one by one and did a 'pitch and catch' process where one instructor was with them to help them get positioned to catch the wave and set them off correctly, and the second one would be more toward shore to 'catch' them as they surfed in. It worked beautifully. Our kids never felt like they were out in the waves alone, they weren't intimated by the waves (which, while small by experienced surfer standards, were still significantly larger than anything our kids had ever played in before!), and were quickly able to mount the board to catch the next wave. Even with two of the girls being 'goofy footed' and one being 'standard', the instructors were able to present the instructions in a way that made sense to all of them. All three girls gave the experience two HUGE thumbs up and asked to be able to do it again the next time we are in Navarre/Pensacola.
One of the things that was really great is that they can meet you in several places in the area, and one of the spots just happened to be right down the beach from our rental, so we didn't even have to drive anywhere. The transaction was smooth and we were totally comfortable with Braden and A.C. and their skill level/ability to watch over our kids' safety. Braden was communicative ahead of the planned lessons. He called/texted early to let us know that he was on his way to the planned meeting spot to check out the wave action and would let us know if the conditions were appropriate.
We will definitely use Gulf Coast Surf School the next time we get back to the area!