Waikiki Surfers Give Away $200 Lessons And Visitors Are Surprised

If someone walked up to you on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki and offered a free surf lesson, you would probably say no. Most people do. Free anything usually comes with strings attached, and visitors have learned to be cautious. That is why what a small group of local surfers is doing through the First Wave Project has become so unexpected.

They approach visitors on the beach or avenue, offering to take them surfing for free, with no catch and no payment required at any point. In a place where a standard lesson runs about $200, the offer alone stops people in their tracks.

First Wave Project is a grassroots effort led by Honolulu native Buddy Wiggins with friends Zach Murphy and Isaiah Moniz. In two months, they have taught around 50 people to stand on their first wave, built a following of approximately 6,000 on Instagram, and seen their video clips reach over a million views. Professional surfers, including Kai Lenny, Mason Ho, and Kelia Moniz, have publicly encouraged what they are doing.

How free surfing showed up in the middle of $200 Waikiki.

In Waikiki, surf lessons often start at $200 for group classes. Private sessions cost even more, with add-ons such as photos pushing the total even higher. Visitors have accepted this reality for years, as it is one of the most iconic surf spots in the world.

Wiggins emerged from the same commercial surf world before his life and work took him away from the shoreline. He said that returning to the ocean brought back a sense of clarity, and he felt drawn toward teaching again, but not in any traditional sense. Instead, he and Murphy began discussing how to offer free surf experiences to people who clearly wanted to learn but would never or perhaps could never book a paid lesson. Moniz joined after seeing the impact of the early sessions.

Their approach is straightforward. They walk along Waikiki Beach, looking for visitors who are watching the waves but holding back. They avoid people who appear to be already signed up for commercial lessons and have stated that surf schools support that decision. The goal is not to undercut anyone else. The goal is to give the ocean to people who believe it is, for whatever reason, out of reach.

Wiggins has described the ocean as a well of happiness he wants to share. He said he would not feel right keeping it to himself. That phrasing has resonated with many people who watch the project unfold.

Why surf schools are not threatened by this.

You might assume free surf lessons in Waikiki would upset those companies that rely on paid instruction. Instead, the opposite has actually occurred. According to Wiggins, instructors and owners have expressed support and told him these sessions are not a competition.

The people who accept free lessons are not necessarily bargain hunters. They are individuals who believe surfing is only for the fit, the experienced, or the young. They are visitors who see the $200 price tag as daunting and walk past without stopping because they do not think they belong. By offering to take those people out for free, First Wave Project opens a door that the commercial market rarely reaches.

Some of those new surfers may choose to book lessons later with one of the surf schools on Waikiki Beach once they have confidence. Even if they do not, surf schools lose nothing because these were never likely customers. For a surf community that needs a steady flow of first-timers, anything that increases interest in the sport benefits everyone.

@firstwaveproject

John had never thought about surfing before. He mentioned he wasn’t confident in swimming, so we stayed where he could stand. I let him know i’d ride along side him every wave and make sure i keep my eyes on him the whole time. With that comfort, he said he wanted to give it a try! GO JOHN!!! #surf #surfing #hawaii #waikiki #firstwaveproject

♬ som original – FlashBack Hits

The people who appear in their videos.

The emotional weight of the First Wave Project comes from the people in their videos, such as the one above. They are not experts or influencers. They are ordinary people with ordinary fears.

One clip shows a visitor who repeatedly says he cannot stand up. A later clip shows him riding a wave with both arms outstretched. Another video shows an older mother riding her first wave in front of cheering beachgoers. Others show visitors who believed they were too old, heavy, unfit, or anxious ever to try something like this, and in Hawaii of all places.

Wiggins said the most powerful moment so far came from the man who spoke openly about depression and suicidal thoughts. Hearing someone be that honest on the beach, he said, changed their understanding of what this work was becoming.

A connection to Waikiki’s earliest surf history.

There is also a fascinating historical layer to this story. Long before commercial surf schools, Waikiki was renowned for local surfers who would take visitors out on boards and introduce them to the sport of surfing. Duke Kahanamoku became legendary not only for his Olympic achievements but for sharing the sport with others, also at Waikiki Beach.

First Wave Project does not claim to recreate that earlier era, but the similarity is hard to ignore. Local surfers scanning the shoreline for someone who needs help, guiding them into a wave, and refusing payment afterward is a reminder that the beach was built on sharing joy with newcomers, not just selling it.

What does this mean for future Hawaii trips?

First Wave Project is not a tour company, and this is something that visitors cannot plan around. Most visitors will never encounter it. However, the videos reveal that something meaningful can still occur in Hawaii without a reservation or a fee. For many visitors, this is far more impactful than they could have expected.

Would you take a free surf lesson from a stranger on Waikiki Beach, or would you hesitate? Have you ever had a moment in Hawaii where someone offered something unexpected, unplanned, and without any cost, that changed your day?

Does this story shift your view of Waikiki, where everything else seems to now come with a cost?