~ SOUTH PADRE SURF COMPANY FEATURED ON FROMMERS.COM as one of the top 10 destination surf camps in the world!
~ BIG NEWS!! The United States Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Commander John Pasch honored Gene at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station with a Certificate of Appreciation for a lifetime of public service dedicated to ocean safety, along with the coveted Sector Coin for extraordinary service! We are humbled and honored beyond words!!
~ HURRICANE ISAAC - Large surf and dangerous rip currents for Tuesday through Thursday Aug28-30, we will not be holding any lessons these days, but we will be surfing all day :) If you are on the Island, come to the jetty to watch the hurricane surf but please stay in shallow water or out of it completely. If not, watch the waves on SPadre.com Live Webcams
~ SUMMER SURF CAMPS 2013 Registration now open by email or call 956-772-7272. We are looking forward to some WARM FUN SURF THIS SUMMER!!!
~ SURFING LESSONS are held daily year-round by reservation. Surfing lessons for kids, children and adults of all ages! The best family activity!
~ SURFBOARD RENTALS are available at a discounted rate for students after your lesson.
~ GET YOUR SURFING PICTURES here. Download images or puchase prints, tshirts or other products online. Put'em on your Facebook!
~ ADVANCED SURFING LESSONS now available, take your surfing to the next level. Private instruction, your board or ours.
~ HURRICANE SEASON 2013 - June through October are the peak months for tropical storms and hurricanes... and big surf in the Gulf!
~ All New Surfboards! Custom made for SPSC by GLS Softboards in California, expensive but they are the best, and you are worth it!
~ Congrats to Micah and Melia for competing in the Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Championships at Makaha Hawaii Thanksgiving!
Micah made it to the semi-finals! . Here's our favorite, picture from our Hawaii trip, its out in the middle of Hanalei Bay Kauai where we renewed our wedding vows on a surfboard with the kids

Gene and Rachel Surfing at Matagorda Texas!	Our Family

~ 8 YEAR OLD LAUREN FROM SAN ANTONIO - Mom says: "Thank you soooo much for the wonderful experience.  I am so happy Lauren got to experience what i did when i first learned how to surf back in the day. (East Coaster here)  She can now fully appreciate the force of mother nature as well as the joy and beauty it can also provide.  You are truly blessed individuals to have such a wonderful "office" to go to everyday. Melia and Micah are such sweet kids and were so helpful to her. I will definitely recommend your company and wish i lived closer so she could surf more. She got the bug...LOL"
~ Come learn to surf in the BEST SURF IN TEXAS at the BEST BEACH IN TEXAS - South Padre Island ! .
~ MOMS and CHILDREN, don't wait around all day while dad takes kiteboarding lessons, SUP lessons, windsurfing lessons or goes fishing, come surfing with us!
~ Our precious 7 year old Melia's recent California trip included ROXY fashion, runway and catalog shoots, a coldwater surf at Huntington Pier, snowboarding at Mammoth with the Roxy crew and a hula performance at the new Quiksilver flagship store at Mammoth Mountain. Click for more on Roxy's blog! Check out these pics of 9 year old Micah's first time snowboarding too!
~ Hurricane Ida 2009 brings the biggest surf of the year to the Texas coast, click here for a Surfline Feature with a couple of Gene's photos.
~ Check out Sea Gypsy Photographs to see the latest surfing action on the Island!
~ We've been a little busy with other projects besides surfing, here's a few notables:
* Gene has made custom surfboards his whole life, and recently built the world's first successful prosthetic turtle fin for an injured sea turtle! Read about it and see pictures in the current issue of People Magazine.

* Gene has been working with the National Weather Service in developing a new program called the "Surf Zone Forecast" with daily beach and surf conditions along with safety concerns such as rip currents. Using Gene's extensive knowledge and experience with beach and surf conditions, this program is setting a national standard for public beach safety and information.
* After many years of efforts by Gene and Rachel to educate both the public and City officials on ocean safety, the South Padre Island Beach Patrol was finally formed, under the command of our new and pro-active fire chief Burney Baskett. Gene trained the first group of recruits, including Coast Guard personnel in surf rescue techniques including jet-ski rescue, surfboard rescue and more.
~

SPSC supports local non-profit environmental groups:

Surfrider Foundation
Sea Turtle Inc.
SPI Birding and Nature Center

My name is Talisha. My two daughters attended your one hour surf lesson back in August. Afterwards, your husband carried me out alone so I could experience what it was like. I'm filling up with tears as I type this because it was such a special moment for me to be out there in the water. It was something I've never even contemplated being able to do since my spinal cord injury 19 years ago. I just wanted to thank you both for your kindness and patience! My words truly can't express the gratitude I feel for that once in a lifetime opportunity that you both afforded me. I was able to find the pictures you took and I'm so grateful you capture the smile on my face! Thank you for making that trip one I'll never forget.
Sincerely, Talisha

Hey Rachel & Gene! Just wanted to thank you for those classes I took a few years ago! Got into surfing pretty seriously now even though I started at 18. Been surfing since. I've recently moved to Costa Rica and I'm getting some awesome waves, riding a 6'0", also thanks for the small shaping lesson! Hope you guys are well! Regards, Lucas

Thank you so much for the awesome surfing lessons the both of you provided for our kids. They had a blast and have not stop talking about the rush of riding there very first wave. We told everyone about the thrill. Our family in San Juan has decided that they are going to take there kids to the island to take lesson from you guys as well. Our niece wants to make a scrap book, can you please forward those cool pictures of them for us to print. Again, thanks a ton! You guys provided a memory that our kids will never forget!!!

hi my name is renee and i just took surf lessons with you guys on April 21st and there were 8 of us girls. it was the most amazing time of my life..if i lived in a tropical area i would surf every day until i died!

Hey guys, Sara and I took lessons from you last week. What can i say, it made our trip to South Padre Island. Sara and i picked south padre as our vacation spot because we wanted to surf and we liked what we saw on your web-site. It was even better than i thought it would be. Rachel was an unbelievable teacher and i was able to stand up on my FIRST FRICKIN' WAVE. By the end of the two days of surfing, my wife and i were surfing, laughing, and wiping out together. We are already trying to figure out how to move down there so we can surf year around! Anyways, you guys are absolutely amazing and i would tell anyone that if you don't hit up the surf company than you haven't really visited South Pad'.
Can't wait to catch another wave. mark hovermale - detroit michigan - march 06

Stele's (8yo.) sister treated him to a marvelous experience that included learning new vocabulary phrases such as: "Surf's-up" and"Hang-ten, dude" . . His instructor was excellent with him and is highly recommended for children!

Thanks so much for the surfing lesson this past Saturday. What a terrific birthday gift to have so much fun while learning a new sport. You made it so easy and so much FUN! I had a blast and hope to make it a new hobby with my husband and friends. I really appreciate you letting us stay out so long too. I'll recommend your business to anyone who will listen! - Jill , Fort Worth, TX . The big “4 – 0” Birthday Girl


I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that the surfing lessons was the highlight of my family's vacation!!!!! Everyone enjoyed the surfing, and the few people in our group that didn't participate in the lessons wished that they did after watching the rest of us have so much fun! I do think that you have created monsters in my family!! We are already talking about our next vacation to South Padre Island to go surfing. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. You made my family feel welcomed out on the "huge" waves!!!! Thank you again.
Patiently waiting for the next wave,
Bessie Hollar and family

Together with my 9-year old daughter Sophia, I attended the Thanksgiving 2006 surf camp, and we both had a blast! It was awesome to stand on a surfboard, and Sophia is very proud of her new skills. You both made it so much fun for us! (Also nice to see that one can teach a middle aged body new tricks!) It was very nice of you to provide sandwiches after the camp, we were very hungry after 3 hours in the water! Sophia appreciated also that you let her practice some more after the camp, thank you!Again, we had a great time! - Sabine

Hey Rachel and Gene, Its me Don, and i just wanted to say thanks from the bottom of my soul....I dont know just what i was looking for to kick off my next 40 years..Ive always wanted to try surfing but who thought at my age i would be able to...I am so happy....i still have a long road ahead of me and alot to learn, but i never thought this would be such a blast...every day i go i enjoy it more and more.. thanks again for opening that door and a new chapter in my life....

I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for one of the most remarkable days I have ever had! Saturday's surf lesson was a gift I decided to give myself for the tough year I have had recently. I had not laughed and giggled or felt as great as I did on Saturday for such a long time. When I finally stood up on that board I felt like: "this is what I should have been doing all my life, this is where I belong, this is what feels right." On that day....it was just one of those times when you feel like you have arrived "HOME". I look forward to more lessons, becoming a better surfer and getting more confident in the water.
Thank you for the boost to my confidence that I needed, to the added motivation to continue to lose those last 30 pounds with weight-watchers, and for making me smile....something I had not done in such a long time. I have pictures from Saturday and in each one my smile is ear to ear....and the best part is that I can feel it in my soul! I e-mailed all my friends...and their responses were so positive....even my parents were amazed! woohoo....I love surfing!!!! Again...thank you so much.....I look forward to many more lessons! ,Cris

I just wanted to thank you both for such a great experience for Isabela and Solomon this past weekend. They both had a blast surfing and were doubly excited to be interviewed and photographed for the Brownsville
Herald. You two make the experience with your unbridled enthusiasm and open-arm friendliness and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. hope to see you sooner than later, Sandy

She had the time of her life!!! South Padre is so much more beautiful than Corpus Christi and Port Aransas where we usually go, and the waves were actually better than when we were in Hawaii! Amy

Gene and Rachel, I just wanted to thank you for the great day at your summer camp. All 5 girls absolutely LOVED surfing. I know if any of these girls get near water with some waves they will be looking for some surf boards to play on from now on!

We had such an amazing time learning how to surf from you both last week. The kids are so excited to surf again, that we might try out surf side in about 3 weeks. We just wanted to say thank you again for making our first experience surfing such a positive one.
Take Care, Mary, Bryan, Ross, Dani, and or course Pierce Neskora

I wish we hadn't waited until our last day of vacation, if I knew it was this much fun, I would have paid $100 for this!! Danielle - Port Aransas

Thank you again for a great lesson! I was so psyched to have done as well as I did in the short time we were in the water. Thanks! Heather

We tried kiteboarding lessons and windsurfing lessons, but surfing is way easier and so much fun!

Thanks again for a great experience; You can be sure that the next time we are in your part of Texas we'll be calling on your expertise for more lessons. Many thanks again, Scott Andrew London, ON CANADA

The Kids had a great time surfing while we were in Padre! I think it was the highlight of the trip! We can't wait until we can visit again and take another lesson! Thanks again! Harriet Handley