So I decided to give surfing a try and I so wish I had did this YEARS ago!! I had a private lesson with Alika who was very knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely recommend checking these guys out if youre looking for surf lessons. All the guys at the booth were supportive, fun, and Akila is a cool cat too! I had a blast, thank you Big Wave Dave!!!

Went out in a group lesson for surfing with Chris super last minute and it was awesome. Id never been surfing before, and even being with a group of strangers everything was super thorough. Theyre great about keeping the group together, being nice, and even pointing out turtles if you see any. 10/10 would do again

Just did a group surf lesson with Nobi and had a blast. He had me standing up and riding waves in a matter of minutes. He knows how to read the ocean and his students well. He knew when to push us and when we needed to chill. He was genuinely excited when we caught a wave and knew exactly what to correct to make us better. Overall, the experience was amazing, I highly recommend taking a lesson with them!

We had a semi-private lesson that was upgraded to a private lesson because the winds were so strong, so we ended up having an instructor one-on-one! Chris and Paul were both fantastic and they made our surfing experience so fun and easy! I would definitely recommend this place for any first-timers or experienced surfers. Thank you Paul and Chris!

My wife and I booked our first surfing lessons here over at Big Wave Dave at Surf & Coffee. Our instructor, Chris, was very informative and detailed in teaching us how to surf. He definitely made our lessons fun and enjoyable which we were able to catch some good waves. Overall highly recommend this place for first timers and definitely recommend there coffee and food! Avocado toast was on point!🤙

We saw this coffee shop as we were walking towards Starbucks. We wanted to go to Starbucks for coffee in the morning and the line was so long out the door so we went back to this one. Good thing we did! Really good coffee and breakfast sandwich options as well as smoothies. My kids said it was better than Starbucks and I totally agree!

Loved it! Our instructor was a great teacher and fun to chat with. Good coffee. No complaints whatsoever. Go there!

Amazing food and coffee, we rented surfboards and had an amazing time. The guava bread and coffee are very tasty! The staff are so nice!

Incredible time! I’m a big guy and was really nervous, Lee jumped in and got me out there. Note, I can’t stand yet but I will next time! Mahalo to Le and Big Wave Dave’s!

I had so much fun surfing with these guys that I had to come back a second time on my trip. If you’re thinking of taking surf lessons, I’d 100% recommend this place.

What an experience! For a first timer going out an being able to ride waves I have to say the team at Big Wave Dave is awesome! Chris thank you so much again for all your hard work in the water, couldnt of asked for a better first time surfing.

We did the semi private surf lessons and it was absolutely amazing. I would recommend that if your newer to surfing for more 1 on 1 time. We were first time surfers and our instructor was amazing, he helped walk us through everything step by step and spent extra time with my wife who was initially very hesitant and scared to do it. By the end of the lesson I had caught 10+ waves and my wife had caught 7+ waves. It was a huge bucket list item for me and felt great to actually surf within only 1 lesson.

Great place! Good coffee, good coffee drinks, good food! Great it is a local private business. Very friendly! I love this place!!

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I’ve tried this place multiple times because it’s so convenient to our hotel, and I’ve been disappointed. A small cup of drip coffee is $4. Seriously? I could get down with that if the coffee was a pour over…or if the coffee was actually great. Back home I can find 6 coffee shops within a mile that are worlds better than this. And the food is weak. My blueberry bagel this morning tastes like it’s been in the display for a week. That’s not hyperbole. I hate to post a poor review, it this is the reality. This place could be dynamite because it’s so close to the beach. So much potential.

My husband and I took a lesson here a couple days ago. It was great! I definitely recommend this place. The instructors are awesome and make sure that you feel confident & comfortable. They took us to a small beach front nearby where the water didn’t get that deep, which was reassuring to my fears of deep open water.My only word of caution is to make sure you bring and wear (or buy) water shoes to protect your feet. Since the waters are shallower and there’s lots of coral rocks it’s very likely you’ll cut your feet, like I did, and cut your Hawai’i adventures sooner than you’d like.

Had a great breakfast this morning! Food was quick and the cold brew coffee was fantastic. Definitely try the acai bowl!!! Fresh fruits & really good honey. We will likely try this location for surf rental -- and will update the review after that!

We took semi private surfing lessons and it was every penny of it! Our instructor was knowledgeable about the waves and made sure that we had plenty of positive experience riding the board. The first time I got on the board was exhilarating! I got a lot more confident about surfing after a few tries and I cant wait to come back for more!

I had never been surfing before, but it has always been a bucket list item for me. After a little bit of searching, I decided to sign up for a private lesson at Big Wave Daves. I am very happy with my choice, it was worth every penny!My instructor Paul was very knowledgeable and encouraging, and I was able to stand up on the very first wave! Despite the bipolar wind, Paul was able to find lots of good waves for me to surf while avoiding the crowded (and slightly crowded) areas. I was able to get up several times (close to 10, I think), which was way more than I thought I would be able to do in my first hour and a half (or so) of surfing!I wish I would have gone at the beginning of my week-long vacation instead of on the last day--I would have loved to go back for another lesson!A big thank you to Paul and BWD for a great experience! I hope to be back again someday!

Before I start this review — know that I’m typically an optimist who sees the best in every situation! The group surf lesson I took here, however, was really disappointing. I did a lot of planned activities while I was in O’ahu, including snorkeling, paddle boarding, and zip-lining. This surf lesson was BY FAR my least favorite of the things that I did. During the “instruction” part of the lesson, where they show you how to pop up on the board while on dry land, we had 2 instructors explain 2 conflicting methods of how to go about this. This was definitely confusing for me, and it definitely made it harder for me while on the water. My biggest complaint would definitely be that the group size was way too big. Our group had 15-20 people in it and only 2-3 instructors helping out. This meant that even though we were on the water for an hour and a half, I was only able to try riding maybe 3 waves, as the instructors were dividing their attention amongst everyone. Since the instructors were so busy, they also didn’t really provide specific feedback of what I was doing right/wrong, so I kept wiping out without knowing why. I also felt like one of our instructors (Chris) was kind of rude and would get aggravated if you didn’t follow his instructions to a T, which was sometimes difficult to do as a beginner surfer (specifically when I had trouble keeping my board straight and when my arms were too short to hold the nose of the board the right way). Lastly, I booked through AirBnB which meant that I got a coupon for a free coffee after the lesson, but when we got back from surfing, the coffee shop had just closed and they wouldn’t serve me. I was allowed to pick from a cooler which really only had soda, Red Bull, a kid’s chocolate milk (none of which I drink) which was really disappointing. This didn’t really live up to what I had paid for. I would recommend either going to another surf school or shelling out the extra money for a private lesson so you’re not fighting for attention.

Diana is the BEST surf instructor! I planned on taking one surf lesson while in Hawaii... but, I ended up taking 5 with Diana because she made it so much fun. She is patient, helpful, and convivial. I learned so much from each session and was catching waves in no time. Couldnt have asked for a better surf instructor or experience.If Diana isnt available, try requesting Dylan or Chris. Both guys are awesome surf instructors as well.Also, I highly recommend getting the picture/video package. Even if its your first time surfing, Alex will make you look like a pro out there and get some awesome shots.The surf lessons at Big Wave Daves were the highlight of my trip!

My sons and I took a surf lesson from Chris. He was great at teaching us how to surf and we were all able to do it from our first attempt. It was a great experience.

Terrible time. An instructor sent a girl into my girlfriend and she got hit in the back of the head by the nose of their surfboard. Their instructors showed no care except for Leo and once we got back a refund was not immediate. We were told to write down our phone numbers and we will be contacted. I cannot recommend this place unless you like to get hurt. Their instructors are careless and their management is poor. No doubt an expensive vacation ruined by big wave dave and his careless staff.

We got extremely lucky finding Dave’s on our first morning in Waikiki. We walked out of our hotel and were staring straight at it. We can be particular about our coffee (and skeptical about new spots) but decided to give it a try.And so glad we did because Dave’s then became our daily ritual over our 7 day stay on Waikiki. The coffee is delicious and chosen with care (just ask Dave) and they have tons of healthy and hearty food options (we tried everything - smoothies, bagels, sandwiches, pizza). They also sell apparel, rent surfboards, and give surfing lessons.Our favorite part of Dave’s was the kind and welcoming staff. We loved seeing Dave, Crystal, Dillon, Nicole, and Kahea daily! We’ll miss starting our mornings with the crew and coffee at Dave’s but are already looking forward to our next trip. Thanks for making Waikiki feel like home for the week ❣️

Big Wave Daves is truly excellent! Very reasonable prices, super friendly staff, and great coffee without a massive line. Took a surf lesson with them, and their instructors were incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and friendly. Cant recommend it more!

Had a surfing lesson here this morning and had an absolute blast. Chris and Lee were both phenomenal instructors (it went way better than the last time I tried surfing) and just all around fun guys. Id definitely recommend this place if youre in the area and considering a lesson.Thanks for the surf, guys! 🤙

We took a surfing class there and was a little disappointed with the experience. We dont have surfing experience (thats why we signed up for the experience!). However, the instructor is unfriendly and inpatient. Probably he was having a bad day or he was really tired after classes in the morning. He was inpatient when we asked questions and then asked us to upgrade to private classes for the instructor to focus 100% on us. We eventually paid more and upgraded to private lesson.

Great outlook from Dave Surf. The mocha a little sweet and the bacon egg sandwich was ordinary. The atmosphere is relaxed and a nice place for relax.

My açaí bowl was delicious. The honey on top was a really nice touch. It was a perfect start to my morning with a cup of Kona coffee. It wasn’t fancy but it got the job done. The staff was super friendly. We enjoyed our breakfast and coffee sitting in their cafe chairs and enjoying their bomb playlist. There’s limited seating so don’t count on it. Get there early bc the line forms quickly!

It was one of my WORST experiences, they dont care if your are dying or hit by the boards and injured. I was in a group of more than 20 people with 3 trainers who were more than overwhelmed. It was high tide warning and they took a group of beginners into the ocean without even informing. When I was asking for help I was told I cant just help one person and was asked to go back to the shore. Some of us were washed away by one of the big waves and got injured, my face was bleeding profusely and the guy took forever to get me back to the shore. Thankfully a lady at the store took me to the emergency room, when I got back to grab my stuff, all the surf trainers who were with me just looked away as if nothing had happened. The lady at the store counter said its normal to get injured during surfing lesson, may be they should have warned us before about the high tide and lack of trainers.PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS LESSON, IT WASNT SAFE AT ALL

My son has been wanting to surf for as long as I can remember. We found Big Wave Dave for lessons and he had a blast. Friendly staff and a fantastic instructor made for an unforgettable experience for him. Thank you.

Fantastic crew and great first lesson. They did an awesome job of teaching first timers how to surf. I would absolutely return for another lesson.

Hands down the best coffee we had while here. The staff is ridiculously nice and the food is good too. We leave today but not without one more latte. We’ll miss them soooo much!

What an incredible experience !! My boyfriend and I had surf lessons with Chris and he was super knowledgeable and taught us well. We both got up on waves a good amount thanks to his guidance! we had an excellent time, and cant say enough about our experience. HIGHLY recommend !

Outrigger Canoe Ride was an amazing bucket-list experience. Dave was knowledgeable and a great coach for our family. Our family loved it. I suggest this activity for participants that are good swimmers and strong/willing to paddle hard. This is not an easy, free ride for any of the people in the canoe. Only take the supplies you need: water to drink after working hard, swimsuit/rash guard, pre applied sunscreen a towel... and tip for the capitan. Mahalo

Seems like people have good experiences when everything goes right, but beware of the customer service should something go wrong. I paid for a 1.5 hour lesson and my instructor showed up late and brought us in early, resulting in my lesson lasting less than 1 hour. I spoke to the owner, Dave, who got angry and defensive and hung up on me. I had him on speakerphone and my friend was shocked with how aggressive and emotional he was. Then he texted that he’d refund me but never did. When I followed up about it, he ghosted me (see text screenshots). Later, I spoke to Dave’s wife, who said she’d look into it, and then like her husband, ghosted me when I followed up (see text screenshots). If you read the negative reviews on this business, Dave often tells people that he’ll do a better job when they come back to Hawaii, but says nothing about refunding them to make it right. This isn’t fooling anyone. If you bought a defective Apple computer, it would be messed up if they said, “We won’t give you a refund, but don’t worry, the next one you buy will be better” Lol, what a joke. This weak customer service doesn’t even make them money since most people know to file credit card disputes when they get ripped off. There are plenty of amazing surf lesson companies here so if you care about customer service, steer clear of Big Wave Dave’s.

I cant thank the amazing team at Big Wave Dave for four days of unforgettable surfing. We progressed from newbies to catching some big ones 2 miles out. All our muscles are still sore, but it was definitely worth it. The rash guards, reef shoes and reef safe sunscreen are good purchases if youre going out multiple days. Wonderful photography from Jess (as seen below). Aloha!

I canceled my Hawaii trip because of COVID lockdowns. These guys gave me 100% refund. Please support this company through the difficult time.

This place is amazing!! Staff and owners are super nice and helpful! We came back multiple days for our rentals, lessons and COFFEE!❤️ Of course I bought a sweater:)

I wish i could get not only my money but time back as well. I was charged $169 for a 1.5 hr SUP lesson and i got only 45min. My instructor was not very helpful and kept making me feel dumb while i was in the water only for him to realize once we were walking back that my board was filled with about 10lbs of water on the inside, hence my struggles. Beach wasn’t the best spot either, I do not recommend for beginners.

I took my first surfing lesson with Chris. Then I went back and took my second lesson with Alika.Both of them were positive, encouraging, and laid back. I had a great time and plan to take more lessons in the future.

Acai bowl tasted old n freezer burn and bread on sandwich was soggy and had no taste. My kids ordered food without me and said customer service wasnt friendly and wouldnt eat there again.

This place has hands down the best Avocado toast I ever had. I have been back 2 times already this trip :) Very friends and nice little place for coffee and food.

We did the outrigger canoe ride two days ago, and while it was fun, I was SUPER bummed at the end to find out that the photographer who was stationed on the beach forgot to take photos of the activity :/ being a photographer myself photos are super important to me and I was really looking forward to having some from this. Other than that, the staff was friendly and the activity was fun, but definitely on the shorter side (about 15-20 minutes) but I didn’t ask how long it would be before booking because it didn’t matter that much to me, just something to note if you don’t want to spend that amount of money for a shorter activity!

Great first time surfing lesson. Chris was patient, helpful, and fun.

I just went for food and got the avocado toast which was delicious and had the red velvet frap. LET ME TELL YOU I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE FRAP! Can’t stop thinking about it. Plus the employees were very nice and provided good service. A little costly but matches the theme for everywhere else too so won’t hit on that. Definitely would go back

It was amazing. I’m so happy that I find this place for my first surfing lesson Staff was friendly and Chris my best teacher. Thank you, guys!

BEST HAWAI’I 🌺 COFFEE ☕️ IN WAIKIKI HAS A SECRET MENU! 🤫Decided to find the best latte ☕️ made with hawaiian 🌺 coffee I started reading reviews on all social media platforms and asking locals. Big Wave Dave offers surf 🏄 lessons, burritos 🌯, paninis, pastries 🥮, souvenirs and some other things that make you wonder if coffee drinks are a specialty, yet you start wondering “Why did so many people recommend them?”It’s the TASTE OF HAWAI’I IN EVERYTHING. From the moment you walk in you are greeted by Courtney (IG @court.ferris) or Kelsey or whomever is there, with a big “ALOHA!” and a smile warm as the sun ☀️. Then it’s the drink, you MUST TRY the BIG WAVE DAVE LATTE. ($6.95 for 16oz. Yes, go for the big one, it’s worth it!) You can taste the hawaiian 🌺 honey 🍯 in it and it’s just PHENOMENAL!Are you a chocolate 🍫 lover like me that FIRMLY BELIEVES that something that awesome should include cacao in it? There’s a SECRET MENU🤫... Kelsey created the #ruizmedina⭐️, which is the same concept of the kō hana rum in kokoleka. Ask for it.BTW, I don’t think I tipped them enough, would you give them one dollar 💵 next time you stop by?#ruizmedina⭐️

Had awesome time. We had so much fun, we setup more visits. My wife and I loved the outrigger, my daughter LOVED surfing. She is only 11 and the instructors took excellent care. You need to set up some time on the outrigger!! We have been to Oahu 6 times and cant believe we havent ever done the outrigger! BWDs is the place to go - they made our trip to Oahu a FANTASTIC trip. Photographer on the shore took some amazing photos and videos as well! Thanks again Dave! Cant wait to visit again!

Had some general questions about the nearby surf conditions and received a very rude response. Very intense localism attitude from one of the employees.

We found this shop off of Groupon and Im so happy that we did! We rented two beach chairs, two snorkel sets, and an umbrella for $24! We went early in the morning and used the gear all day! If we come back to Hawaii, we will definitely use again!

Outstanding help from the owner herself today. She went above & beyond & I am sure gave up her personal time to help us. We thank her for making our stay in Waikiki even more fabulous!

The activities lady there is very deceptive. They didnt refund me one of the seats I cancelled for the outrigger ride(booked 4, but my Daughter didnt fell well), although it was stated it appeared that it already was (got home - no refund). They even replaced that cancelled seat with another person.Additionally, trying to get you to buy a rash shirt for surf lessons, even though I already stated that I wanted to rent one.Additionally, trying to get you to sign up for a more expensive surfing lesson by stating that there were already 5 people in the group lesson, when in fact there were only 2 there.

Our instructor was amazing and super knowledgeable. He did an amazing job with our small group class of three people. All of us were able to get up on the first time end taught us the basics and showed us what to look for in a wave to ride. I would recommend this to anyone going to Waikiki and looking to learn how to surf!

Great cold brew better than Starbucks! And the girls working were all super nice!

Expectations exceeded. I took 3 lessons on a 5 day stay in Hawaii. Great service and instruction. Staff was friendly and accommodating. I am scared of water and can’t swim, but instructors made me feel at ease. Overall the place stood out vs rest of the shops (which are abundant in Waikiki), as it had a much nicer look and feel. They also have a well built website with convenient scheduling and access to photos. Speaking of which - if I have to think of something I didn’t like as much - pictures were pretty expensive (if you buy over 25 pics - it’s $200 (quite steep, I’d say, and more expensive than a private lesson, too :D). Anyway, all in all, great experience and one of the highlights of this trip.

Cant wait to get back! Dave and Troy are total local legends. Friendly staff, great service. Mahalo nui loa!

I tried to rent a board. When I called, I was told that they open at 9 because of New Years. No mention that they closes at 12.We were there at 12:10. The dude at Dave’s Coffee shop told me they would be right there and to ‘hang loose’. When I called, they tied me they actually closed @ 12! I was suppose to understand that they opened 3 hour late and closed 2 hours early.Poor Customer Service!

Slow and poor customer service. Stopped early in the morning to grab quick coffee and some breakfast. Waited over 30 minutes with only two orders ahead of us. Our food was given to another person. Almost happened twice but the barista stopped them and grabbed it for us.

My husband and I took a semi private class with Chris. It was so much fun! He was a joy to work with and even got to see a Sea turtle as we paddled. Chris was knowledgable and a pleasure to surf with!

Ordered a cortado & its not made right… i saw him making & knew this is not gonna turn out well… he stamped down coffee way too tightly making espresso slower brewed & bitter… frothing was not at all good - way too hot & no microfoam…

Very good fresh food, good drinks, and friendly staff/environment

This place is great. Small coffee stand great service coffee and sorted breakfast goodies.

Friendly service, yummy coffee, affordable prices. I definitely recommend this local joint over any of the other big box stores in the area. Try the avocado toast! Super fresh ingredients and perfect for a light breakfast before the beach.

Chris was a phenomenal instructor. My only regret was not booking this at the very beginning of my trip. We had some great conversations during our time on the water. Patience and coaching helped me gain the skills and confidence to get up on the waves. He did not have an easy task teaching me but he got it done. Thanks again Chris!

For all Alaskans, get your morning coffee here...friendly staff like Kaladi Brothers, good pricing and Great Coffee.Very good pricing snorkel and surfboard rentals and lessons.Best pricing for long sleeve sun/swim shirtsDecember 2019Back again for my morning coffee. Still awesome staff and inviting atmosphere! And of course the Coffee is perfect!!!

Good people. Great location if you want a longer board rental. Their lockers are walking distance from several good breaks. Boards are what you would expect nsp big boards which is all you need in Waikiki.

Great little Coffee Shop very close to our Hotel (Embassy Suites). Staff were great, excellent service. The cold drinks were awesome too. Thanks Team!

Would definitely recommend this surfing school! I took two private lessons with Pono and he was the best surfing coach I have ever had. The experience was amazing and they provide good photographs too!

Poor service, over priced food/drinks, meh quality

Waste of money! Booked through 3rd party & unable to get refund. Was shuffled back and forth twice between areas and was kept waiting to rent a $5 lock while they were sifting for one that worked. While waiting on them I missed the land instruction and was told to hurry up (unable to do so because of injury) and no repeat of instruction that was missed while waiting on them. . Poorly run company and not worth the walk from my hotel. Save your money and go with another company.Im filling a complaint with third party vendor as well

My son got a lesson with Pono on our last day in Hawai‘i and he learned well - he was able to get up on the FIRST wave that he tried! It was amazing to see him learn something new & look good while doing it!! Pono was a great instructor!

High prices at low quality. Frozen fruits and store bought apple juice for the smoothies. Lunchable stlye meats fot the cheap flatbread sandwiches, that cost 9$. Fake smiles and personalities to match. Not family friendly, playing music on the loudspeakears typically including profantities and swear words not good in general. More then unsatisfactory, a complete dissappointment, with creepy owners and unruly college student type staff with care free attitudes, the opposite of aloha.

Surf, Aloha, and Coffee ... Everything I could want in a coffee shop. They close early, but totally worth rolling out of bed a little quicker. Best americano I had on Oahu. Mahalo!

The surf instructors are super nice!!

Awesome and convenient!! Highly recommend

Disappointing. Chai latte was way too sweet. Açaí bowl was not sweet. And ham and cheese sandwich was dry.

Great bagels and great coffee

BWD, once again you guys rock. Josh( instructor), thanks again Lucas your French buddy was delighted to surf with you to its last day which was on New Years Day 9 am. Not everyone made it but Josh did 😂. Youre a MACHINE. Lucas improved on paddling and taking off on his own. Nice new location, same great team, tasty ham & egg flat bread, and of course great photos. We hope to see you guys soon. Merci. Nico.

Big Wave Dave’s is awesome. I can not say enough good things about them. Everyone was friendly and nice. We felt so welcome from the moment we walked in. The surfing lessons were so fun. The three instructors made sure everyone had a good time and caught waves. My daughter was nervous to try surfing so they spent extra time making sure she was comfortable. Next time we come to Oahu this is the first place we are going!

I called same day to try to join a group lesson. They were super accommodating and fit me right in. When I ended up getting there early and was able to book a private lesson with one of their top instructors. Billy jumped on it and was a great instructor! Super encouraging, supportive, and informative. He was fun to surf with and gave great tips on things to do in the area. I had a great experience with these guys and would highly recommend learning to surf with them!

My 15 year old had a private lesson. She had a great time. She was able to get up on the board quite a few times for her first time surfing. Her instructor was patient and did a great job of showing her what to do. She had such a good time that she wanted to do another lesson.

This was my girlfriend’s and my first time visiting Oahu, so we wanted our first time surfing to be here! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. Chris was our instructor for the day and this guy was worth every penny. He was patient, knowledgeable, kind and most of all funny! We were both a little timid before getting to the shop, but after five minutes, Chris had us relaxed, learning and laughing! He taught us a few of the basics in the shop and some surfing etiquette before reaching the beach. Once we hit the water, Chris wasted no time getting us our first wave! And WOW what an experience it was. After about an hour, he had us shredding (okay maybe not shredding buttttt) waves like we’ve done it before. Great shop, amazing experience and an awesome instructor! Thanks Chris for making this a life memory and setting us off on our journey of becoming avid surfers!

We did a surfing lesson with Josh. Great experience, we were two people who had never surfed before. He helped us learn step by step, making sure we were safe during the lesson.We were a bit tired from other activities, and the guide helped us paddle when we couldnt do it anymore to get back to the wave zone. Dont go expecting him to paddle for you, but hell help you if youre trying.By the end of the lesson, the 3 of us (we were joined by one other person) were able to ride waves by ourselves.The area they take you is also good as its pretty empty, not like the main waikiki beach where you are around so many people its likely youll end up hitting someone. We were pretty much alone when learning.Only bad thing, the pictures they charge you for ($75 for all of them) are not good. They only took a few pictures at the start of the lesson when we didnt really surf, and then didnt take any when we were actually surfing. Very disappointing.

Super friendly and knowledgeable instructors. My instructor, i think his name was kevin, has been surfing and teaching for decades. Im now confident enough to rent a board and go on my own. I hadnt even touched a surfboard in my life until i took a lesson at big wave daves.I highly recommend you take lessons here before you go on your own, i learned a lot!

Pastry was average. Took 30 minutes to get a coffee.

I booked last minute after another surf-lesson company inexplicably stood me up. The main goal was to introduce my son to the sport. He had wanted to take lessons badly for a while. I booked semi-private lessons (just me and my son) because it is only $20 more per person and it is totally worth it! It turns out that my son is a natural and he absolutely crushed it! He is very excited to pursue this further and I think our instructor James was a big part of that. He was very motivating and wanted us to do well. My son caught wave after wave and was able to start catching them on his own. We were exhausted but had big smiles the rest of the day. This was an absolutely awesome experience.

First surf lessons for my husband, our 7 year old daughter and myself . Cody, our instructor was awesome! Took great care of my daughter who he stayed on the board with. Surfing is hard work (we are sore today) but was an amazing experience to surf for the first time in Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background. We had to go a little further than the usual spot so we didn’t have any great close up pics but still bought them at a reasonable price. Once in a lifetime experience. We will definitely be back! 🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️🏄🏻‍♀️🏄🏻‍♂️

The staff were very friendly and informative. My instructor was awesome. He was very nice and helped me learn to stand and ride a wave. I had never been surfing before but it was always a dream of mine. Thank you Big Wave Dave staff for helping me complete a bucket list item.

Got up on the board on second wave! Chris was my instructor and he was amazing! Highly recommend this friendly and welcoming environment for learning the art of surfing. One tip, be sure to wear reef shoes. Was so glad I had mine...

The staff here is incredible!! They’re all so very helpful, very knowledgeable, and personable. From the young woman who helped us get all the gear we needed and the young gentleman who helped me return them. Not to mention this location is so central AND open late by 3 hours over everyone else. They validate at Embassy Suites so if you’re struggling for parking as we were... Hope this helps!

The staff is very friendly and is on top of their jobs. Took my first ever surf lesson with Paul and within minutes of the lesson I was up on the board and surfing my first wave. He was very personable and knowledgeable. Even though you’re exhausted it’s an amazing experience and these guys make sure of it.

Best acai bowls and smoothies around!

Johnny Tsunami was incredible! My girlfriend and I went and had an amazing experience. Instructor was personable, cool, and invested in us succeeding. Private lesson at a group rate.

I had an awesome experience here! It was my first time ever surfing and I had a private lesson with Leah. She was amazing! A great teacher, she explained things well and was patient and I was able to catch a wave on my third try! In addition to her, everyone working there was super friendly and welcoming, especially David at the register. Great conversation and he even gave me suggestions on good local food. Next time I visit Hawaii I would definitely come back for another lesson.

I took a one-on-one with Paul and had such a fantastic time. He is a great surf teacher, gave detailed instructions, and was super patient. Next time, I’m on the island, I will swing by again and catch some waves. Thank you, Paul! It was an awesome experience!!!

Best Surf Instructors and staff! Lea, Alika, and Brent were awesome instructors! They took my 4 kids ages 15, 14, 6, and 5 out on the water and they loved it so much we came back for a second session later in the week. The staff is so friendly and helpful. We will definitely come back. I highly recommend Big Wave Daves for all your surfing needs in Waikiki. Aloha!

I walked 30 minutes from my hotel to get here to book a lesson. I got there at 7pm and the girl in the store had locked the doors. She blatantly ignored us as we waited outside. The door and the website said this place closes at 9pm. By 7:20 the store was locked up and the lights were off. Will definitely book my surf lesson somewhere more reliable.

My boyfriend already wrote a review, but I just had to add my own. Taking a surf lesson here was by far my favorite experience from Hawaii! Our instructor Chris was hilarious, encouraging, and super knowledgeable. We paid for a shared lesson, but it ended up being only me and my boyfriend so we got a lot of one-on-one instruction with Chris. It was absolutely worth every penny, and was by far the best deal we found.Though my boyfriend and I had never surfed before and were a little nervous, Chris broke it down for us in easy to understand steps. The hardest part is honestly just paddling! It gets exhausting after a while, but Chris was super helpful by towing me around a little when I got tired. It took me more than a couple tries to finally ride a wave, but he was SO determined to make sure I got one! And it was awesome!Both my boyfriend and I got to ride multiple waves, which we thought was amazing for never having surfed before. I’m sure it was mostly thanks to Chris, we couldn’t have done it without him! He definitely wanted to see us succeed and encouraged us to try again when we didn’t.We didn’t order a photo package since it wasn’t a big deal for us; I’m sure we’ll be surfing again and will have plenty of opportunities to take pictures in the future. We also didn’t rent reef shoes, which I didn’t think were necessary either. The only way your feet will hit the coral is if you fall into the water straight up and down as opposed to flat—or if you fall into the water and stand on the coral to push yourself back up, instead of pulling yourself back onto your board using the board itself. Even then, getting scratched up on the reef isn’t too bad if your feet aren’t sensitive. The one thing we did get are rash guards, which I definitely DO recommend; they’re a savior for your torso and elbows.Huge shoutout to Big Wave Dave for our first surf lesson; we will definitely come back here the next time we visit Waikiki!

My wife and I took surf lessons in September during our honeymoon. Thanks to our great instructor Kahala, I was able to stand up on my first wave! Unfortunately my wife developed motion sickness, but Kahala was nice enough to guide her back to shore before continuing with me. We purchased our surfing photos, food, and merchandise. A great local spot to support!

I had my first surf lesson here with Alika. He was amazing and attentive and I stood up on my second try!! It was addictive and I cannot wait to try again! Thanks guys.