Hey Dibi: How Do You Start A Surf School?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…

Hey Dibi… My wife and I love surfing and want to start a surf school or teach surfing in some capacity to share the Stoke. Do you have any suggestions? - Born To Teach
Hey Born To Teach… There are so many opportunities and different ways to teach, it’s hard not knowing your circumstances, what would be the best for you and the wife. If you’re thinking about a surf school that would require obtaining the necessary certifications, local and municipal permits for beach access, investing in equipment and liability insurance. Defining your target audience, creating a safety plan, maintaining a 1:5 instructor to student ratio, and creating a strong online booking presence. This would take some investment capital, time and strong working relationships in the community, but you’d be building something to last and the opportunity to collaborate with charities who are doing a fantastic job sharing the surfing experience.

There’s also working for a resort that offers surf lessons if you prefer something less permanent or coaching on a one-on-one basis which usually depends on having built a solid reputation in professional surfing that you’re able to share with potential clients.  These are just a few suggestions, but take the time to do the research and put a plan together that works best for your long-term goals… 

Hey Dibi… I’ve lived on the North Shore for years and heard stories and saw many things happening before my eyes. I’d like to write a book based on my experiences. Do you have connections? - On Location
Hey On Location… I think it’s great you’re there listening. I don’t know how well you’re able to turn what you’re experiencing into a written story, but that said, there are a few boutique publishers left that for a fee can get a ghost writer to turn what you think is “phenomenal” into a something…  Writing like everything else in the new world of social media seems so easy,  the craft that makes the written word  a structure that has created  the greatest literature that has come down to us in story form and lasted the test of time…is not easy, it’s work, and takes more than a passing whim to create a story that grabs the imagination.

 Read every author you think is speaking in a voice you find relevant. Read them all again and write your story… get a few honest friends to read it. If you think it still has legs and you’re willing to invest your own money to take it to the next level, Go For It…

Hey Dibi… I have two old surfboards I found in a friend’s garage that we were cleaning. My buddy said they had been his dads in the early ‘80s. One is a Herbie Fletcher; it’s got the arrow logo on it and is in fair shape. Do you know what it’s worth? - Very Vintage
Hey Very Vintage… Funny, I get asked often about the value of old boards that belonged to a friend of a friend who dug it up out of someone’s garage or bought it on Craig’s List thinking it would be worth a fortune. Herb made a lot of production boards that were sold during the ‘80s and so the value of many that can be purchased online is nominal. There are boards he rode himself that are owned by collectors that have intrinsic value, but it would be very rare to find one “undiscovered”, so my advice would be to clean the board, get it in the water and have some fun.

Hey Dibi… My father collected Surfer Magazine, I believe he has saved every issue. Do you have any idea what they’d be worth? - Surf Pub Collection
Hey Surf Pub Collection… I really don’t know. Are you looking to sell or donate? Perhaps you could get a hold of someone at Surf Heritage and Culture Center about the value. I know they work with appraisers who are familiar with surf memorabilia and that would be a good starting point. There are some online magazine pricing guides that may be of interest, if you want to start there.  So whatever direction you decide to go at least you’ll know what the collection is worth to make your final decision. Who knows, you might end up finding the value is in keeping the collection your dad obviously enjoyed.