Surf Lessons and Paddleboard Instruction at Surf City

Have you or your kids ever thought about learning how to surf or stand up paddle boarding? Surf City is just one of the many pristine beaches of Southeastern North Carolina, which is ranked among the top 12 vacation spots in North America. The clear warm water temp averages in the low 80’s throughout the summer months, making it an ideal location in which to learn the sport of surfing or stand up paddle boarding through our highly acclaimed Carolina Surf School.

Situated in the center of Topsail Island, off the coast of southeastern North Carolina, Surf City is the largest of the three communities located on the 26-mile long island. The island is just off US Highway 17, about half-way between Wilmington and Jacksonville. If you are flying in, Surf City is a 45 minute drive from the Wilmington International Airport (ILM). Surf City is the commercial hub of the island with a variety of shops and restaurants to choose from.

This family-friendly beach is beautiful and un-crowded and it’s average small lazy summertime waves are perfect for beginner surfers. It is a great beach to set-up chairs, an umbrella, and picnic basket and settle-in for a fun-filled day at the beach catching waves, building sand castles and throwing a football around with the kids. There are plenty of beach accesses up and down the beach, but save your quarters because parking here is FREE!

There are many activities to try such as biking, hiking, golfing (regular and miniature for the kids.) This is a great place to rent a kayak and paddle around. You might paddle yourself right into the middle of a pod of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins! The wide, secluded beaches here are nesting grounds for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. While vacationing here, you must take a short drive south to Topsail Beach to visit the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. Jean Beasley, the hospital’s founder and director, was voted Animal Planet’s 2007 “Hero of the Year.”

Surf City is also well known for its fantastic fishing. The Surf City Fishing Pier is 937-feet long with a 40-foot octagon at the end, a live well tank for king fishing, and two large fish cleaning stations. The pier is well lit at night if you prefer night fishing. In the summer months, you’re likely to catch blues, spanish, spots, croakers, pompano, sheepshead, flounder and king, just to mention a few!

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