Surfing Programs in United States

Participating in the program was an absolute joy! It was a fun and enriching experience where we not only made new friends but also gained valuable knowledge and skills. The activities were diverse and engaging, providing hands-on learning opportunities that made complex concepts easy to grasp. We delved into exciting topics, explored new cultures, and worked on team projects that were both challenging and rewarding. Overall, it was an incredible journey of growth, discovery, and unforgettable memories.

Eye-opening cultural experience! Really changed how I see the world. Made a real difference in the community too. Even if you can only do a short trip, it's worth it! Thank you Rustic for giving me this opportunity.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewNovember 06, 2024

Hey Isabella! Thanks so much for traveling with us. We're happy that this changed how you see the world! We hope you travel with us again soon.

Really made me appreciate what I have in my own life. No doubt it was an amazing experience that developed by personality and boosted my confidence and morale. A life time journey that let me make new friends. Thank you so much for this incredible trip.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewNovember 07, 2024

Hey Aaron! We're so happy that you traveled with us, and that you returned home with a deep sense of gratitude. What's even more awesome is that you got a confidence boost! Imagine all the things you can do now that you thought you couldn't do before? We hope you travel with us again soon!

It was fun that we could connect with locals and other volunteers and make an impact building houses. Hands-on experience that brought us all together to make such an incredible team. Learned so much in this exercise.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewNovember 07, 2024

Hey Lucas! We're so grateful that you traveled with us and made a significant impact in the community you visited. That home you helped built will stand for a long time! It's something to be very proud of! We hope you have more positive experiences like this, and travel with us again soon.

This trip was top-notch. The staff went above and beyond—helpful, friendly, and always there when needed. I'd jump at the chance to do it again. I learned so much, and the team’s expertise was clear from the start. They had my back every step of the way, handling any issue I had with genuine care. Absolutely recommend it to anyone. Thank you Istvan and team.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewNovember 01, 2024

Hi Gabriel! Thanks so much for joining us. We're thrilled to hear that you felt comfortable and supported by our team. We hope you travel with us again in the near future!

The place here was always kept clean. I had some concerns with another kid on my tour, but he was send home and then I felt super comfortable everywhere I went with the group, whether that be in the village, the forests, or in the city.

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewOctober 30, 2024

Thanks so much for traveling with us! We’re committed to making sure all students feel comfortable, and we’re glad you had an enjoyable time. We hope you travel with us again soon!

Loved my week with Rustic! I learned so much about myself when I was there. The staff was great and I'm planning to go back for more. If you want to learn to surf and do service and hang out in a beautiful place, this is it! I really loved the trip and was totally exhausted by the end

Rustic Pathways responded to this reviewOctober 30, 2024

Hey Dylan! Thanks so much for traveling with us. We're glad you had a great time surfing, and doing service. Hopefully you took a big nap when you got home. And we hope to see you on another trip soon!

I have been a long time fan of Westcoast Connection (having participated myself in 1988!). My older son had a wonderful experience last summer on a 14 day California trip and Brett had, if possible, an even better time. I would tell anyone who asks that Westcoast Connection is a world class organization and continues to impress me.

Choosing to go to Hawaii with Pacific Discovery was one of the best decisions I could have made. After over a year of navigating COVID at college, I knew that I wanted to travel while learning something new and also being COVID cautious. There was never a moment on the trip where I felt unsafe in regards to COVID and I am so appreciative that Pacific Discovery found ways to make sure we could travel safely and connect us with local partners. One of my favorite things about Pacific Discovery is how much they emphasize the importance of education. All of the partners we worked with were amazing and eager to teach us about themselves and what they do in Hawaii. Not only do your instructors encourage you to learn about where you are, but they also encourage you to learn about yourself. While in Hawaii, I was able to think a lot about what I want to do after college. In fact, if you looked in the notes app on my phone right now, there would be a list I wrote while in Hawaii that incorporates what I learned and loved on the program and what I am studying in college. This has been something I have always been curious about one day figuring out, but having these first hand experiences with my peers encouraged me to put my thoughts into action. There is something about having these experiences with such an intimate group that is so impactful. I would highly recommend anyone to participate in a Pacific Discovery trip, you won’t regret it.

I came on this program for my gap semester and it was a great eye opening experience. I got to immerse myself in the culture and do fun activities! I became more in tune with myself and was able to enjoy everything offered.

I loved my experience on this trip! I learned so much about myself and the world around me and grew so much as a person. In this program i had to push myself beyond what i thought i was capable which was both challenging and extremely rewarding

I learned a lot about Hawaii but more so about myself. I made many friends and had a lot of great experiences. I learned a lot about Hawaiian culture and history. The people I met along the way made the trip amazing.

I had an amazing experience and learned so much about myself, as well as skills and life experience. I also learned so much about Hawaiian culture and gained many new insights and passion about the Hawaiian culture.

I had the most amazing experience taking a gap semester and traveling in Hawaii with pacific discovery. I learned so much about the history and culture of Hawaii while creating life long friendships, seeing amazing sights and hikes as well as surfing, agricultural work, and marine conservation.

Many of the places we went were beautiful, and the cultural education was very informative. There were many very cool experiences as well. Be prepared for a lot of cooking and a lot of weeding on the farms. I expected educational opportunities at the farms, but experienced difficult and repetitive labor instead on farms like Wood Valley. The workers at Wood Valley also didn’t seem to want us there and just wanted our labor. Big Island Farms was the dream farm to learn on, without doing excessive labor, and Jordan was great. Our leaders were very cool, but the administration behind them were often times lacking logic and ability to make decisions. Use logic when packing because the list provided is very inaccurate. It gets cold in Hawaii at night.

I had a life-changing trip with Pacific Discovery. I’ve made so many memories and have learned so much about Hawaiian culture and myself. I've seen so many amazing sites and met so many amazing people. The places we stayed at all were unique and taught me something different. I've enjoyed this program so much I signed up again for pacific discovery in the spring. The program had a lot more weeding and service work than expected. The first couple weeks were camping at farms and weeding. But overall I learned to work hard and push through, just not exactly what I was expecting. Our instructors made meaningful connections with us and always put their full effort into the program. Though the progam didn’t line up exactly with the itinerary, I still had many amazing experiences. For those going on, expect more service work and labor than the program puts out to be. My other problem was the food. I am gluten free and I struggled a lot with the food the provided. Though most dinners had a gluten free option, lunch and breakfast I usually had to use my own money to buy food. Despite a couple of bumps that the program has, and can easily fix, this is a wonderful trip that I definitely recommend.

I absolutely loved my gap year program in Hawaii. I had not learned about these topics in my California schooling previously, so learning about true Hawaiian traditions culture and history was very new and incredible to me. We had some issues with some of the other students and thankfully they were able to be removed, however I think there needs to be a much better interview process so that people with severe mental health issues & sexual assaulters are not able to get onto a trip like this where healing and growth and safety is supposed to be the number one priority. I loved my instructors & loved the remaining members of my group. I feel like I have made some lifelong friends and I’m so grateful that I’ve had this experience. I know that I am leaving a different person with knowledge I didn’t have before. I now want to know where my food comes from, where my water comes from, I want to grow my own food and support local farmers in my community.

This program has been such an amazing experience! This year with covid has been so difficult but these 6 weeks has been the highlight of my year. We have done so many amazing things such as watching the sunset from atop Maunakea and night snorkeling with manta rays. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to meet amazing people and have amazing experiences.

I am four weeks into the Pacific Discovery Hawaii Minimester as a gap year student and I couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. From learning the art of cutting open a coconut, a proper surf board stance, hiking up Coconut Creek, enjoying a private manta ray tour, or looking at the stars at the top of the volcano of Mauna Kea, I can think of dozens of magical moments these past 4 weeks that were elevated by the support and community of my fellow peers and the Pacific Discovery team. All while prioritizing safety, Pacific Discovery has given my group a rare opportunity of true cultural immersion: daily fun experiential education peppered with moments of deeply personal growth.

I’ve really enjoyed my time on this program. I feel like I have learned a lot about myself and others, as well as the culture and history of Hawaii. We have had the opportunity to experience some incredible moments, such as snorkeling, cliff jumping, stargazing at Mauna Kea, surfing, and much more. In addition to the fun and exciting activities we have experienced, we have also had multiple opportunities to engage in various service projects which has been incredibly rewarding. I’m so grateful for having the opportunity to go on this trip, and I feel I have grown so much through the experience!