Congratulations 22 Years of Surf Coaching For Style Surfing School, Byron Bay

AUSTRALIA. NSW. BYRON BAY.   Congratulations to Gaz Morgan, who has been teaching people to surf in Beautiful Byron Bay, Australia for over 22 years at his Style Surf School.  He started out in the 80’s when the idea of setting up a surf school was a crazy notion !  Since then,  the surf lessons industry has exploded, with regulations, permits, insurances and running a full on business.  But the fun has never stopped !, says Gaz.   It’s  the best job and career in the world.   Find out how he got started, the changes he’s seen and what the future might hold in our in-depth interview...

In this article, we catch with one of our longest-serving surf instructors, Gaz Morgan. Gaz has been teaching people to surf out of his Byron Bay surf school, Style Surfing School for over 22 years now! We asked Gaz how he got started with surf instructing, how he has seen things change over the years and what he thinks the future will hold...

Hey Gaz! When did you start teaching surfing?

I started teaching surfing skills back in the 1980s when I was a member of the Point Lookout Boardriders Club as we had a strong junior development program with Murray Taylor and Dadee Taylor from North Stradbroke Island and the club there is stronger than ever nowadays.

I was also involved with my brother John, aka Maddog, in the surfboard business where we had surf shops as well as making surfboards and clothing way back then.

Why did you start teaching surfing?

I worked for my brother at Maddog Surfboards and was teaching surf life-saving skills and heard that you can become a surfboard riding Instructor so I jumped at the chance. I had been involved in the surfing industry since the early 1980s and thought this would be a natural progression for me to keep teaching surfing skills and help build my knowledge in surfboards and surf coaching.

Were there many other people offering surfing lessons at that time?

In Byron Bay, during the late 1990s, we only had 4 surf schools doing business with the backpackers and when I finished working at Maddog Surfboards I ended up buying a surf school and never looked back.

What did people think about surf schools back when you started up?

Way back then, the locals of Byron Bay were a bit weird about it but we were only really taking backpackers out for surfing lessons. We had local guys like Steve Foreman, Craig Gisen and Greg King doing advanced coaching for the local surfers that wanted to pursue a pro surfing career.

When I got involved the local surfers were a lot more encouraging as we started to teach a lot more local kids as well as older locals that had not really got the surfing bug yet.

Was there a turning point where paying for surfing lessons really took off or was it a slow progression?

When we took over the business it was only $18 for a 4-hour session. Now we are up to $70 for 3 hours of power instructing. The backpackers were all over it as it was giving them another experience whilst they were staying in Byron Bay. We had the scuba diving tours and my mate Mick doing a day trip to Nimbin as well as the kayak tours so doing a surfing lesson was another activity the tourists got to do while staying in Byron Bay.

What changes have you seen over the years?

Softboards was the big thing that came in and made teaching surfing so much safer and accessible. GBoards from Victoria really made their soft-boards user friendly and perform more like real surfboards way back when. This started a whole new soft surfboard building industry, making it accessible for all skill levels.

We also have our participants being totally coordinated in the surf to keep clear of all the other surfers in the waves as well as teaching them the surfing rules and ettiquette out there as best as we can.

What has evolved in each of these specific areas below?

Instruction techniques?

We keep Safety as the number 1 when it comes to surfing lessons. We won’t take beginners out there when they can get smashed by a solid swell or too much motion in the ocean. We really run through a lot about surf safety and ocean awareness.

We teach our students that rips are great for surfing as well as the dynamics of how rips really work and how to get out of the rip. We also teach them how the ocean works and keeping clear of rocks and the Shipwreck here in town.

We still stick with the basics when it comes to getting the individual up and standing on the board as well as surfing the waves in the bay where we are so lucky to have Clarkes Beach here for surfing lessons and the protection of Cape Byron to keep the waves at a smaller (beginner-friendly) size on most days.

Equipment?

Softboards for entry-level surfers are totally awesome!

The clients?

Covid-19 has demolished our international custom at the moment but we still get a lot of domestic travelers here to hopefully keep us teaching surfing skills all year round. We have totally dodged a bullet here in Oz as I have many mates who have surfing schools and go surfing overseas and they are only just starting to open up again after 12 months off. Let’s all hope this Covid beast goes away for all my mates overseas.

Regulations?

Regulations have been full-on over the past 22 years with having permits, insurances and plans of management for your business. I spent a long time at the Byron Shire Council meetings where we had to regulate surfing schools in Byron Bay and make the rules that are still in place today.

Thanks to the ASI, Academy of Surfing Instructors! You guys have made ticking all the boxes so much easier to operate my surfing school today.

Professionalism?

Always have and always will Be 100% professional. This is a real business with real business plans and 100% safety for our participants.

Business Competition?

Business competition is great as it keeps you one step ahead in the game, however now in Byron Bay we have so many other surf schools advertising Byron Bay surfing lessons. However, Byron Shire Council as well as the Arakwal National Park only has 4 licenced surf schools that can have group lessons on Byron Bays’ beaches.

These other operators advertise something they cannot provide and are just using the Byron Bay name to get their customers. This has been going on for years and I feel sorry for those who get stuck going down to Ballina Shire for beginner surfing lessons. Ballina Shire has some of the best waves in the world but for experienced surfers. Most of my mates from Lennox and Ballina have always had their kids learn to surf at Clarkes Beach in Byron Bay, as we get smaller and longer breaking waves for them to hone in their surfing skills.

Financials?

Making a living just at the moment. My kids have all grown up and got jobs so it is easier nowadays as they have finished school and moved out of home, haha. We have had a great time pre-Covid and now it’s a bit tight but we are working on avenues to keep this business afloat and keep doing what I love so much.

What has been good about this career choice?

I really love teaching something that I am most passionate about. I am probably the only owner of a Byron Bay Surf School that still puts on a wetsuit and goes to work in the waves teaching surfing skills to our participants. This is why we bought this business. If it was about making heaps of money I should have stuck to a real job, but now I have an UNREAL job! Also, we have met so many life-long friends from all over the world that have been surfing with us over the years and many of our incredible instructors are all married with kids to partners they met whilst teaching surfing here in Byron Bay.

What has been not so good?

When you get heaps of bookings but cannot do the classes as the ocean has way too much motion.

How many people have had surfing lessons from you?

Hundreds of 1000’s from all different countries and all different levels.

How many instructors have you trained up?

More than 70 with the Style Surfing Techniques.

What do you think the future holds for the surfing instruction industry?

The future will be great as so many crew want to have a go at surfing and so many stick with it. I have had guys come to do surfing lessons with me 20 years ago and nowadays I am taking their kids on surfing lessons, it’s awesome!

What advice do you have for people who would like to make a career as a surfing instructor or surf school owner?

Go for it and make sure you always keep it real and keep it honest.

Happy Days, Gaz.

 

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About ASI
ASI is a professional membership and training organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.

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