Surf Progression Coaching in Malibu
Book Your Surf Coaching Session in Malibu
• One-on-one with Chris 'Stingray' guaranteed
• 2- 2.5 full hours in the water (30-60 mins more than standard)
• Video analysis included; filmed and reviewed together
• Broad Beach primary location• Relocates for best conditions often at County Line, Point Dume, Staircase, Leo Carrillo & more
• All equipment provided
All sessions bookable directly through FareHarbor.
Don't see the time you need?
Call or text us at (424) 781-7174 we're flexible.
Master the Waves with Personalized Surf Coaching
with your Coach, Chris "AKA" Stingray
If you've been surfing for a while and feel like you're not progressing, there's a reason, and I can show you exactly what it is. The Surf with Stingray Experience is private, one-on-one coaching with me personally, at some of Malibu's most beautiful and uncrowded breaks. It's not another surf lesson. It's a 2-hour session designed to change the way you see and ride waves; permanently.
I'm Chris 'Stingray' Stiegler, a Point Dume native who has spent 25+ years coaching surfers across Hawaii, Australia, New Jersey, and the Canary Islands, and right here on these shores. I know this ocean the way most people know their own neighborhood. Every session starts with me reading the morning conditions and selecting the best break for your level; Broad Beach, Point Dume, County Line, Staircase, Leo Carrillo, or wherever the waves are working that day. We aim to find the least crowded lineups with waves that suit your level. You'll be surfing Malibu the way it's meant to be surfed.
Tailored Coaching for Your Surfing Goals
No two surfers’ plateau for the same reason. Before we paddle out, I take the time to understand where you are, what's holding you back, and what you're working toward; whether that's riding your first green wave with real control, developing a more powerful bottom turn, or pushing into steeper, more critical sections. Every session is built around you specifically, not a generic curriculum. Shortboard or longboard, I'll work with your equipment and your style.
Video Analysis
Ever wish you could see your surfing from the outside? Video analysis is included with every Surf with Stingray session. Your session is filmed and we review it together — frame by frame if needed — so you can see exactly what's happening in your pop-up, your weight distribution, your line selection, and your timing. What takes years to figure out through trial and error often clicks in minutes when you can actually see it. This is one of the most powerful tools in coaching and it's built into every session with Stingray.
Exclusive Surf Spots and Authentic Adventures
One of the real advantages of surfing with a Malibu native is knowing where to go. I monitor conditions every morning and select the break that's going to give you the best waves for your level and goals that day. Broad Beach is our primary home — a beautiful, semi-private beach at the northern end of Zuma that's uncrowded and consistently great. When conditions call for it, we'll venture to the least crowded spots along the coast that most visitors never find. You won't be sharing the lineup with 50 other learners. You'll be surfing real Malibu.
Intensive and Focused Instruction
A standard surf lesson gives you a foundation. A Surf with Stingray session gives you a breakthrough. The full 2 hours, compared to 90 minutes for standard lessons, which means more time in the water, more waves analyzed, more feedback absorbed, and more real improvement per session. I don't clock-watch and I don't run back-to-back groups. When you're in the water with me, you have my complete attention for the full session.
Expert Coaching for a Better You on the Board
Bad habits are the enemy of progression, and most intermediate surfers have more of them than they realize. Surfing is one of those sports where what feels right is often wrong, and what feels awkward is often correct. I've spent 25+ years identifying the specific habits that hold surfers back: the early weight shift that kills your pop-up, the paddle stroke that kills your momentum, the foot placement that prevents real carving. We'll break the patterns that are limiting you and replace them with technique that sticks.
Smarter Wave Selection & Higher Wave Counts
Most surfers ride less than 20% of the waves they could. The difference between a surfer who catches 5 waves in a session and one who catches 20 isn't fitness, it's wave reading. I'll teach you how to read the horizon, how to position in the lineup, how to time your paddle, and how to identify the waves worth riding before they even break. Better selection means more waves, more practice, and faster progression. It's the skill that separates surfers who plateau from surfers who keep improving.
Intro to Barrel Riding & More Advanced Maneuvers
For surfers who are ready to push into more critical territory, the Surf with Stingray Experience can include an introduction to barrel riding, the moment when the wave folds over you and time stops. We'll cover positioning, timing, the physical commitment required, and how to read the sections that offer barrel opportunities on Malibu's breaks. This isn't something you'll learn in a group lesson. It requires a coach who can read the wave with you in real time and put you in the right spot at the right moment.
