Learn to Surf – Swell Surf Camp, Cabarete
surf
Cabarete

Learn to Surf

By · September 19, 2013 · Updated September 29, 2026 · 3 min read

Today in Cabarete
Air28°C82°F
Water27°C81°F

Learn to Surf

A CARIBBEAN SURF HOLIDAY

More info about our Learn to Surf Holiday can be found here >>

What is the core business of Swell? Hard core surfers? Travelling surfers? Nope, teaching people that are completely new to the sport of surfing all the basic essentials of how to ride the waves. We want to provide high quality surf lessons for our clients, and one way to ensure this is by using quality surf material: Safe big soft top boards for the first time surfers, rashguards, leashes but most importantly by using  internationally qualified surf instructors that are fluent in English.

Our surf  instructor to student ratio is pretty much guaranteed to be below 6 students for 1 instructor. We have 2 international surf coaches working at Swell with years of experience teaching surfing in a safe, fun and structured manner.

Besides those 2 coaches we also have a permanent Dominican Surf instructor, who is widely regarded as one of the best surf instructors in the country: Neno, He speaks English fluently, is very patient and an all round nice guy  with a huge smile.

Quick tip:  Swell is a popular place and as a result we can sometimes fill up months in advance, so if you are interested in joining us, don’t wait too long; send us an email today.

 

Learning Surfing

What kind of people take lessons with Swell? Well we only give lessons to the clients that stay at Swell, to ensure that the student / instructor ratio is kept low. So unlike  other surf schools and surf camps in Cabarete, we do not give lessons to non clients.

Interested in a yoga surf retreat holiday? Visit our Yoga page

Swell Clients:
What else sets the surf lessons from Swell apart? Besides the actual beach lessons, we also give at least 2 surf theory classes per week at Swell. These are highly informative classes that go in depth into things like: How waves are created, tides, currents, dangers but also about positions in the line up that are best to sit in order to catch the best waves.

 

More info about  learning to surf with Swell

Have a look on our ‘Surfing’ page to find more info about the learn to surf camp packages we have created. Interested in a surf & yoga holiday? See this yoga & surf page

So what are you waiting for? Cross one thing of your bucket list , and learn to surf with the professionals in the Dominican Republic on your next surf holiday

From our guests

Don’t take our word for it.
Take theirs

4.9 300+ Reviews
Megan S, Swell Surf Camp guest
Megan S
Age
43
From
San Diego
Level
Beginner
Travelled
Travelled solo
If I could give Swell 10 stars I would!! My partner and I visited Swell at the end of March 2026. We had an absolutely amazing trip. The rooms are clean and spaceship. The A/C works great and had warm water to shower. The WiFi is spotty in the upstairs rooms but works perfectly in the downstairs communal room. The staff is above & beyond!! The meals were some of the best I’ve had. The surf instructors are phenomenal.. they work with your experience and levels of surfing and join you for breakfast & dinner nights. The yoga is great mostly long holds and stretches which are great after 2 sessions of surfing. Haudy is the best. She runs the place and without her Swell wouldn’t be Swell. I highly recommend doing the canyon tour with Helmut. And last but not least the people that I stayed there with honestly became my family for the week. I honestly want to come back!
Tripadvisor April 2026
Aerial view of the cove at Swell, Cabarete
Plan a trip join us at Swell
POP
25 Min
SWELL
Easy travel → arrive any day of the week

Watersport paradise

Tell us your dates, how many people you are thinking about coming with, and we’ll send you a custom price and availability quote; almost instantly. Hasta pronto, see you soon.

Any day Arrival
Limited Availability
300+ REVIEWS
5 nights Minimum stay
Written by

Jeroen Mutsaars co-founded Swell in 2009, building the retreat in Cabarete from bare land with his wife Clare after years running a European surf travel company. Fifteen-plus seasons on the beach, six watersports ridden himself, and several thousand adult beginners coached from their first wave onward.

More from Jeroen Mutsaars