About Surf Diva
Surf Diva was founded in 1996 by twin sisters Isabelle and Caroline Tihanyi at La Jolla Shores, making it the first surf school in the United States built specifically to welcome women into the lineup. What began as weekend clinics on one of San Diego's gentlest beginner breaks has grown into a full-service surf school and lifestyle brand, expanding to co-ed classes in 2002 while retaining its inclusive roots. The school teaches over 3,500 students a year with CPR- and lifesaving-certified instructors who cover everything from pop-up fundamentals for first-timers to advanced wave selection for experienced surfers.
The rental shop and adjoining Surf Diva Boutique sit six minutes' walk from La Jolla Shores beach, stocking shortboards, longboards, foam boards from Catch Surf and Storm Blade, stand-up paddleboards, bodyboards, and wetsuits for hourly or daily hire. Lesson formats span private one-on-one sessions, semi-private groups, the signature Weekend Surf Clinics that launched the brand, and multi-day kids' surf camps for ages five through seventeen that run every summer. SUP lessons round out the water programming, and the boutique itself carries Surf Diva's own house-brand boards and apparel alongside labels like Hurley, Rip Curl, and Vans.
Surf Diva's impact extends well beyond the beach. Newsweek dubbed the operation the Starbucks of surf schools, and the twins have been recognised with a SIMA Women's Retailer of the Year award, a Girl Scouts of America Cool Women of the Year honour, and a California State Assembly Small Business of the Year citation. Their book, Surf Diva: A Girl's Guide to Getting Good Waves, introduced the sport to an even wider audience when it was published in 2005. For anyone visiting La Jolla who wants to learn to surf — or simply rent quality boards steps from one of Southern California's most iconic breaks — Surf Diva remains the standard.
