Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental Reviews

Shawn Gong 2025.11.28

     

Pauhana is an exceptional surf school and board rental service located in Cabarete. Founded in 2006 and certified by the International Surf Association, it has established a strong reputation for excellence over the years. The owner, Chepe, has over 35 years of surfing experience and is known for being honest, kind, warm, funny, and accommodating. He leads a team of instructors who cater to surfers of all levels, from beginners to advanced riders. I have been surfing for 14 years, but had not taken many lessons before. After 3 intermediate-level sessions with Chepe and coach Samuel, I learned and improved significantly. Samuel, a 3-time international surfing champion, provided invaluable insights that greatly enhanced my technique. It’s easy to understand why Pauhana has so many repeat customers who return year after year. If you’re seeking quality instruction, affordable lessons, and a welcoming community atmosphere, I highly recommend Pauhana Surf School.

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Nuria Rodriguez 2025.11.08

     

Una escuela ideal a la que venir si estás por Cabarete. Mil gracias a Chepe, Samuel y Rober.

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Martin Lauener 2025.06.17

     

Best Surf School i've ever been. Awesome teachers that helped me level up from beginner to Intermediate surfer in 2 weeks.

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2025.06.26

Thank you Martin for your kind words!

Michael McKinney 2025.05.29

     

They rent boards for way less than all the other shops. They are so helpful with everything too. Every time I've been at El Encuentro, I've gone to Pauhana and have had the best experiences. They were highly recommended to me, and I would highly recommend them to everyone else.

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Mark B 2025.05.20

     

Chepe is great. He has a depth of knowledge about the local break and conditions. Most importantly he is gracious, kind and honest. Highly recommend his company and team! - Mark (New York, NY)

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2025.05.27

Thank you so much for your kind words :)!

Emanuela Civa 2025.04.16

     

I have been practicing and teaching here for my ISA L1 certificate and it has been such a great experience! Chepe is an amazing person and professional, the other teachers were good vibes, helping me to learn about the spot and giving me tips to learn the best way to teach in encuentro beach. the organization is flexible and relaxed and always made me feel in a safe and pleasant place. Every class big or small is properly organized and cared about, I perceived the importance of delivering a good quality and learned a lot from all of them Chepe, Roberto, Fede, Jeff, Robert, Dyan so far. I'm very grateful for every class and every moment there at the school and highly recommend this school for any level of classes. I saw they're always open early morning till 1pm and when they receive some advanced bookings they make sure to have the best organization, equipment and teacher for the specific need of the specific customer/group: language, equipment and level. This is what I've seen. Amazing school. Really ❣️

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Gabriella Pineda 2025.04.10

     

Excellent coaches, incredible owner. 10/10 recommend this school if you care about quality, strong foundations in your surf journey.

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Janno Kuipers 2025.03.05

     

We had a great morning getting lessons via Pauhana Surf school with our 4 kids in the age of 10 till 15. Skilled, patient and positively motivating trainers and owner. We can strongly recommend them if you are in the area and want to surf.

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2025.03.25

Dank je wel Janno! Het was heel gezellig en ik ben heel bij dat jullie hebben genoten. Ps. tell Jan to keep shooting amazing pictures! Groetjes, Chepe

Tara O'Sullivan 2025.02.23

     

10/10 experience with these guys. It was the highlight of our trip for sure. Special shout out to Jeff, thank you for everything!

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2025.03.25

Thanks Tara for your kind words! It was great to have you guys here!

GloriaWard Household 2024.12.07

     

Our hotel arraigned for surf lessons for our family of 4. First time lessons for both. Owner, staff and instructors were knowledgeable and fun and local! And they have sweet beach dogs that you may get to see which is an added bonus for me. Great value, great people, thanks for the into to surfing!

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2024.12.18

Thanks Gloria for taking time to write a review. Great to hear that you had such a good surf experience with us. We hope to welcome you back soon! All the best, also from Easy, Goofy and Camioneta (the beach dogs)!

Anna W 2024.12.02

     

Great place to rent your equipment from! Friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommended!

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Lewis Alderton 2024.10.14

     

Coming to this surf school was an amazing experience. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The instructor was awesome - and I was soon out hitting the surf on my own.

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Sara Lamar 2024.08.01

     

We brought a group of 18 middle school students from Colorado to learn to surf with Pauhana and had a fabulous experience! The teachers were so friendly, funny, and knowledgeable. Each teacher worked with 2 students at a time and it felt like having private lessons. We always felt safe and this was a highlight of our time in the DR. We had a blast and will definitely be coming back!

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2024.08.01

Thanks Sara for your kind words. We look forward to welcoming you back!

Scott Faust 2024.06.23

     

Excellent surf lessons! These guys spoke perfect English, taught us all of the safety instructions before we got in the water, and stayed with us the entire time, encouraging everybody to get up on their board and teaching how to do it in a very easy to understand way. Youri was a great teacher, Highly recommend!

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Reply from Pauhana Surf School and Board Rental 2024.06.23

Thank you Scott for your kind words. It's a pleasure for us to teach you and we are happy to know that you had such a great experience!

Eugene Hryhorenko 2024.05.09

     

Rented boards here. Very nice and friendly people

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Max Medina 2024.01.21

     

I learned so much from them. I was able to surf from day 1 thanks to them and I have no previous experience. Thank you Roberto.

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Lev 2024.01.17

     

It was my first time surfing and had so much fun. Booked a private lesson at the last minute. Came in with no expectations, but my instructor was awesome and I kinda felt determined to ride a few waves because of her. My instructor, Page, really helped me nail the basics and made me want to surf again.

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Harris Roberts 2024.01.04

     

Renter a board here for the day and it came with shoes and rash guard. They offer better rates for multiple day rentals. Came highly recommended both from a friend and locals. Their truck is tucked away from the other surf schools. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Was able to pay with card. There is a table where you can leave your bag and they watch it for you. Had my wallet, phone, MacBook no issues.

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Elias Malave 2024.01.01

     

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Julie Hardy 2023.12.29

     

We had much fun taking a beginner's class as a family (boys 16 and 18 years old). We had two very competent instructors for the four of us and were given good tricks that allowed us to enjoy very much the hour on the waves. Will definitely come back!

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