Watch Corky Carroll Teach You to Surf — From 1996

Back in 1996, we filmed one of the first ever surfing instructional videos. It was called Corky Carroll’s Learn to Surf the Safe, Fast and Easy Way.

Surf instructional videos might be a dime a dozen nowadays on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok but before that there weren’t many options and this is the godfather of them all.

If you’re a fan of Corky, the 90s, and own a DVD or VHS player, you can buy a copy on eBay and enjoy it at home.

Or you can just watch it above in full for free.

It might look dated, but the surf tips hold up, and watching Corky shred on his cowboard is a thing of beauty.

Here’s the story behind the video…

Corky Carroll’s Surf School opened operations in June of 1996. It was started by Rick Walker with the help of Corky Carroll. Up to then Rick had been working as a television producer in Los Angeles for a show called Life in Sports, which featured interviews with professional athletes from the past and present.

One of the athletes he interviewed for the show was Corky Carroll.

In case you don’t know, Corky is one of the most revered surfers in history. Long story short, Rick teamed up with Corky to start Corky Carroll’s Surf School and that very first summer, putting Rick’s background in TV to work, they shot a how-to instructional video on surfing.

In Corky’s own words, “I contend that this is still the best ‘learn how to surf’ tool, other than personal instruction itself, available.”

We’ll let you be the judge of that.

But if you’re learning to surf, Corky shares some genuinely great insight. It’s not every day you get to learn to surf from a surf legend. Don’t let the fact it was filmed last century fool you. Good surf instruction never goes out of style, and what was true then is just as useful to know today.

Even if it comes dressed in neon boardshorts.

Oh, and if you’re curious about that cowboard, Corky loves talking about his favorite surfboard. And yes that’s Corky singing at the end with a song he and Rick wrote specially for our surf school.