Reviews
Kiteboarding
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Eric,
The Kiteboarding down-winder you hosted on Wellfleet Bay a couple of weeks ago was truly an outstanding adventure for all of our riders. Everyone had a blast and really appreciated the on-the-fly individual instructional tips and your guidance to all the greatest play-areas around the bay. We are all looking forward to our next Cape Cod adventure with Funseekers!
Bob M.
July 2013
- Eric,
Thank you very much for instruction on kite boarding. Going into the first lesson, I did not know anything about the sport. I expected to just learn the basics of the sport, so I could practice on my own. After completing the first lesson, I was able to rig up the kite and learned how to fly the kite. Once I was flying the kite we started body dragging right away, which enabled me to see how the kite flew while pulling my own weight.
The second lesson was built on the first lesson, which enabled me to fine tune what I had learned the previous lesson. I had no idea that in my second lesson, that your instruction would enable me to get into the power zone, so I could get up on my board and ride. In just two lessons, I now have the confidence to go out on my own. I would recommend your teaching school to anyone who wants to get into the sport or even fine tune their skills. Thank you again, and look forward working with you on my airs in the near future.
Dan Grunbeck
May 2011
- Eric gave me my first kitesurfing lesson. It turns out that this first lesson ignited in me an enduring passion for the sport. As I took this lesson it also became clear to me that Eric is one of those rare individuals who is not only an expert but an expert at teaching. He is clear, patient and genuinely shares your joy as your kitesurfing skills develop. He understands how and when to most efficiently teach the skills needed to get up and riding. As a middle aged guy with no previous water, wind, board sports experience and a limited amount of free time to learn this understanding was critically important to me.
Eric is also expert at instilling the judgment needed to be a safe and independent kitesurfer. Because of these skills, when my oldest daughter Katie expressed interest in learning how to ride, the choice for me was simple. It was send her to learn with Eric. As a young athlete, I had no doubt that she would acquire the physical skills and muscle memory to be up and riding quickly. Along with this skill I wanted to make sure came a commitment to safety. With Eric she quickly traveled the physical learning curve and developed the judgment and focus on safety necessary to enjoy the sport.
Peter van Amson
May 2010
- Eric Gustafson of Funseekers taught me to windsurf over 10 years ago. It has become a sport I love passionately. But as anyone who does this sport knows, you become a slave to the wind, and since you need it to blow around 20mph or more, the days you can go are not as frequent as the urge to go. That's why I am taking kiting lessons from Eric now. Kiting is a sport you can do in as little as 10 mph winds. More than windsurfing, I had some reservations about kiting, perhaps I heard too many "kitemares", so I knew I wanted to learn with someone who would teach me the safe way, the right way, and in the proper conditions in the proper locations. That's why I chose Eric. In addition, as we all know, it's one thing to learn a sport. It's an entirely different matter to teach it. That's why friends, boyfriends, etc., are not always the best "teachers." That's why there are certified teachers for such things. Eric brings a great deal of patience, professionalism and wonderfully innate teaching skills to his work. I would recommend Eric to anyone at any level who wants to learn a sport - especially kiting.
Cathleen Creedon
May 2005
Surfing
- Eric, I just wanted to email you and express what a great time my boys and I had yesterday had surfing at Marconi Beach with Robert. Robert is a true asset to your business. He was great with my two boys and it was obvious he has a passion for what he is teaching. My boys were asking halfway through the lesson if they can get their own surf boards. I think they are hooked on surfing. My favorite quote yesterday from my son Tyler was " that was way better than going to Six Flags for the day". I agree! Thanks for a great experience.
Jim Dowd
August 2013
- Eric- I wanted to give you some feedback regarding our surfing lessons on 8/1/11. First of all, each wet suit fit correctly and the surf board sizes were good matches as well. We were also pleased that Sam changed the location to a beach closer to our hotel.
The surf conditions were ideal for beginners which put both of my children in a positive state of mind. I thought Sam's on land surf lesson was sequential and easy to follow. He used a term "muscle memory" which as a coach was a term I related to and I found to be the perfect choice for teaching the pop-up. Once we hit the water he helped us catch waves beginning with my 11 year old daughter Sophia who was able to stand up right away and surf the majority of her waves all the way to shore.
My 14 old son Teddy and I also had success getting up and surfing the waves in. All three of us unanimously wanted to surf for the full two hours which is the best indication as to how much we enjoyed our surfing introduction. Sam related that it should take 15 paddles to reach wave speed and sure enough If I did my 15 paddles I caught the wave. I also found his recommendation to alternately paddle to be enlightening. As Sam indicated this was more efficient and saved energy as well.
I am sure my daughter will be writing about her surf lesson when she starts school and the teacher asks the students to write about what they did over the summer. My son Teddy enjoyed Sam's company as well, they discussed Lacrosse and other positive topics while waiting for the next set of waves. By the second hour in the water we were catching waves independently. Sam could not have done a better job. All the best,
Doric Capsis
August 2011
- Hi Eric- Just wanted to send you a quick e-mail and let you know that we had Robert as our instructor on Saturday and he was fantastic (maybe even better than last year!). He is knowledgable, easy going, and fun to be with out on the water. We got lucky and had amazing surf conditions and Robert made our day a blast.
Connie Chung
July 2011
- In the early 90's when I lived in Cocoa Beach, FL, I had a couple of traumatic experiences that created what could be defined as nothing short of a phobia of open bodies of water. I could not go in to the ocean over my knee for over 10 years. In my early 30's, torn between my desire to learn to surf and my fear of the ocean, I made a decision to learn to surf- no matter what!
I called Eric at FunSeekers and set up an appointment for a lesson. Working with the instructor, I was able to work through my fears and venture out on a surfboard onto the water. Since then, my entire lifestyle has changed. Although I live in upstate NY, I venture to the ocean at least 2 or 3 of the 4 weekends every month to indulge in what has become my way of life. Two years ago I invested in 4/5/6 ml gear and now even surf in the Winter!
I am eternally grateful for Eric and the team of surf instructors at FunSeekers. Not only have they taught me how to surf, but they have changed my life!
Lisa Williams
May 2011
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Hi Eric,
I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how delighted we were with the surf lessons we had with Robert. We decided to let our two older sons aged six and eight try surfing for the first time this summer, and Fun Seekers was recommended to us by a local surf shop. I have wanted to learn to surf for years but never had the courage to try. To my surprise, I found that my husband had also signed me up for a lesson with the kids. Robert was amazingly patient with the boys answering their many questions, and taught us all the basics before we even got in the water. My six-year-old caught the first wave he went for, popped up and rode it the whole way to the shore! He was ecstatic, as was his older brother when he caught his first wave. I was so impressed with the way Robert interacted with my older boys and with the obvious care he took to make sure they were safe at all times that we decided to let our very enthusiastic four-year-old take a lesson and he too managed to pop up and ride a little wave! As for me - I really thought I was beyond learning to surf, but with the patient instruction I got from Fun Seekers I did it! Thank you for such a great experience!
Thanks again for such a wonderful experience. I feel like we now have something in surfing that we can do as a family for many years to come.
Hazel O'Connor
September 2010
- We just returned home very early this morning but I wanted to let you know that we had an amazing time. The girls (and mom's) loved the surfing lesson. The guys were great. The girls will never forget it. I can't wait to get our pictures back! I will definitely recommend the trip to other Girl Scouts in our area. Thank you so much for all of your help! We had a very memorable trip! It was a wonderful experience that everyone of any skill level can enjoy.
Beth Frayer
August 2010
- Nothing compares to a surf lesson with the Funseekers! I have taken lessons in Australia and in Hawaii, and my lesson here in Cape Cod with the Funseekers was better then any other surf lesson I have ever gotten! Myself and my friend are definitely beginners and we were riding waves and learning to turn on them by the end of our lesson! We were brought to a beautiful beach and we were taught about how the ocean works in a quick talk on the beach and then were were brought right in the water where all the action was. Our instructor had awesome energy while teaching us and we each caught a ton of waves that day. There was no waiting or holding back we were able to try on our own or with help from our instructor, we got positive feedback every time we rode a wave and we were taught what to fix if something was wrong. All in all it was the best lesson I have ever had and totally worth every penny!
Sarah Avedisian
June 2010
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Hi Eric,
I just wanted to thank you (and Jackie) so much for such a wonderful experience last Saturday. My friend Erin and I absolutely loved our surf lesson with Jackie - we didn't want it to end! We've already decided that once we practice some more and get a little better, we will be back to Fun Seekers for another lesson!
Again, thank you so much for a life-changing experience! I can totally picture myself becoming completely addicted to it :)
Tirrill Berglund
Summer 2009
- The summer of 2006 was made perfect when my daughter Molly and I decided to finally take surfing lessons. From the perfect beginner waves at White Crest Beach to our very experienced, enormously patient and personable instructor, Ryan Garcia, we couldn't have asked for a better time. Ryan displayed his natural ability to teach by instructing at opposite ends of the spectrum--mom, age 46 (!) and daughter, age 9. He truly proved that if we can do it, anyone can, and we had a lot of laughs along the way. We saw firsthand how Fun Seekers is committed to providing the best possible learning experience with safety and fun as guiding tenets. Thanks for a great experience. We'll see you again next year!
Ellie Stone
Summer 2006
- Just wanted to let you know the lessons with Andy were a huge success for the kids - especially my son Ryan. He said this was the highlight of his summer, and he has done a lot of things this summer (boating, kneeboarding, waterskiing, etc.) We will be back to Wellfleet sometime soon.
Stefanie Fredette
August 2006
- I wanted to let you know, that I had the best time taking surf lessons. Andy Jacob was my instructor and he did such a great job teaching me. First we sat in the sand and he used some little pieces of wood and explained.."this is you..this is me" and then he created the sand bank and waves in the sand, this really helped me understand and made the teaching come alive. Then we practiced how to stand on the board and how to get up and stuff. It was awesome riding my first wave. I loved it so much that I have purchased my first surfboard. I had so much fun...the lessons made a big difference. I am sure it would have taken me the rest of the summer to figure out what Andy showed me in two hours. Thank you Fun Seekers...thank you Andy...I will send more fun seekers your way!
Heidi Christensen
August 2005
- I am a late starter in the world of surfing, but thanks to Ryan I had a great time learning how to surf. He is extremely patient, and he gave me the confidence to continue the sport. He is an awesome instructor, and I highly recommend him. Thanks Ryan! I am now hooked on surfing!
Hali Green
July 2005
