Kids Surf Lessons: What to Bring (A Checklist for Australian Parents)

For kids surf lessons, what to bring is a shorter list than most parents expect: the surf school supplies the board, the wetsuit and usually the rash vest, so your job is everything that happens before the lesson starts and after the wetsuit comes off. The second part is where families come unstuck. A child who has spent 90 minutes in the ocean comes out salty, sandy and cold, often onto a beach with no change room, and the "bring a towel" line on most booking pages does not cover it.

This guide covers what Australian surf schools provide, what they leave to you, and a gear checklist built around the hardest moment of the day: getting a wet, tired kid out of a wetsuit and into dry clothes on an open beach.

What Surf Schools Provide, and What They Leave to You

Most Australian surf schools include the equipment in the lesson price. Let's Go Surfing at Bondi includes the surfboard, wetsuit, rash vest and sunscreen, and asks students to bring only swimwear and a towel. Manly Surf School provides a soft surfboard and wetsuit for its kids group lessons, which run for children aged 5 to 14, and its "what to bring" list is three lines long: swimsuit and towel, clothes suited to the weather, and sunscreen.

Those lists are accurate, but they are written for the lesson, not the hour after it. Three things they skip:

• The wetsuit goes back. School wetsuits are returned at the end of the session, so your child peels it off on the sand or at the check-in point wearing only wet bathers underneath.
• Lessons follow the tide, not the weather. Schools schedule beginner lessons around low tide, so your session might land at 9am on a breezy morning or late in the afternoon as the sea breeze picks up.
• Change rooms are not guaranteed. Some schools have showers and change rooms. Many beach meeting points are a patch of sand near a car park.

Before You Book: Age and Swimming Requirements

Kids group programs commonly start between 5 and 7 years old. Let's Go Surfing's kids program covers 7 to 16 year olds and asks that students can swim 50 metres, the length of an Olympic pool, for group lessons. Some schools recommend private lessons for 5 and 6 year olds. Check your school's age range and swimming requirement before booking, because a child who is nervous in deep water spends the lesson anxious rather than learning.

Essential Gear Checklist: What to Bring to Kids Surf Lessons

Pack this the night before. Everything fits in one beach bag, and nothing on it duplicates what the school supplies.

1. A hooded zip towel (the item that does the most work)

A flat beach towel dries a child, but it cannot keep them covered while they change, and it falls off the moment they need both hands. The Zippy hooded zip towel from Rad Kids Australia is built for exactly this gap:

• 100% cotton, so it absorbs seawater straight off the skin and keeps absorbing while your child wears it.
• Full-length front YKK zip, so kids step in arms first and zip up, with no wrestling a poncho over a wet, salty head.
• Hood and long sleeves, which cover wet hair and arms against the sea breeze, the two places kids lose heat fastest after a surf.
• UPF 50+ rating, the highest sun protection classification available in Australia, blocking a minimum of 98% of UV radiation on the walk back up the beach.
• A front pocket for a zinc stick, locker key or the shell they refuse to leave behind.

Zippy comes in sizes 1-2 through to 13-14, which covers the full age range of kids surf programs.

2. A wide-brim hat

A cap leaves ears and the back of the neck exposed. Pack a wide-brim or legionnaire hat for the time spent waiting on the sand before and after the lesson.

3. SPF 50+ water-resistant sunscreen

Some schools supply sunscreen, others expect you to bring your own. Apply it at home, 20 minutes before arrival, and reapply after the lesson on any skin the wetsuit covered.

4. A waterproof wet bag

Wet bathers, a sandy rash vest and salty thongs go in here, so the car and the rest of the bag stay dry.

5. Water bottle and a snack

Paddling a board through whitewater for 90 minutes is hard work for small arms. A banana or sandwich within ten minutes of finishing heads off the post-surf meltdown.

Also worth doing: send your child in their bathers from home, under their clothes. Fitted bathers or swim briefs sit flat under neoprene. Loose boardshorts bunch and rub.

The After-Lesson Routine: Wetsuit Off, Dry Clothes On

1. Set up before the lesson ends. Have the Zippy unzipped and ready at the edge of the sand, with dry clothes rolled up in a separate dry bag.
2. Peel the wetsuit from the shoulders down. Rolling it inside out is faster than pulling. Instructors are used to helping with back zips.
3. Zippy on, straight over the wet bathers. Arms in, zip up, hood up. Your child is covered and warming up straight away.
4. Change underneath. With the zip done up, bathers come off and undies and shorts go on under the towel. For a fuller privacy routine, see our guide to changing kids at the beach without a change room.
5. Rinse feet, bag the wet gear. Use the beach shower for sandy feet, then everything wet goes in the wet bag.
6. Leave the Zippy on for the drive home. The cotton keeps drawing moisture off skin and hair, and the long sleeves keep the sun off arms in the car.

Why a Zip Towel Beats a Beach Towel or Poncho After Surfing

Salt water makes skin sticky. A pull-over poncho drags across a salty face and traps a child's arms inside while they try to change, which is why so many end up with a parent doing it for them. A beach towel needs a second pair of hands to hold it up. A full-length zip opens completely, so most kids aged 5 and over can get in, zip up and change without help. That matters at a surf school, where you may be managing siblings or packing the car while your child changes.

If your child surfs with a club as well, our Nippers gear checklist covers the extra kit for Sunday mornings.

FAQ: Kids Surf Lessons

Do kids need their own wetsuit for surf lessons?

No. Most Australian surf schools provide a wetsuit in every lesson. Buying one is worth considering once your child is surfing regularly outside lessons.

What should kids wear under a wetsuit?

Fitted bathers, a one-piece or swim briefs. Avoid loose boardshorts, which bunch under the wetsuit and cause rubbing.

What size Zippy should I buy for surf lessons?

Choose by age, from 1-2 up to 13-14. If your child sits between sizes, the larger size gives more length to change under, and more seasons of wear. Our kids hooded towel size guide has more detail.

Is a hooded towel warm enough for winter surf lessons?

Zippy's cotton, hood and long sleeves cover most of the body, which is enough for spring and summer sessions. For winter lessons, add a warm jacket over the top for the walk back to the car.

Get Kids Surf Lessons Sorted Before Summer

For kids surf lessons, what to bring comes down to this: the school handles the board and wetsuit, and you handle the 15 minutes after the lesson, when a cold, salty child needs to be covered, dried and changed on an open beach. A hooded zip towel with a full-length zip, long sleeves, a hood and UPF 50+ protection solves that in one item, and kids can manage it themselves. With school holiday surf lessons starting in December, now is the time to pack the bag. Shop the Zippy hooded zip up towel at Rad Kids Australia in sizes 1-2 to 13-14 and four colours.