OWNER / HEAD INSTRUCTOR
LOCATIONS AVAILABLE: VENTURA / MALIBU
Carla Rowland Zamora is a Southern California native and longtime frequenter of First Point at Malibu Surfrider Beach. Growing up in a family of surfers afforded her many hours of sand castle building and shorebreak poundings. Carla’s father, Wayne, tried for many years to coax her into the lineup, and although she would always enjoy herself once in the ocean, surfing was something that didn’t consume her life until she was 15.
Once Carla had spent enough years involving herself in the shallow surf industry through competitions and with various sponsors, she decided true joy and success in surfing was actually through the introduction and instruction of the sport to those unaware of what we all know – that surfing will change your life!!
Carla’s experience in instruction and education, both in and out of the water, is extensive. For 7 years, Carla worked as a Special Education Instructional Assistant at a Malibu elementary school where she learned how to accommodate to a rainbow of intelligences in order to encourage successful learning. She graduated from Cal State University Channel Islands with program honors in Communication, further enhancing her skills and techniques in teaching. Since taking on the professional role of surf instructor in 2000, Carla’s interest in the sport has evolved. “When I was younger my focus in surfing was placed more on promoting myself and my sponsors. Now, the joy I get when a student gets up and rides down the line for the first time… To see the smile and accomplishment on their face… Well, it’s just priceless and it’s the reason I do what I do!”
Carla has perfected the teaching method for The Surf Institute so that students are ensured success and gratification. Many surf schools and camps make guarantees that are unrealistic because every person is working with a different body, with different experiences. The method developed by Carla sets practical goals for each individual student based on his or her strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, students can be assured that their journey with surfing will be enjoyable and fulfilling and will be something they can take with them for the rest of their lives!
In addition to taking beginning and intermediate surfers to the next level, Carla also works with experienced longboarders who are interested in fine-tuning their technique &/or improving their competition skills.