Calibunga Podcast - Bonus Episode: March 17th, 2026

This bonus episode of the Calibunga Surf Lessons podcast highlights some of the best things to do in Los Angeles during spring break, with a special focus on beach activities and beginner-friendly surfing experiences. Listeners are guided through why the Santa Monica coastline is one of the most popular destinations for travelers seeking outdoor adventure, scenic views, and accessible surf conditions. The episode shares local insights for young couples looking for fun daytime activities, families with children searching for safe and memorable beach outings, and visitors interested in trying their first surf lesson. Additional recommendations include exploring nearby attractions, understanding ocean safety basics, and making the most of Southern California’s relaxed coastal lifestyle. This transcript provides helpful travel ideas and practical tips for planning an active and enjoyable spring break in Los Angeles.

Hello everyone and welcome to a Surprise episode, a bonus. Episode of Calibunga Podcast, brought to you by Kalunga Surf Lessons, your go-to guide for learning to surf in the Los Angeles area. We're coming to you right here from Santa Monica Beach. I am your host Lucas Coleman, a permitted professional surf instructor, and I'm here to answer your questions, share some insider tips, and help you ride your first wave with confidence, whether you're a total beginner.

You're curious about surfing in Los Angeles. You're someone looking to take private or group surf lessons in Santa Monica, or [00:01:00] just researching the best surf schools near the Santa Monica Pier and the Lowe's Hotel. This podcast is for you and if you are planning to spend your spring break of 2026 in Los Angeles.

This is especially the bonus episode for you. That's right. We are dropping an extra little episode into your week because I have been getting emails nonstop of people asking. What are some fun things to do on spring break of 2026 in Los Angeles and Santa Monica? And I thought it's weird to get the same question over and over and over.

This is people calling in asking about surf lessons. This is also people emailing us, planning spring break for the families, their kids, and they're looking for fun things to do. Now they're calling us and they're [00:02:00] also. Asking us while they're on the line, Hey, can you make other recommendations? And I thought, you know what?

We are so happy to take calls and help people plan their trips when they call in. But I figured, let's double down and just make it a surprise podcast episode. So let's say you're heading to Los Angeles for spring break, 2026. And you're wondering what are the most fun things to actually do while you're here?

Not just the typical tourist checklist, but the real experiences that make you feel like you lived in LA for a week. Here's the first thing you should know. Spring break in Los Angeles isn't just about nightlife or theme parks. It's not only about visiting Disneyland or Universal Studios or doing the Friends Lot tour.

It's about being outside. It's about sunshine, ocean, air, the salt, the brine, and doing something [00:03:00] you'll still be talking about years from now, and nothing captures that better than surfing. Even if you've never tried it before. Spring break is honestly the perfect time. The energy on the beach is high, the days are longer.

The sun sets later, and there's this feeling that everyone is here to have a story to take back home with them. Learning to surf isn't just an activity or something to put on your checklist. It becomes your spring break memory. We get those photos. You get to go home and tell the story of your hardcore wipeouts and you know, celebrate and cheer yourself on back into the work week.

With that moment, you finally stood up on a board and rode a wave to the shore. That's the kind of thing. That people don't forget and take back home with them. So we're gonna break this up into a couple of recommendations because I [00:04:00] know that the people visiting LA for their spring break aren't necessarily looking for the same things.

So why don't we start with. Families and kids on spring break, let's say you are a young family, you've got some kids and you're looking for something you can all do together. So if you're visiting Los Angeles as a family, especially with kids on school, your Your school Break, Santa Monica is one of the easiest and most fun places to spend the day.

You don't have to drive all over Los Angeles County. And deal with traffic. Everything is sort of center and right there. And one of my favorite things about teaching surf lessons is watching the families do this experience together and enjoy something that's totally new to all of them. It's not like the kids have done it before and the parents have it, or the parents have been doing this for years and now they're showing their kids.

All of you are starting from the same place, which is rare and. A cool opportunity to have that parents [00:05:00] laughing, kids cheering each other on. Sometimes a big group photo gets taken at the end, and I'm always joking that I'm probably hanging on the walls of two dozen homes across the Midwest after each spring break.

That's sort of the magic of doing something together. And after surfing. You can walk straight over to the rides on the pier. It's one of the most iconic coastal amusement spots in the country. Fun history. Fact, Santa Monica Pier dates back to the early 19 hundreds and was originally built to carry sewage pipes across the city.

Glamorous, right, hard to imagine. Now, today it's a bunch of rollercoasters and games and street performers and ocean views. There's still some relics and artifacts from when the pier was being built and photos of it. There's a ton of history there, which is cool if you are a history buff like myself. But there's also just tons [00:06:00] of fun things to look at for toddlers, for teens, so for families visiting on spring break, it's an easy full day plan.

Like you will burn through an entire afternoon and still not see everything. Surf lesson in the morning, rides and snacks in the afternoon. Sunset on the sand at the end of the day. Uh, but let's say you're not coming with your new family. Let's say you're just a group of friends, group of college students.

You're looking to bring that spring break energy. Now if you're coming with your group of friends, the classic spring break crew. You might be looking for ways to kick the trip off with some adrenaline, something to get everybody in line, somebody, uh, to kind of guide you guys into a crazy experience that just makes the rest of your trip possible.

Group surfing lessons are actually one of the best ways to do that. There's something about everyone trying to get it together that. Just [00:07:00] instantly raises the adrenaline rush. People start cheering, laughing, competing, and by the time you finish, depending on how competitive your group is, everybody feels sort of bonded and totally fired up for the rest of the day or the whole night ahead of them.

We also offer surf lessons at Sunset where you can surf while the sun is going down. You rinse off, you get changed, you get out of your wetsuit. As the last little bit of daylight is there, it's kind of perfect. And Santa Monica has a really fun local scene. Once the sun goes down, if you're into live music, you might catch this amazing nineties cover band at Jameson's Pub down in Ocean Park.

It's literally a five minute walk from where we teach. It's casual. It's your classic Irish pub vibe. It's very loud and it feels like a real neighborhood [00:08:00] hangout at night. It gets packed, it gets fun. It's sort of the, the social bar that we have in la. So many of our bars, they're made to go with groups of friends.

And get the Instagram picture, but it's kind of awkward layouts where you can't really meet new people. Jameson's is the opposite. Everything this bar does from its drinks to its music, to its staging is designed to get strangers talking and dancing and hanging out. And the music is great. These cover bands aren't just playing, you know, the stuff you hear all the time.

It's, it's do and truth Throwback songs where a, a song will come on and you'll go, oh my, ah, I haven't heard this in years. So, Jameson's, Irish Pub. In Ocean Park. It's a, it's awesome. There is a lot of great food on that same street. I mean, this is the place where you can take a surf lesson, walk over to [00:09:00] Jameson's, and then everything you need is there.

Some of the best Mexican food in, in Southern California is LULAs on Main Street. Take it from someone who was born and raised in San Diego. And literally spent every weekend in Tijuana as a kid getting the best Mexican food in the world. Lula's, it's family run. It's on Main Street. It's so good. Their fajitas are one of my favorite things food wise in Los Angeles.

And we have pretty good food in this city. So that's saying a lot. It's also simple. It's fast. It's exactly what you want after a long day in the sun, and they have a very, very lengthy margarita menu, so you're in good hands. There's also a great, great community workout group called Midnight Runners that meets every Monday night at 6 45.

You can check out Midnight Runners for more information and Rendezvous points on their social media. [00:10:00] There's no signup, there's no pressure. Just locals and visitors meeting up. We all meet at Tavern on Maine. Right in front, you'll see literally 150, 200, sometimes 300 locals in tiny running shorts and spandex.

Weird running shirts with big comfy shoes. And we all meet up. We mingle, we hang out. We do a yoga warm. We run a mile, we work out a mile, we run another mile, we work out a mile, and the running path we take takes us all across Santa Monica, actually up onto the Santa Monica Pier, through the Santa Monica Main Street Promenade.

Like we're running through the middle of a mall. It's awesome. And then we just do the loop and then we come back. Sometimes people stay and have a drink or just kind of get some electrolytes. They often have sponsors for the event where people get hooked up with, you know, one time they gave away free sports WA sports watches.

[00:11:00] Sometimes they are giving away, you know, protein shakes or, um. Running gear, stuff like that, but midnight runners totally worth checking out. I go personally, if I'm not teaching a sunset surf lesson every Monday night, I am there doing that workout with them. It's so fun. You will meet so many people that are just down to hang out with you while you're on your vacation.

It's a very, very social group. Super fun. Um, now, finally. There's one last little category, uh, and I want to talk about couples visiting for spring break. This is couples looking for a romantic spring break idea in Los Angeles. If you're visiting Los Angeles as a couples spring break can actually be surprisingly romantic.

There's a little restaurant up the coast in Malibu called. The Sunset Restaurant, it's been there [00:12:00] forever. It's tucked right onto the sand. I don't know why or when or the history behind how they built it, but it is the only building around with this huge patio and the beach is right there. Sunset dinners, there are pretty romantic and unforgettable.

Another must do experience is heading up to the Griffith Park Observatory. You've, I'm sure heard about this before. It's one of the best views in the city, especially at Sunset. Adele did this crazy epic concert that was filmed up there a few years back and at night they often roll out these giant telescopes, so you can actually look at the stars and planets together.

It's totally free. Two park at the bottom. It's a bit of a walk to the top. Griffith Park Observatory on summer nights, huge telescopes, and they do guided stargazing to where an astrologer is actually showing you and talking you through what you're seeing. [00:13:00] It sounds simple, but it feels cinematic Closer to the beach.

We have one other cool thing that pops off. This is a weird, totally secret, insider, local thing that has just exploded over the past few years. It's called the Penmar Golf Course. No, I'm not talking about golfing at night. The golf course closes. They bring out multiple stages and they have this crazy summer concert takeover series.

There's outdoor music, there's tons of food trucks that drive on to the green. There's bars, there's people hanging out on blankets. People bring their dogs, which is awesome, and it's somehow become one of the most popular local gathering spots. In Los Angeles. It's fun. It's a little weird. It's like, why are there 2000 people on a golf course with all this food and [00:14:00] crazy music?

They also have a silent, a silent disco. So if you're not into the band playing on stage, which is often rockabilly, blues country folk, you can go and get these. Noise canceling headphones that plug in to a live DJ who's hosting a disco. It's like funky disco music. They're also very LED, and they have all these weird lights set up in a little section of trees and forest on the golf course, and you're literally doing a disco in the, in the woods.

It's so cool. Kind of. It's weird. But it's weird. Cool. Penmar Golf course, summer concert series takeover. Just, just check it out. It's worth coming into LA just for a Friday night at the Penmar. Like it, it really is. It's. It. Just making the trip alone for that is weird and fun. You won't be disappointed. I think it's like [00:15:00] $30 to, it's ridiculously cheap.

I mean, the food and the alcohol is very overpriced. Hello, welcome to Los Angeles, but it's a fun hang. I recommend everybody check it out. I've had some fun there. Now, if you are also searching for some things like. What are fun things to do in Los Angeles on spring break? Again? Try surfing, explore the pier.

Catch live music. Eat incredible local food. If you're not from a region that has good Mexican food, get some great Mexican food. What can families do in Santa Monica during spring break? Just to recap, surf lessons. Amusement rides, beach time, sunset walks. What should groups of friends do in LA on spring break?

We talked about it. Start the trip with something active like surfing. Then dive into the local nightlife and community event. And if you're feeling like love is in the [00:16:00] air, what are romantic spring break ideas in Los Angeles? Beachside dinners, in Malibu, observatory sunsets, outdoor concerts near the coast.

Spring break here isn't just about checking boxes, it's about moments. Sorry to get all soft and mushy and sentimental with you falling off your surfboard and laughing. That is a moment watching the sky turn pink over the ocean. That is an unforgettable, beautiful moment. Meeting people you didn't expect to meet.

That is a surprising moment. That could take you to more memories and great things to build. So if you plan it right. Los Angeles doesn't just become a destination, it becomes a memory you can carry home. We really hope to see you here for your 2026 spring break in Santa Monica. I am really hoping you enjoyed this little episode that [00:17:00] we're dropping into your feed with recommendations.

If you have any questions or follow up questions about this podcast, I invite you to email us. You can write us at info@cowabungasurflessons.com. You can visit our website, cowabunga surf lessons.com. You can give us a call, actually get us on the line and say, Hey, I'm planning a trip. I liked the podcast.

I'm wondering if you have anything more you can recommend. That's sort of like this. That's sort of like this. We help people plan their vacations here. We don't just. Set you up with a surf lesson. We will be your travel guru and your travel guide. We're kind of excited about that. Bond with us. Hit us up.

And don't forget to like and subscribe. And one more small disclaimer, if you are wondering how much did these companies pay for us to recommend them on our podcast, this is ad [00:18:00] free. There is no payment necessary. These are literally my recommendations of what I have found to be especially awesome. And some of these suggestions actually come from people who visited town where.

You know the last thing they do is a surf lesson. I say, Hey, what did you do in Santa Monica this week? That was super fun. And they've said these same things back to me. So there's no sponsorships here. There's no paid ads. These are true organic real life recommendations from us at Cowabunga Surf Lessons.

We'll see you soon. Surf's up.