Brian Heritage grew up with the evolution of the surfboard, and helped the local evolution of the sport itself. So forgive him if he sometimes looks askance at some of the “mainstream” aspects surfing has taken on today.
“It seems like everyone is offering surf lessons,” said Heritage, 54. “So if you’re going to take lessons, you might as well take them from professionals who will teach you how to surf the right way.”
Part of that, he says, is “putting in the time. It’s not enough to look at a surf cam and head to a beach where there are big waves. It’s getting to know the ocean and what goes into the waves such as the tides and the winds. It’s learning surfing etiquette.”
All that and more is covered in Heritage’s group and private lessons, and surf camps. Group lessons are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.at the 37
th St. Beach in Sea Isle. Surfers must be at least 18 years of age or accompanied by an adult.
Surf Camps are $275 per student and include use of a wetsuit, board and a free T-shirt. Camps run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and take place at 37
th St. Beach. There are eight weekly sessions in all: June 27
th through July 1
st; July 4
th through July 8
th; July 11
th through July 15; July 18
th through July 22
nd; July 25
th through July 29
th; August 1
st through August 5
th; August 8
th through August 12
th; and August 15
th through August 19
th.
Private lessons are by appointment and open to all ages. One student is $65 per hour; two students $100 per hour; three students $165 per hour; and four students $200 per hour. Maximum teacher-student ratio is two students to one instructor.
Heritage also rents boards, standup paddle boards and paddles and wetsuits. Call 609-263-3033 for more information or visit
www.heritagesurf.com.
To visit a Heritage Surf and Sport shop today is to see all the glossy trappings of a full-service modern surf and skate supplier, with the widest range of equipment and apparel. But the movement was born out of Brian’s late dad Dan’s passion for the surf and building boards which began in 1962 in the basement of his Vineland home when he was still a teenager.
Dan’s first store opened in Sea Isle in 1964, and he began running weekly surf contests several years after that. He was also working fulltime in a chemical company’s production lab to support his family. In 1968, he began manufacturing surfboards fulltime. Everything he learned was self-taught, and he was known as one of the top supporters of the sport and the surfing equipment industry on the east Coast. In 1971, he located to his current location at 3700 Landis Ave.
Around this time, Dan and his wife Barbara and his children began getting involved in the business. Skateboards became a big part of the product offerings and the former “Little Wave Surf Shop” became known as Heritage Surf and Sport.
Brian learned how to shape boards from his father and his sister Tracy learned how to run the shops from her mother. The businesses continued to grow and thrive.
In addition to Sea Isle, there are shops in Ocean City and Margate.
Dan was named to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 1996 and sadly, passed away the following year. But the family tradition went on and Dan’s legacy is felt in everything the Heritage family does for the sport, Brian said.
This includes sponsoring local pros, hosting competitions for all levels of surfers, experimenting with new innovative designs and making the shops friendly and non-intimidating to novice surfers and non-surfers.
Another aspect he and the shops are involved with is preserving the history of the sport for local museums and the Hall of Fame.
“If we don’t capture those stories and the history of the sport, it will be lost forever,” he says.
Yes, Heritage, says, the surf shops are a business. But there is more to it than that.
“We enjoy the lifestyle of the sport,” Brian said. “We have an appreciation for surfing. Just as my parents did for me, we are trying to provide (boards, clothing, sponsorships, competitions and lessons) for the next generation, so that others can feel what we are feeling when we are out there.”
http://heritagesurf.com/surf-lessons-at-heritage-surf-and-spor
