Island Native Surf House

Surf shop in South Padre Island, TX

SurfSpotGuide verified

4.7 (55 reviews)

South Padre Island, TX

About Island Native Surf House

Island Native Surf House on South Padre Island offers a wide inventory ranging from quality surfboards and rentals to beach apparel and bicycle repair services. Customers consistently praise the staff for being extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and providing excellent service, often highlighting great pricing and board repair expertise. This shop is ideal for beginners needing lessons or rentals, as well as gear hunters looking for high-quality equipment and helpful local advice.

The Good

Customers consistently praise the extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful staff, frequently mentioning specific employees like Karen, Bo, Kerry, Stephanie, and Belle for providing excellent service, great vibes, and valuable local advice. The shop is highly recommended for its fantastic and diverse selection of high-quality surfboards (including good used options), beach gear, apparel, and bicycles. Many reviewers noted excellent value, with fair and reasonable pricing on rentals, repairs (including specialized board repair), and purchases. Surf lessons are highlighted as being highly effective, with instructors being encouraging and supportive, leading to quick success for beginners.

Things to Consider

There were isolated but significant negative experiences reported, including one instance where scheduled surf lesson customers waited for nobody to show up, resulting in a wasted half-day. Another customer reported feeling unwelcome and receiving 'ugly stares' from staff when entering the store, contrasting sharply with the positive reception received by a later-arriving Caucasian family. A separate incident involved a customer being asked to take their crying toddler outside, leading to them leaving without purchasing. Furthermore, one review detailed an extremely poor experience regarding the cleanliness and disrepair of the customer restroom, coupled with perceived disrespect from the manager.