Pepijn Tigges Surfcoaching Opiniones 

Pepijn is an excellent surfcoach! I spent a week with him in Portugal, including elaborate video analysis everyday. He has a way of helping you improve that is very positive and encouraging, something I haven't experienced before with regular surfing lessons. Thanks a lot!

I joined Pepijn’s surf coaching week in Portugal, and it exceeded all expectations. On arrival, he said, “One surfer comes in, another leaves at the end of the week.” It sounded bold—but it turned out to be completely true.

This is an intense, high-level coaching experience, perfectly balanced with fun so you stay motivated and “in the zone.” The accommodation was top-notch: stunning views, great food, and a welcoming atmosphere where everything is taken care of.

Pepijn’s coaching is on another level. He consistently finds the best conditions and clearly knows the local breaks inside out. His approach—what I’d call “Total Surf”—covers everything: technique, ocean awareness, positioning, fitness, nutrition, and mindset. It’s structured, highly personalized, and built on logic—no shortcuts, no generic advice.

The video analysis is a game changer. It’s confronting at times, but incredibly effective. Pepijn challenges how you think in the water, helping you make better decisions and progress faster. The one-on-one feedback gave me completely new insights, even on things I thought I had already mastered.

A special shoutout to videographer Alex Ahmarani, who not only captured amazing footage but also brought great energy, humor, and—when he joined us in the water—serious skill.

The group vibe was fantastic: like-minded people, positive energy, and a shared passion for surfing and pushing limits.

Despite a bit of a rocky start on my side due to fitness issues, I still made real progress—and left with clear goals to keep improving. I’ll definitely be back.

If you’re serious about improving your surfing, this is the real deal.

Absolutely first-class surf coach, and even more importantly, first-class human being. Genuinely interested in all aspects of his students’ development. Could not be more patient or gracious while at the same time providing a perfect level of challenge- not an easy thing to do when working with something as unpredictable as the sea!
I really, really, enjoyed my week’s coaching with Pepijn and I am already looking forward to the next one. Thank you Pepijn!

Fantastic surf coach. The ability to slice potential improvement areas into small chunks to work on the next session pragmatically is what sets him apart; no matter the current level you surf. Had a blast on his coaching trip in Portugal. On to the next.

Do you feel stuck in your surfing journey?Unsure of what you need to do to progress? Dreaming of surfing more challenging conditions but unsure of how to get there? I certainly was. I joined Pepijn for a week long coaching trip in Portugal having surfed bigger conditions a handful of times - never really feeling comfortable and confused on how to progress. Getting out to the lineup efficiently, quickly and using less energy expenditure was a mystery to me - as I was still struggling with the balance of a bigger board for stability vs the difficulty manoeuvring a bigger board in large swell. Most of all, my mindset towards more challenging conditions was mainly one of anxiety due to past experiences, despite my innate desire to be out there!
Pepijn acknowledged all of these doubts and more, ensuring that I always felt incredibly safe and supported.
His realtime feedback in the water allows for adjustments that lead to quick progression - by the end of the week I was keeping up with the duck divers and felt a lot more confident in my turtle roll. He would sometimes even take a set on the head just to observe me properly for feedback!!
His curious mindset always led to personalised advice, as our conversations would lead to enlightening conclusions ie why I feel nervous to take off from the peak and how could I, over time, use positive reinforcement to improve this? His curiosity in how/why you do things means you then understand how to improve, and what is needed to get there.
He breaks down the essentials (such as paddling) into theoretical information, and provides insight into how you can improve in/out of the water. You are provided with a 16 week programme prior to the trip which gives helpful advice on training, stretching, and general lifestyle that helps you feel prepared/fit for a week of surfing.
I’ve sometimes found that advanced surfers who teach forget what it’s like to be nervous out at sea, but I feel that Pep has a deep understanding of each stage of surfing. His kind and gentle approach inspires personal growth, and the learning experience feels personalised to your own journey. His teaching and advice I’m sure will continue long past the water. I am excited to use this backpack of knowledge I have acquired, and hopefully return to Pepijn to further advance my progression.
Surfing is just as much mental as physical, and at times there would be off-days where self-confidence would dampen. Pep is sensitive to emotions and somehow knows the right thing to say - whether it’s a pep talk (hah!) to pump you up or kind words to remind you that rest is important too.
Not only was the coaching incredibly productive, but I was surrounded by like-minded people who I also learnt from. I did not stop laughing the whole week, and I’m sure I have made friends that I will meet again for a catch-up.
Thank you Pep, for your unwavering sense of belief in me! Until next time.

I participated in one of Pep’s coaching weeks at a fantastic surf villa in Figueira da Foz.

TL;DR: If you’re serious about improving your surf, just book one of these weeks now.

I loved everything about the experience, but here are the highlights:
Pep is first and foremost a great human being who inspires trust immediately. He is empathetic, respectful, and humble. From the beginning, he laid out a framework based on respect, vulnerability, and a willingness to fail while having fun. He completely embodies these values. As a surfer, he absolutely rips, yet he remains remarkably chilled and delightful to chat with.
As a coach, he is both detailed and simple. He provides enough depth to satisfy surf nerds like me without being overwhelming. He gives a few specific things to focus on each day, and because every step builds upon the last, the progression is systematic and digestible. I especially liked his interactive teaching style; it feels like a "discovery together." During video analysis, he often asks "what did you want to do there?" and guides you to understand why it didn’t work out instead of just saying "you should have done this."
The overall vibes with the group - at the villa, in the water, and during analysis - were amazing. There was a lot of encouragement and sharing of our own surf journeys. Besides the excellent coaching, surfing with a committed group of great humans does wonders for your confidence and resilience in challenging conditions.

I definitely want to continue being coached by Pep, and this won’t be my last surf trip with him :)

I have had the pleasure of having a surf coaching session with Pepijn after years of no surf coaching and I am thrilled it was with Pepijn! I have been surfing for some years now but because of a LONG break (pregnancy, motherhood etc.), I have talked myself out of the confident surfista that I once were. Surfing is such a tough and fun sport and you have to constantly train to keep up; physically but also energetically and mentally! Pepijn really opened my eyes again after the first surf coaching session with him! He gave back a big part of my confidence in surfing by being kind, patient, truly interested, technical and very knowledgeable, as he is!! Thank you so much Pepijn and looking forward to the next one! :)

If you want to improve your surfing I highly recommend a trip / session with Pepijn. His technical analysis and coaching are top-notch and explained in a friendly, easy to understand way. You’ll leave with plenty of things to work on for months to come.

A full week of surfing in Figueira da Foz, surrounded by amazing, like-minded people. Do I need to say more?

This was my third coaching trip with Pep. The reason I keep coming back is that I take his technical advice with me and apply it for months after the trips.

I also keep coming back, because each trip, I see progress in my mindset. I am much more able to let go of frustration, comparison, or self-criticism than the first trip.

I would recommend this trip if you’re interested in:

1. Learning good technique (well-explained)
2. Want to challenge yourself (e.g. bigger waves, higher wave count, smaller board, mindset)

What’s more is that, on each trip, the group of other surfers was extremely enjoyable. Everyone wants to work hard, but protects the good vibe of the group. Even when things get tough or scary.

This edition, was my first time with a full-time videographer there, Storm. It was kind if hilarious to be filmed all day, but I got to peek at some of the footage.. it looks like these will be memories I carry with me forever.

If you’re looking for surfcoaching that’s dedicated, authentic and fun, Pepijn is your guy. Having already gone on two coaching trips with Pepijn before, I just knew it was going to be amazing!

Whether you get lucky with the waves or not (we did!), expect to get lots of new insights, a playful and supportive atmosphere, good conversations and a great house where food and everything is taken care of.

Moreover, what makes this trip special is the effort that Pepijn puts into it. He’ll cheer for you when you’re ripping and he’ll help you out when you’re having a frustrating session. He’s always looking for ways to progress your surfing as well as his own coaching. This commitment to development combined with the amount of joy makes for a trip I just want to keep coming back to!

This was my first surfing trip with a professional coach and has surpassed my expectations. Before the surftrip we had a digital meeting to get to know eachother, voice our expectations of the trip and get some excercises to prepare for the trip.

During the week Pepijn made sure everyone was comfortable inside and outside of the water. Pepijn has a lot of knowledge of surfing and how to explain the technique for each skill level. Videos were made and analysed to create focus points to improve our surfing. This ensured everyone was able to learn from eachothers mistakes but also teaches to learn to analyse your own videos.

At the end of this week I feel I have become a better surfer and am already looking forward to join a next trip with Pepijn!

Another epic and incredibly rewarding trip! Just like my last experience, this one was elevated by the truly insightful and high-caliber coaching from Pepijn.

If you're serious about elevating your surfing, this is a phenomenal opportunity to catch more waves and genuinely learn how to improve your surfing. Pepijn's personalized coaching is thorough, effective, and tailored to help you make significant progress.

Pepijn is now actively surfing in the water with us, and a dedicated videographer films the sessions. Each evening, Pepijn leads a respectful and detailed group review. Using video analysis (including awesome drone footage) and insightful commentary, we gained a deeper understanding of our maneuvers, wave selection, and lineup positioning (including how to navigate other surfers).

If you want to surf better, more often, and with greater confidence, don't hesitate—sign up. Keep on surfing!

Surf coaching review

I spent a week in France with Pep and he curated a great experience. The level of care and attention he gives to everything is amazing and this is supported by the incredible people he chooses to work with from our videographer Storm to our hosts.

As a surfer working with Pepijn felt different. I’ve met a lot of good surfers, I’ve met instructors who could explain a concept but it’s rare to find a coach. Pepijn doesn’t just understand the technical aspect of surfing he tries to understand each individual and meet them where they are at. He has multiple tools to explain the same ideas and tries different methods until it clicks. Forever curious and encouraging , he provided plenty of challenges and opportunities for the group as well as a really open environment for people to meet and learn together.
If you are thinking of booking a coaching session with him, do it.

I just returned from a week of coaching with Pepijn and I am already missing it so much! The week has been very special to me. Pepijn is such a great person to be around. He has SO much experience, energy, attention and he is extremely passionate about what he does. I have made more progression than I could have wished for: I became more comfortable surfing bigger waves, became less scared of the peak, started to learn to take turns and make my first cutbacks. My overall confidence (and therefore joy!) in surfing has increased. I now see so much more potential in both the waves and myself.

Apart from Pepijn being an excellent coach who works so hard, he made the week unforgettable by giving us a lot of extra's: endless amazing footage, a surfskate lesson, duckdive lesson, 1 on 1 conversations, care (he looks after everyone constantly) and a lot of cozyness and humor at the villa and during free time.

If you are serious about progressing your surfing and are open to new experiences, book yourself this week! THANKS PEPIJN! See you next year.

The individual approach, detailed tips and guides documented by daily video analysis, excellent surf knowledge of the coach Pepijn, choice of the best surfspots,... this all makes that I made a substantial progress in only 1 week and loved surfing more than before.
Pepijn gives you a confident feeling, thus I had more fun in the water and will be more excited to continue repeating the tools he reached me.

I think that's basically what we want : enjoy the time in the water, catching the waves and becoming a better surfer. Well this coaching week is the right experience.

Video images are amongs others made with a drone : those videos are wonderful!

The relative small group size makes you get a good connection as a group. And I think the setup of this coaching week attracts surfers that are really focussed and motivated to learn and get better - the group is more homegene around the same common theme.

My conclusion : a big recommend if you want to improve your surfing!

It has been an amazing week in Portugal. My surfing has gotten a lot better and with what I’ve learned I can continue to get better in the coming year - or years. Pepijn goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is having a good time, and is achieving what they set out to do. He creates all the conditions for optimal learning - like a safe positive environment where you can really explore what you need to get better, and can practice without feeling like a fool. This radiates out to all the other participants, who support each other and all want everyone to succeed, to get better and have fun. Optimal learning also means that Pepijn finds the right pace, with the group and with you. Information is given in manageable chunks, without becoming overwhelming. And skills are practised slowly and deliberately. Your surfing will be built right, from the ground up, so that you will have a solid basis to expand from. He will let you know when you are on the right track, and at the same time lets you know where you can improve. The videos analysis are a great tool for this. I would certainly recommend this coaching trip to anyone who want to become a better surfer, and who wants to make new friends and have a great time along the way.

I had a week long coaching with Pepijn in France, Hossegor area. It was a group of 8 people and we vibed surprisingly well despite being a group of complete strangers in the beginning. I think Pepijn brought the whole group very well together, we went to all different kind of spots in the area, that always provided a please level of being challenged in a good way for all people in the group, while the level varied quite a bit between the participants too.

I've learned about petting and throwing the dogs as an allegory to regular front side bottom turn (I don't think I will forget this anytime soon) and he showed us some good clinics to practice on the surf-skate when it is flat.

I think there are lots of reasons to try this coaching, you would learn new skills, you would check your fundamentals, you would spend time in an amazing place with a fun group of people (bring your own jokes) and you'll be in water every day!

It was altogether, probably most genuine coaching trip that I had experienced, Pepijn really wants you to surf well and has all the trust you will get to your goals. Try it!

My experience with Pepijn's surf coaching trips to France has been highly positive. Firstly, the technical approach to his coaching is well thought out. Not only is Pepijn a good surfer, he has strong didactical skills and is a total nerd about how to bring people's surfing to a higher level. Instead of following a blueprint, he brings a clear framework to understanding surfing technique and then provides tailored advice at an individual level. Joining such a surf coaching week didn't just mean improving my surfing in the week itself, it elevated my perception and understanding of surfing providing a clear roadmap for continuing to develop.

The coaching weeks include many other elements that make for a great holiday: meeting very nice people who share the same hobby, staying in a great accomodation with lovely hosts, very good food throughout, and finally (in this edition) top quality videos and pictures. We were very lucky to have the highly talented Storm with us to capture our waves for analysis and provide lasting memories of an epic week.

I've joined these trips twice and I've seen that Pepijn continues to finetune them as he is continuing to look for areas to improve. And if you're worried about the price: you spend almost nothing while you're there as almost everything is included :)

Pep is truly a master of his craft. He is an incredible surfer that practices the techniques (often to perfection) that he touches, but is equally just as capable as a teacher / guide of a sport that is very challenging to teach. He takes a very practical approach to surf coaching of focusing time, energy, and effort on the few things an individual should focus on to make meaningful improvement in their surfing vs. taking an approach of critiquing every minor detail to the point that a student just gets completely overwhelmed. This was my second coaching experience with Pep and I learned equally as much, if not more, vs. the first time I worked with Pep on a trip. He is truly motivated by seeing his students progress and takes a very individualistic approach depending on that student’s experience, body composition, and goals vs. a one-size fits all approach. Not only did I feel like my surfing improved over the course of the two 10 days trips I did with Pep coaching me over two years, but he provided me with an action plan that I have and will continue to implement in order to improve each and every time I surf, regardless of the conditions. Lastly, he has a heart of gold and is true pleasure to be around. He will feel like more of a friend then a hired gun when you work with him, which is pretty special!

Had an amazing week of coaching trip with Pepijn in France.

The coaching was super clear—starting simple on day one and adding layers each day in a way that was easy to follow. I’ve still got work to do, but now I know what to focus on to improve after the trip.

Great food, a nice place to stay, and an awesome group of people to share it with. The fact that someone came back for the second year says everything about the quality, and I’d happily do the same.

Also I met surf buddies I can catch waves with after the trip, which is a big bonus since I usually surf alone. If you’re thinking about joining—just do it, you won’t regret it.