Club Ed: Where the Dream to Surf Comes True

If you know how to surf, there's a good chance you learned from Ed Guzman at Club Ed, a Santa Cruz surf school and camp right here in the Monterey Bay.

Guzman, 53, is one of the most knowledgable teachers around and has a friendly way about him. Those in Santa Cruz know him as a respected member of the community who changes lives and offers memorable experiences for anyone who wishes to get in the water to try surfing.

Guzman's surf school offers individual or group lessons from some of the best instructors in town and, judging from the photos on the website, Club Ed offers fun for all. Anyone can choose to do daily lessons or spend a week near the beach, camping, eating great food, surfing and relaxing.

Guzman has a unique story to tell about how he entered the sports and recreation industry, and it's no wonder that he has found success.

Santa Cruz Patch sat down with him at his office on the East side to discuss his life and 20-plus years of running his company. Outside Guzman's office were dozens of surfboards loaded up on trailers ready to be used by his students. As we talked, surf instructors and assistants scurried around the property handling office work and logistics, proof that Guzman's business is thriving and doing well in a challenging economy.

Santa Cruz Patch: Tell us how Club Ed got started.

Ed Guzman: I worked for the Army during the early '80s at Fort Ord and was the director for the outdoor recreation program. There was a multi-million-dollar recreation facility, and we did programs in skiing, rock climbing, scuba diving and surfing. When the Army guys came out of the field, they needed something constructive to do—so outdoor recreation was my job for seven years. We did ski trips to Tahoe, scuba dives in the Monterey Bay and boating trips with Boston Whalers.

I got my recreation background working for the Army in a dream job as a young man. When I took people wind-surfing back then, people would say, "This is like Club Ed." Hearing that a couple times, I got the idea to start my own business, because I was ambitious and wanted to make more money doing my own thing. 

In 1989, I registered Club Ed as a business name and quit working for the Army one year later. I shaped surfboards working for Bob Pearson here in Santa Cruz, but I really wanted to start the surfing school, because I enjoyed serving people and was a service-oriented guy. People come to you, they want to have a great experience, they don't know what they are doing, and you help them to have the best time they can have.

Patch: It shows in the pictures on your website. It looks like every one is having a good time, and it's obvious that you create a positive environment for them. Do you think that it just manifests itself, or do you think you have an influence in creating that positive space?

Guzman: In any situation, the people involved are going to dictate the level of vibration possible, whether it's a good vibration or bad one. The idea was to create a club-type atmosphere where people felt included and it was all right for people to be invited in. Some clubs are exclusive, and it turns out to be very arrogant.

Surfers, in general, are a very difficult culture, because some are very protective. I have been surfing for 40 years and know which surf spots to avoid when bringing friends or clients to surf. I also know the other areas that are fine to do that—as long as you are showing respect for people and not inundating a place, which can happen when you are bringing large groups. 

Everyone must be aware of their environment. At Cowell's, it's accepted that people are going to learn there. Some people want to give me a hard time, because of their attitudes about surf schools and teaching. It is really about them and not being happy with their life.

Patch: It's obvious that that you make an impact in people's lives. They must come away from your school feeling like their world has changed. Are you aware that you have that effect? How often does that happen where you see someone inspired?

Guzman: It's interesting, because I deal with many types of individuals. Some have been dreaming about surfing their whole life, and now they get to come to me with their dream in their hand. They sometimes ask, "Do you think I can do it?" and I tell every one, of course, they can.

Some are great athletes and are able to adapt. The ones who are not physical have the greatest epiphanies to get in shape, do yoga or learn to surf. We try to relax them into what they are doing and take it easy.

There are so many times when it changes people's lives. The ocean has healing qualities. When you come back out from being in the ocean, you just feel different. Many people end up appreciating the sea life in the ocean, becoming an environmentalist or taking up surfing full time. You just never know which way it is going to go.

Patch: See if you can reach way back for us and talk about the first time you stood up on a board. Can you remember that?

Guzman: My first time surfing was at Cowell's Beach in 1969 at the age of 12. One of my buddies took me when I was living in San Francisco. He put me in a spring suit, which goes above the knees and then short sleevse above the elbow. The leash was attached to my wrist on a 6-foot-10-inch surfboard. I remember getting dragged around in the surf and having a tough time. It wasn't this fairy tale of standing up and hearing the beautiful music. Because I was tall and gangly, I had a hard time getting my feet all the way under me. That didn't come easy, and it took six months before I could get up on a board. Everything else like paddling and getting clobbered by the waves came easy.

Patch: Through your teenage years, were you surfing as much as possible and trying out new spots around the Bay?

Guzman: My mom moved us away from San Francisco to Salinas in 1972 after surfing for only a few years. On the way down the coast, we stopped in the Haut Surf Shop, and my mom got me a surfboard. Then we went over to the O'Neill Surf Shop on 41st Avenue, and I got a wetsuit with booties and gloves. We got to Salinas, but ultimately my mom said, "Re-direct your energy," and she took me to the beach every day to surf.

Sometime when I was 15, I got my driver's license and went down to Moss Landing often. One guy who was there with us gave me the name "Kookless," because I was a young kook, eager to try anything but wasn't very good at surfing. I definitely had to earn my rides through those times. A turning point came when Dean Dickinson took me out on flat land and showed me how to slide my feet under me. I practiced that, and within two weeks, I got better standing up and wasn't scared dropping in on a big wave.

Patch: You mentioned earlier having your first experiences in outdoor activities and it being a dream job. Would you say Club Ed is a dream job for you now?

Guzman: Yes, absolutely. It's a lifestyle choice. Anytime that you have something you do for a living that is also a passion, it turns out to be really great. I wasn't sure what I was going to do back then and just fell into teaching. Working for the Army was a complete blessing. They taught me that recreation was a professional field and I could make a living.

Patch: Have you had many harrowing experiences in the water?

Guzman: I personally don't get scared or startled. When it comes to rescuing people in peril, I am a highly trained water-safety expert. I have done big wave training for tow surfing, where you use wave runners to pull surfers into the wave. I have done training that is above and beyond the norm.

Just recently I had two major rescues, one in Morro Bay with 30-foot waves. A small boat got into trouble, and we helped them until the Coast Guard came. Another one happened at Manresa Beach during a surf camp. I was watching my instructors with their students, and these four guys were drowning in a heavy rip tide. I looked at what was going on, paddled out on my stand up board, and they were able to hang on while I pulled the guys to shore. Later that day, a kid came to thank me for saving his brother. The experience really made an impact.

Patch: You must teach hundreds of people each year how to surf. Do you have a similar welcome speech each time, or do you wing it based on the situation?

Guzman: I have been teaching a long time and just wing it when each new group arrives. You take the temperature of the people in the class, so to speak. You size them up and get a feel for the type of group you have. I usually start off thanking them for coming to the class. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to do the work I do. It is really enjoyable to have that experience with them. Everybody wins, and we become part of something unique together.

Patch: What are your goals over the next few years and the second half of your life? Any plans to travel and see the world.

Guzman: I have traveled so much in the last 15 years and would rather concentrate on life here in California. I have a great garden, fruit trees, chickens and a family. My biggest goal is to stay healthy and happy, because if your needs are met, there isn't anything else you need.

I took a big chance after leaving the military. I saw how people who worked for an institution become very complacent and comfortable with the same routine all the time. I didn't want to be that person and thought that I needed something else. Club Ed was supposed to be successful promoting ski tours. That was my big business idea, with trips to Tahoe. I was shaping surfboards and saw an opportunity with teaching people how to surf. Now I employ local, talented surfers, and it has become a large business with big groups even during a tough economy.

All of my needs are met, which I think is a barometer for success. The bills are paid, everyone is healthy, and clients are happy. That's all I can ask for at this point in my life.