Founded by his legendary surfer father, Dorian Paskowitz, in 1972 with his wife and nine children, the Paskowitz Surf Camp runs classes each summer in California, Mexico, and Montauk, N.Y., welcoming and teaching surfers of all ages and levels and sharing their love of this incredible sport. The Paskowitzes, known as the first family of surfing like to say that they dont just teach people to surf---they create surfers. Over the 33 years of its existence, Paskowitz Surf Camp has introduced countless ordinary people---and plenty of famous people from the worlds of music, movies and business to the laid-back surfing lifestyle.
SURFWISE THE MOVIE
Like many American outsider-adventurers, Dorian
“Doc” Paskowitz set out to realize a utopian dream. Abandoning a
successful medical practice, he sought self-fulfillment by taking up
the nomadic life of a surfer. But unlike other American searchers
like Thoreau or Kerouac, Paskowitz took his wife and nine children
along for the ride, all eleven of them living in a 24 foot camper.
Together, they lived a life that would be unfathomable to most, but
enviable to anyone who ever relinquished their dreams to a straight
job. The Paskowitz Family proved that America may be running out of
frontiers, but it hasn’t run out of frontiersman.
I
Co-Owner/Principal Paskowitz
Surf Camp
Co-Founder Surfers Healing
Foundation
The fourth out of nine
Paskowitz children, Israel ‘Izzy’ Paskowitz, grew up knowing
that his manifest destiny was to be a surfer. Traveling with
his father, legendary surfer Dorian ‘Doc’ Paskowitz, Izzy
has spent the majority of his childhood and teen years
surfing. He spent summers with his brothers at San Onofre,
teaching kids and adults alike how to surf. Riding a
longboard came naturally to Izzy; so much so that he went on
to have a very successful career as a professional surfer.
Izzy has been competing since 1983, when he won his first
pro event. In a stunning final heat, he beat an elite field
of surfers, which included the likes of David Nuuhiwa, Corky
Carroll, and Dale Dobson. It was a bright beginning to an
even brighter career and netted sponsors like Nike, and
Hobie. Izzy soon found himself featured in Nike ads standing
next to athletes like Bo Jackson, Andre Agassi, and Michael
Jordan. Izzy won a host of national and international
events including
Australia's Coke Classic Championship, Hang Ten
Classic, and back-to-back Trestles Surf Bouts.
Izzy is married to
Danielle Paskowitz. Together they have three children, Elah,
Eli and Isaiah. Isaiah was diagnosed with autism at the age
of three. It was Isaiah’s autism that spurred Izzy and
Danielle to found Surfers Healing, a non-profit organization
whose mission is to take autistic children surfing.
Board member and
eight-time World Champion Kelly Slater is just one of many
who have been moved to donate their time to the
organization. Surfers Healing has received national media
attention having been featured on Good Morning America,
ESPN’s Sports Center, CNN, Nightline, World News Tonight,
and HBO’s Real Sports.
Izzy is very focused
on the family business, making it his goal to be an
ambassador for the sport he loves. He has taught surfing to
beginners all around the world. His reputation as a
professional surfer coupled with a truly comprehensive
teaching program of his own design has made Paskowitz one of
the most renowned and recognized surf camps in the world.
His staff and instructors are of the highest caliber,
demonstrating an expert knowledge of water safety and,
equally important, a genuine concern for each student. In
thirty-four years of doing business, Paskowitz Surf Camp has
never filed an insurance claim and no student has ever
suffered a serious injury. Izzy has set the highest
standards for the camp—every year he strives to provide
better service, better instruction, and a safer environment.
For him, the Paskowitz Surf Camp represents more than just a
business—it is his family business. It is his passion and
his legac
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