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.
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 legacy.