Quoted "The Starbucks of surf schools" by Newsweek Magazine, Surf Diva Surf School was founded by San Diegan Izzy Tihanyi in 1996. She and her twin sister, Coco, both awarded one of Inc. Magazines “Top 26 Entrepreneurs”, have built the world’s most successful surf school. Surf Diva was the first surf school for women in 1996, is considered the reference of women’s surfing in the action sports industry, and offers surfing and standup paddleboard (SUP) lessons year-round for everyone. The Surf Diva mission is to teach the sport and spirit of surfing in a fun and encouraging environment, because "The best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun!" The Surf Diva Surf Shop & Boutique earned many awards, amongst others the SIMA Women's Retailer of the year award, and is based in La Jolla. Surf Diva is also a women’s surfing brand with a collection of surfboards, stand-up paddleboards, leashes, rashguards, tee shirts, sweatshirts, accessories, and other items. The company's headquarters are in La Jolla, California.
Founder Story Twin sisters Izzy and Coco Tihanyi grew up in San Diego, going to elementary school and high school, and even stayed there for college graduating from the University of California, San Diego. Their dad loved surfing and their mom boogie boarding so they would spend the day after school at the beach on the waves and later on a beach towel doing their homework.
Izzy always loved surfing and competing, and was awarded a surfing scholarship for college, winning the overall collegiate title while at UCSD. But during school, they started looking for part-time jobs and she took a job teaching surfing.
Coco’s passion is the surfing lifestyle, fashion, and business. After graduating from college she worked for a local San Diego start-up - Reef - which today is a multi-million dollar surfing company. The owners were brothers and that’s when Coco realized she too could work with her sister doing something we would love.
What started as a simple idea, empowering women through surfing in a positive and fun atmosphere, has grown into a global movement, with more women in the water than ever before.
