About Us

owner-instructor, when about 1 year old at La Jolla Shores in San Diego
San Diego Native
Leucadia Surf School owner/ head instructor, Gerry Kantor, is a native of San Diego. He body surfed as a kid in the 1950’s, and started surfing in the early 1960’s. He wrote for Surfer Magazine (the Bible of the sport) in the 1980’s and is a graduate of the University of California at San Diego.
We started at Grandview Beach in Leucadia
Leucadia Surf School was started at Grandview Beach in Leucadia where owner Gerry Kantor had surfed and lived for a decade.
We are a low-impact surf school
Leucadia Surf School likes to be a low impact surf school, that is, unlike most surf schools, we try to keep a low profile and out of the way of the public.
We are not going to put up a tent with our signage on it on the beach when we are just doing lessons. When we do our summer surf camps, we do have a small tent, on north Moonlight Beach, out of the way of the public.

Soul Surfing
Leucadia used to be the city north of Encinitas Blvd to La Costa Ave, but was incorporated into the City of Encinitas in the late 1980s. Originally Leucadia was known for soul surfing, that is, non-competitive surfing for the sake of surfing, and we like to keep it that way.

1960’s San Diego surf
The video and photos below are of Leucadia Surf School owner/head instructor, Gerry Kantor and his younger brother, Phil Kantor, surfing at South Mission Beach and Sunset Cliffs, both in San Diego, California, during the early sixties, when they both were between 13 and 15 years old. Note that there is no one else in the water, this is before the crowds.
South Mission Beach Jetties
San Onfore
Luscombs at Sunset Cliffs
La Jolla Shores – 1st annual Margo Godrey Menehune surf contest.
San Diego, California, 1961-1965
1960’s San Diego Surfing featuring Leucadia Surf School owner/instructor Gerry Kantor family and friends on youtube.
Early 1960’s surfing at the South Mission jetties with Gerry Kantor getting some waves.
Kantor family trip to San Onofre when it was a private surf club.
Gerry and Phil Kantor surfing uncrowded Luscombs at Sunset
Cliffs in the early 1960’s.
Gerry and Phil Kantor in the 1st annual Margo Godfrey
Menehune surf contest at La Jolla shores in the early 1960’s.