Our Team
Zach Pawa - Owner & Instructor
I started my surfing journey right here on the beaches of Cape Cod. I took a surf lesson at the age of seven and was immediately hooked. I spent the next few years being pushed into waves by my dad and desperately trying to reach my arms around the board to paddle into my own waves. Sixteen years later I am still at it. The beautiful thing about surfing is it is a lifelong pursuit - the opportunity to learn and grow is always available. Surfing, along with the the Sacred Surf community has taken me on journeys I could never have imagined, helped to establish lifelong relationships, and has kindled a deep love and appreciation for the ocean and natural world.
I began working at Sacred Surf School in the Summer of 2012, I was seventeen. I instantly fell in love with teaching my passion of surfing to others, the camaraderie, and the amazing opportunity to be in the ocean every single day. The bottom line is that surfing puts a smile on people's faces. I saw that through surf lessons, I could be the catalyst for an amazing experience and that put a smile on my face too. Fast forward a few years and I had taken over for Ben, Sacred Surf's founder, and a mentor of mine. Each year the business continues to grow: we opened a shop in Eastham, started running multi-day kid's camps, began operating paddle board tours, and of course, have taught thousands of people to surf on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod. Through nine years of business we have stayed true to and grown upon our core philosophies.
Surfing is about mindful play. Today, with distractions pulling us in every which way, surfing is the counterbalance. It encourages me to pay attention, breath, and have fun - it taps into the fabric of happiness. For me, that makes surfing sacred. At the end of the day, if people can walk away from our programs having experienced a piece of that mindful play, then I consider my job well done.
Ben Fowler - Founder
This surf school is the embodiment of everything I believe in. Everything we do, the team that teaches here, the way we communicate with our clients, from the first time you call to the final good byes after a lesson, is not something that can be described, but is something to be felt.
I’ve taught over 1,000 people to surf and I can’t begin to describe the joy its brought me. I’ve seen new family memories created, breakthrough moments in people’s lives when they defeat their fears, even physical and mental disability be overcome with the right combination of determination and support.
Surfing has never been just about the activity itself but about the friends I’ve gained, the lessons learned from the ocean and the peace it brings me to be mentally present when I’m in the water. This what surfing means to me, and our goal at Sacred Surf School is to find out what it means to you.