Our Team
Dan Jones
Dan has been surfing since 3 years of age and has grown up in a surf coaching environment with Surf Insight director Tim. Spending most of his early years surfing in the Canary Islands he’s also well traveled having lived for periods in Australia, Indonesia and California.
He uses an intuitive technical approach to those he coaches and draws on a huge ability to record and analyze almost instantly the progress of his surfers. He’s therefore able to take these skills into video analysis sessions that are truly progressive.
A highly skilled surfer on a wide variety of boards he has an in depth knowledge of surfboards and which boards will work for those he coaches. Dan is an International Surfing Association qualified instructor and holds an ISA/ILS Aquatic Rescue and Safety Certificate.
JANIS BERZs
Janis has been coaching for many years and comes from a multi sports coaching background with experience in swimming, windsurf, snowboard and SUP coaching. Like Dan, his in depth analytical approach to surf coaching is exceptional and is reflected also in his own surfing.
He’s very much the experimental surf craft rider of the team using short boards, mid range and longboards but also finless boards that require tons of skill and practice to master. On our Saturdays off he can often be found working on finless riding at our coaching break. What he calls “finless Saturdays”
Janis is also a gifted artist with an amazing work background and super well traveled and all his past experience in so many fields really enrich his approach to surf coaching.
He’s an International Surfing Association Level 2 qualified instructor and holds an ISA/ILS Aquatic Rescue and Safety Certificate. He’s also in training to become and ISA Course Presenter.
TIM JONES
Tim Jones is Director of Surf School Sri Lanka and Surf School Lanzarote and SUP Yoga Sri Lanka. From Wales, he’s been surfing for over 50 years and coaching for over 35 years.
Beginning coaching in the early 80’s he’s worked continually at all levels of surfer. While developing internationally recognized coaching programs for advanced, intermediate and beginner surfers he still coaches competitive surfers and has a string of National Champions who have spent time under his guidance. Tim’s is an ex national finalist himself.
Tim was also responsible for the set up of the first special needs surfing courses in Europe and paved the way for this vital area of coaching.
He’s been involved in the structure of coaching awards since 1982 and works closely with the International Surfing Association as a course presenter and advisory. He has been given the job of developing surfing in Sri Lanka by the Ministry of Sport and the Sri Lankan National Olympic Committee. He’s just recently helped form the first national Surfing Federation for Sri Lanka.
He also spent many years in the surfboard industry having worked with some of the best American and Australian shapers to come to Europe. He is in the unique position of being a board designer and surfing coach.
Still surfing himself all the time he has a boundless energy and enthusiasm for people, coaching and surfing. When interviewed recently he was asked ‘had the Ocean taught him anything in life’his answer was… ‘That I am part of it ‘
THARAKA Sandaruwan
Coming from the village of Kathalua and living next to the centre, Tharaka began his surfing at the beach of Kabalana and the challenging waves of “the Rock”. Tharaka has been coaching with us for 3 seasons now and has a real empathy for those clients who are in working on wave selection and regularly catching the right unbroken waves.
Tharaka is an International Surfing Association qualified instructor and holds an ISA/ILS Aquatic Rescue and Safety Certificate.
He’s the younger half of a father and son team at the Centre where his Dad Piadasa has been for many years. Speaking English and knowing a little Russian if he’s not surfing or working or caring for his Mum he’s bombing around the coast in his red tuk tuk looking for a wave and doing all the things a young Sri Lankan like to do… which is mainly party!
Piadasa
Piadasa has looked after our amazing house and Centre for over 20 years. He has a deep love for our building and we know what a joyful experience it has been for him to see it transformed into the wonderful Centre it is now. Shy, helpful and respectful and Tharika‘s Dad he is truly part of the lifeblood of our project here. We can only say thanks to his unending loyalty to us.
Karmani
Our lovely chef Karmai keeps us fuelled and happy with the most delicious Sri Lanka vegetarian cooking. Always open to a new recipe she taken on some other vegetarian favourites from around the world and given them a small Sri Lankan twist. We are so happy to have her with us.
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