Surf’s up! Moment Prince Harry catches a wave off coast of California – with the help of celebrity coach
Prince Harry showed off his surfing skills in California with the help of a celebrity coach.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, can be seen expertly riding the waves alongside professional surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer.
In a series of clips posted on Instagram, Harry, wearing a black wetsuit, crouches on a white surfboard as he impressively navigates a barrelling six-foot wave.
Van Bastolaer captioned the clip, believed to have been taken at surfing superstar Kelly Slater’s ‘Surf Ranch’ in Leemore, central California, ‘cannot stop you my brother for having a good time’.
The prince is believed to have struck up a friendship with the Tahitian, who in the past has shared clips of Harry learning to surf.
A jet ski rides alongside a baseball cap-wearing duke in one clip on the sun-kissed water.
It then cuts to Harry standing upright as Van Bastolaer comes into view, riding his surfboard on his knees, and places his hand on the prince’s lower back to gently guide him.
The video then shows Harry practicing under floodlights, where he smiles and raises his thumb to someone off-camera.
Prince Harry attends the ‘Cookie Queens’ premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater, Utah, on January 25, 2026
Van Bastolaer (pictured) is thought to have become friends with Harry, and Meghan is believed to have bought her husband surf lessons for his 36th birthday
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The 6ft wave is the central feature of Slater’s surf ranch and is a man-made, first of its kind, 6ft barrelling wave that lasts for up to 2,300ft.
Dubbed the best artificial wave in the world, it is still the only one to receive World Surf League accreditation, meaning it is fit to stage elite level competitions.
Van Bastolaer soundtracked the post with a reggae version of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’.
Last year, the duke – who is an avid surfer himself – was spotted at a surf school with Archie, then five, in a since-deleted photograph.
The image showed Harry wearing a black wetsuit alongside his son on a jet ski in California.
The photo was uploaded as part of an Instagram reel by Van Bastolaer and taken at surfing star Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore.
But the image was later removed from the reel, which the surf coach captioned: ‘Don’t hate but be happy & keep smiling. Brother HARRY, Let’s go for 2025!’
Other photos which remained in the reel included a selection of Harry riding a wave, one of him smiling with his board and another posing with Van Bastolaer.
Since moving to California, Harry is thought to have become friends with Van Bastolaer and Meghan is believed to have bought him surf lessons for his 36th birthday.
Van Bastolaer, who is known for his big wave surfing exploits in Tahiti, also posted footage of the Duke surfing in October last year.
