Laguna Beach: Go surf with ‘Endless Summer II’ star Pat O’Connell

“Pat O’Connell is generally considered the happiest surfer alive,” according to this Surfline bio. The Chicago native’s life is a classic tale of boy-meets-waves, boy turns pro, boy stars in “Endless Summer II” and boy wins a spot in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach.

Now O’Connell will be hanging out at the un-surfer-like Montage Laguna Beach to teach mere mortals like you and me how to surf. Really.

What the hotel calls its Surf With a Legend package costs $1,270 for single travelers and $1,450 for two during a weekend retreat Sept. 14- 16. Only 12 spots are available.

Ride (or learn how to ride) the waves with O’Connell and Jon Rose, another pro surfer. More goodies come in this hotel package too: a room for two nights, free valet parking, $50 breakfast credit daily, the surf class plus a boxed lunch, transportation to and from Trestles (San Onofre State Beach), a cocktail reception and barbecue with the pros and tickets to the Hurley Pro surf competition at Trestles on Sunday.

And there’s a bit of a give-back too. The hotel will give 10% of the proceeds to Rose’s Waves for Water nonprofit, which seeks to provide communities in need around the world with clean drinking water.

Info: Montage Laguna Beach, (866) 271-6953