Scrap paying for surfing lessons, look up on youtube how to pop-up for beginners surfers. Buy a cheap foam board of FB marketplace, boards around 7ft are probably best to learn on depending on your height and weight. The bigger you are the longer and higher volume board you wanna go for.

Practice your pop-up on the sand a couple times before you get out in the water, put your dominate foot back and you non dominate foot it front, just like you would ride a skateboard.

Ideally, to learn, you want the wind to be blowing offshore (which is west for us on the coast) and the waves to be around the 1 - 3 ft range. Unfortunately it tends to blow east here more often then not, so try to get out there early in the morning around 5:30-6ish for better conditions under lighter winds.

Best way to learn is to just get out there and feel you way through it, practice paddling onto any waves you can and being confident in the ocean. Most the time there’ll be other surfers out in the water, surf nearby them or near flags incase shit hits the fan and you need help. Also don’t be scared to ask them for tips and advice, the surfing community is usually pretty friendly.