Who We Are
Oldest City Surf School was founded by Cory Jackson in the spring of 2024.
Cory began surfing at the age of 5 while growing up in Hawaii and began working as a surf instructor at the young age of 13. In his teen years, his family moved to the east coast where he began competing at the junior professional level. He was successful in many of the professional competitions and eventually earned sponsorships from large surf companies like Hurley and Sanuk.
In his later teen years, Cory decided to give up on competition and focus on traveling the world in search of perfect waves, as well as furthering his education at Flagler College. His global surf travels over the years have brought him to surf spots in Portugal, France, Spain, mainland Mexico, Baja, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Cory graduated from Flagler College in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Coastal Environmental Science. He spent the next year and a half working as an engineer for a dredging company out of Jacksonville Florida. While it was rewarding to work on beach renourishment projects in order to protect coastal areas around the United States, he decided that his true passion was to share his love for surfing with those who were willing to learn.
Oldest City Surf School was founded in the spring of 2024 with the goal of providing the safest and most professional surf lesson experiences in Saint Augustine Beach. Cory’s surf experience around the globe, as well as his experience working for different surf schools has shaped Oldest City Surf School into the fastest growing surf school in the area. We look forward to serving our local Saint Augustine Community. See you in the water!
Ben Allen
Oldest City Surf School employee
Ben began surfing at the age of 4 while growing up on Isle of Palms, South Carolina when his dad started pushing him into waves. He began working as a surf instructor at the age of 15, doing lessons for local residents wanting to learn how to surf. In his teen years, he began competing in local and national competitions. He was successful in many competitions, winning the South Carolina state championships in every age division from 12 & under, all the way to 18 & under.
As he got older, Ben decided to let competing take a back seat and focus more on traveling to search for waves, as well as furthering his education at Flagler College. His global surf travels over the years have brought him to surf spots in Barbados, Puerto Rico, Australia, Fiji, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, both coasts of Panama, and California.
Ben will be graduating from Flagler College in May of 2026 with a bachelor's degree in Coastal Environmental Science. He plans to spend the summer doing surf lessons and sharing his passion for the ocean, before moving to Bocas Del Toro, Panama in late-August. While it has been rewarding to study environmental science and learn more about oceanography, he decided his real passion was traveling in search of waves, and living a slower-paced lifestyle centered around the ocean.
Ben is the first employee of Oldest City Surf School starting in 2026, as founder Cory Jackson furthers his search for waves in West Australia and the surrounding areas. Ben is a firm supporter in providing the safest and most professional surf lesson experiences in Saint Augustine Beach. His surf experience around the globe, as well as his experience teaching people the fundamentals of surfing allows him to continue growing Oldest City Surf School into a premier surf school in the area. He looks forward to serving our local Saint Augustine Community, and is excited to see you in the water!
