Shelter Surf by Aritz Aranburu

Born from the dream of a child surfing in Zarautz, it grew into a leading surf school.

Founded in 2018 by professional surfer Aritz Aranburu, Shelter emerged as a space to share the extensive experience accumulated over years of national and international competition. The name itself — Shelter — reflects the project's intention: to create an accessible, safe, and specialized place where anyone can learn and enjoy surfing, regardless of age or skill level.
Since its opening, Shelter has established itself as a benchmark school in Zarautz. Its approach combines technical knowledge, continuous training, and a clear vision for learning: guiding students from their first waves to advanced stages, offering classes for both beginners and experienced surfers.

The mural that tells the story of a dream's origin

Upon entering Shelter, visitors are first greeted by a large mural painted on the wall. It's not there for aesthetics or by chance: it represents the dream that inspired Aritz Aranburu to create this project.
It depicts Zarautz beach, where Aritz began surfing as a child. From those first waves, he dreamt of traveling, competing, and one day facing legendary swells like those in Hawaii. Years later, that dream came true: he traveled, competed, and surfed some of the world's most renowned waves.
But the mural doesn't just speak of the past. It also symbolizes something deeply present in Shelter's DNA: when one dream is fulfilled, the next immediately arises. That progress never stops. That there's always a new goal, a new wave, a new destination.
This spirit – of growing, learning, and continuing to dream – is what the school aims to instill in all its students, from those starting from scratch to surfers looking to refine their technique.

The need to digitalize to keep growing

Approximately a year and a half ago, Shelter faced a common challenge for many growing schools: the need to streamline and professionalize all office management and internal team coordination. As activity increased, so did the volume of information, bookings, and people involved in the center's daily operations.

Much of this information was managed in an uncentralized manner, making it difficult to maintain a clear and updated overview at all times. With different staff profiles passing through the office throughout the day, some data was lost, not always aligned, and this could lead to internal inconsistencies or errors that directly impacted the customer experience.

For Shelter, taking the next step in its growth meant a key point: organizing and centralizing all information into a single system, accessible to the entire team and updated in real time. Only then could they ensure clearer management, better internal coordination, and service consistent with the level of quality they aimed to offer.

It was then that the school decided to embrace digitalization and trust Lueira as its management tool. The objective was clear: control bookings, classes, instructors, and students from a single platform, reduce internal errors, and improve the student experience from the very first contact.

How Lueira Transformed Shelter's Daily Management

Since its implementation, Lueira has become a key tool for Shelter's internal operations. One of the improvements Oihana values most is having a complete and centralized customer database, storing all relevant information: bookings, orders placed, contact details, and each student's history.
Creating and managing bookings has also been simplified. Oihana highlights the ease of the process, from initial registration to the automatic confirmation clients receive via email, ensuring clear and professional communication from the outset.
But, above all, the biggest change has been having all information in a single program. There are no longer scattered documents or data lost between shifts: everything is organized, accessible, and updated in real-time. This allows them to offer more precise attention and a more consistent service.
Another fundamental aspect is payment management. Thanks to Lueira, Shelter can send payment requests directly to clients, who complete the process easily and securely. This has reduced errors, expedited operations, and significantly improved the user experience.
Digitalization has also had a direct impact on the instructors' work. From the app, they can check their classes, students, and assigned schedules at any time, which facilitates daily coordination and prevents confusion. Additionally, the digital clock-in feature allows for precise and automated tracking of each instructor's hours.
Overall, Lueira has not only professionalized the school's management but has also brought order, clarity, and efficiency at all levels: administration, technical team, and student relations.

Close and effective support

Beyond digitization, Shelter highlights the support received from the Lueira team. All questions that arose during the process were resolved immediately, which for Irati and Oihana has been key to progressing smoothly.
What they value most is the ability to listen to their needs, understand what adds the most value to their daily operations, and propose agile solutions. This continuous support has allowed them to adapt the tool to the reality of their school and continue improving their operations.