Pismo Beach, California – On an inflatable surfboard in prime California waters, first-time surfers Rebekah Abern and Elizabeth French paddle out to catch a wave under the watchful eye of their unusual instructor: Chupacabrah, a small black goat.

This one-year-old animal is an integral part of their lesson on Pismo Beach, effortlessly demonstrating the relaxed stance necessary to ride through the churning foam.

"The goat surfed way better than I did," laughed Abern. "She had the positioning and you can tell she had done it before... you could tell she was digging it."

"Who gets to surf with goats? It's like out of this world," said the 41-year-old tourist from Montana.

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Chupacabrah's presence on the surfboard is the brainchild of two-legged instructor Dana McGregor, who decided a decade ago he would give goats a go and has created Surfing Goats surf programs.

After all, dogs have been surfing in California for years – they even have their own world championship – but are not quite so steady on their feet.

An animal that prances effortlessly up and down precarious mountainsides is far better suited to the task.

"They have incredible balance," he told AFP "They've got those hooves that just enable them to cling to the board."

Over the years, McGregor, a former Major League Soccer player, has had a number of goats with which he has enjoyed aquatic adventures.

They've also starred in YouTube videos and even two children's books, with McGregor perhaps inevitably earning himself the local nickname "The Goatfather."

"My calling is to bring joy to people. And it's through goats and through surfing," he says.

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"People find inspiration. They're like, 'Oh, if a goat can do it, I can do it.'"

McGregor is a well-known figure in his town of 8,000 people, accompanied almost everywhere he goes by his goats – in a car with the license plate "SRFGOAT."

In the ocean, the animals are a calming influence for first time surfers.

"When you're first starting out, you're really focused on things like, are my feet right? Am I doing okay?" said Abern, a crop insurance agent by day.

"But then when the goat's there, she's just confident and going with it. And you're like, alright, yeah, I'll go with it too."

Often, the goats even surprise McGregor with their surfing prowess.