GROMS ON BOARD: Summer surf camps

Are you looking for a summer activity that will be fun for your kids, keep them in great shape but still maintain their mental sharpness with useful knowledge for next September’s return to school?  If so surf camp may be the perfect choice.

In several Orange County surf camps this summer the operators are teaching the participants not just about wave riding skills, but also more academic lessons about how waves, tides and shorelines are created. Along with water safety and respect for the beach environment, these beach-going youngsters are taught about the whole exciting universe of ocean science.

 “We think making sure the kids in our camp understand the science of the ocean and a respect for the beach is as important as anything else we do,” says Robert Escalante, who with his wife Rachel run the Salty Grom’s surf camp at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington. “Understanding currents, rip tides, waves and weather not only make the kids safer, but smarter too.” The Escalante’s operation which is sponsored by Billabong Camps is a typical Orange County surf camp setup: a couple of shade tents, a rack of wetsuits, a cooler full of drinks, water and snacks. The instructors are friendly, and the camp fronts a great beach with good waves for beginners. Fun is mandatory. Education is optional – but a big addition to the experience.

By definition, surf camps provide instruction on learning basic surf skills and usually include lessons on surf safety and etiquette. But what sets some camps like Salty Groms apart is the level of hands-on education the participants receive about ocean science and the coastal environment. The Escalante’s not only give instruction themselves, but often arrange visits by wave forecasters from Surfline (the premiere surf forecast online website.) They discuss storm formations, wave patterns, low pressure zones and other weather phenomena that affects the conditions the kids experience each day at the beach.

“Teaching our campers about the entire ocean ecology adds a whole added dimension to the surf camp experience,” says Eric “Frog” Nelsen, a former Junior Lifeguard and surfer who runs the Quiksilver and Roxy camp in Newport Beach near the Santa Ana River Jetties. His camp serves as a model for the type of educational offerings a surf camp might provide.

Each day the participants experience a different set of ocean related lessons: Monday starts the week off with water safety – what to remember, what to watch out for and what to avoid, along with the basic rules of safety in the ocean. Tuesday is for Tides – learning about the moon and its gravitational pull, the effects of high and minus tides, and how the depth and shape of the bottom changes surf quality. Wave Wednesday, is of course all about waves – where they come from, how they are made and the various types of breaks and conditions.
 
Operating for the 10 weeks of summer when the vast majority of Elementary and Junior High students are vacation, surf camps have sprouted up all along Orange County’s coastline, becoming so ubiquitous at one point that the State and local municipalities began to regulate their numbers. The choice of who receives the coveted permits from State and City officials often depends on their experience and qualifications.

Mitch Colapinto and his wife Camille, who run their surf camp at Poche Beach in north San Clemente, are a case in point. Mitch teaches at Truman Benedict Elementary during the school year and operates the surf camp all summer. This will be their 12th year of operation.
Mitch is also an active State life guard and Camille is a nurse. A husband and wife team is frequently the surf camp combo and the typical surf camp operator team often includes both a teacher and a lifeguard in the mix.

“We teach the kids a lesson every day,” says Mitch. One day includes safety and injury prevention; one involves beach clean-up. Another involves a little history on the surf culture - the rich heritage of this great sport.”

 “Our environmental lessons can be studied right at our own beach,” says Mitch, “Because the Coastal Commission just approved a pumping station to send the filtrated water out beyond the coastal zone.” As the water is cleaned up the kids can see how the community takes care of its shoreline and see ecological efforts in action
The operator of a surf camp is also quite often the parent of some of Orange Counties’ hottest young surfing talent. Griffin, the Colapinto’s 14-year-old son finished second in two finals and won the South West Open Juniors National Scholastic Surfing Contest last weekend. Eric “Frog” Nelsen is a world traveling surfer, expert enough to drive the boats at the fabled Tavarua island surf resort in the outer reefs of Fiji.

Sometimes they even learn the job from their parents before them. Frog’s father, Jeff Nelsen, started a program called Ocean Adventure in 1977 at the Marine Institute in Dana Point. “He would bring his class in, have them look through the microscopes, do experiments and explain the different marine plant and animal species to the students,” says Eric. “Then in the afternoon they go out and observe the whole ecology on the beach, seeing all the things in the lab in their natural environment. Of course I learned all of that while growing up, and I’ve incorporated it into my surf camps as they grew.”

Now running the classes from Harbor Day Middle School in Corona Del Mar, where the classes are open to the public, Jeff Nelsen still gets the kids to look under the microscope - and still gets them down to Fisherman’s Cove for an afternoon at the beach to tie it all in. Surf sun and seashore – and a dose of valuable science worked in. It’s what kids summer in Orange County is all about.

HERE'S SOME SURF CAMPS TO CHECK OUT:

Salty Grom Surf Camp
 June 27 through August
8:30-1:30 Monday- Friday
9- one week camps
 Camp Info: (714) 330 - 3350
Website: www.saltygrom.com
Email: saltygrom@gmail.com

Quiksilver and Roxy surf camp
9:30am to 3pm/ Monday - Friday
June 20th to august 26th
9- one week camps
Camp Info: 949.464.0077
eriknelsensurf.com


Cola's Surf Camp
9am-3pm /Monday – Friday
June - August
Camp Info: 949.547.6203
 cola4surf@mac.com

 Ocean Adventure programs
 9am to 3pm / Monday - Friday
 July 11th to august 12th
 5- one week camps
Camp Info: 949.494.1253
eriknelsensurf.com