Beach May 2018
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camps<br />
Camps teach the sport of<br />
surfing and ocean safety<br />
by Ryan McDonald<br />
One of the most common<br />
questions directed at Chris<br />
Brown, a Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
native and the owner and executive<br />
director of Campsurf, is, ‘How<br />
do I know when my kid is ready to<br />
learn to surf?’ To find out, Brown<br />
said, all you have to do is listen.<br />
“When your kid is saying, ‘I<br />
want to surf,’ that’s when it’s the<br />
right time. Some kids are early<br />
adopters, They want to charge at a<br />
young age, five or six. Others are<br />
more reserved. It takes until they<br />
are 11 or 12 to feel comfortable<br />
surfing on their own. There is no<br />
right or wrong time,” Brown said.<br />
CampSurf marks 21 years in<br />
business in the South Bay this year.<br />
The camp is open year ‘round, but<br />
its business shifts with the seasons.<br />
It’s a reflection of the fact that, in<br />
Southern California, there are just<br />
two kinds of people: those who<br />
want to learn how to surf, and<br />
those who already know how.<br />
“We have people from all walks<br />
of life. We offer a camp year-round<br />
so that makes us a little different.<br />
We do primarily adults in winter,<br />
and then primarily kids in the<br />
summer when they’re out of<br />
school. But really it’s anybody who<br />
wants to learn. We get people in<br />
their 70s who say, ‘I’ve always<br />
wanted to learn how to surf.’ And<br />
then we get three- and four-yearolds.<br />
If I’m able to focus on them,<br />
I can teach them. What it really<br />
takes is the desire,” Brown said.<br />
Surf camps are scattered up and<br />
down the South Bay beaches during<br />
the summer. CampSurf sets up<br />
its tents on the sand near Rosecrans<br />
Avenue in Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong>.<br />
The camp benefits from the large<br />
parking lot and lifeguard facilities<br />
nearby, Brown said, but the main<br />
attraction is the surf itself.<br />
Even within the South Bay, there<br />
is tremendous variation among<br />
surf breaks, Brown said. Some<br />
areas may not be exposed to the<br />
south swells that are the dominant<br />
wave makers in the summer, while<br />
others don’t draw as well from the<br />
Billy Atkinson, now a Mira Costa High team surfer, shows how much fun a<br />
grom can have with a little instruction and lots of practice. Photo by Steve<br />
Gaffney (SteveGaffney.com)<br />
northwest swells that predominate<br />
in the winter. The El Porto area can<br />
take in both, Brown said. The area<br />
also benefits from a large undersea<br />
canyon just off shore, which picks<br />
up open-ocean swells further out to<br />
sea than other areas, and draws<br />
them in.<br />
“At El Porto, the waves break further<br />
out. When you’re learning, we<br />
start you out in the white water. But<br />
there, you can get pushed in on<br />
white water and still have some<br />
time, and really learn how to surf,”<br />
Brown said.<br />
Once customers commit, equipment<br />
is their next concern. Some<br />
people show up with their own<br />
boards. Brown said that, in that<br />
case, camp staff will give an honest<br />
assessment of the surfer and indicate<br />
whether he or she might benefit<br />
from a different size board.<br />
Once the customer has a board<br />
picked out, camps often go over the<br />
physical basics of surfing, emphasizing<br />
popping up and spring to<br />
one’s feet. Before they get in the<br />
water, though, there’s often another<br />
question that always generates a<br />
chuckle out of long-time surfers like<br />
Brown.<br />
“It seems like people who don’t<br />
surf are much more concerned<br />
about and interested in sharks than<br />
people who do. Are there sharks<br />
out there? We all know that there<br />
are all sorts of fish out there. But<br />
you are a million times more likely<br />
to be hurt driving your car down to<br />
the beach,” Brown said.<br />
The surf camp business is competitive<br />
in the South Bay, with<br />
many options to choose from. So<br />
how do the camps keep things affordable?<br />
Well, they typically don’t<br />
have to spend much on human resources:<br />
at the beach and in the<br />
water, recruitment kind of takes<br />
care of itself.<br />
“Kids come to camp one summer,<br />
then they come back again and<br />
again, because they’re really bonding<br />
with the instructors. Eventually,<br />
some of them will say, ‘Wait, how<br />
old do you have to be to work<br />
here?’ We keep an eye on the good<br />
surfers, the kids with the best people<br />
skills, and that’s where we find<br />
a lot of our future instructors,”<br />
Brown said. B<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>Sports<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>Sports Surf & <strong>Beach</strong> Camps<br />
is celebrating it's 23rd year. Programs<br />
start at age 4 and include 4<br />
camps: Surf Camp, <strong>Beach</strong> Camp,<br />
<strong>Beach</strong> Volleyball Camp, and Junior<br />
Lifeguard Ocean Safety Program.<br />
Camps are located at these Lifeguard<br />
Tower locations: 14th St.,<br />
Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong>, 15th St., Hermosa<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>. Ave. I, Redondo<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>. Vista del Mar, Redondo<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>.<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>Sports.org<br />
Camp Surf<br />
Camp Surf is the official surf<br />
camp for the City of Manhattan<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>, and <strong>2018</strong> will mark their<br />
21st year. All instructors are accomplished<br />
surfers and CPR certified.<br />
Camp Surf also distinguishes itself<br />
through its partnership with the<br />
Jimmy Miller Foundation, a pioneer<br />
in the field of ocean-based therapy.<br />
Instruction is available year round<br />
from the group’s base at 38th Street<br />
in El Porto, at the south end of the<br />
parking lot. Summer surf camps<br />
feature morning, afternoon and allday<br />
camp options.<br />
(424) 237-2994.<br />
campsurf.com<br />
Champ Camp<br />
Voted “Best Kids Camp,” in Easy<br />
Reader’s “Best of the <strong>Beach</strong><br />
reader’s poll. Kids decide on the<br />
beach activities for the day. Director<br />
Trevor Elder is a South Bay native,<br />
certified lifeguard and EMT.<br />
Champ Camp staffs about 15 firstaid<br />
and CPR-certified college grads.<br />
Full day sessions, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.<br />
Half day sessions 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.<br />
(310) 283-4509.<br />
ChampCampKids.com<br />
Freedom Surf Camp<br />
June 11 through Aug. 31<br />
Freedom Surf Camp offers<br />
morning and afternoon sessions in<br />
Manhattan <strong>Beach</strong>, Venice, Santa<br />
Monica and Malibu. Ages 5-7:<br />
Water safety, boogie boarding,<br />
sand sculpting, sand crabs, dodgeball,<br />
and other games. Surfing 101<br />
for kids who want it. Ages 8-12:<br />
Surfing, boogie boarding, water<br />
safety, and environmental education.<br />
Ages 13-14: Depending on<br />
skill level, all water and beach activity<br />
are offered. Groms: competitive<br />
level surfing.<br />
(310) 770-4410 . freeedom.org<br />
Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
Skateboarding Camp<br />
The South Bay’s longest ongoing<br />
skateboard camp. Classes start<br />
June 20 and are Monday through<br />
Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Students<br />
must supply their own skateboard,<br />
helmet, knee pads and<br />
elbow pads, and should come with<br />
a drink and snack. Hermosa<br />
Skatepark, 710 Pier Ave.<br />
Hermosabch.Org,<br />
Sp23tione@yahoo.com.<br />
Hermosa Surf Camp<br />
Hermosa Surf Camp is celebrating<br />
26 years at the Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong><br />
Pier. Learn safety and surfing basics<br />
in 1-1/2 or 3 hour classes, Monday<br />
through Friday. Instructors<br />
will be in the water helping kids<br />
get through the surf and catch<br />
waves. Instructors are credentialed<br />
teachers and there is always a L.A.<br />
County Lifeguard on duty. T-shirt,<br />
lycra surf shirt, goodie bag and<br />
three photos of included.<br />
Vince Ray (310) 370-1918.<br />
surferjay@losangeles.usa.com.<br />
Hermosasurfcamp.com<br />
40 Easy Reader / <strong>Beach</strong> magazine • <strong>May</strong> 10, <strong>2018</strong>