The thought of the boys learning to surf along with Mick and myself has always held an appeal for me – great thing to learn together and share.  I’ve been wary of introducing that stereotypical surf culture that involves skipping class to surf, tasty waves and cool buds, but the right influences affect that as much as any activity might, right?  Right??

Actually, having friends that surf, as well as others also transplanted from NYC and learning to surf, has been a really fun thing, so when we found out about Perfect Day Surf Camp when researching summer activities for the boys we thought it would be a great experience for Seb.  As tends to be our approach when doing many things kid involved, we ask ourselves what would’ve been the shit if we got to do it as kids, and luckily we seem to be kid-like enough approaching 40 that it’s not hard to get into that head space and get excited.

So a week of surf camp it was.  Actually, at Sebastian’s age (6) it’s “Beach Camp”.  Beach Camp is for ages 5-12, while Surf Camp is ages 8-17.  Both involve surfing with camp counselors, but Perfect Day makes it clear that they aren’t going to force the younger kids into the water any more than they want to be, so if your kid isn’t interested in the waves and wants to dig holes in the sand all day then that’s what they’ll do.  Of course, they’re encouraged and there’s a general excitement about getting in the water that comes from the counselors, but at that age they want to provide an introduction to the sport in a sensitive and respectful way.

Perfect Day has a number of scheduling options available and were completely accommodating when a scheduling conflict occurred and we had to move our dates around.  We decided to enroll Sebastian in the morning sessions (9:00 AM – 12:30 PM) for a full week.  They also have afternoon sessions (1:00 PM – 4:30 PM), full day sessions (9:00 AM – 4:30 PM), 3-day packages, day passes, and season long packages available.

Day 1:  Sebastian’s nervous about going, not sure what to expect.  When we drop him off the waves are big, too big for the little ones, so an audible is called and all the kids are walking over to the Annenberg Beach House to swim in the pool and have burgers – Seb’s hooked.  The counselors talk about safety in the water, respecting the ocean, and how to handle hairy situations when in the surf.  Then they work on underwater swimming in the pool, timing how long they could hold their breath, and generally horsing around while sneaking in skills you eventually need in the water.  Seb was also psyched when he was given his own “Perfect Day” rash guard, hat and a Quicksilver (a sponsor of the camp) sticker upon check-in on his first day.  We noticed that there were quite a few kids returning from previous year’s camp.  Took that to be a good sign, and hoped we could score a rash guard for ourselves.

Seb’s comments at the conclusion of Day 1:  “Why can’t every day be surf camp?”  “It was awesome!”  Ok, so he didn’t technically surf on his first day of surf camp or even get in the ocean, but clearly he is comfortable and having a good time.

Day 2:   During morning drop off, some of the more experienced kids pulling up in the parking lot shout out the window to the counselors with excitement, “We surfing today?”  When Scott (a favorite counselor) gives the  answer, “No, you’re not… but the rest of us are”  they just smile.  Sebastian got his nerve up and got in the water only to be tossed around in the surf on his first attempt.  He was a little shaken and decided to spend the better part of the day making sand castles on the safety on the shore.  He also did some arts and crafts that he proudly presented when we picked him up, as well as stories of capture the flag and tug of war. He’s having fun…staying dry but having fun.

Day 3:  All week the weather has been misty and cloudy in the mornings.  Today Sebastian made another brave attempt to get on the board.  This time it was just too damn cold for him.  Actually he said he put his feet in and they were cold.  I explained that his feet would get used to it, and the wetsuit would keep the rest of his body warm.  I think once he said no to going in no one pushed him, which is fine, not their place at this level and I appreciate that.  He had fun anyway.  Spent the day playing games on the beach, digging holes, and making sand castles.  The older kids played volleyball, but the younger ones were just a little too puny to join in.  Later in the week, Mick spent some time with him, teaching him some of the rules of the game and some different hitting techniques.  Watching the older kids no doubt spurred his new found interest in the game.   Not wanting the poor weather to interfere with Seb’s surf lessons, we requested that we switch him to the afternoon session for the last 2 days of the camp.  As one might expect of surf counselors, they were totally laid back and cool with it.

Day 4:  Although the sky remained overcast all day, the warmer afternoon must have been more motivating.  Seb got his nerve up and actually rode 5 waves today!  He said he was nervous, but he did it anyways.  He also met a cuuuute little surfer girl, named Kaitlin, in the camp and spent much of his time playing chase with her.  Wish we had enrolled him in the afternoon session for the whole week, but the thought of fighting rush hour traffic is generally enough to dissuade even the purest enthusiast.

Day 5:  Upon arrival on his final day, Seb’s favorite camp counselor, Scott, welcomes him by shouting to the rest of the campers, “Get Sebastian!”  A full-on game of tag ensued.  Does he know Seb or what – he loves to be chased.
I asked him how many waves he’d try to ride today and he said five.  I then suggested he should try for one more than he did yesterday, and reminded him that he’s always talking about how he likes to challenge himself.  He then decides he’ll ride 12 waves.  Still overcast and chilly on the coast, but when we show up to pick him up he’s obviously been in the water.  We find out he spent some of the early time boogie boarding, then got tumbled pretty good and hit in the eye by the board.  Seb tells me about it, how it hurt but he bared down and tried to “handle it”.  Scott mentions that Seb was pretty shaken up by the tumble, but that a bit later he got back in the water on the surf board and went out toward the break with a counselor.  One counselor was setting him up to catch the wave, pushing him into it, and another counselor was further toward shore to catch him, then redirect him out.  He rode all the waves on his tummy, but he got tempted, got out there, and shook it off when it scared him a bit.  Nice to know the counselors recognized he needed that one on one attention, not always easy when you have a group of kids in a range of ages.  Seb’s sensitive to any kind of bullying tactic, and he came away really liking the counselors, Patrick and Scott especially.  Even noticed he gave Scott as hug as he left on the last day.
On the beach Kaitlin comes up and reminds Seb not to forget the rock she gave him.  He seems bashful about it and tells her someone threw it in the water.  Later he tells us he threw it in the water – what the hell else are you gonna do with a rock on the beach?

The Skinny:

• Flexibility – Robbie, the owner, and the camp counselors were completely flexible and when the morning weather wasn’t cooperating, they were completely cool with us switching to an afternoon schedule.  The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if they offered a schedule that would allow us “East-siders” to get across town during non-peak traffic times.
• Affordability – The program is moderately priced ($225 for a half-day session and $385 for an all-day session) and might be slightly less than the average cost of most week-long summer camp programs in the Los Angeles area.
• Safety - The camp counselors work with the kids to learn about ocean safety and understanding the waves.  If the waves are too big and dangerous, then they encourage the kids to participate in a myriad of beach activities, like capture the flag, soccer, volleyball, arts & crafts, etc.  According to their website, the surf staff are CPR and First Aid certified.  The kids are not required to pass any type of swim test to participate in the program.  I assume parents are responsible for determining if their child is ready.

By the way, if you are concerned about water quality, you can check out the Heal the Bay site that releases a water quality report card on a weekly basis.  Health the Bay monitors more than 350 beaches weekly from Oregon to the Mexico border, assigning an A to F grade based on the health risks of swimming or surfing at that location. On this site, you can find out which beaches are safe and unsafe, check recent water quality history and look up details of current and past beach closures.

• Fun Factor – What could be more fun than hanging out on the beach and learning to surf for the week?  Sebastian’s comment after the first day said it all.  “Why can’t every day be surf camp?”  “It was awesome!”
• Friendliness – The camp counselors were perfectly suited for a bunch of energetic kids and seemed to be genuinely having a good time with them.  Besides having to drag all the gear from the parking lot to the water across the longest beach ever, it’s gotta be one of the sweeter summer jobs available.
• Qualifications – The camp counselors are all experienced surfers and encouraged the kids to have fun riding the waves, learn more about the ocean, the waves, and plant the seed to become lifelong lovers of the sport.

All in all, Perfect Day fit the bill, well, perfectly.  The beach weather was chilly, as it is at times, but Seb got the exposure we were hoping for, no doubt got interested and inspired by the older kids out there doing it, and left with a really positive experience we can build upon.

Disclosure:  Perfect Day Surf camp provided a $25 discount off the regular priced 1/2  day weekly rate.

List of things to bring:

1.  Sunscreen – apply at least 30 minutes prior to exposure.

2.  Towel

3.  Dry clothes – including something warm in case it’s overcast.

4.  Water

5.  Lunch – If you forget, can leave money for kids to buy lunch at the Back on the Beach Cafe.

6. Snacks

FYI – wetsuits, soft surf boards and boogie boards are provided.