If you’re looking to catch some waves this summer, a surf camp may be just the ride for you.
For La Jollans and other residents of Southern California, Surf Diva has been riding high for a decade now, and this summer is no exception.
According to Gina Corrie-Metcalf, marketing specialist for Surf Diva, summer 2006 is their busiest and best summer yet.
“This summer marks our tenth anniversary as a surf school,” Corrie-Metcalf noted. “We have various programs to suit all ages and ability levels.”
La Jolla Surf Camp is a weeklong camp for kids from 5 to 11 with expert surf instruction and other activities centered on having fun and being safe in and around the ocean.
If those wanting to surf want to go “Down Under” for a while, the Australian Surf Academy ” Surf Diva’s program for teens ages 11 to 17 ” is a camp where kids learn to surf with Surf Diva’s Australian team of camp directors. The camp offers other fun activities with a real Australian flavor.
Boarding school is back again this year for both teens and adults. Students stay in the new UCSD residence halls overlooking Torrey Pines. In addition to daily surf instruction, students enjoy nightly activities including exercise classes, live music, a trip to Scripps Aquarium, local shopping and a campus tour for the teen boarders.
Surf Diva’s intensive weeklong clinic is also reportedly proving popular for older women. The clinic is set for those who want to take their surfing to the next level and consists of two daily surf lessons in a fun group setting. Surf Diva Surf School is also open year-round for private lessons for men, women and kids and weekend clinics for women and girls.
“We are also currently preparing for our third season of Costa Rica Surf Adventures in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica,” Corrie-Metcalf said.
The season will start again in November.
For those getting on a board for the first time, the waves can be intimidating, but having the proper instruction is key.
Corrie-Metcalf said Surf Diva currently has about 50 instructors and camp directors on staff. The instructors are certified in CPR and life saving.
“We like to try to keep our groups small ” so usually the ratio of staff to students would be no greater than one-to-four in camps and one-to-five in the adult clinics,” she said.
Having a large number of instructors on hand is proving valuable for Surf Diva and others teaching the sport, as the numbers of people taking to the waves continues to grow.
“In our experience, the number of people who want to learn to surf is growing,” Corrie-Metcalf remarked. “It’s fantastic because surfing is now attracting people from all walks of life from little kids who have never surfed before to businessmen and businesswomen who just want to escape from it all and go to the beach for the day and escape the stress of work. We regularly have group parties ” for birthdays or bachelorettes ” and we have taught people to surf from 5 years old to 70 years old.”
For families wanting more than just a regular day at the beach, surfing can prove a nice alternative.
“It’s a great thing to do as a family, too,” Corrie-Metcalf added. “We have lots of families who join us for a semi-private lesson for example, so mom, dad and the kids all get to surf together and experience surfing as a family.”
For more information on Surf Diva, visit www.surfdiva.com or call (858) 454-8273.