By Justin Broman, Ocean Rescue Supervisor

The City of Sunny Isles Beach Cultural & Human Services Department hosted our first annual Surf Camp here on the beach and it was a very special camp because it was held during spring break. The camp was from April 6 -10th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and it was a huge success. The Surf Camp gave campers a real break from their rigid school schedule and studies.

The weather was beautiful and best of all the waves were perfect to learn the sport of surfing. The campers learned all their skills from our very own Sunny Isles Beach Lifeguards, who are avid skilled surfers and great watermen. Our new surfers-in-training started out every day with basic ocean safety tips, skills of paddling, balancing, foot positioning and all the basic skills necessary to surf real waves. The campers (surfers) participated in team events, board races, the proper stretches and even watching surfing videos to prepare them for that “ride of a lifetime”. After the campers were confident, we hit the water to catch some waves.

All the surfers were catching waves, standing up and even riding them all the way to the beach. They had a blast. At the end of Surf Camp, all the campers received awards and a bag of surfing gear to start them off in this fun active hobby. We would like to thank Island Water Sports for donating the treat bags (which included surfing gear and coupons for more gear at the store). If you visit the shop at 16231 Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami Beach, please take a moment to commend the owner, Scott Payne, for his generosity to the community.

The last day of camp the kids took a field trip and got a chance to surf in a wave pool and show off their new moves and talent. Now we have some new local surfers in town and a happy group of kids that will return to school with amazing stories of catching that wave and that great spring time water adventure.

For more information about this and other exciting camps, such as Junior Lifeguard Camp, contact the Cultural & Human Services Department at 305-792-1706 or come visit us at Pelican Park Community Center.

Photos by Justin Broman