Ever since my wife and I moved to a coastal area, she has had this funny fantasy that our boys will have fond memories of going to surf camp and will become wonderful surfers. I initially laughed because, well just because it sounded damn funny, especially coming from the east coast (northeast, that is) where the surf is - well - cold, very cold and not very high.

But on second though, and by second thought I mean - remembering my scary military-style “throw ‘em in the pool” and see if they can tread water swim lessons at the local YMCA - I think trying one of the nearby certified surf summer camps may be a good thing. Because unlike those community classes of yester-year there seems to be a concentrated effort on safety in these types of programs and most of the ones that I’ve seen have a very low student/teacher ratio.

We’ve looked into it a bit and it seems like quite an adventure for kids, teens or the whole family. A lot of these places also teach about rip currents, UV exposure, CPR, ocean safety, first aid, and life guard classes as well as a lot about local marine life. You know - all that stuff parents like to think their kids are soaking up.