We had an AMAZING week of learning, art, surfing, laughter and play at our July 7-11 Ocean Girl Project surf camp! BIG Mahalo to all the AWESOME volunteers, parents and supporters. Thanks to you, everything we did was safe, meaningful,we appreciate your generous gift of time and for being so helpful.
DAY ONE – DAY THREE
Day one: Nerves!! Always the hardest day, meeting new people, not sure what to expect, finding our way. We start with a talk on ocean and surf safety and the girls learned S.O.A.K.
We played games and began to loosen up with our new names.. apple, mango, wolf, owl, sushi, sea star, Faith, and Jeannie.
Awesome caps, Sun care is fun care, girls don’t forget your sunscreen!
We went into the calm ocean and participated in safe water challenges like swimming to Faith ( perfect name!). We held buddy contests, floated and jumped around. Everyone did GREAT! We have a bunch of beautiful ocean girls who love the ocean. Next: Begin surf and surfboard skills, discuss tides, surfing etiquette and safety.
SurfCo Hawaii donated surf safe Pro Teck fins, nose and tail guards for our camp surfboards. Surf Tech donated use of epoxy boards that small hands could carry.
Uncle Doug came each day and drove the ocean girls to our surf spot in the cool VW surf van. GREAT FIRST DAY, surf was fun, girls were safe, waves plenty and we all laughed and learned a lot. Everyone tired, hungry and stoked.
REMINDERS Rip Current
What to do if you find yourself in a rip current
The best thing to do is learn to spot rip currents and avoid them. However, if you do find yourself in a rip current, remember the following. It could save your life!
- Don’t fight the current – Conserve energy, keep calm, float, breathe, don’t panic, and wave for help
- Swim out of the current, then to shore – Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle–away from the current–towards shore.
- If you can’t escape, float or tread water – You can easily float in the current, there is no undertow.
- If you need help, call or wave for assistance – If there is large surf or shoreline hazards, wave your hands for help and wait for assistance
Diagram courtesy NOAA’s National Weather Service
DAY TWO
Morning started with Miss Sarah leading us in a wonderful energizing ocean girl yoga session, next we created a nature mandala and decided our ocean girl intentions for the week. The girls started their marine debris learning and art with Jan and Loke. Surfing on day two, waves and wind are up, everyone a little jostled, we are sore and tired but we stay stoked!!!! #oceangirlproject
DAY THREE
Surf bigger and wild so we learned SUP at the park. Shannon started our morning with food, yummy. She taught the girls how to make healthy snacks. Jeannie came and taught the girls Stand Up Paddle. She also taught the girls how to make reusable bags out of t-shirts and Shannon stayed to help. Re-purpose and our responsible intentions! SUP use donated by SURF TECH!!
Summer 2022 Camps Closed 