All Water- All Wet- All The Time! A Camp that is Soaked in Fun!

Camp Santa Monica, the City of Santa Monica’s convenient and affordable camp based out of Virginia Avenue Park, offers four innovative specialty groups that let children customize their activities according to their own interests. 

Water Adventures, which debuted spring 2012, offers campers a full day of fun water-related activities, sprinkled with lessons of Santa Monica Bay history and environmental awareness. The name of the game is getting wet and no matter what their skill level and experience may be, campers will leave having soaked up plenty of fun in the sun. Camp runs from June 12 to August 9.

Each week starts off with a trip to the Santa Monica Swim Center for a swim assessment. According to camp coordinator, Rodrigo Cardenas, who has worked with the CREST program for 9-years and is an avid surfer that enjoys sharing his passion for water sports with local youth, “It doesn’t matter if you pass; we just want to see where you are at.  We have kids at the beginning of the summer who can’t swim across the pool, but the by end of the summer, they are able to do it.  It’s wonderful to see their confidence level grow.”

Tuesdays the group heads to the beach for boogie boarding, surfing, and more sand and sea play. Wednesdays are water-related field trips to local venues, such as Soak City, Newport Dunes or Cal State Northridge’s Aquatic Center at Lake Castaic for kayaking.  Also on the schedule this summer is a trip to the Leo Robbins Sailing Center at Marina Park in Ventura.  Thursdays Water Adventures and Swim Center staff collaborate to present special activities like water polo and other unique water games at the Santa Monica Swim Center.

The week ends with a grand finale– Aloha Fridays!  Campers spend the day at the Annenberg Beach House.  After a morning at the beach, there is a big feast.  Each child brings something to contribute to a lunchtime potluck.

 “It’s not what we do; it’s why we do it," explains Cardenas.  “One of the best resources Santa Monica kids have is the Bay.  I want to make sure they have fun while they are here, but also sprinkle in the history of the area so that these kids have a connection to the history”.  The story and achievements of California’s first documented African American surfer, Nick Gabaldón, is one of the history lessons taught at Water Adventures. Kids are also introduced to the stretch of Santa Monica State Beach called the Ink Well near Tower 20, between Bay and Bicknell Streets, a site many campers have likely passed or played at but never knew how historically significant it is.  Additionally, local stories of lore and legend, such as the Dogtown and Z-Boys and how our , got its name are explored.

All Water Adventures staff are certified in water safety and participants swim under the watchful eyes of certified County life guards.  

Camp is $200 per week for Santa Monica Residents and $220 for non-residents.  Week 1 (June 12-14) is $120 or $132 for non-residents and Week 4 (July 1-5) is $160 or $176 for non-residents. There is no camp on the 4th of July.  Camp runs from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  Extended care is available for an extra fee.

Campers can sign-up for one-week or for the entire summer.  For more information, contact the City of Santa Monica’s Youth Office at Reed Park at 310-458-8540.  Enroll online now at www.smgov.net/recenroll.

Water Adventures is never the same old thing.  Each splash of water, each wave is a different experience …