Summertime in Los Angeles and going to the beach go hand-in-hand. And, of course, kids go to camp in the summertime, too. Combine the two and it's a match made in heaven...Summer beach camps for kids! Here's our guide to L.A's best.
Aloha Beach Camp
Ranked Malibu's top beach camp on Yelp, and the only one accredited by the American Camp Association, Aloha Beach Camp serves kids and teens ages 4 to 15 with over 200 exciting aquatic activities at L.A.'s best beaches, lakes and water parks. The program takes place at Zuma Beach, Paradise Cove Beach, Castaic Lake, and many more aquatic venues throughout L.A. including exciting field trips to Hurricane Harbor, Hansen Dam, and Oxnard State Beach where the campers enjoy ocean kayaking, BBQ cookouts, boogie boarding, surfing, games on the sand and so much more. No prior beach, ocean, or aquatic experience is necessary to attend the program because all of the camp activities are instructional and presented at each child's most comfortable pace. Free transportation on buses and vans equipped with seat belts is provided for all enrolled campers at convenient meeting points throughout Los Angeles. The camp's flexible scheduling format where you can pick your own days and weeks of attendance rather than a preset session schedule is a major plus for busy families.
Sandy Days Kids Camp
We like this program very much due to its focus on safety. The program boats a respectable 6 to 1 camper-to-counselor supervision ratio. The camp is located in the Pacific Palisades, but does not offer transportation so you will need to drive your kids to camp yourself. Upon arrival, however, will have an absolute blast participating in all the fun activities ranging from boogie boarding to paddling, swimming, sand activities, cabana games and many more. The camp also offers a convenient scheduling format allowing you to arrange your child's enrollment according to a schedule that fits your child's summer schedule.
Learn to Surf L.A.
Perhaps more of a surf camp than beach camp, Learn to Surf LA has three camp locations in Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach and Venice Beach, respectively. In addition to its standard day camp program for kids ages 5 to 17, this organization offers group and private surfing lessons with all the requisite gear provided including surfboards and wetsuits All you need to do is show up for camp and ready to have some fun. According to the camp's website, most of their surfing students are up and riding their surfboard after just one day. Sign us up!
Photo credit learntosurfla.com
Camp Surf
Located in Manhattan Beach, Camp Surf bills itself at the "premier surf school in Los Angeles." We'll leave that for you to decide, but we think it's definitely among the best for a number of reasons. First, its Manhattan Beach location offers one of the top locations for new surfers to learn to surf. Second, the camp has caring, experienced and patient instructors who will get you on your surfboard in no time. Finally, Camp Surf has been the city of Manhattan Beach's contractor to run its Department of Parks and Recreation surf classes for the past 11 years, so they must be doing something right!
Malibu Makos
This popular seaside day camp is located at the northernmost end of Zuma Beach. Not only do they offer surfing instruction as part of their camp program, the ocean safety and awareness information is imparted to the campers on a daily basis. This camp also offers a weekend program which is a little different from the others which seem to take place only on weekdays. Transportation is available for an additional charge. The camp also indicates there will be a 15% beach use tax added to the price of camp.
Fitness by the Sea Beach Camp
Here's another fun seaside summer camp any kid will love. The camp boats over 80 activities for beach-loving kids ages 4 to 14 such as surfing, swimming, dance, team sports, gymnastics, crafts, and more. With locations in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades and transportation available from LA and San Fernando Valley, this is certainly a program to consider!
Beach Sports Summer Camp
Not only does Beach Sports Summer Camp have many locations to serve you including Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, Manhattan Beach and Corona del Mar, the camp offers easy scheduling to fit your family's busy summer plans. We also like the fact Beach Sports provides every camper with a free rash guard on the first day of camp to provide extra protection from the sun while participating in all the fun activities. The Beach Sports camp curriculum was designed by lifeguards and local school teachers ensuring age-appropriate programs and activities for camp participants.
L.A. families searching for the best summer camp fit for their kids can't afford to miss L.A. Camp Fair! It's greater L.A.'s biggest, best and FREE summer camp expo with 100's of camps on display. And with two convenient dates and locations at UCLA and in Calabasas in March, you're sure to find a convenient Camp Fair event nearby. Grab your free tickets to the L.A. Camp Fair today!
