Surf Camp 2026 — Good Times and Tan Lines
By Beatrice, Webmaster Troop 506G
On Friday August 28th Troop 506 embarked on a weekend campout at Cardiff State beach. The waves were firing and the scouts were ready to spend a weekend relaxing in the ocean.
Surf camp is not a traditional campout offered for the troop because it requires no cooking and no cleaning, just good vibes, scouts from 506 have been attending surf camp for decades. Activities to do at surf camp vary, you can spend the whole day in the water swimming, boogie boarding or surfing. You can relax on the beach tanning or with a good book. It’s even open to non-swimmers, you can spend the whole day up at camp getting sign offs or chatting with friends.
Like mentioned earlier, surf camp is a great place to work on rank advancement. The long unstructured days are a perfect frame work for getting through sign offs, learning skills and even scoutmaster conferences. Surf camp is also a great opportunity for scouts to bond, it caters to a wide range of ages from both the B and G side which makes a great space to make new friends.
The scouts loved the event this year, star scout Zach from troop 506b recalls, “I had a great time out in the water, the waves were fun, I wish I had brought a wetsuit so I could have been out there all day”.
Another perk of surf camp is its proximity to La Jolla, because it is only a half hour drive scouts have the option to come as day trekkers. Coming for the day allows for scouts to take advantage of the advancement opportunities and all the fun time in the water without having to make the commitment of overnight camping. Especially if scouts already have busy weekends with sports or other activities, the option to day trek allows them to not miss out on all the fun.
This year scouts had the opportunity to tour the Cardiff lifeguard tower, something new to many scouts. The tour allowed the scouts to see the behind the scene work that goes into patrolling the beach and influenced the scouts to make safer choices in the water.
A couple other things that are unique to surf camp, is the opportunity to get the wave rider patch, a council recognized patch created by scoutmaster Catanzaro showing expertise and knowledge in the ocean, and how to be a safe swimmer. Additionally scouts had the opportunity to participate in a flag raising ceremony. This requirement is needed to rank up, but it’s hard to get done and scouts were able to get it completed. There was a campfire program in which scouts performed skits and told jokes, and plenty of time to relax and unwind after the first couple weeks of school.
Overall surf camp is an amazing trip especially for young Scouts. It’s a great way to ease into camping. There are flushing toilets and even showers as well as delicious food and a beautiful ocean that Scouts can play in all day. Consider joining surf camp next year and be sure to sign up early so you don’t miss out. I personally cannot wait to go back again next year.