Kids Summer Camp - Guppy Ocean Adventure Camp
Our Guppy Ocean Safety Adventure Camp takes place in southeastern North Carolina on Wrightsville, Carolina, and Topsail beaches and is designed for children ages 6 to 10. During this week-long kid’s summer camp (not surfing camp), participants learn about ocean safety and multiple components of our amazing coastal environment.
We know that kids’ first experiences with the ocean will shape their attitude towards it for the rest of their lives. In our "learn-by-doing" Guppy Ocean Safety Adventure Camps, kids will study
how waves are formed, when and where it is safest to enter the ocean, warning signs of ocean/weather dangers, how to stay safe while at the beach, and many other facets of cool marine life education.
Participants will also earn their Junior Ocean Safety Certification, which raises young beach goers’ levels of awareness and instills ocean safety practices that can be applied to every beach in the world (rip current identification and awareness, marine life education, surf advisories, and more). Your kid will leave our Guppy Summer Camp with a basic understanding of ocean dynamics, water safety, sun protection, and basic first aid skills.
Our core program fundamentals are designed to build confidence and ocean safety awareness one step at a time. Our weeklong Kids Summer Camp will instill a basic skill set of ocean safety knowledge while participating in daily boogie boarding, seine netting, crabbing, clamming, paddleboating, as well as other fun and educational games. They will gain marine science and ocean safety knowledge while having the time of their life with new friends. The only requirement is that kids be able to swim, and be ready to have lots of fun!
Highlights include:
- Extensive daily boogie board and water sport instruction
- Guided interactive tour of the North Carolina Aquarium
- Observing turtle rehabilitation at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital
- Salt marsh exploration: fishing, seining, crabbing, and clamming
- Learning to play the ukulele
- Junior Ocean Safety classes and certification
- Enrollment limited to 14 students per session
Guppy Camp is Monday through Friday from 8:30AM - 4:00PM. Campers can be dropped off and picked up at our Wrightsville Beach office location. To accommodate busy parents, late 
pickup is available until 5pm for an additional charge of $45 for the entire week. Camps are filled on a first come/first serve basis.
$395 tuition includes lifeguard/CPR/first aid certified counselor instruction, Surf Camp’s Junior Ocean Safety Certification, daily transportation to all activities, activity fees, Sea Turtle Hospital tour and donation, admission and tour of NC Aquarium, rashguard (50 SPF proof with a $35 value), all equipment, certificate of achievement, and memorable group photo. This is not a surfing program and will not be an activity of these camps. If you have any questions regarding our daily schedule or to secure your spot now, please call 910.256.7873.
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2012 Dates:
Itinerary
Monday
It’s 8:30 am and today begins your child’s week-long adventure exploring the coast and its different habitats. The Guppies start the day in true summer fashion - heading to Wrightsville Beach for boogie board and ocean safety instruction. As they cross the dunes amid swaying grasses, they get their first glimpse of the waiting ocean. Under the shade of our tent we get to know each other and go over beach and ocean safety before beginning supervised time in the water either boogie boarding, swimming, or body surfing. We will never exceed a 4:1 camper to instructor ratio.
After a picnic on the beach, Guppies trade playing in the water for playing in a band as they head to the North Carolina Ukulele Academy. Together your keiki (child) and his/her new friends are taught how to strum the ukulele, while also learning about Hawaiian culture and the traditional songs from the islands.
Tuesday
We start off by road-tripping to the Kure Beach Pier where your child tries to reel in “the big one.” Students will learn proper fishing technique, local fish species, and the importance of estuaries. The vantage point from the pier also provides a unique opportunity to identify and discuss other species found at the beach – from the highest flying pelicans to the smallest crawling hermit crabs.
After lunch at the Recreation Area, we’re off to the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Here Guppies interact with horseshoe crabs and sea stars as they learn about the life of the spineless (invertebrates, in science speak). By day’s end, your child will be reciting all the animals they saw, especially Luna, the Aquarium’s albino alligator. We finish the day at the beach for a final ocean session playing in the waves with our new appreciation for marine life.
Wednesday
We’re half-way through our week of adventure and today your child will travel up to Topsail Beach to begin Junior First Aid certification. Afterwards, students will learn about animals that live in the intertidal zone. We will also talk about something that seems impossible – the movement of an island. Barrier islands move and change shape throughout the years and your child will learn how that is possible.
Following beach time a picnic, the Guppies will come face-to-face with real-life superheroes. We will tour the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital in its brand new facility. Here your child will see various species of sea turtles that have been rescued by Animal Planet’s Hero of the Year, Jean Beasley, for rehabilitation. After an incredible afternoon with some amazing creatures, we drive back to Wrightsville thinking about the ways that we can help the sea turtles.
thursday
Today, we will continue our Junior First Aid certification. Your child will participate in several different hands-on, certification activities designed to make them helpful in times of emergency. Following training, we’ll enjoy our waning beach time with more boogie boarding. For those that are feeling a bit waterlogged with all the ocean time, we will have staff directed beach activities.
After lunch, the Guppies will traverse a barrier island, from the ocean to the marsh. Having previously learned about animals that live on the beaches, we will now see where some start out life – in the estuary. Using seine and cast nets, your junior marine biologist will learn about different organisms and the adaptations that allow them to thrive in that environment. We will also try and uncover some of the critters buried in the sediment as we go crabbing and clamming.
Friday
We’ll travel inland to Greenfield Lake, a 90-acre freshwater lake including cypress swamp and wetland habitats. It also offers an amazing habitat for migratory birds. We’ll enjoy the scenery from the comfort of our paddleboat as we search the trees and water’s edge for birds and other wildlife. Despite the beauty of this setting, Greenfield does suffer from eutrophication – excess nutrients from runoff – which we’ll discuss, along with different methods to control it.
After Greenfield Lake, we visit Airlie Gardens to eat lunch and take part in an environmental activity with the county’s water quality department. Afterwards we head back to where it all started – the beach. After one last boogie boarding session, we will return your Guppy to you. But we may see them again very soon – many Guppies finish the week by asking their parents if they can return to camp the next week, so be prepared!
Pictures
Accommodations
For our many clients traveling to Wrightsville Beach just to attend Guppy Camp please contact our office for a list of our favorite places to stay.
Reviews
Ben David, New Hanover County District Attorney – “Our daughter Maddie attended Guppy Camp last summer. Hands down, it was one of the best experiences of her young life. The staff was extremely professional and kid focused. The instructors made it fun for the campers, and made sure that they were safe. Even when it rained Maddie came home excited about having learned how to play the ukulele. As a father of three, I will make sure that all of my children learn to love and respect the ocean through the Guppy Camp--hands down one of the coolest things a young child can do in this area. The camp was the best we saw of anything we have seen in this area. I wish my brother and I could have been guppies when we were growing up.”
Joannie, Bunnlevel, NC – “I was very skeptical about letting Jack go because he had a few surgeries and hospital stays but Guppy Camp staff reassured me that all would be fine, and Jack insisted on going. I eventually gave in and said yes. Let me tell you that was the best thing I could do for him. Jack gained knowledge of the ocean, ocean safety, marine life, and values of respect as well. He asks me all the time to not forget and sign him up next year. This really helped him grow a lot. I am pleased with the program, its foundations, its staff and my boy's new knowledge of the ocean that he shares with everyone. Thanks Guppy Camp for helping make my boy's summer a happy, healthy and fun one.”
Margaret, Wilmington, NC – “When the week of Surf Camp was coming to an end my daughter expressed concern that she only had one day of camp left and was sad stating it had gone by too fast. I explained to her that time flies when you're having fun and tends to go by more slowly when you are not. She questioned, "So what if I say I am not having fun at Surf Camp then it will go by more slowly?" Wrightsville Beach Surf Camp speaks for itself. It has energetic, knowledgeable kid friendly instructors, well organized environmental activities throughout the coastal community, and most importantly a founder who has changed the lives of many...one Guppy at a time.”
Kimberly, Hampstead, NC – “I was really nervous to leave the children in someone else's care while they were in the ocean waves. However, after the first drop off, my nervousness subsided. Rusty was very personable and confident and it was clear that he enjoyed the job. The children learned so much and even taught me some things throughout the week! Thanks so much to Rusty and the team! See you next year!”
Frank, Wilmington, NC – “It was a great experience; I liked it a lot. I even made a new friend. The Sea Turtle Hospital was my favorite.”
Cristin, Raleigh, NC – “My son came home so excited every day to tell us about the great things he did at Guppy Camp. They do such a variety of activities and teach the kids so much that you really get your money’s worth.”
Judy, Norfolk, VA – “Absolutely wonderful experience. Our guppy came home everyday excited to share the day’s events. The organization, detailed registration information, and quality instruction were a great comfort to me. I felt confident that she would be safe and that the student/instructor ratio made it possible for personalized attention. Excellent self esteem building. Thank you so much and we hope to be involved again next year!!!!”
Ellen, Columbia, SC – “This experience was an awesome way for Danielle to end the summer. She was very excited about the relationships that she built with the counselors. They were very supportive of her which makes a difference in a child's life who has been through some very difficult times over the past 2 years. THANKS!”
Danielle, Wilmington, NC – “My son did guppy camp when he was 6 and when my daughter asked to do the camp we signed her up. She loved everything about Guppy Camp. Everyday I would pick her up, she would hug the instructors and then she would share with me everything she did... and always start and end the conversation with "I want to go to surf camp everyday FOREVER." And when I would tell her that it was only 5 days, she would beg for me to make it longer ;) Before the camp, my daughter always had to have someone in the ocean with her (to tell her which waves to grab and for comfort)... now she has the confidence to grab her boogie board and hit the waves!”
Ethan, Wilmington, NC – “I have been to guppy camp for the past two years and I’m not a small guppy fish anymore. Yes, I am almost eight years old and I have already become a “big fish” thanks to Guppy Camp. We did a lot of other fun stuff too. Like we saw the turtle hospital, played a ukulele, visited Fort Fisher Aquarium, and I saw crabs, stingrays & even touched a flounder…way cool! Most of the time we were on the beach or in the water, but we always had an awesome, long day from early in the morning until late in the afternoon. Well, I guess I still have a lot to learn. I plan to go to Surf Camp next summer. I bet all you guppies out there will have a blast like I did but, just try not to get upset about leaving camp on the last day. It was hard for me to hold back the tears that final day. I just had to keep in my head…I’ll be back!
FAQ - Guppy Camp
Are the kids going to be surfing during Guppy Camp?
No. Guppy Camp is an introduction into the ocean and becoming comfortable with its waves, which is why we’re only boogie boarding and staying in close to the beach.
If my child has some surf experience, will I he/she be able to surf?
No, it’s only boogie boarding. If your child already has some surf experience and is comfortable on a surf board then maybe our Kids Day Camp would be best suited for them.
Where does the camp take place?
Guppy Camp drop off and pickup takes place at our beach office at The Landing Shopping Center on Harbor Island at Wrightsville Beach. While at camp the Guppies are constantly on the move. From Access #4 on Wrightsville Beach for boogie boarding down to the aquarium at Ft Fisher and up to the Sea Turtle Hospital on Topsail Island. Each day is different, with planned marine education activities. If bad weather ensues they may even take refuge at the WB Surf Camp Office and watch Finding Nemo on the big screen projector.
What time does the camp run?
Guppy Camp pick up and drop off is at our beach office location at The Landing Shopping Center on Harbor Island at Wrightsville Beach. Drop off is at 8:30am and pick up is at 4:00pm. To accommodate busy parents, late pickup is available until 5pm for an additional charge of $45 for the entire week.
Do you provide equipment?
All our guppies are provided with long sleeve rashguards with SPF 50 as well as boogie boards and all the gear they’ll need for pier fishing and salt marsh crabbing and clamming.
What does my child need to bring?
You will receive a detailed checklist with your registration materials. In short, they need to wear a bathing suit and sunscreen, bring extra sunscreen, a water bottle, their own lunch, and a towel!
Is there a lifeguard at the beach you use? I am worried about some of the safety aspects of a surf camp.
All of our camp instructors hold current American Red Cross Lifeguard Certifications including CPR for the Professional Rescuer and First Aid. One might even say that we over-qualify our team with this many lifeguards. We have an impeccable safety record and are very proud of it!
What are the ages of your Guppy campers?
Our Guppy Camp is for ages 6-10.
What happens if conditions are unfavorable for boogie boarding on a particular day?
To accommodate larger surf or stronger wind conditions, the Guppy counselors will incorporate fun-filled activities to educate the kids on staying safe and having fun in our ever-changing ocean. If we have to leave the beach due to lightning, we will head back to our Ogden Surf Camp office classroom for educational slideshows, activities, and movies. We average a 97% surfability factor during our summer season, so days are rarely missed.
We are traveling to North Carolina from out of town. Are there hotels, rental properties, or campsites nearby that you can recommend?
We maintain a list of recommended campsites, hotels, and real estate companies in the area. Please call us at 866-844-SURF or e-mail us at info@wbsurfcamp.com and we’ll be happy to furnish it!
Do you have insurance?
We carry a comprehensive insurance package, including general liability.
