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Posted by Rick Civelli | 01.20.2009 | Kid Summer Camps

My First Year as a Surf Instructor at Surf Camp

     The weather was getting warmer, I only had a couple more weeks left of school, and I was stuck inside at my current job. I love the outdoors, especially the beach, and here I was spending the majority of my time indoors. I knew I needed a change and suddenly, I remembered one of my friends had worked for WB Surf Camp one summer and had a great time. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of applying to Surf Camp earlier. I sent over my resume and required applicant information, got called for an interview and received the position of Surf Instructor! I was beyond excited (and a little nervous because there was A LOT of training involved).

    I showed up at the first day of training unsure of what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised when I found out how nice all of the other instructors were.  Everyone hit it off instantly. Half of our training was spent indoors and the other half was spent at the beach where we gained valuable lifeguard training techniques and participated in team building activities. By the final day of training, it felt like I had known the other instructors for much longer than a week.  We were all having a great time and couldn’t wait to start working together.

    The first camp that I was scheduled to work was a Wrightsville Beach Kids Surf Camp, and I was both excited and nervous when I showed up on the first day. I was so excited to get to share my love of surfing with the campers, but was also a little nervous just because it was a new experience for me. Luckily, Rick, the founder of Surf Camp, was there to put everyone at ease and make sure that both campers and instructors were having a great time. That first week of camp turned out to be such a rewarding experience because of how much the kids got out of it. They would come back each morning that week, stoked to get back on their boards and start a full day of surfing again. I will never forget that first week of Surf Camp.  It was the first time I was able to help someone who had never surfed before experience how great surfing can be. It was almost as if I was catching my first wave all over again.

    That first week of camp really set the tone for the rest of the summer as it was equally as fun and rewarding. I never imagined that I could have a job that allowed me to work with my friends, meet people from all over the world, spend my days in the warm ocean water, and help others catch that first magical wave on a surfboard. This past summer was by far the best summer I have ever had here in Wilmington and I consider myself lucky that I got to be a part of the Surf Camp Team. Summer 2009 is right around the corner……..I hope to see you in the water!

-Jess

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