Un Mar de Colores · Ocean Beach, CA
Surf etiquette, ocean safety, and environmental stewardship — not just standing on a board.
Un Mar de Colores ofrece surf lessons gratuitas para jóvenes de Ocean Beach de 6–17 años, directamente en la costa de Ocean Beach. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 39% BIPOC (15,000 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en OB Pier, Dog Beach (Ocean Beach), con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de Ocean Beach Elementary, Dana Middle School.
Year-round weekly sessions · Completamente gratis
Ocean Beach's OB Pier and Dog Beach locations offer our Point Loma peninsula cohorts direct-access surf instruction. The San Diego River mouth at Dog Beach provides paddle-flat-water training, and our Ocean Beach Elementary and Dana Middle partnerships anchor our youth recruitment across the 92107 zip code — one of San Diego's most culturally diverse beach neighborhoods.
Latino and Indigenous youth in Ocean Beach inherit coastal histories commercial surf culture erases. Our lessons integrate Kumeyaay stewardship narratives and environmental justice framing — surf as connection to place, not extraction from it.
Gear quality matters for cold Pacific water: ill-fitting rental wetsuits end sessions early. We size youth properly and maintain equipment for weekly use, not tourist weekend turnover.
Ocean Beach sits inside San Diego County's coastal equity gap — 39% of residents identify as BIPOC, yet beach access has historically been gated by cost, transportation, and culture. Un Mar de Colores closes that gap with free programming and school-based recruitment.
Serving Ocean Beach means meeting families where they are: San Diego schools, community centers, and partner orgs that already hold trust. We don't wait for families to find the beach — we bring youth to the water.
Primary Ocean Beach teaching location. Used for intermediate progression from Tourmaline and Mission Beach.
The Ocean Beach Pier is the longest concrete pier on the West Coast at 1,971 feet. Closed for reconstruction in 2024, with reopening projected for 2027.
Used for paddle fundamentals and flatwater training (San Diego River mouth). Not for in-water surf instruction due to no lifeguard coverage.
Dog Beach OB was California's first leash-free beach (1972). Sits at the mouth of the San Diego River — our classroom for river-to-ocean watershed lessons.
En asociación con el San Diego Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 2+ escuelas Título I.
Un Mar de Colores offers free surf lessons year-round for youth ages 6–17 across Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Cardiff, Del Mar, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and partner cities. Our coaches are certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division and many are graduates of our own Surf Athletic Scholarship program. Lessons prioritize water-safety fundamentals first: students start in chest-deep whitewater under direct instructor supervision and progress to unbroken waves only after demonstrating paddle control and ocean awareness. Every session is fully equipped — wetsuit, board, rashguard — and transportation is provided from our partner Title I schools across San Diego County.
Our coaches include graduates of the Surf Athletic Scholarship program and bilingual educators who reflect the BIPOC communities we serve. We partner with 15+ Title I schools across North County and San Diego.
“"He used to approach new activities with extreme anxiety — to the point where sometimes we couldn't even get out of the car. Now he goes much deeper into the water."”
We provide wetsuits, boards, rashguards, and sunscreen. Your child should bring a towel, water, and swim-appropriate clothing. We handle transportation from partner schools when applicable — check with us for your Ocean Beach cohort schedule.
Yes — all programming is bilingual. In Ocean Beach, where 21% of households are Spanish-speaking, we pair bilingual coaches to every session and send parent communications in both English and Spanish.
We serve youth ages 6–17 with age-appropriate cohorts. One Ocean programming focuses on 6–12, while teens may connect to Ocean Stewards or scholarship pathways. Enrollment runs through San Diego Unified School District partners and community referrals in Ocean Beach.
Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en Ocean Beach son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como Ocean Beach Elementary, Dana Middle School, e instrucción bilingüe certificada. El financiamiento proviene de la San Diego Foundation, subvenciones comunitarias y donantes individuales.
Las lecciones principales se realizan en OB Pier. También usamos Dog Beach (Ocean Beach) según el nivel del grupo. Todas las sesiones de agua ocurren dentro de las zonas salvavidas de la bandera.
Servimos a jóvenes de 6–17 años. Nuestra Beca One Ocean cubre las edades 6-12, Ocean Stewards After-School sirve a 13-17, y las Becas Atléticas de Surf están disponibles para jóvenes competitivos a través de nuestras asociaciones con San Diego Unified School District.
Contáctenos a través de nuestra página de contacto. La inscripción prioritaria se otorga a estudiantes de Ocean Beach Elementary, Dana Middle School y otras escuelas de Título I en San Diego Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.
Parents in Ocean Beach: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes de Ocean Beach. Contáctanos para inscribirte, hacer voluntariado, o apoyar el movimiento.
Un Mar de Colores es una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3) liderada por personas BIPOC, basada en Oceanside, California. Ofrecemos programación gratuita de surf, océano y educación ambiental para jóvenes en San Diego y Tijuana — conectando culturas, costas y comunidades desde 2018.
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