Un Mar de Colores · Ocean Beach, CA
Ocean-based mindfulness, somatic movement, and culturally grounded healing modules for Ocean Beach BIPOC youth.
Un Mar de Colores ofrece surf therapy 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.
Monthly cohorts, year-round · 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.
Free surf therapy for Ocean Beach youth is part of Un Mar's BIPOC-led Cali-Baja movement — ocean access as healing right, not luxury wellness product.
Immigration-related stress, family instability, and coastal access barriers intersect for Ocean Beach BIPOC youth — surf therapy addresses the whole picture, not just wave count.
The ocean off Ocean Beach belongs to everyone. Un Mar de Colores exists because San Diego has spent decades telling BIPOC youth otherwise — and we're changing that story one cohort at a time.
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.
Surf therapy at Un Mar de Colores is more than recreational — it's a structured, trauma-informed mental health program that uses the ocean as a therapeutic setting. Licensed mental health professionals partner with trauma-informed surf coaches to deliver small-group sessions (8 youth maximum) combining ocean-based mindfulness, somatic movement, and culturally grounded healing modules developed with Kumeyaay elders. The program is especially effective for youth navigating anxiety, grief, immigration-related stress, and family instability. All programming is free and open to youth referred through partner schools, mental health agencies, and community organizations.
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."”
Yes — family and caregiver support sessions are part of the program. Ocean Beach parents and guardians receive bilingual updates and dedicated sessions — healing isn't isolated to the child on the board.
Yes — all programming is bilingual. In Ocean Beach, where 21% of households are Spanish-speaking, bilingual staff lead every session and parent communications arrive in both English and Spanish.
BIPOC youth ages 6–17, especially those navigating anxiety, grief, immigration-related stress, and family instability. Referrals welcome from San Diego Unified School District counselors, mental health agencies, and community organizations 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.
Every Ocean Beach child deserves the ocean. Start with a single conversation — we'll handle the rest.
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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