Un Mar de Colores · Carlsbad, CA
Mentorship pairings with Un Mar staff and alumni give Carlsbad teens adults who understand their schools and barrios.
Un Mar de Colores runs its flagship Ocean Stewards After-School Program for Carlsbad teens ages 13–17, in partnership with Carlsbad Unified School District. Students meet three afternoons a week for tutoring, environmental literacy, and career exploration, with a Thursday beach day at Tamarack State Beach, South Ponto State Beach. Our Carlsbad cohort draws primarily from Jefferson Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and 1 other Title I schools. Transportation, meals, tutoring, and surf instruction are entirely free.
Tuesday–Thursday, year-round · Completely free
Carlsbad's 7-mile coastline — from Agua Hedionda Lagoon to Batiquitos — is one of North County's most accessible learn-to-surf corridors. We run programs at Tamarack State Beach in the Village and at South Ponto, partnering with Carlsbad Unified's 11,000+ students, especially from Jefferson, Buena Vista, and Magnolia Elementary schools serving the city's inland barrio communities.
With 18% Spanish-speaking households in Carlsbad, bilingual after-school instruction and parent updates are standard — not an accommodation requested at enrollment.
After-school tutoring in Carlsbad should connect to something teens care about — not isolated homework help in a strip-mall classroom. Our Tuesday–Wednesday sessions pair math and writing support with NGSS-aligned watershed and marine science modules.
Recruitment in Carlsbad runs through counselors, teachers, and community partners who know which students need this most. We don't run open enrollment chaos — we build intentional cohorts.
Serving Carlsbad 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.
Un Mar's primary Carlsbad teaching location. Full year-round lifeguard coverage, sand bottom, and mellow inside reform.
Tamarack sits in the heart of Carlsbad Village, with direct access to the Carlsbad Library and downtown. Named after the native tamarack trees that once lined the coastline.
Progression break for Carlsbad cohorts graduating from Tamarack. Wide sandbar accommodates group lessons with plenty of paddle-out room.
South Ponto borders the Batiquitos Lagoon ecological reserve, giving our cohorts direct access to watershed ecology programming alongside surf instruction.
In partnership with Carlsbad Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 4+ Title I schools.
The Ocean Stewards After-School Program is Un Mar de Colores's flagship year-round offering for BIPOC teens ages 13–17. Three afternoons a week, students meet at partner school sites for academic tutoring, environmental literacy modules aligned with the California NGSS standards, career exploration, and college preparation. Every Thursday is a beach day — students head to The Strand, Tamarack, or Moonlight for water programming that reinforces the week's environmental science curriculum. The program runs during the full school year, connecting academic outcomes with coastal stewardship and career pathways in marine science.
Un Mar de Colores is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Oceanside, California in 2018. Our instructors are certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division and hold CPR + First Aid credentials.
“"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."”
Certified tutors support math, reading, and writing — homework help aligned with Carlsbad Unified School District curriculum. Environmental literacy modules cover watershed science, marine ecology, coastal policy, and career exploration in marine science and conservation.
Teens connect to surf therapy, ocean stewardship cleanups, year-round surf lessons, and the Surf Athletic Scholarship program. After-school is a long-term arc for Carlsbad youth — not a single-semester program.
Ocean Stewards runs Tuesday through Thursday during the school year, 3pm–6pm. Tuesday and Wednesday are at partner school sites. Thursday is a beach day at local breaks near Tamarack State Beach, South Ponto State Beach. We publish cohort calendars early for Carlsbad families.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Carlsbad are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Jefferson Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Carlsbad family has ever paid for our programming.
Primary water sessions run at Tamarack State Beach. We also use South Ponto State Beach for skill progression. Classroom components happen at Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
We serve youth ages 13–17. In Carlsbad specifically, our recruitment runs through Carlsbad Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Jefferson Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Magnolia Elementary and 1 other Title I schools. Cohorts are age-appropriate (One Ocean for 6–12, Ocean Stewards for 13–17).
No. We begin every cohort with ocean-safety fundamentals in chest-deep whitewater at Tamarack State Beach, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Carlsbad, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at local community pools for students who request extra comfort-building.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Carlsbad, where 18% of households are Spanish-speaking, we intentionally pair at least one bilingual coach to every session. Cultural programming is delivered in both languages, and parent communications are always sent in Spanish and English.
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Carlsbad surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 41%-BIPOC Carlsbad community we serve; (3) our curriculum includes environmental justice, Kumeyaay coastal history, and cultural arts — not just surf skills. We exist because the ocean should belong to everyone in Carlsbad, not just those who can afford access.
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Jefferson Elementary, Buena Vista Elementary, Magnolia Elementary and referrals from Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad and Carlsbad Library (Cole & Dove branches). Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Sign your Carlsbad youth up today — every program is 100% free, with wetsuits, boards, and transportation included.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Carlsbad youth. Reach out to enroll, volunteer, or support the movement.
Un Mar de Colores is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oceanside, California. We provide free surf, ocean, and environmental programming for youth across San Diego and Tijuana — bridging cultures, coasts, and communities since 2018.
Web platform architecture and development by Codinito.