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Un Mar de Colores · Encinitas, CA
Data contributes to our citizen science database tracking pollution patterns across San Diego.
Un Mar de Colores hosts ongoing Ocean Stewardship cleanup and conservation programming across the Encinitas area and surrounding coast. Monthly events combine hands-on beach cleanup with environmental justice education, citizen science data collection, and policy literacy. Our Encinitas programming partners with Encinitas Library, Boys & Girls Club of Encinitas, San Dieguito Academy, and all events are free and family-friendly.
Monthly cleanups, quarterly workshops · Completely free
Encinitas holds five distinct breaks — Moonlight Beach, Swami's, Beacon's, D Street, and Stone Steps — across Encinitas Union and San Dieguito Union High School District. Our lessons run at Moonlight Beach (with its sheltered lifeguard cove) and Swami's on calmer mornings, with Park Dale Lane and Capri Elementary as our primary Title I partnerships for inland-neighborhood recruitment.
Post-cleanup reflection turns Encinitas participants into advocates — community organizing skills taught alongside debris removal.
Ocean stewardship near Moonlight Beach, Swami's partners with Ocean Stewards after-school — Encinitas teens connect classroom science to monthly sand action.
Cross-border watershed work matters to Encinitas because Tijuana River pollution and coastal health don't stop at a border fence. Our education modules name that reality honestly.
Encinitas sits inside San Diego County's coastal equity gap — 28% 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.
Un Mar's primary Encinitas beginner location. Sheltered cove, year-round lifeguards, and direct access from Encinitas Library classroom programming.
Moonlight Beach is named for its former all-night beach parties in the late 1800s. Today it's Encinitas's primary family beach with a large sand area and protected swim zone.
Used only for intermediate/advanced Surf Athletic Scholarship students. Never a beginner break due to reef bottom.
Swami's is named for the Self-Realization Fellowship gardens on the cliff above. One of the most photographed surf spots in California, featured in the Beach Boys' 'Surfin' USA.'
In partnership with Encinitas Union School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 3+ Title I schools.
Ocean Stewardship at Un Mar de Colores connects coastal cleanup action with deeper environmental justice education. Monthly cleanups run across Oceanside, Imperial Beach, Cardiff, and partner sites, with each event combining hands-on debris removal with short teaching moments about the watershed-to-ocean pipeline, the plastic pollution crisis, and California coastal policy. Our Ocean Stewardship program is free and family-friendly, and we specifically prioritize recruitment from BIPOC communities whose relationships with the coast have historically been gated by cost or culture. Every participant contributes to our citizen science database tracking pollution patterns across San Diego County.
Board and staff leadership is BIPOC-majority. Decisions about Encinitas programming are made with community partners, not corporate sponsors.
“"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."”
Sites rotate across North County and San Diego coastlines — including areas near Moonlight Beach, Swami's. We select locations based on need, safety, and accessibility from Encinitas. Event pages list specific meet points.
Quarterly workshops deepen advocacy and community organizing beyond debris removal — recommended for Encinitas participants who want to move from volunteer to organizer. Cleanups remain monthly entry points.
Absolutely — grandparents, parents, teens, and young children from Encinitas are welcome. We design events for multi-generational participation with safety briefings before anyone touches debris.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Encinitas are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Park Dale Lane Elementary, Capri Elementary, El Camino Creek Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Encinitas family has ever paid for our programming.
Primary water sessions run at Moonlight Beach. We also use Swami's for skill progression. Classroom components happen at Encinitas Library and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
We serve youth ages All ages. In Encinitas specifically, our recruitment runs through Encinitas Union School District — with priority enrollment for students from Park Dale Lane Elementary, Capri Elementary, El Camino Creek Elementary. 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 Moonlight Beach, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Encinitas, 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 Encinitas, where 12% 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 Encinitas surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 28%-BIPOC Encinitas 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 Encinitas, not just those who can afford access.
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Park Dale Lane Elementary, Capri Elementary, El Camino Creek Elementary and referrals from Encinitas Library and Boys & Girls Club of Encinitas. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Parents in Encinitas: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Encinitas 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.
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