Un Mar de Colores · Coronado, CA
Scholars often graduate from free surf lessons and camp — Coronado Unified School District referrals welcome from Coronado.
Un Mar de Colores's Surf Athletic Scholarship program supports competitive BIPOC youth and teens from Coronado and the greater San Diego region. Scholarship athletes receive high-performance gear, competition entry fees, coaching, and travel support across the California contest circuit. Local training happens at Coronado Central Beach. Referrals and nominations come through Coronado Unified School District athletics programs and our partner community organizations.
Ongoing · Completely free
Coronado Central Beach's wide, flat sandbar and year-round lifeguard coverage make it a welcoming teaching location for our South Bay cohorts. We partner with Coronado Unified for middle school recruitment and with the Silver Strand State Beach for overflow locations. The proximity to North Island Naval Air Station also means we serve military-family youth through our Ocean Stewards program.
Professional BIPOC surfer mentorship connects Coronado scholars to adults who navigated the same barriers — not white coaches who never faced lineup exclusion.
Nutrition and conditioning modules support contest-ready athletes — fueling performance without adding grocery stress to Coronado working families.
With 20,192 residents, Coronado is one of the communities where a single free surf cohort can change dozens of lives per season. Our shuttles and school partnerships make distance (on the coast) a logistics problem we solve, not a barrier families carry alone.
Environmental justice in Coronado isn't abstract: watershed health, beach closures, and plastic pollution affect the same communities we serve. Our programs connect surf skills to stewardship of San Diego's coastline.
Our primary Coronado and South Bay teaching location. Wide flat sandbar, gentle reform.
Coronado Central is consistently ranked among America's best beaches for family swimming and beginner surfing, with exceptionally clean sand that glitters from the high mica content.
In partnership with Coronado Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 1+ Title I schools.
The Surf Athletic Scholarship program supports BIPOC youth and teens pursuing competitive surfing at the scholarship or professional level. The program provides high-performance wetsuits and boards, pays all competition entry fees, covers contest travel costs across the California circuit, and provides one-on-one coaching from certified trainers. Scholarship recipients are mentored by alumni and partner professional BIPOC surfers, and the program specifically addresses the financial barriers that have historically excluded Latino, Indigenous, and Black youth from the competitive surf pipeline.
Program safety is documented: lifeguard coordination, 4:1 ratios on youth water days, trauma-informed staff training, and parent communication protocols in English and Spanish.
“"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 — college and pro-surfing pathway counseling covers NCAA surf scholarships, alternative pathways, and honest industry navigation. Coronado teens get support beyond contest heats.
Yes — parent communications during contest season are bilingual. In Coronado, where 14% of households are Spanish-speaking, logistics, deadlines, and coverage are explained in English and Spanish.
Surf lessons serve beginners ages 6–17 with weekly instruction. Scholarship serves contest-ready BIPOC athletes with fees, travel, high-performance gear, and elite coaching. Many Coronado scholars start in lessons and advance through pipeline.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Coronado are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Coronado Middle School, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Coronado family has ever paid for our programming.
Primary water sessions run at Coronado Central Beach. Classroom components happen at Coronado Public Library and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
We serve youth ages Youth & teens. In Coronado specifically, our recruitment runs through Coronado Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Coronado Middle School. 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 Coronado Central Beach, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Coronado, 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 Coronado, where 14% 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 Coronado surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 32%-BIPOC Coronado 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 Coronado, not just those who can afford access.
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Coronado Middle School and referrals from Coronado Public Library and Coronado Unified School District. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Parents in Coronado: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Coronado 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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