Un Mar de Colores · San Diego, CA
Competitive Coaching for San Diego Title I Surfers
Annual contest gear package ensures San Diego scholars compete with equipment parity — not borrowed leftovers.
Un Mar de Colores's Surf Athletic Scholarship program supports competitive BIPOC youth and teens from San Diego 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 La Jolla Shores and Tourmaline (closest breaks to San Diego). Referrals and nominations come through San Diego Unified School District athletics programs and our partner community organizations.
Schedule — San Diego Program Days
Ongoing · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —Mental performance and visualization training sound elite-only — nobody offered your teen those tools for free.
- —Travel to California contest circuit events from San Diego means hotels, gas, and food — every weekend is a financial crisis.
- —Your teen's coach is great at lessons but has no contest prep experience — strategy, heat tactics, and mental game missing.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Representation changes contest culture — BIPOC scholars from San Diego visible in regional lineups.
- BIPOC-led nonprofit funding model — grants and donors invest in San Diego athletes as movement builders.
- High-performance wetsuits and boards provided — contest-grade equipment sized for your athlete.
Why We Run This Program in San Diego
San Diego is the second-largest city in California with a 30% Hispanic/Latino population and the 2nd-largest school district in the state. Our San Diego programming spans La Jolla Shores, Tourmaline Surfing Park, Mission Beach, and OB Pier, serving San Diego Unified's 98,000 students — with particular focus on Title I middle and high schools in PB, Mission Bay, and Point Loma.
- Population
- 1,386,932
- BIPOC residents
- 55%
- Spanish-speaking households
- 30%
- Distance to beach
- Coastal
Surf Athletic Scholarship in San Diego — What You Should Know
Sponsorship navigation taught honestly — how industry gatekeeping works and how San Diego BIPOC athletes build authentic visibility without selling a false story.
Physical therapy and injury prevention for scholarship surfers — athletes aren't told to push through pain because rehab wasn't budgeted in San Diego households.
Why San Diego Matters to Our Mission
With 1,386,932 residents, San Diego 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.
Recruitment in San Diego 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.
Local San Diego Partners & Referral Sources
In partnership with San Diego Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 5+ Title I schools.
School district & Title I partners
- San Diego Unified School District
- •Kate Sessions Elementary
- •Mission Beach Elementary
- •Pacific Beach Middle
- •Mission Bay High
- •Point Loma High
Community partners
- ◆San Diego Unified School District
- ◆San Diego Junior Lifeguards
- ◆Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- ◆San Diego Public Library
- ◆Mission Bay Aquatic Center
Program Curriculum
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.
- →Competitive coaching and contest prep
- →Physical conditioning and nutrition
- →Mental performance and visualization
- →Sponsorship navigation and athlete branding
- →Mentorship from professional BIPOC surfers
- →College and pro-surfing pathway counseling
What's Included — Free for Every San Diego Youth
- ✓High-performance wetsuits and boards
- ✓Competition entry fees paid
- ✓Travel costs for California contest circuit
- ✓One-on-one coaching from certified trainers
- ✓Physical therapy and injury prevention
- ✓Annual contest gear package
Why Un Mar de Colores
Board and staff leadership is BIPOC-majority. Decisions about San Diego programming are made with community partners, not corporate sponsors.
What our community says
“"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."”
Frequently Asked Questions — Surf Athletic Scholarship in San Diego
Who qualifies for surf scholarship from San Diego?+
BIPOC youth and teens pursuing competitive surfing at scholarship or professional levels. Priority for athletes demonstrating contest-ready skill and financial need — often referred from San Diego Unified School District counselors or Un Mar surf lessons and camp in San Diego. Competitive enrollment, not open beginner access.
Who mentors scholarship athletes from San Diego?+
Professional BIPOC surfers and Un Mar alumni who navigated contest barriers — representation matters for San Diego athletes who rarely see mentors who share their background in competitive lineups.
What mental performance training is included?+
Visualization, heat anxiety management, judging pressure strategies, and contest psychology — funded modules for BIPOC athletes facing lineup intimidation in predominantly white contest culture near La Jolla Shores and Tourmaline.
Are surf athletic scholarship in San Diego really free?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in San Diego are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No San Diego family has ever paid for our programming.
Where exactly do surf athletic scholarship happen in San Diego?+
Primary water sessions run at La Jolla Shores. Classroom components happen at San Diego Unified School District and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
What ages can enroll in San Diego?+
We serve youth ages Youth & teens. In San Diego specifically, our recruitment runs through San Diego Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle and 2 other Title I schools. Cohorts are age-appropriate (One Ocean for 6–12, Ocean Stewards for 13–17).
Does my child need to know how to swim before starting?+
No. We begin every cohort with ocean-safety fundamentals in chest-deep whitewater at La Jolla Shores, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In San Diego, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at local community pools for students who request extra comfort-building.
Are lessons taught in Spanish in San Diego?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in San Diego, where 30% 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.
How is Un Mar de Colores different from other surf athletic scholarship in San Diego?+
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most San Diego surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 55%-BIPOC San Diego 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 San Diego, not just those who can afford access.
How do I sign my San Diego child up?+
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Kate Sessions Elementary, Mission Beach Elementary, Pacific Beach Middle and referrals from San Diego Unified School District and San Diego Junior Lifeguards. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Ready to Get in the Water?
Parents in San Diego: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for San Diego 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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