Un Mar de Colores · Santee, CA
Mentorship & Gear for Santee Competitive Surfers
Competition entry fees, travel costs, high-performance gear, and one-on-one coaching — funded for BIPOC surfers from Santee.
Un Mar de Colores's Surf Athletic Scholarship program supports competitive BIPOC youth and teens from Santee and the greater San Diego region. Scholarship athletes receive high-performance gear, competition entry fees, coaching, and travel support across the California contest circuit. Training sessions happen at our nearest coastal breaks including OB Pier (17 miles) and Coronado Central (16 miles) (closest breaks to Santee). Referrals and nominations come through Santee School District / Grossmont Union High athletics programs and our partner community organizations.
Schedule — Santee 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.
- —High-performance boards and wetsuits cost thousands — your teen competes on borrowed gear while peers have sponsor packages.
- —Bilingual family support matters — contest world defaults to English-only parent communications.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Representation changes contest culture — BIPOC scholars from Santee visible in regional lineups.
- High-performance wetsuits and boards provided — contest-grade equipment sized for your athlete.
- Sponsorship navigation and athlete branding taught honestly — industry literacy for Santee families.
Why We Run This Program in Santee
Santee is an East County city home to Santee School District (approximately 6,000 students). Our Santee cohort travels 17 miles to OB Pier for water programming, making Santee one of our more transportation-intensive partnerships. Hill Creek and Cajon Park Elementary are our Title I partnership schools.
- Population
- 58,895
- BIPOC residents
- 38%
- Spanish-speaking households
- 17%
- Distance to beach
- 17 mi
Surf Athletic Scholarship in Santee — What You Should Know
Surf Athletic Scholarship in Santee is part of Un Mar's BIPOC-led Cali-Baja movement — competitive surfing as access right, not pay-to-play country club.
Judging literacy coaching teaches Santee athletes how heats are scored — compete strategically, not just athletically.
Why Santee Matters to Our Mission
Santee families deserve instructors who look like their kids and speak their language. With 38% BIPOC residents, bilingual coaching isn't a nice-to-have — it's how we earn trust on day one.
Recruitment in Santee 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 Santee Partners & Referral Sources
In partnership with Santee School District / Grossmont Union High and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 2+ Title I schools.
School district & Title I partners
- Santee School District / Grossmont Union High
- •Hill Creek Elementary
- •Cajon Park Elementary
Community partners
- ◆Santee School District
- ◆Santee Library
- ◆Town Center Community Park
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 Santee 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
Un Mar de Colores is recognized by partners including the San Diego Foundation, Surfrider San Diego, WILDCOAST, and school districts across San Diego — not a pop-up program, a sustained movement.
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 Santee
Is there college counseling for Santee scholarship surfers?+
Yes — college and pro-surfing pathway counseling covers NCAA surf scholarships, alternative pathways, and honest industry navigation. Santee teens get support beyond contest heats.
Does scholarship include injury support?+
Yes — physical therapy and injury prevention are included. Santee athletes aren't told to compete through pain because rehab wasn't budgeted at home.
Is surf scholarship bilingual for Santee families?+
Yes — parent communications during contest season are bilingual. In Santee, where 17% of households are Spanish-speaking, logistics, deadlines, and coverage are explained in English and Spanish.
Are surf athletic scholarship in Santee really free?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Santee are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Santee family has ever paid for our programming.
Where exactly do surf athletic scholarship happen in Santee?+
Santee is 17 miles inland from the coast, so our cohorts are shuttled to OB Pier (17 miles) — our nearest Un Mar teaching beach. Classroom components including curriculum, cultural arts, and tutoring happen at Santee School District and partner schools inside Santee.
What ages can enroll in Santee?+
We serve youth ages Youth & teens. In Santee specifically, our recruitment runs through Santee School District / Grossmont Union High — with priority enrollment for students from Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary. 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 OB Pier (17 miles), supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Santee, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at inland pools via our Santee School District partnership for students who request extra comfort-building.
Are lessons taught in Spanish in Santee?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Santee, where 17% 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 Santee?+
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Santee surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 38%-BIPOC Santee 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 Santee, not just those who can afford access.
How do I sign my Santee child up?+
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary and referrals from Santee School District and Santee Library. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Ready to Get in the Water?
Join hundreds of Santee families who trust Un Mar de Colores for free ocean programming. Enroll today.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Santee 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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