Un Mar de Colores · Solana Beach, CA
College and pro-surfing pathway counseling helps Solana Beach scholars navigate scholarships and sponsorship reality.
Un Mar de Colores's Surf Athletic Scholarship program supports competitive BIPOC youth and teens from Solana Beach 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 Fletcher Cove. Referrals and nominations come through Solana Beach School District athletics programs and our partner community organizations.
Ongoing · Completely free
Solana Beach's Fletcher Cove is one of North County's safest lifeguarded swim-and-surf beaches, making it ideal for our One Ocean Scholarship cohorts. We partner with Solana Beach School District and the San Dieguito Union High School District for youth recruitment, with a focus on inland neighborhoods east of I-5 where coastal access is geographically close but economically out of reach.
BIPOC surf scholarship in Solana Beach matters because 24% of local residents are BIPOC yet contest lineups and sponsorship culture still center a narrow demographic. Scholarship recipients from Solana Beach School District bring representation that changes judging rooms and sponsor attention.
Surf Athletic Scholarship for BIPOC surfers in Solana Beach covers competition entry fees, California contest circuit travel, high-performance gear, and one-on-one coaching at zero family cost. Un Mar de Colores addresses financial barriers that excluded Latino, Indigenous, and Black youth from competitive surf pipelines — funded by grants and donors.
When we say free for Solana Beach youth, we mean wetsuits, soft-tops, rashguards, sunscreen, transportation, and instruction — the full stack commercial programs charge $50–$150 per session for.
With 13,296 residents, Solana Beach 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.
Primary Solana Beach teaching location. One of North County's safest lifeguarded swim-and-surf beaches.
Fletcher Cove was opened in 1946 after dynamite was used to blast through the sandstone bluffs — creating the only public beach access in Solana Beach.
In partnership with Solana Beach School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 2+ 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. Solana Beach teens get support beyond contest heats.
Yes — physical therapy and injury prevention are included. Solana Beach athletes aren't told to compete through pain because rehab wasn't budgeted at home.
Contact Un Mar de Colores or ask your Solana Beach School District counselor for referral. Competitive enrollment requires demonstrated contest skill and need — we'll evaluate Solana Beach athletes for current cohort availability.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Solana Beach are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Solana Vista Elementary, Skyline School, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Solana Beach family has ever paid for our programming.
Primary water sessions run at Fletcher Cove. Classroom components happen at La Colonia de Eden Gardens Community Center and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
We serve youth ages Youth & teens. In Solana Beach specifically, our recruitment runs through Solana Beach School District — with priority enrollment for students from Solana Vista Elementary, Skyline 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 Fletcher Cove, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Solana Beach, 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 Solana Beach, 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 Solana Beach surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 24%-BIPOC Solana Beach 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 Solana Beach, not just those who can afford access.
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Solana Vista Elementary, Skyline School and referrals from La Colonia de Eden Gardens Community Center and Boys & Girls Club of Solana Beach. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Volunteer, donate, or enroll — however you join, you're helping Solana Beach youth access the coast.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Solana Beach 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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