Un Mar de Colores · Solana Beach, CA
Kumeyaay-led healing modules developed with elders — coastal stewardship as cultural recovery, not decoration.
Un Mar de Colores offers free surf therapy sessions for Solana Beach youth ages 6–17, combining licensed mental health support with trauma-informed surf coaching. Sessions run at Fletcher Cove with full safety coverage. Referrals come through Solana Beach School District counselors and community partners including La Colonia de Eden Gardens Community Center and Boys & Girls Club of Solana Beach. Cohorts are capped at 8 youth for safety and therapeutic depth.
Monthly cohorts, year-round · 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.
Kumeyaay-led healing modules in surf therapy connect Solana Beach youth to Indigenous coastal stewardship narratives — not erased by generic mindfulness language. Cultural grounding is clinical strategy, not decoration.
Looking for free mental health surf programs for kids in Solana Beach? Every cohort includes licensed MH professionals, trauma-informed coaches, wetsuits, boards, transportation, and family caregiver sessions — commercial ocean therapy often charges $150–$300 per session.
Recruitment in Solana Beach 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.
Cross-border watershed work matters to Solana Beach because Tijuana River pollution and coastal health don't stop at a border fence. Our education modules name that reality honestly.
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.
Surf therapy at Un Mar de Colores is more than recreational — it's a structured, trauma-informed mental health program that uses the ocean as a therapeutic setting. Licensed mental health professionals partner with trauma-informed surf coaches to deliver small-group sessions (8 youth maximum) combining ocean-based mindfulness, somatic movement, and culturally grounded healing modules developed with Kumeyaay elders. The program is especially effective for youth navigating anxiety, grief, immigration-related stress, and family instability. All programming is free and open to youth referred through partner schools, mental health agencies, and community organizations.
We do not charge families. Ever. That policy is structural — grants, donors, and shop revenue fund access so Solana Beach youth are never waitlisted for inability to pay.
“"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 — family and caregiver support sessions are part of the program. Solana Beach parents and guardians receive bilingual updates and dedicated sessions — healing isn't isolated to the child on the board.
Yes — pathways open to Ocean Stewards after-school, year-round surf lessons, and other Un Mar programs. Therapy cohorts are a bridge, not a dead end for Solana Beach youth.
Surf therapy is a structured, trauma-informed mental health program using the ocean as a therapeutic setting. Licensed mental health professionals partner with certified surf coaches to deliver small-group sessions (eight youth max) combining ocean-based mindfulness, somatic movement, and Kumeyaay-led healing modules for BIPOC youth ages 6–17 in Solana Beach.
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 6–17. 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.
Parents in Solana Beach: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
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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