Un Mar de Colores · Point Loma, CA
Free Cross-Border Watershed Learning in Point Loma
Water belongs to everyone in Point Loma. Watershed education reclaims the story of who protects it.
Un Mar de Colores's Watershed Explorers program brings Point Loma youth into the full watershed-to-ocean story of San Diego County. Day trips and overnight summer cohorts trace mountain streams from Cuyamaca State Park to the coast, including your own Point Loma beaches. We partner with San Diego Unified School District and community organizations including Cabrillo National Monument (NPS) and Point Loma Nazarene University to recruit from Point Loma High, Cabrillo Elementary. Every program integrates the Tijuana River watershed case study — the only cross-border river in Southern California.
Schedule — Point Loma Program Days
Summer cohorts + year-round school field trips · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —Your teen asks why the ocean smells after rain — school never mapped the pipeline from Point Loma storm drains to Sunset Cliffs and Garbage Beach.
- —You live on the coast from Cuyamaca but can't organize a family trip to trace water from mountains to ocean.
- —Climate change lessons feel hopeless — your teen wants advocacy tools, not another slide deck about polar bears.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Water stewardship as movement — Point Loma families join a county-wide network protecting shared watersheds.
- Policy and clean water advocacy training — students learn organizing, not just observation.
- Cross-border Cali-Baja framing prepares Point Loma youth to understand Imperial Beach closures honestly.
Why We Run This Program in Point Loma
Point Loma's Sunset Cliffs coastline is too advanced for beginner instruction, but our Point Loma youth cohorts travel to OB Pier and Dog Beach for water sessions, with dryland instruction at Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma Nazarene University (our educational partner). The Kumeyaay coastal history of the peninsula is woven into every Point Loma cohort curriculum.
- Population
- 32,000
- BIPOC residents
- 34%
- Spanish-speaking households
- 17%
- Distance to beach
- Coastal
Watershed Education in Point Loma — What You Should Know
Certified naturalist educators differentiate Un Mar field trips from volunteer-led school outings that skip safety and curriculum rigor.
How much does watershed camp cost in California? Paid eco-camps run hundreds per student. Un Mar de Colores provides overnight Watershed Explorers and school field trips free for Point Loma youth and classrooms.
Why Point Loma Matters to Our Mission
With 32,000 residents, Point Loma 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.
Whether Point Loma is on the coast or on the coast inland, we treat transportation as part of the program — not an extra parents must figure out. That's how you build real access, not marketing copy.
Local Point Loma Partners & Referral Sources
In partnership with San Diego Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 2+ Title I schools.
School district & Title I partners
- San Diego Unified School District
- •Point Loma High
- •Cabrillo Elementary
Community partners
- ◆Cabrillo National Monument (NPS)
- ◆Point Loma Nazarene University
- ◆Point Loma Library
Program Curriculum
The Watershed Explorers program is Un Mar de Colores's flagship environmental education offering. Summer overnight cohorts trace the journey from Cuyamaca Rancho State Park's mountain streams to the San Diego coast, with special focus on the Tijuana River watershed — California's most cross-border and pollution-impacted river system. Curriculum integrates hydrology fundamentals, Indigenous Kumeyaay perspectives on water, and California coastal policy. Year-round day trips serve school field-trip groups across our 15+ Title I partner schools, and all programming is free with transportation included.
- →Hydrology fundamentals
- →Cuyamaca to coast watershed tracing
- →Tijuana River cross-border watershed case study
- →Indigenous Kumeyaay relationship with water
- →Climate change and coastal resilience
- →Policy and advocacy for clean water
What's Included — Free for Every Point Loma Youth
- ✓Overnight summer program option (Watershed Explorers)
- ✓Day-trip school field trips throughout the year
- ✓Bilingual curriculum materials
- ✓Transportation from partner schools
- ✓Certified naturalist educators
- ✓Family engagement opportunities
Why Un Mar de Colores
Our coaches include graduates of the Surf Athletic Scholarship program and bilingual educators who reflect the BIPOC communities we serve. We partner with 15+ Title I schools across North County and San Diego.
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 — Watershed Education in Point Loma
What do students learn about climate change?+
Climate change and coastal resilience modules connect global patterns to Point Loma beaches — storm intensification, sea level rise, and advocacy for clean water policy. Students learn organizing tools, not hopeless anxiety.
What is the Tijuana River watershed case study?+
The Tijuana River is California's most cross-border and pollution-impacted river system — closing beaches near Imperial Beach and affecting South County shores accessible from Point Loma. Our curriculum teaches hydrology, environmental justice, and policy with honesty, preparing San Diego youth to understand cross-border water reality.
Is transportation provided from Point Loma?+
Transportation from partner Title I schools is included for classroom field trips. Inland Point Loma classrooms (on the coast from mountain or coastal sites) reach field locations because Un Mar solves buses — not teachers fundraising.
Are watershed education in Point Loma really free?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Point Loma are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Point Loma High, Cabrillo Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Point Loma family has ever paid for our programming.
Where exactly do watershed education happen in Point Loma?+
Primary water sessions run at Sunset Cliffs. Classroom components happen at Cabrillo National Monument (NPS) and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
What ages can enroll in Point Loma?+
We serve youth ages All ages. In Point Loma specifically, our recruitment runs through San Diego Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Point Loma High, Cabrillo 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 Sunset Cliffs, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Point Loma, 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 Point Loma?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Point Loma, 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 watershed education in Point Loma?+
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Point Loma surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 34%-BIPOC Point Loma 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 Point Loma, not just those who can afford access.
How do I sign my Point Loma child up?+
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Point Loma High, Cabrillo Elementary and referrals from Cabrillo National Monument (NPS) and Point Loma Nazarene University. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Ready to Get in the Water?
Ready to get your child in the water? Contact Un Mar de Colores — priority enrollment for Point Loma Title I school students.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Point Loma 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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