Un Mar de Colores · Santee, CA
Climate & Clean Water Advocacy — Free for Santee
Family engagement opportunities — parents from Santee join field days and overnight orientation sessions.
Un Mar de Colores's Watershed Explorers program brings Santee 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, returning to OB Pier (17 miles) and Coronado Central (16 miles) (closest breaks to Santee) for ocean-based lessons. We partner with Santee School District / Grossmont Union High and community organizations including Santee School District and Santee Library to recruit from Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary. Every program integrates the Tijuana River watershed case study — the only cross-border river in Southern California.
Schedule — Santee Program Days
Summer cohorts + year-round school field trips · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —Bilingual watershed materials matter — most Santee-area science programs default to English-only field guides.
- —Kumeyaay water relationships are absent from school curriculum — your child hears about Indigenous history without Indigenous science.
- —College pathways in marine science feel vague — watershed education should connect to careers, not just camp memories.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Indigenous Kumeyaay perspectives on water integrated into hydrology fundamentals — culturally grounded science.
- Tijuana River cross-border case study — honest teaching about pollution, policy, and environmental justice.
- NGSS-aligned curriculum supports Santee School District / Grossmont Union High teachers with real field science alignment.
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
Watershed Education in Santee — What You Should Know
Hydrology field education near OB Pier (17 miles) and Coronado Central (16 miles) connects classroom water cycle lessons to standing in streams and measuring flow — Santee students learn by tracing, not memorizing.
Climate change and coastal resilience modules in Santee watershed education teach advocacy alongside science — students learn policy tools for clean water, not hopeless climate anxiety.
Why Santee Matters to Our Mission
When we say free for Santee youth, we mean wetsuits, soft-tops, rashguards, sunscreen, transportation, and instruction — the full stack commercial programs charge $50–$150 per session for.
Environmental justice in Santee isn't abstract: watershed health, beach closures, and plastic pollution affect the same communities we serve. Our programs connect surf skills to stewardship of San Diego's coastline.
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 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 Santee 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
We do not charge families. Ever. That policy is structural — grants, donors, and shop revenue fund access so Santee youth are never waitlisted for inability to pay.
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 Santee
Is watershed education free for Santee schools?+
Yes — 100% free. Year-round day-trip field trips for Santee School District / Grossmont Union High classrooms include bilingual materials, certified naturalist educators, and transportation. Overnight Watershed Explorers summer cohorts are also free for Santee youth — no tuition or material fees.
What pathways open after watershed education?+
Youth connect to ocean stewardship cleanups, Ocean Stewards after-school, and marine science career exposure. Watershed education is an entry point for Santee environmental leadership.
Can Santee School District / Grossmont Union High teachers book field trips from Santee?+
Yes — we partner with 15+ Title I schools for year-round day-trip field trips. Teachers contact Un Mar to schedule NGSS-aligned hydrology, climate resilience, and advocacy modules with transportation included for Santee classrooms.
Are watershed education 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 watershed education 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 All ages. 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 watershed education 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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