Hanging Ten with WB Surf Camp!

We just got back from a great week in Topsail Island – located in Surf City, NC. One of the really niceSydney goes to surf camp things about the area is that it’s a quiet beach where the emphasis is on relaxing and spending time with your family. Which is awesome if you’re an adult. Not so much if you’re a kid. Especially a kid over the age of 10. Trust me, I have 5 years of this parenting a tween/teen thing under my belt at this point, so I know that if the Rooster and I are going to have a good time on vacation, we I need to plan ahead to make sure the 15 and under crowd are well entertained.

Which is why I thought it would be BRILLIANT to contact the folks over at WB Surf Camp to see if they’d be interested in exchanging a few lessons for me introducing all of you some of the things they had to offer. I emailed WB Surf Camp with my request and received a prompt response from the Big Kahuna, Rick who said they would be happy to work with us and promptly put me in touch with Shelby. Shelby was an absolute dream with getting me organized with what we needed to have a good time. The only downside to my big plan was that the minimum age for kids to take surf lessons is 11 years old – which meant 2 of our 6 would be unable to take surfing lessons. This was a shame as they had all got an adorable wet suit from Ann’s Cottage Surf Shop.

As it turns out, we shifted our plans so that 5 of the 6 kids could take SUP lessons (more on that later this week!) but Sydney was determined to take surfing lessons and the gang at WB Surf Camp was more than happy to oblige.

Surfing lessons are offered in either private or group and the cost depends on how many are in your group. The minimum time is 2 hour lessons and can go up to 3 or more. Not only do they have “regular” lessons, they have TONS of camps for all ages and can I say that I’m a little jealous that some of their camps go to places like California and Hawaii?!?! What’s up with that?? Hey Rick – do me a favor – don’t let Sydney know about those because I might have to take out a second mortgage. Another cool thing that they offer is they’ll come to you and your group if you’re staying in an area that they service! For this event, we made the trip to the big town of Wrightsville for our morning lessons, which was a nice break in itself.

Sydney was paired with Kevin – a great guy who’s currently enrolled at UNCW (where Mackenzie already wanted to go before we even went down). We learned that Kevin is quite the world surfer – including a four month stint in Australia. Now, I’m not a surfer, but I’ve seen enough movies to know that there are some sweet spots in the world to surf and Australia is definitely top of the list. I enjoyed chatting with Kevin and getting to know him a little bit before he took on the task of teaching Syd to surf.

WB Surf Camp collage

What I loved the most about WB Surf Camp is that they are extremely detailed oriented and no one goes anywhere until they have been well-educated on the lay of the land. Or the way of the water. Kevin spent an entire HOUR with Sydney explaining to her everything from the design of the surfboard, SAFETY, the marine life (man-eating sharks would not be an issue), how to read the waves and know which one was THE one and how to pop up on the board and catch that wave. Once he felt confident that she had a grasp on everything, it was time to hit the waves.

By the time we got back from the SUP lessons, she had completed the first part of her lesson and they were in the ocean. I cannot tell you how much it warmed this Mom’s heart to see her girl not only having a great time but SHE WAS SURFING!!! She got in at least 5 or 6 times that we saw and somehow, I was lucky enough to be filming at the right time (for a change) and caught her cruising all the way in.. the look of delight and pride on her face was worth everything!

I may be biased, but I think Sydney was a natural. I had a hunch that it was going to be a sport that she loved – especially since she’s the dare-devil of my three girls. But more than that, she’s VERY determined. Even though people told her that surfing was hard, she was undeterred to take the lesson (she was actually pretty ticked when I told her I had requested the surf lessons be changed to SUP lessons) and in the end, she did exactly what I knew she would do – she kicked ass. She loved Kevin’s patience and how well he explained everything in a way that she could understand and without being a boring adult.

The entire crew at WB Surf Camp gets a huge thumbs up from all of us. If you’re planning a trip down to the NC beaches that they serve (and there are a lot!), I highly recommend getting in touch with them and catching some waves. I guarantee you that you will not regret it. I can’t wait to share with you the SUP lessons the other 5 (plus Jen!) took!!

Thanks again to Rick, Shelby and Kevin for an awesome day!!!

Make sure to follow WB Surf Camp on their social accounts –

WB Surf Camps on Facebook
WB Surf Camps on Instagram
WB Surf Camps on Twitter
WB Surf Camps on Pinterest
WB Surf Camps on YouTube

 

Disclaimer: I did not receive money for this review but did receive complimentary lessons in exchange for my review and promotion. While I was compensated in trade, it did not influence my opinion . All opinions are honest and mine.

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