We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. We are planning on being open for summer 2020 as long as the beaches are open and we can safely operate. When surfing we are naturally social distancing with being outside in the fresh air, sunshine and salt water. This virus does not transmit in the ocean. The virus does not live on surfaces during sunshine. With that being said our number one priority is the safety of our campers and not transmitting this virus. Some bullet points for what we might have to do this summer to social distance:
- We will separate the kids other than siblings 6ft apart during lunch and stretch time. Shade is incredibly important while not surfing. We will have extra shade and we will also ask for students to bring or rent a beach umbrella that we will assemble for them at a safe distance from other students directly in our surf camp headquarters on the beach under supervision.
- Campers will be grouped 3-4 students per instructor and the grouping will be with siblings and friends who they will be grouped with for their duration of surf camp. If camper comes solo, they will be grouped with kids their age and experience level.
- We will temperature check all students and staff at check in before camp starts each day. If anyone has a fever they will be asked to go home and quarantine to avoid spreading the virus.
- We will limit our capacity. Sign ups will be on a first come, first serve basis for surf camp. If we have to cut campers out that are pre registered but signed up later than the students who got in, we will add another camp to start 1/2 hour after the 1st camp starts for them to join. We might shorten the regular 4 hour camp a 1/2 hour to 3.5 hours and cut out beach games to limit virus spread with not loosing any surf time. We will add mini camps as well.
- We will have a contactless instruction technique like they do in France. The kids will catch their own waves while our instructors coach them in the water at a safe distance and will be there for them if the students need our help. If students need our assistance, we will grab their board, not body to help them. Through-out the years we have always been trained to never touch our students directly and this will not change. Younger students will stay shallow to work on catching the waves after they break close to the beach in shallow water for extra safety.
- The kids and staff will have to wear masks when not surfing and apply disinfection gel on their hands numerous times through-out the day like sunblock. We will have designated disinfection times like we do with sunblock and will provide plenty of disinfection. If students borrow a wetsuit, they will use the same wetsuit for the duration of their camp. We might not provide rash guards but sell (optional) this summer to campers to help contain the virus spread.
- As per camp updates, we will be in close contact with the town of Long Branch and the state of NJ to follow recommended guidelines. If we need to cancel due to beach closures, we will be emailing everyone as soon as we know to let them know that they will be refunded and what to look for in their bank account. If we need to delay camp, we will email everyone as soon as we know and let them know they can receive the refund or move their week later in the summer when we open back up.
- The exact time frame for all of this will be what the city of Long Branch and state gives us. If they say no camp until July, we will let everyone know updates ASAP that are registered before July. We will also email everyone before camp if we are on but have to change our program a little to let them know what to expect and what to bring to camp.
- Currently, we are offering a $100 deposit per student to lock students in with the early bird extension to June 1st, 2020. To send a deposit you can email us or call us and we will send you details.
We will still have that 2-2.5 hours a day of actual surf time this summer, student to instructor ratios will be low and we will create a fun and safe program this summer that is fully geared to surfing. Safety of the campers and containing this virus are the most important aspects of Summa Love this summer. By late June we are hoping for a robust testing and tracing protocol in New Jersey so ALL of our staff will be tested regularly, beaches will be open and we will be good to go! Camp could very well be different this summer, but we do have a good feeling about this summer season and we can not wait! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Contact Bryan or Gina at (908) 910-4552 or info@summalove.com. Thank you for being a part of the Summa Love family 2020! This summer we hope to continue our tradition of creating great memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
