Surf Mexico’s Team brought the SUPKids Summer Camp from July 31st to August 11th in conjunction with Punta Mita Ocean Sports, forming a team who is in charge of the water sports operation of Punta Mita.
Kupuri Beach Club, Residents Beach Club and La Lancha Surf Break were the locations where all of the activities took place.
The camp offered 2 exciting weeks of aquatic activities and lessons designed to teach the kids about water safety and environmental awareness. Here’s the recap of the camp with the most important activities.
Hazard Maps
The idea behind the first lesson is to help kids become more aware of their surroundings and make smart decisions before entering the water. At La Lancha Surf Break, the kids learned the definition of hazards by drawing a map in the sand identifying the type of hazards that a beach could have.
Next, the kids received a surf lesson by the instructor Fernando Stalla, a well known athlete in the international surf and stand up paddle scene and mexican surfer of the year in 2012. The kids were able to take some waves with confidence, even though it was the first time for some of them.
10 SUP Kids Rules
One of the very first things the SUPKids learn in this camp is how to stay safe in the water. Once they know this, all of the activities are a lot more fun.
The SUPKids were introduced to the 10 rules as the foundation for water safety and environmental education, the kids talked about their experiences. Then it was time for the Stand Up Paddle lesson by Vero Nava and Javier “Bicho” Jiménez, the number one paddler in Mexico and one of the best in the world. The beautiful beach of Kupuri was the place for this fun activity.
Rope Rescues
The rope rescues lesson started with a discussion about how to identify someone in danger, by looking tired or panicked and struggling to stay afloat in the water.
On the Hobie Cat, the SUPKids learned how to identify a swimmer in trouble, and they performed basic rope rescue maneuvers. By splitting the group in two, half of them were splashing in the water (with life jackets) and the others rescued them using the ropes. Did you know that rescuing with a rope is the smartest way to help someone in trouble?
Micro Adventures
A micro adventure is a simple, short and safe kind of adventure that everybody can do.
The main adventures for this camp were a snorkel activity at Punto Iguano, where the kids saw the corals and colorful fish; and the Starship excursion at Residents’ Beach Club, where the kids, as a team with the instructors, paddled together throughout the beach’s blue water.
Ocean Plastics
This lesson was about the dangers of ocean plastics. Plastics are causing a lot of problems for our environment. We use way too much plastic – it’s in almost everything we use, from packaging to toys, and a lot of it ends up in our waterways and in the ocean.
The activity for this lesson was to do a beach clean up. The kids picked up trash throughout the Kupuri Beach Club, and with the trash collected created an art installation for people at the club to see.
Healthy SUP Kids
In this lesson, SUPKids learned about the importance of staying fit and healthy. A cross fit circuit training is a great way to stay fit and to be ready for any aquatic activity. The kids completed an exercise circuit with stretches and jogging at the beach of Kupuri.
Eating good food is also super important. Food is the fuel your body uses to move, grow, and repair itself. Surf Mexico’s team offered healthy snacks at lunch break every day. The daily lunch menu consisted of fruits, healthy cookies and bars.
Ocean Currents
The final lesson for the camp was all about going on adventures. The kids learned about ocean currents, the story of some amazing explorers and how they can plan their own adventures without having to go too far from home.
The final activity consisted of replicating the expedition of Thor Heyerdahl, a famous norwegian explorer. The kids with their instructors built a raft using a couple of Starships and used the sea currents to set sail and go from Residents to Kupuri.
