Is there a better birthday present for a 12-year-old than surfing in Malibu? Not for Ian Ferrier. On Aug. 7, Ferrier spent a part of his celebration day at the City of Malibu’s Aspects Surf Camp. Why such a big deal you might ask?
While Malibu will always be his home, Ferrier currently lives halfway across the world in the small country of the United Arab Emirates. Rather than spending the summer near the Persian Gulf, Ferrier is enjoying his vacation time along the Pacific Ocean. He grew up in Malibu the first nine years of his life.
“[Attending the surf camp] means a lot because I haven’t seen my friends in a very long time. It gives me a warm feeling in my heart,” said Ferrier, who lives with his father in the UAE while visiting his mom in Malibu during the summer. “This is a wonderful present from my mom and dad. Not a lot of people get to experience this. It’s just so fun.”
Ferrier and 14 other campers were a part of the four-day surfing camp held last week. A few yards away, 16 other campers were having the time of their lives at the Freedom Surf Camp. With the Aspects Surf Camp hosting many of the local youth, the Freedom Surf Camp opens its doors to kids from over the hill in the San Fernando Valley or down the coast in Santa Monica.
Together the two camps have worked collaboratively this summer to share beach and ocean space.
“If the waves are good in one spot, we will share that break as much as we can,” said Freedom Surf Camp instructor Charlie Beck. “We all communicate and try and learn together because this is a great spot to learn.”
Rich Lawson, instructor for Aspects Surf Camp and a teacher at Malibu High School, noted the kids were learning in a perfect environment.
“This is really an ideal place to teach how to surf,” Lawson said. “This is probably the most inclusive athletic recreational activity that these kids can do. They are out there with Mother Nature with the waves and the surfing. We want to bring the whole surfing community here who are interested in having their kids learn.”
On a recent sun-splashed day at Surfrider Beach, Beck and Lawson took to the water to teach the kids how to anticipate a wave, catch a wave and ultimately stand and maintain balance on a surfboard while surfing to the shore.
For Beck, teaching a young boy or girl from scratch and seeing the development throughout the week is inspiring.
“It’s pretty fun to see a brand new kid come to the beach with no ocean experience and take him out and show him a few of the fundamentals and then 10 minutes later he catches his first wave,” Beck said. “For us, we can still remember our first wave and what it felt like. That’s the feeling we are trying to share with these kids.”
Twin sisters Anabelle and Chloe Murray, 10, drive in each day from Hollywood with anticipation and excitement. The 40-minute each direction is well worth it.
“I love surfing because it’s sort of a rush when the wave takes you up and pushes you,” Anabelle said. “I learned how to stand up and sort of turn and go down the line.”
The Murray twins were inspired to take up a surfboard after watching their big brother in action.
“Our older brother is a great surfer and we wanted to learn,” Chloe said. “It’s really fun. As you get better you get to learn new things.”
In addition to providing campers with surfing instruction, Lawson spends some time each Thursday teaching them about the history of Malibu, the sacred grounds of Third Point and the original Malibu inhabitants, the Chumash tribe.
“It’s a surf camp but we also share some education with them,” he said. “These are teachable moments. Respecting and understanding the history of this area is so important too.”
With school beginning in a few weeks, campers like Camryn Kohn are taking in the full experience at Aspects Surf Camp.
“Just being here in Malibu is so beautiful,” Kohn, 12, said. “Everyone here is so nice to you. When you go surfing and you get a wave, everyone cheers you on. It’s so full of joy and there is never a bad day.”
