Frequently Asked Questions

 

At Surfers Healing, we welcome children of all ability levels, and our skilled instructors meet them right where they are in terms of physical capacity. That said, your child may well surprise you … it's amazing what can happen when we get out in the water!

Like you, we consider the safety of our campers a top priority. That's why we make sure that we have the proper insurance and beach permits in place for every event we host. Likewise, we limit surf camps to a predesignated number of attendees so that everyone can have a safe, fun experience. We also provide every participant with necessary safety items, such as wetsuits and life vests. Finally, we welcome skilled volunteers to assist us in our camps; in fact, most of our volunteers have a decade or more of surf experience. Our volunteers teach proper positioning and surf skills first thing, which also helps ensure safety.

We love the enthusiasm! Contact Danielle Paskowitz, daniellepsc@aol.com, 949-290-9420.

You bet! We have a fantastic team of partners, and we're adding to the roster regularly. Our partners provide resources, money, and manpower to help keep our camps afloat. If you're interested in facilitating a partnership, contact Danielle Paskowitz, daniellepsc@aol.com, 949-290-9420.

Our current wish list includes the following items:

  • Board trailer for east coast
  • Board trailer for west coast
  • Trophies (to give each child when they finish surfing)
  • Sponsors for tandem boards
  • Pop up tents
  • Fins
  • Fin screws
  • Leashes
  • Wax
  • Life jackets
  • Wetsuits
  • GoPro cameras
  • Food/lunch sponsors
  • Water/drinks
  • Portable, battery-powered PA’s
  • Gift bag items for kids
  • iMac Desk Top for Video
  • Go Pros - online content
  • Donationed Editor
  • Editing Software
  • SUP sponsor
  • New Surfboards
  • Vintage Surfboards
  • Apparel Sponsor
  • Wetsuit Sponsor
  • Surfers Healing Surfboards (longboards, retail to public)
  • Complete Set of Color Correct Childrens life-vests
  • Assemble our Surfers Healing Street Team
  • VIP Volunteers team outfit
  • Airline Sponsor
  • Hotel Sponsor
  • Get gear out to our celebrity supporters

Definitely. We welcome donations; check out our wish list above! If you're interested in making an equipment or resource donation, contact Danielle Paskowitz, daniellepsc@aol.com, 949-290-9420.

In the last few years, we've had a surge of interest in sibling sign-ups. We welcome the entire family to enjoy a day at the beach together, but the surfing component of our camps is reserved exclusively for individuals with autism. (Our insurance does not cover typically-developing participants.) We'd love to accommodate everyone, but we already receive far more registration requests for individuals with autism than we can fulfill.

We give priority access to individuals who haven't yet attended a Surfers Healing camp. If you and yours have attended camp with us in the past, please consider leaving space for a new participant to enroll. (If you do sign up, we simply ask that you respect the priority policy.) We're thrilled that you like our camps; all we ask that you give others an opportunity to enjoy them too.

Make note of registration dates, as indicated here on our website. Be sure to mark your calendars!

When you're ready to sign up, visit our Schedule page and click on the event you'd like to attend. Fill out the required information, and wait to see that your request has been processed. Note that for camps subject to the lottery process, our registration period is typically just 48 hours. After registration closes, you will be notified within 72 hours if you have been selected or if you have been placed on the waitlist.

Camps not subject to the lottery process will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Regrettably, the demand for spots always exceeds our capacity; though we're opening more camps each year, we can only welcome a small percentage of applicants. Want to help us change that? Visit our Donate and Volunteer pages.