Posted by Kasey Schollenberger | 10.10.2023 | Employment

Living the dream – A Day in the Life of a Surfing Professional

Did you know that there are careers in the world of surfing that don’t include competitions, sponsors, and surfing when you’re told to surf?  Here at WB Surf Camp, not all of us are professional surfers, but all of us are surfing professionals!  The people who make our camps, lessons, and retreats happen are individuals who have fallen in love with surfing and the lifestyle that accompanies it and have worked hard to find fulfilling careers in the surfing industry without becoming professional surfers.  Many don’t realize that they can make the sport of surfing a part of their work life and more than just a hobby or summertime activity, even if they picked it up later in life.

A lot of us started out as Surf Lesson Instructors or as Summer Surf Camp Counselors, both of which we will be looking for as we get closer to the 2024 summer season.  As an instructor or counselor at WB Surf Camp, your day starts early, but as a surfer you’re already accustomed to seeing the sunrise on the beach, right?  You’ll meet your first clients of the day out on the beach as you check for the best peak to work during your lesson and spend the rest of the morning in the water meeting new people and spreading your passion for surfing!  Surf Lesson Instructors may have three or four lessons each day, but even with a full docket of lessons, you’ll finish your day in the early hours of the afternoon to go enjoy a summer afternoon before tomorrow.

Camp counselors at WB Surf Camp really live the life.  With oceanfront housing provided during the season plus three meals daily prepared by our very own team of chefs, who wouldn’t take the opportunity to live, work, and surf at the beach for a summer?  While counselors work full days and nights, those days are spent riding waves, helping new surfers practice the skills you’ve taught, and relaxing on the back porch overlooking the break in between.  Did we mention full access to a range of surf craft provided to the camp counselors each summer? There’s that too!  No matter what conditions, we want you to be able to go catch a few in your free time!

Who runs this whole operation? That would be our admin team of program coordinators and directors, made up of surfers, SCUBA divers, environmentalists, and people who are passionate about sharing the ocean with our participants.  Half of us started out as Surf Instructors and Camp Counselors in this very company before rising through the ranks of management.  I have only ever worked in the Surf and Tourism Industries, as I love to share the stoke of surfing and my passion for coastal culture!  Everyone in the admin team loves what they do for a living and enjoys a fun office culture that encourages them to get away from the desk and into the water when the swell shows up.

Now, with great fun comes great responsibilities, and we take our safety training seriously.  If you’re interested in working in the water with new surfers, whether with us or elsewhere in the world, it’s necessary to learn the lifesaving basics of CPR, basic first aid, and how to use an AED.  The easiest way to check all these boxes is to become a certified lifeguard, which will also come with skills that ALL surfers and ocean lovers should have.

How can you become a surfing professional? It’s as simple as visiting www.wbsurfcamp.com/employment and submitting a short application – the form only takes five minutes to complete!  If we see that you’re not only passionate but also responsible and willing to learn, we will call you to introduce ourselves and find a way to make you a part of the team!  So, head on over and let us know if you’re the right person for our team next season, we can’t wait to hear from you!

–  Chase O’Briant, Program Coordinator