Carolina Ocean Odyssey Overnight Camp

Overview

Carolina Ocean Odyssey is a co-ed residential summer camp for kids in 5th to 8th grade. The primary focus of this high quality low enrollment program is to introduce campers to a variety of ocean activities while gaining independence and an appreciation for protecting and enjoying our earth’s oceans.

Coastal North Carolina offers a unique setting for a hands-on, aquatic adventure program. With water temps averaging in the low 80’s, campers will jump right into adventure. Each day we’ll log time in the water learning a variety of water sports including boogie boarding, surfing, kayaking, and more!  In addition to water instruction, our marine educators lead the exploration of local habitats including dunes, salt marshes and tidal pools.

Campers receive expert instruction and care from our highly trained team. Prior to camp, our staff participate in a week of training, which includes life-guarding, marine science, surf coaching, ocean ecology, childhood development and behavior management. We are dedicated to being partners in parenting with all of our families.

Download our Kids Summer Camp catalog HERE

Highlights include:

• Extensive daily boogie board and water sport instruction
• Stay at our ocean view facility in air conditioned rooms
• Enrollment limited to 24 campers
• Two Surf Sessions with a 2:1 student to instructor ratio
• Visit the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital
• Salt marsh exploration including seining, crabbing, clamming
• Learn ocean safety practices and the importance of conservation
• Surf movies, ping pong, foosball, volleyball, smash ball, beach bocce ball
  
• Enjoy a Hawaiian Luau and traditional camp activities

Includes: lodging on Topsail Island (in air-conditioned, ocean view rooms), all meals, 24-hour same gender adult supervision, equipment and professional instruction for all activities. Also included: transportation (including pick-up and drop-off from Wilmington International Airport-ILM), Sea Turtle Hospital donation, camp t-shirt and group photo. Families are responsible for round trip airfare to ILM or transportation to Topsail Island.

2023 Dates

Accommodations

Participants stay in the heart of Topsail Island. This 26-mile long barrier island has a rich history filled with pirates, fishermen, and surfers.

Campers are housed in our air conditioned, ocean view “Surf Shack.” This epic location, is only steps from where we surf. Campers will see the sun rise over the ocean while checking conditions from their balconies.

The rooms are gender-specific comfortable common areas. Each participant will have his or her own bed. WB Surf Camp staff members are housed on-site and will provide 24-hour, same-gender adult supervision. Campers will enjoy dining together in our very own dining hall.

Itinerary

Sunday

Upon arrival to the beautiful North Carolina coast you are met with the anticipation and excitement of fellow participants, parents, and counselors. It’s time for your camper to begin their journey as an ocean explorer! At orientation, the camp schedule and rules for the week will be explained by the Carolina Ocean Odyssey team. After orientation, your camper will take a walk across our private beach access and take their first swim in the ocean. Then it’s off to the dining hall for dinner, followed by evening beach activities where we’ll spend time playing games and getting to know each other. We will close out the day with opening campfire then head back to the bunks. The morning waves call early and we have to make sure we’re there on time and prepared!

Monday

This morning marks the start of a new odyssey! Your child will spend the week learning the fundamentals for becoming a true ocean adventurer. From the crest of a wave to the muddy depths of the salt marsh, we’ll explore them all, learning many valuable lessons along the way. After breakfast, your camper will head straight to the beach for a lesson on reading ocean conditions and boogie boarding basics. Then, it’s nothing but catching waves in our first boogie boarding session. After lunch and a short re-charge time, we will head to the sound side of North Topsail Beach for a kayak lesson and eco-tour.

To keep the stoke flowing, we’ll head back to the Shack to finish out the afternoon with another boogie boarding session. Following dinner, we will dig into some marine science with a game about sea turtles.

Tuesday

Your camper will begin the morning with breakfast, followed by some advanced boogie boarding techniques in the waves in front of our beach access. Then a quick rinse and it is time to head to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. Your camper will get to see real live sea turtles! From egg to hatchling to adult, turtles face many threats both on land and in the ocean. Your camper will become familiar with some of the obstacles they face while also seeing the positive impact humans can have, through the tireless work that the dedicated volunteers do at the hospital.

Tuesday afternoon it’s back to the beach for advanced boogie boarding practice. Building on the skills from previous sessions, campers will learn the concepts of wave dynamics, how to catch waves without assistance, riding the line, and even tricks! Taking a break from the sun we will head back to our ocean view campus for a snack and camp activities. The day will be closed out with a camp-wide evening program.

Wednesday

We’re half-way through our week of adventure. Today is our chance to apply all of the ocean skills we have learned. It is our first day of surfing! We will spend the morning with the professional instructors of WB Surf Camp learning to ride the best waves we can find. Having explored different beaches at different times, campers will understand how both the tide and the position of the beach can change the formation of the waves. In addition to working on surfing and water skills, we’ll continue to develop our ocean knowledge with an interactive lesson on barrier islands.

After lunch on the beach, we’ll head to the North Carolina Aquarium. Many campers have visited North Carolina Aquariums, but we get to see one from a completely different perspective. We’ll be guided through a behind-the-scenes tour to see all the marine animals that are kept on display, as well as some areas that you don’t see on a typical aquarium visit. Campers even get to feed the fish! It may even inspire your camper to become an aquarist. We will round out this day back on campus with a camp-wide dance party event.

Thursday

Surf day round two! Today, your camper builds on the skills learned Wednesday with a second day of surfing. We believe in a step-by-step teaching process that gradually builds confidence and understanding one day, and one wave, at a time. By having a second day of surfing, campers have another opportunity to hone their surfing skills, build ocean confidence, and practice. Surfing is a multi-faceted, learned skill. It is the culmination of every skill we have worked on throughout the week.

Barrier islands are long, skinny strips of land that are vital to protecting our coast from storm surges and hurricanes. We will be traveling to the backside of Topsail Island where you can find one of the most productive habitats in the world, the salt marsh. Campers will use dip nets, seine nets, and cast nets to catch and release some of the inhabitants of this ecosystem.

This beach day will be filled with surfing, riding waves, exploring the salt marsh, and beach games. After dinner we will head for the camp-wide closing campfire.

Friday

It is the final day of camp so we will start it off with a wave riding ocean session. Now that we’ve got a week of water activity under our belts, you’re bound to see an improvement in your camper’s ability. Campers will be paddling out and catching waves like pros.

After this session, we will head back to the rooms to pack and clean up before check out. It will be tough to say goodbye at the end of the week, but we know your camper will leave with new friends, new skills, and incredible memories!

*This is a sample itinerary. Activities can change due to conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions