Based in Martin County and Palm Beach County, Florida, Marine First Responders is staffed by highly trained marine safety personnel dedicated to minimizing risk and maximizing safety in the water. They host junior lifeguard summer camps for youths 9-17 that include comprehensive water safety education with FUN activities, such as surfing, prone paddling boarding, and challenging beach games to build confidence, promote fitness, and instill core values of teamwork and leadership. And most important finding their passion for the ocean at their surf lifesaving camps. Your child will develop a strong foundation for water safety, ocean situational awareness, and respect for the marine environment. The sports recreation and education camp services Jensen Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Peirce, and Vero at Martin County’s Jensen Public Beach. We also service Hobe Sound, Tequesta, Jupiter, Juno, North Palm, West Palm and Palm Beach Gardens at Palm Beach County’s Carlin Park.
Their Junior Lifeguard summer camps are a perfect balance of education and fun. Camps are held during summer break. Their week progression of education and fun consists of learning to surf, beach and ocean orientation, surf survival, lifeguard skills, first-aid, and competition.
Fun
Juniors will learn to surf through crawl, walk, run approach. After lunch Juniors will be broken up into three groups. Each group will rotate through three stations. At the ocean swimming station (crawl) juniors will acclimate their body in the ocean by ocean swimming and body surfing. At their prone paddle boarding station (walk) juniors will learn how and get reps on effective paddling techniques. Paddling makes up approximately 90% of surfing and must be mastered to surf on their own. Juniors will learn how to paddle towards and into breaking waves. At their surfing station (run) juniors will put it all together on their surfboards. Juniors are assisted in this station, however, quickly encouraged to paddle into waves with their own paddle power. Teaching juniors to surf "down the line" is their surfing goal.
Beach and Ocean Orientation
Junior Lifeguards will orientate themselves to the beach environment using a situational awareness exercise every morning learning to recognize and mitigate present risks on the beach and in the ocean. Juniors will learn how waves are created and the effect they have on shoreline topography. The anatomy of a rip current will be broken down to give juniors a complete understanding of the mechanics and how to use it when surfing and how to educate their friends and family to survive it. Juniors will become familiar with fixed rip currents created by sand bars and permanent rip currents at their local inlet jetties and piers.
Surf Survival
Junior Lifeguards will learn how to safely enter the ocean, negotiate shore breaks and in coming waves through the "inside" of the surf zone. Rip current survival techniques: treading water and floating on their back will be taught. Surf crafts are introduced going over all aspects of design and how not to get injured by it. Self-rescue techniques are taught i.e. board rescue and/or roll to assist a surfer in need and surf leash removal due to entanglement.
Lifeguards Skills
Junior Lifeguards will learn the definition of drowning and what it looks like. Juniors will have fun learning about professional lifeguard equipment using rescue buoys, tubes, and boards to make rescues.
First-aid
Juniors will learn the importance of hydration and proper sunscreen application. Bleeding control will be demonstrated and learned by the use of direct pressure bandaging and tourniquets. After completing lifeguard rescue skills juniors will learn to continue life-saving with rescue breathing and CPR will the addition of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Competition
Juniors will be introduced to the international "Surf Lifesaving Sport." Every day one event of surf lifesaving competition will be introduced. Events included are: long-distance run races, swim races, and paddling races on our prone boards. All event disciplines lead up to the "Iron Guard" event. Juniors will participate in this tri-event of running, swimming, and paddling proving to themselves that they have what it takes to be "Top Guard." Flags, a camp favorite will also keep these juniors entertained.
To sign up and for details about daily schedule click here: https://juniorlifeguards.org/summer-camp.
