Can we amend the "Great" summary of our five star rating to "spectacular"?…read more
Beach Camp has been the highlight of my son's summer for the last three years. He is already looking forward to next year, and to someday being a CIT and a counselor himself. This is an incredible place, with fantastic counselors, and a plethora of fun activities.
The place isn't incredible because it's a five-star, fancy establishment. In fact, some parts are downright rustic or rough around the edges. But it's the opportunities the place presents to the lucky kids who get to go there. The chance to enjoy this magical environment where we live, to get to know nature and get to try lots of moderns ways to take play in it. Imagine spending a week exploring indoor activities (ninja gym, soccer and hockey, climbing walls, a skate park, marine biology lessons, a movie room) and outdoor adventures (swimming docks, a zip line into the water, snorkeling, skimboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, zodiacs, creek walks, field games, campfires, beach combing, getting up close with wildlife (crabs, fish, bioluminescent aquatic creatures, sea lions), a trapeze into the water, a rock climbing wall over the water, high dives, low dives....and wetsuits to enjoy it all in the cool Puget Sound water).
The people are a huge part of making it such a special and an amazing experience. Every one of them that we've interacted with--from the newest CITs to the camp director--really care about the kids having a memorable experience. They are fun and kind and a great mix of serious/ensuring safety (from multiple lifeguards to lifejacket use to an overnight dock watch just in case any campers decide to sneak out for a midnight swim) and silly/letting kids escape for a growth week at camp. My son has such a fantastic time hanging out with these great kids, and he really looks up to them and hopes his favorites return each year.
I read the review about the young camper being thrown off the mats and pulled by her lifejacket off the paddleboard. I don't know what happened there, but her experience is different than that of the eight kids I know personally and well who have gone over the last two years, four of whom were repeat campers in 2021. In fact, when you ask, "What was your favorite part of camp?" At least half reply, "The green docks," which is code for the games that they play where counselors AND kids throw each other off the docks in the "Ocean Fun Zone." I don't get why that's more fun than zodiac rides, but they love it. And they assure me that no one is forced to play that game--there are "safe zones" on and near the green docks that are sacred, and you don't even have to go out there if you don't want to be part of that game.
We are grateful for the memories already made at beach camp, and excited for more fun in the years ahead.