Freedom Camps

My very cautious and pensive boy started Freedom Camps three years ago at age 7. It took a while to persuade him, but after the first day, he was hooked. He will go at any chances he gets now. I love how they teach the kids to read the waves and the ocean. It is great fun, also the kids learn how to respect each other on water, as well as the ocean. I do not think I could have gotten my boy to feel so at ease in the ocean without Freedom Camps’ help. Gilad has a way to connect with the kids that builds a strong faith when they are out in the water together. He pays attention to each kid to know when they are ready to get on the board, striking the balance between keeping it fun and pushing further. My son brought 5 friends the first summer, 7 the next, three more the following. And EVERYONE of them LOVED the camps, and went back for more.

I found the activities and the experience to be good, and the owner attentive to the kids, however with the other instructors it’s a crap shoot. Our group of 4 kids had to miss 2 days out of the 5 days over the summer as they had not applied sunscreen to the kids. My child was fine as he has dark skin, however the two blondes in the group were seriously sunburned on their cheeks and nose and stayed home to recover. The female instructors seemed to understand that the kids needed to be reminded to apply sunscreen and not left to their own devices (they are kids aged 8) but we did not have the female instructors every day.

Freedom Surf Camp in Venice is amazing. My two boys, 8 and 5, attended two weeks over the summer. Here we are in October and they are still telling anyone who will listen how awesome camp was. Gilad and his team are exceptional. Each counselor was more impressive than the next — smart, fun, genuine and each with an interesting story. We still hear about Jack and Shelly, and even received pictures a few weeks ago from one of them. My boys both learned to surf and had a great time. I was confident each day when I dropped them off that they would be safe, fully sunscreened, and exhausted (but exuberant) when I picked them up. We will definitely be back.

When I first wanted to learn how to surf as a kid, my dad sent me to Freedom surf camps. I loved it so much that I spent multiple weeks of multiple summers there. Looking back at it, those were some of my best memories of my childhood. Not only are Gilad and his team absolute experts at teaching surfing, but they create an incredibly warm and welcoming environment for all who attend. Gilad also does a great job of teaching the kids to respect the ocean, each other and themselves. Most importantly, the camps are incredibly safe. The kids will always be covered in sunscreen and carefully watched by highly trained instructors. Another great thing about Freedom is the community it built. With year round programs, (surfing, snowboarding, etc.) the kids will have many opportunities to reconnect with their summer friends and create a lifelong bond with a community of awesome people. I highly recommend Freedom camps to all who want their children to learn to surf, get some physical activity, make new friends and have an absolutely incredible summer.
P. S. The snowboard trips in the winter are awesome too, highly recommended!

Last summer was the best summer for our 8 and 9 years old, they attended the Freedom surf camp in Venice for 2 weeks they loved it! They learned how to surf and be in the ocean. This summer we doing it again and the girls are super excited. We feel very comfortable with the committed team and the leadership of the owner Gillad, safety for him is number one, and they teaching with lot of passion and it’s great. Hope to see you in the water this summer.

For the past 3 summers, my son has attended Freedom Surf Camp in Venice, and to say it has been a highlight of his summer is an understatement. Gilad and team provide a fun and most importantly safe environment for kids to discover themselves through the ocean. One of my son’s proudest moments was when he first stood up by himself on a board, and no matter how many times he has done so since, or how far he has come, he always remembers how he got there, and looks forward to going back every year. That is the reason that my wife and I continue to send our kids here.