Come out and visit WB Surf Camp at the 2010 Wilmington Earth Day Festival at Hugh MacRae Park. The event is FREE and will be happening from noon till 6pm on Sat, April 17th.

Over 50 environmental exhibits will be on display representing various organizations and businesses. Tidal Creek Co-op, Mellow Mushroom, and various beer distributors will offer delicious food and beer. There will be a variety of music from great live bands includes SteadFast, End of the Line, and The Casserole.

There will be exciting activities for any member of the family (Sorry no pets allowed!). The popular Kid’s Eco Zone will provide hands-on activities for kids of all ages. Check out local environmental programs, enter to win a kayak, or go shopping in the Green Market, plus much more!

The event has become so popular that there will be off-site parking. Park your vehicle in the old Cinema 6 movie theatre parking lot on Oleander Drive (near Tidal-Creek Co-op), and take a trolley from there to the park for FREE!!! The trolley will run every 20 minutes from 12:00-6:00.

This year’s theme is Earth Day 2010 – REDUCE. It is the 40th Anniversary of the very first Earth Day, so Wilmington is taking it back to the basics which are: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The city decided to go with REDUCE for their theme, because if you can reduce from the beginning, then you’ll have less to deal with in the end (recycle). They also will be bringing specific attention to the reduction of trash, mainly plastic, and how it is collecting in gyres that exist in each of the Earth’s oceans.

Visit www.wilmingtonearthday.com for more info!

Surf School at WB Surf Camp

Surf school sounds like a bit of an oxymoron. Talk to any salt encrusted, bleach blonde, grommet at Wrightsville Beach in the summer and he will quickly disassociate the two words for you. “School is where they keep you locked up when you’re not surfing!” would be a typical response. On the other hand, it is every kid’s dream to be able to show up to school one day and have it be all about getting in the water, riding waves, and learning under the sun at the beach. It’s no wonder that kids and adults alike flock to surf schools every summer to experience and live out this childhood fantasy. After all, the office is really just the adult version of school.

What Surf School is Right for Me?

Surf schools come in a variety shapes and sizes, just like the waves themselves. The typical surf school can range from one-on-one private instruction to full blown travel camps for teens and adults to amazing destinations. Almost every beach has a local surf shop that, inevitably, offers a surf school in one form or another. Some higher end surf schools exist independently and are highly sought after. The main draw to these independent surf schools is their level of professionalism and focus on safety.  Unfortunately, your local surf shops will often send you out with one of their in-store, high school/college age, seasonal employees. They may be great surfers in their own right, but have no formal training in the way of methodology and safety.

Within the upper echelon of surf schools you will find dynamic and energetic teams with a driving passion to properly educate newcomers to the sport of surfing. These surf schools stand apart from the “dudes” just trying to make a few bucks on the side, because they work with you at your level. Having fun is the natural by-product of safely learning an incredibly thrilling activity whilst being comfortable in a somewhat foreign environment. Unfortunately, we humans weren’t made to exist in the ocean. Being submerged in the ever moving, flowing, changing waters can be really frightening for some. However, learning how to read it, respect it, and enjoy it turns the ocean into a relaxing and, most often, therapeutic environment. A professional surf school will have the determination to reveal this to you no matter where you’re from or what age you are with every lesson, class, camp, or program.

The Best of The Best Surf Schools

Surf School for Beginners

The best of the best surf schools are the ones that can not only provide this experience at their local beaches, but the ones who’ve, over time, established long running relationships in other parts of the world. For more than 15 years WB Surf Camp founder Rick Civelli has spent an endless amount of time and energy pouring into establishing working relationships both locally and in exotic destinations such as Costa Rica, Australia, Hawaii, Barbados, and Eleuthera. So for several months throughout the year, his top notch team of instructors lead groups of novice and intermediate surfers on surf adventures around the globe as well as right his back yard in North Carolina. In every aspect and individual venture you will find the utmost level of professionalism, safety standards, surfing education, and fun!

As surfing has entered the mainstream, surf schools have become much more prevalent. From Australia to North Carolina to Ireland surfing is being taught on a global scale as a way of life. Like any new sport, activity, or subject there is a responsibility and level of respect that goes into the education process. It’s like choosing the best high school, university, or job for yourself or your kids. You always want to make sure that:

1. it’s safe,
2. that it’s providing the best education or training, and
3. that it’s something that you or your kids will enjoy as much as possible.

After all, you wouldn’t hire some “dude” just trying to make a few bucks on the side to babysit your kids for the night, so why would you send them to a surf school offering the same thing? Do your homework and make sure the surf school you choose is the right one.

Contact WB Surf Camp

To sign up for Surf School, contact WB Surf Camp online or call us at 866-844-7873

Brian joined the WB Surf Camp team in 2008 as Assistant Director of our teen summer surf camps. He quickly moved up the ranks to Director, and in 2009 he was Trip Leader for our Teen Barbados Surf Camp. Brian has provided countless Surf Campers with life-changing experiences, both through surfing and through education on our coastal environment. He is a truly awesome person with a big heart and many gifts to share. Read more about Brian below:

1. What drew you to a position at Surf Camp? The idea of being able to pass along my passion for our lifestyle as surfers and the gift of riding waves. Working with people of all ages not only teaching surfing, but educating them on the environmental responsibilities that come along with being a surfer is truly rewarding. Not to mention I get to spend my days in the water!

2. Who is your favorite surfer and why? Bobby Martinez. He’s humble, well-spoken, always full of thanks, and absolutely rips! A true role model.

3. When did you start surfing and where? I started surfing when I was 9 years old on family vacations to the Outer Banks.

4. What is your favorite surf break? Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, New Zealand

5. What inspired you to start surfing? My older brother Darren.

6. Where was your most memorable session? Surfing in the remote Catlains of southern New Zealand. Great friends, breath-taking scenery, and beautiful, empty waves. Those sessions will without a doubt, go down as some of the best and most memorable of my lifetime.

7. What is the worst wipeout you’ve ever had? Body slammed on the bottom in Mainland Mex. I lost my board, got the wind knocked out of me and was churning in the rips of the impact zone. I spent twenty minutes trying to swim in while taking sets on the head.

8. What are some of your interests outside of surfing? I’ve been playing music for practically my entire life. Currently, I’m in the process of recording a solo album and play in a jazz/funk/rock trio named ‘Nicotine & Brown’. I love photography and am also pursuing a Masters of Architecture at New Jersey Institute of Technology. And of course, spending time with my family and friends.

9. What is your favorite movie? Forest Gump

10. What is your favorite music? My taste in music is wide and varied. I love everything from rock n’ roll to bluegrass, jazz to hip-hop. Anything that inspires.

11. What is your favorite food? Sushi

12. Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope to be working with my degree in Architecture. Ultimately, designing and creating 100% off-the-grid, sustainable, green custom homes someplace where the weather is good and the waves are even better!

13. In your eyes, the three things you value most are: God, my family and friends, and mindful living.

To learn more about Brian, Click Here.