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.

Vanessa is entering her fourth season with WB Surf Camp, and in these four years she has held positions as a Camp Counselor and Surf Instructor in our teen summer surf camps as well as Guppy Camp Assistant Director in our kids summer camps. Vanessa has shown us how dedicated she is to Surf Camp’s mission of changing people’s lives through surfing and instilling a passion and desire to protect our oceans and all they offer, not only in her positions with WB Surf Camp but in her role as President of the UNCW Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. She will be graduating from UNCW this spring with a degree in marine biology, and we know that wherever life’s path leads her, Vanessa will do amazing things!

1. What drew you to a position at Surf Camp? I loved my experience as a camper with Surf Camp and I love the way that Surf Camp incorporates environmental education and marine conservation into the experience. When I realized I could get paid to do what I love and share it with others, I just couldn’t pass it up!

2. Who is your favorite surfer and why? Donavon Frankenreiter. I love his style, his attitude, and his music too.

3. When did you start surfing and where? I went to Surf Camp at Wrightsville Beach in the summer of 2003 and I have been surfing ever since!

4. What is your favorite surf break? Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Beautiful waves and wonderful people, Pura Vida!

5. What inspired you to start surfing? I’m always in the water and I love the ocean, it just seemed natural to take the next step and learn how to surf!

6. Where was your most memorable session? Surfing at Pools Beach in Puerto Rico last December. It was a beautiful sunrise, me and my boyfriend were the only ones out, you could see the beautiful reef below us, sea turtles popping up for a breath, and perfect chest high glassy waves. A perfect, beautiful moment I will never forget!

7. What is the worst wipeout you’ve ever had? At Playa Hermosa, the currents were ridiculous and I was definitely in over my head (literally)…bad wipe out that held me under for a whole set, so I paddled in to watch from the beach

8. What are some of your interests outside of surfing? I love being outdoors, kayaking, swimming, yoga, traveling and discovering new things.

9. What is your favorite movie? Finding Nemo. I’ve seen it in English, French, and Spanish and I know almost every line!

10. What is your favorite music? I like all kinds of music but I like Reggae music the most because it reminds me of the beach and it will warm me up even on the coldest winter days.

11. What is your favorite food? Thai food. I love the spices, the veggies, and the tofu!

12. Where do you see yourself in five years? Can’t say really, I like to go wherever life takes me. Hopefully somewhere near the coast, working with the ocean in some way whether its through education or research!

13. In your eyes, the three things you value most are: Family and friends, sunshine, and the inner peace and free time to enjoy life!

To read more about Vanessa Click Here

Jason Andre’s passion for surfing and the environment is evident from his diverse, unique background. He has worked as a Director for UNCW’s marine science summer camps,  he’s been a sponsored surfer by In the Eye Surfboards since he started surfing, DaKine for ten years, and Ripcurl for over six years, and has worked as a senior diver for the North Carolina Aquariums. He is a Director of our Wrightsville Beach teen summer camps during the summer season and works in our administrative office on program development as well. Jason’s expertise in the areas of surfing, traveling, and environmental conservation makes him a wealth of knowledge for both campers and fellow staff.

1. What drew you to a position at Surf Camp? I had met Rick before out at Masonboro and when I was directing Marine Quest post-college. I’ve always been stoked and held a high respect for his Surf Camp because of all the marine bio, environmental conservation, and ocean education he incorporates. So when I met Chelsea at the UNCW job fair last year and began talking about my past work and life experience, she insisted I send them a resume and application…and here I am. I believe my mother in law would call it synchronicity.

2. Who is your favorite surfer and why? My dad, because he is Ironman. Now you know!

3. When did you start surfing and where? I first started surfing when I was 8 or 9 in Cape Hatteras with my friends

4. What is your favorite surf break? The first jetty at the Lighthouse in Cape Hatteras has been and always will be my favorite break, because its where I’ve gotten some of the best, scariest, and funnest waves with my friends and family. It’s where I fell in love with the ocean.

5. What inspired you to start surfing? It’s just what we did when we were kids. If you live on Hatteras Island you surf!

6. Where was your most memorable session? Aside from every session at the lighthouse, a couple sessions in Australia with my best friends, whales and dolphins swimming by, decent surf, but just a perfect moment in time.

7. What is the worst wipeout you’ve ever had? Getting raked across a couple reefs is bad, but it had to have been last fall during Hurricane Danny when I straightened out on a closeout and the lip landed square across my shoulders, blew my knee out, ripped my wetsuit top off and made me feel like I was getting electrocuted underwater, sound effects and everything.

8. What are some of your interests outside of surfing? I love creating, whether it be music, video, woodworking, you name it.

9. What is your favorite movie? It used to be Braveheart and may still be, but Lord of the Rings is up there alongside Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

10. What is your favorite music? Music made fearlessly with a purpose and a passion.

11. What is your favorite food? Fresh tuna/mahi/wahoo is a close tie with pizza.

12. Where do you see yourself in five years? I lost the ability to see the future and know everything after I was no longer a teenager. Life just keeps surprising me…

13. In your eyes, the three things you value most are: Selflessness, humbleness, and peacefulness

Learn more about Jason: Click Here