Activities
The BRO Program
The Ocean Skills Program combines the Blue Reef team’s favorite ocean activities, and our goal is to show kids that in any conditions, we can have a great time and learn from the ocean. Whether we’re in the water, on the beach, or in the classroom there is always something new and exciting happening.
Rays Snorkeling
Basic snorkeling skills is something the children learn early on at Blue Reef. Once we are comfortable with our masks and snorkels on, we venture further and deeper into the sea. And sometimes over shallow reefs too like the one you see in this video. This was a great lesson in body control and learning how to “look but don’t touch” the beautiful coral.
Sunday Sharks Free Diving Practice
Once we have mastered our masks and snorkels we begin swimming deeper and holding our breath longer. By adding increasing challenges and competitive activities, the kids work their way through our 10 level program for free diving. We’re never prouder than when we see a child go from life jacket to weight belt in a single summer!
Beginner Level Surf School Day
In our surfing program students can progress through the first 3 levels in the very first hour of their first surf lesson. And it is possible to achieve level 5 or 6 by the end of the first day. The last 4 levels take more time and involve more advanced skill, but one thing’s for sure: Surfing at any level is a lot of fun!
Advanced Surfing with the Sharks Program
Once we’ve learned the basics, we begin to work on maneuvers, push ourselves into bigger and bigger waves, and take on challenges like team surfing. We began as a surf school in 2014 before launching the BRO Ocean Skills Program, and surfing is still one of our favorite activities. When the waves are up we usually adjust our schedules to make sure we’re in the right place to catch the best surf!
Paddling
Not everyday can be a surf day! When the ocean goes flat, we like to workout our paddling muscles and improve our skills on paddle boards and our giant SUP that can hold 12 kids! Paddling the big board takes coordination, communication, and team work. And once a group has mastered that skill (not as easy as it looks!), it’s time for Team Surfing. One of our all time favorite activities!
Rip Current Swim Training
We have a 4 stage program that teaches kids how to react in the event that they ever find themselves caught in a rip current. Beginning in the classroom learning to identify and predict conditions where rip currents are prevalent, we then bring students to experience (under lifeguard supervision) the feeling of being pulled by ocean currents, while coaching them on proper procedure for exiting a rip.
