During a crisp afternoon on Friday, 13 eager sixth and seventh graders from the West Tisbury School gathered with uncontainable energy at Long Point Beach, ready to revel in the waves and learn to surf.
Pouring out of a taxi fresh from school and with smiles on their faces, the group quickly changed into wet suits then headed onto the beach to begin learning from one of the best and bravest surfers in the world.
Garret McNamara, a world renowned big-wave surfing pioneer and main focus of HBO’s documentary “100-Foot Wave,” accompanied by 12 local mentors, led the lesson on the basics of catching waves, surf etiquette, and safety as part of a new Island pilot program aimed at empowering and educating youth through the love of the ocean.
The camp — a collaboration between local surfers and organizers, McNamara’s foundation, and the Martha’s Vineyard Trustees of Reservations — aimed to teach more than just surfing for the young students. It was about fostering respect for the ocean, building confidence, and educating the youth on the value of establishing a deeper connection with nature.
McNamara is famous for putting the massive waves of Nazaré, Portugal on the map. But he was far from Portugal on Friday.
“Through all of our lives, we all have our own hundred-foot wave, all day, every day,” McNamara said. “It’s really about just giving them the tools and providing this amazing experience that maybe they never thought they would get to do and hopefully they become surfers and they fall in love with surfing and fall in love with the world, fall in love with the environment.”
Mentors were led by McNamara local surf therapy advocate Linda Strohmeyer, and local surfer and ocean environment educator Brock Callen.
“It’s about mentoring them,” said Strohmeyer, “The ocean gives us a great platform to talk about different things. The same thread runs through all the mentor’s, they all have beautiful hearts.”
The camp started on Thursday with students getting a taste of surfing, not on actual waves, but getting on a board in a local pond. For many of the students, it was their first time on a surfboard, and the mentors were alongside them every step of the way. McNamara described the first day of the program on Thursday as “out of a fairy tale.”
“We took them in the pond the first day and taught them to paddle and stand up and I think that’s part of the reason they were able to get out there and do so well,” said McNamara in an interview with the Times
On Friday, with some good waves rolling in, the local mentors — Tucker and Liam Cosgrove, Maggie Bucci, Annabella Zannini, Mallory Stanford, Callen, Katahdin, also known as “Kman,” Chris Counter, Malcolm Watson, Jaime Forend, Strohmeyer, and Claire Callagy — guided the kids with gentle pushes to the back of their boards to help them catch waves at Long Point; they offered tips on standing up, and gave big cheers when they would ride a good wave.
“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better day in a better scenario or better location,” said McNamara. “The waves were actually a little big for what I like to introduce the kids to and they all went straight out to the peak, all caught waves.”
For McNamara, his goal is to empower as many people and help establish similar programs around the world with hopes that the group of local surfers can continue to lead the camps themselves.
“Everything that I have in my life came from the ocean,” said McNamara. “We all have trauma. I’ve been lucky to be able to love all the experiences that I’ve had in my life and the ones who aren’t serving me. I know they’re part of me, but I don’t activate them. Activate the good things.”
“I feel a deep sense of responsibility to share this experience, get them to fall in love, get them to work through their challenges with whatever they’re facing in life, and empower them to be stewards of the earth,” added McNamara.
Safety was also paramount. Cosgrove, a lifeguard, Stanford, an EMT, and Callen, a rescue swimmer and former EMT, helped ensure every student wore floatation and educated the students on the importance of respecting the ocean.
“Mentors shared what respect the ocean means to them, from respecting equipment to wearing environmentally safe gear, to knowing you never have to go out,” said Callen. “Respecting the big swells and the power and energy the ocean offers, and taking the time to understand it. When you’re in harmony, it’s beautiful.”
Darcy Schofield, the Islands director for the Trustees saw the camp as a way to enrich students’ lives.
“I can’t think of a better way to enrich the lives of our Island students than with professional surfers in their home space, and creating a deeper connection to nature and each other and the ocean,” she said.
Mentors shared personal stories, like Counters memory of his father dipping his toes in the Vineyard Haven Harbor and saying “Right now, you’re touching the rest of the world,” he said.
The students in turn shared what the ocean meant to them and expressed gratitude for their experience in the camp.
Looking ahead, Callen said he hopes to continue expanding the island water and environment based education programs.
“We now opened Pandora’s box to kids, they’re saying they want boards and wetsuits,” he said. “It can’t stop here, we have to continue to step up as a community.”
“Every mentor had a smile as big as the kids, it was an honor to share that joy,” he added.