San Onofre Adult Surf Camp: 5 Days of Surfing, Camping & Coaching in California

The camp is based at San Onofre, a long, forgiving beach break in southern California known for soft, rolling waves that suit beginners and longboarders. The overnight option puts you on site for the full five days: Monday morning start, Friday afternoon finish. If you're flying in, you can add the Sunday night before and the Saturday night after at no extra cost — the campers who do that get weekend supervision and light activities.

Mornings start at 8am. You'll be split by ability — first-timers on the inside reform, more experienced surfers working on turning and speed further out. Coaching is hands-on in the water, not a lecture on the sand, though there's a daily dry-land session covering the week's topics: paddling technique, catching waves, standing up, wave selection, equipment choice, turning, surf etiquette, ocean awareness and safety. Lunch is back at camp, then it's out again for the afternoon block until around 3pm for day campers and later for overnighters.

What sets this apart from a standard surf school is the length and the repetition. You're not getting one lesson and a board rental — you're surfing twice a day for five days with the same coaches, who adjust what they teach you as you progress. Video review in the evening means you can see what you're actually doing wrong, which is the bit most week-long surf camps skip.

When the surf drops off, the week doesn't stall. The schedule fills in with a surf shop tour and San Clemente city tour, a skateboard session, ping pong, happy hour, surfboard ding repair demos and movie nights in the Low Tide Lounge. Some nights there's a campfire. It's a sociable setup — most people come alone or in pairs, and by Wednesday everyone's surfing together anyway.

The camp is run by Endless Summer Surf Camp, a long-running California operation that also runs adult camps in Costa Rica. The instructors are surfers who've been teaching at San Onofre for years and know exactly where the wave breaks best on a given tide. For 2026, three adult-only sessions are scheduled: June 1–5, August 31–September 4, and September 7–11. The adult weeks have sold out in previous years, so booking ahead matters.

What's included

- 5 days of surf camp (Monday 8am to Friday 4pm) - On-site accommodation for overnight campers - All meals - Non-alcoholic drinks and snacks - Surfboard and wetsuit - Expert surf instruction twice daily - Video review sessions - Surf shop tour / San Clemente city tour - Skateboarding, ping pong, and evening activities - Evening access to the Low Tide Lounge - Optional extra Sunday night before and Saturday night after at no charge (overnight campers, long-distance travel)

What's not included

- Travel to and from San Onofre - Accommodation for day campers - Alcoholic drinks - Personal expenses - Surf insurance - Private lessons outside the camp schedule