For
more than eight years, Maui Surfer Girls, a
summer camp for girls ages 12 to 17, has been
offering adventurous young women the chance to
learn how to surf in the islands where the sport
was invented.
"The girls come in from everywhere," said camp
founder Dustin Tester. "Most are from the West
Coast; however, we have had an international
attendance. We had a girl from Montreal, Canada,
last year, and we had a couple of girls from
Korea. Generally, though, the girls are coming
from all over the mainland U.S."
Over the years, in fact, Maui Surfer Girls has
also hosted campers from Japan, New Zealand and
Scotland. Designed for girls seeking a
personalized and supportive environment -- the
camp's student-to-teacher ratio usually runs
around 3 to 1 -- Maui Surfer Girls gives
participants a chance to spend one or two weeks
on the west coast of Maui, chasing waves every
morning while choosing from all sorts of
afternoon pursuits, including water sports like
paddle boarding, windsurfing or snorkeling; a
variety of waterfall hikes; Hawaiian cultural
activities and more.
All of the campers sleep in oceanfront, A-frame
cabins, and private chefs prepare a camp cuisine
of healthy meals with an organic focus.
"We have a really unique surf camp," said
Tester. "It's small. It's kind of like a family,
or an ohana, and the girls really get to know
one another. And our surf instruction is very
personalized, so they get a lot of attention."
That attention is focused on Tester's goal of
"helping to empower girls," she said. "I've
lived on Maui my entire life, so I've always had
the ocean as a way for me to express myself. I
think it's just my drive to help girls gain
self-confidence and share the ocean environment
that I was so blessed to experience growing up."
Seven-day sessions are $1,850, and participants
may choose between the week of July 17 to 24 or
July 25 to Aug. 1. The rate for the 15-day
session, offered July 17 through Aug. 1, is
$3,150. All rates include accommodations, all
meals, surf equipment, personalized surf
instruction and all camp activities.
Visit
www.mauisurfergirls.com or call (808)
280-8165.
