July 19th - Oceanography and Surfing Lessons! By Penelopi

Today’s beach day kicked off right away as the first group of surfers eagerly jumped into wet suits and headed to the waves with our surfboards. 

We started with warm ups led by the surf instructors to get our blood pumping and to energize the group. 

Now it’s time to catch some waves! 

I could tell our first lesson had really paid off because almost all of my fellow surfers were able to get on their knees or stand on their board while coasting to the shore. Claps, smiles, and whistles all around when one of us improved, or actually surfed! 

Annalisa described her experience as so, “I caught some waves with the guidance of our instructors. I felt I was going really fast and tried to perfect my stance from the first time we went surfing.”

After the surf lessons, we had free time on the beach to play soccer, soak in the sun, collect sea shells, or go for a refreshing swim

To wrap up our time at the beach, we had an interactive oceanography class led by a marine biologist. During this session we discussed topics such as ocean currents and circulation, how organisms are affected by the tides, geography of the ocean basins, and plastic pollution. We also learned about the different zones of the ocean and what lies within each one. To put our new found knowledge to the test, we created physical zones of the ocean and drew various species to place in the zone they belong in. Once our zones were completed and filled with species, it was time to leave the beach. 

Next stop, the surf factory!

Here, we were able to see the different stages of a surfboard being made. This specific factory creates custom made surfboards and disposes their garbage in an eco-friendly way. 

Contest Opportunity!

The surfboard factory we visited is giving the CIEE Global Navigator students a chance to be featured on a surfboard by submitting a design or drawing.

Good luck to all the artists!