Stand-up Paddleboarding with the Braille Institute San Diego!

This past Friday, September 23, 2011, marked a very special day for a group of visually impaired students from the Braille Institute San Diego. With help from Ocean Experience Surf School, the Braille Institute students learned to stand-up paddleboard (SUP) in Mission Bay, breaking the visual barrier of this popular board sport. The courage and passion the Braille Institute portrayed made this clinic an extraordinary and enriching experience for both the students and instructors alike. Check out the pictures below as Ocean Experience guides each student through the step-by-step skill progression of stand-up paddleboarding!

Congratulations on your success, Braille Institute San Diego!

Braille Institute Surf Camp: A Huge Success!

Photo by Chris Mayer

Thanks to the courage of eleven, visually impaired younge adults, the 11th Annual Braille Institute Surf  Camp with Ocean Experience Surf School was a huge success! Check out these surfers in action:

Photo by Chris Mayer

 All eleven students surfed away the physical barrier of surfing with a visual imparment- an acivity most full-sighted people are hestitant to try.

Photo by Chris Mayer

The Braille Institute Surf Camp has been a highly rewarding and enriching experience for both the students and instructors alike.

Photo by Chris Mayer



Thank you for choosing Ocean Experience Surf School for your surfing needs Braille Institute! Keep on surfing!



Photo by Chris Mayer



Local Surf School Breaks the Barriers for Visually Impaired Students through the Enriching Experience of Surfing!

Ocean Experience Surf School and Braille Institute San Diego unite for the 11th annual surf camp for visually impaired students on Monday, July 18 – Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Located at Mission Point and South Mission Beach Jetty, this three-day surf camp truly breaks the barriers faced by Braille Institute students.

The focus of this program is to provide the visually impaired students, the opportunity to experience the joy and thrill of surfing. With a step-by-step surf skill progression and through the use of adaptive equipment, Braille Institute campers will explore all the fundamentals of surfing, including: balance training on the Indo Board, paddling progression, the "pop up", catching waves, water safety and oceanography.

"The lessons essentially bring together the adaptive skills we teach in our program," said Katie Wischmeyer, youth services manager at Braille Institute San Diego. "Knowing this, the instructors at Ocean Experience are great at ensuring all steps are done to make the surf camp accessible to our young surfers."

Through Ocean Experience’s surf training program, each camper walks away with a newfound sense of confidence. The quality instruction and use of adaptive equipment ensures success for all students, building a sense of accomplishment that in turn, builds self-assurance.

"Our young students love any activity that is both educational and fun," said Wischmeyer. "Couple that with this surf camp, and the resulting experience encompasses what we at Braille Institute wish for all our students: Independence."

In addition to surf camp, Braille Institute also offers various activities that continuously teach students how to adapt to a sighted world. Other events held annually are white-water rafting, camping and jet skiing. Braille Institute’s Car Rallye is also held every August where each student with brailled directions team up with a driver to navigate them to the finish line.

Ocean Experience Surf School Teams Up with the Braille Institute for a Special Week of Surfing!

For ten consecutive years, Ocean Experience Surf School has provided a unique surf clinic for the San Diego Braille Institute. Their use of adaptive equipment and teaching techniques has created an exceptionally successful program for the visually impaired. A fundamental element in this program begins with the Indo Board Balance Trainer, where students learn the basics of balance and stability. Ocean Experience surf instructors also use the Gigante Cushion, which is a large, inflatable cushion placed under a surfboard, to simulate the motions of surfing before students hit the water. The use of tools has become a crucial role in Ocean Experience Surf School’s teaching methods and has set Ocean Experience aside from any other surf school in San Diego. Ocean Experience’s proven surf training program ensures success, builds confidence and empowers students of all ages and abilities to surfing for life. Check it out on this video footage from Indo Board at the 2010 Ocean Experience Surf Camp for the San Diego Braille Institute Youth Department: