Lobster Jo’s Camps Bring Summer Fun to Santa Barbara

Fog doesn’t stop fun, especially not at Lobster Jo’s Camps, situated along the Santa Barbara shoreline next to Stearns Wharf. Equipped with lunches, waters, and plenty of excitement, children can spend a full day of action and fun at Lobster Jo’s Camp.

Founded in 2021 by UCSB graduate Joseph Evers, Lobster Jo’s Camps have branched into the Beach Camp, Art Camp, and Skate Camp realms. Each of the camps offer a myriad of activities that fully engage kids ages 5 to 13 in both learning and fun. The camp goes for nine weeks, with each session typically lasting for a week at a time. All camps start at 9 a.m. and either last until noon, or in the case of Beach Camp, until 3 p.m. However, many kids in the art and skate groups will find themselves eagerly joining their friends at Beach Camp for the afternoon session.

“I get to share my love of the ocean with kids,” Evers said. “We’re building a relationship with nature, emphasizing safety, and connecting with people across the community.” As the team of counselors organized the day’s activities, kids ran up to ask questions, voices brimming with excitement.

At 9 a.m. counselors and junior counselors bring Beach Camp attendees to the designated Lobster Jo’s Beach Camp location, marked off by the flags stuck in the sand to establish the camp boundaries. A beach volleyball court and tents are set up alongside the surfboards that rest in the sand, and the eager children run back and forth between activities. Many of them wear rash guards, provided by the camp, in colors that differentiate between who can swim in the water and who cannot.

Safety is of utmost importance, and this extends to the lessons they are engaged in each day. Mondays begin with introductions and a swim test for the new group of kids. Even the most shy of children quickly find a group of friends who they stick with throughout the week.

Tuesdays feature tie-dye activities followed by the “West Coast Invaders” beach game on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, the team takes the Mega SUP inflatable paddle board, which has been custom designed for Lobster Jo’s for better safety, under Stearns Wharf to explore marine life. Friday’s activity includes an obstacle course to round out the week. But sprinkled amid the activities are educational lessons about ocean ecology and surf safety, a beach cleanup, and more.

The nonprofit Heal the Ocean helped to lead one of the cleanups this summer, giving children the opportunity to learn even more about environmental safety and ecology.

The Art Camp across the street also starts at 9 a.m., and by noon, the kids are eagerly showing off their work with marker-stained hands and their paint-splashed paper. All the art supplies are from the reuse store Art from Scrap.

The Art Camp’s open area provides ample space for all art activities. In one corner, a group of girls exchanges markers as they doodle on paper while peering over each other’s shoulders. In another, a counselor leads paper-mache painting, the next step toward a completed jellyfish that the kids will later share with their friends and family.

Down the street at Skater’s Point is the Skate Camp. The 2024 summer cycle is the first where the Skate Camp has been brought under Evers’ wing as it had been previously run through the Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department.

“[The kids] bring their own equipment, but we have plenty of protective gear and skateboards,” Evers explained, pointing out the corner of equipment, ready for skaters who need it. The counselors are all experienced skaters who’ve worked at the skate park before and supervise the kids as they accustom themselves with the terrain and learn new tricks.

Each week sees a new cycle of kids, but many return week after week to jump back into the camp activities. This goes the same for some of the junior counselors, whose excitement bounces off the kids’ as they find themselves returning to engage in the fun and even return to be counselors.

For Owen, a counselor who was hired this year after working as a junior counselor for the past three summers, the joy of working at the camp brings him back every year. “We want [the kids] to feel happy, warm, and welcome,” he said. Though not every child may want to participate in every group activity, there is still plenty for them to engage in with the proper supervision from the many counselors.

With each year, the camp continues to grow in size and children eagerly return to participate in another summer full of fun.

For more information, see lobsterjosbeachcamp.com.