Living in the Aquatic Capital: Aqualand
By: Lesley, Owner of Aqualand
Aqualand is a family business that was created to fill a void within our own family. Two of our children were not old enough to participate in Long Beach Junior Guards and we both knew we couldn’t wait until they were 9 years old to get them comfortable and safe in the bay and ocean. With 34 years of swim, surf, and waterman instruction under his belt, my husband gathered up our children along with the neighborhood kids and headed to Alamitos Bay. They brought paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, and enough imagination to stay busy. They came home salty, hungry, and tired (the good kind). What grew from there was a community of diverse families who appreciate all of the magic that The Aquatic Capital has to offer. Just like us, our Aqualand families want their children to enjoy this paradise and to do it safely.
The name Aqualand came about when we looked at how lucky we are to live in the Aquatic Capital of America. Within a mile or two, almost any water or ocean activity is easily ours. Whether surfing Anderson Street or paddling the canals in Naples, we like to say we are in Aqualand. Whether you live in Lakewood, Belmont Shore, Los Altos or Bixby Knolls, the waterways of Long Beach are for you – and Aqualand is too!
Our mission is to safely pass down surf and waterman skills to the next generation of Long Beach Kids and instill a love and respect for the bay and ocean. Our interactions are personal and each member of our family of 6 contributes to the experience of Aqualand. We promote an active and fun-loving lifestyle and have seen how this holds the key to happiness for our family. We think it will contribute to yours as well!
In our free time, we search for water activities worthy enough to pass along to our campers. For work, we lead Aqualand Bay Camp on Alamitos Bay, Aqualand Surf Camp at Surfside, as well as youth intro to water polo, skateboarding in the winter, and coming soon – Junior Guard Prep camp!
Our programs run year-round and include after-school and holiday break camps!
Our after-school waterman and surf sessions for 2022 start after Labor Day. They run monthly and classes are Monday through Thursday from 4:15pm-6:15pm. Sign up for whichever day or days works for you! All skill levels are welcome, and we cover both bay and surf depending on the conditions.
We also have Home School, Wednesday Early Release Waterman, and Surf classes. In addition, we accept Blue Ridge and Epic Charter funds. We would be happy to work with other charters – shoot us an email at [email protected] if you’re interested.
All of our activities can be previewed on our website – www.aqualandofthefree.com as well as Instagram @aqualandofthefree and @aqualandsurfcamp.
Sign up for any of our September sessions and use the code LBAQUAMOMS to get 15% off!
We are stoked to meet you!
Lesley, Matty, Wyatt, Penn, Estelle & Dorothy
