Third Coast Beach Camp FAQs
Registration
Can I sign my child up for just one day of camp, or pay a prorated amount if my child can’t attend a full week of camp?
Camps are available in five-day, weeklong sessions only. If your family can’t make a full, weeklong session work, you may want to still register for a five-day session and attend when you can. No prorating is possible for missed days.
What can we do if the week of camp we want is already full?
If your selected camp week is full, you can look at availability for another week or another location – we offer camps all summer long in both New Buffalo and St. Joseph. If you can’t find an available week that will work for your family, please email [email protected] to join a waitlist. In your message, please include the dates and location you’d like, and the number of children you want to register.
Can I sign my children up for camp if they are younger than the recommended age range (ages 6-13)?
We will accept 5-year-olds who meet all of the following qualifications: have an older sibling (age 6-12) attending the camp; are able to listen to instructors; and have swimming experience and are comfortable in the water.
Can our children participate in camp with their friends/other family members?
Yes! Please feel free to encourage your friends and family to sign up for the same week of camp. Camps can fill up quickly, so it is best to register as early as possible to ensure your group is all able to attend the same session.
Does my child need to know how to swim to attend camp?
Yes, all kids attending camp should have some swimming experience and be comfortable going into the water – this is an important foundation for learning to surf and stand-up paddleboard.
What forms do I need to complete before camp starts?
When you register online, you will provide us with information about each child you sign up — name, age, and any allergies or other special information you’d like us to know about them.
After your registration is complete, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to an online waiver to complete prior to the start of camp for each child you signed up.
If you do not receive an email confirmation after registering or have any difficulty completing the waiver, please email [email protected].
I'd like to include day camp as a childcare expense on my taxes. What is the federal tax ID number I should use?
The federal tax ID for Third Coast Surf Shop Inc is 26-0640307. Please be sure to check with your tax professional with any questions.
Do you offer a full-day camp option? What if we sign up for a morning AND afternoon session?
At our St. Joseph location, families can register for both the morning and afternoon sessions for the same week to enjoy a full day at the beach. Parents meet the kids at the end of the morning session at 12 pm. They either stay at the beach to eat lunch (bringing lunch in or purchasing from the concession stand), or leave for lunch and come back at 1 pm for the afternoon session.
Please note that our instructors have a break between sessions and aren’t available to supervise between 12 and 1 pm, so parents should plan to be with their kiddos during that time — it’s a great time for the parents and kids to catch up!
Can I pick up my child later than the camp end time?
To ensure a safe environment for our campers and to respect the time of our instructors, parents must pick up
their children promptly at their session’s designated end time (12 pm EST for morning sessions or 4 pm EST for
afternoon sessions).
We reserve the right to charge the parent’s credit card on file $20 for every 15 minutes our
staff spends supervising children past the designated pick-up time.
Example (if camp ends at 4 pm):
- 4:15 – 4:30: $20 late fee
- 4:31 – 4:45: $40 late fee
If you know you will be late, please notify our staff as soon as possible by calling the lead instructor listed
in your reminder email or by emailing [email protected].
We appreciate advance notice so our instructors can accommodate the delayed pick-up time and make sure campers
are prepared for the change in plans.
Day Camp Routine
When and where do camps take place?
Camps run Monday through Friday from 9 am to 12 pm Eastern time at New Buffalo Beach (New Buffalo), and 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm at Jean Klock Beach (St. Joseph).
How much time in the camp will my child get to spend surfing/sandboarding/etc.?
For each of the five days of camp, our instructors will keep kids busy with a variety of fun beach activities, including surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, skimboarding, bodyboarding, building sandcastles, and playing games.
Please Note:
- Activities are determined based on weather and water conditions at the time. If conditions are deemed unsafe on Lake Michigan by the National Weather Service, we will focus on land-based activities and return to water-based activities another time.
- Campers will take turns with activities and equipment to ensure instructors can provide hands-on supervision and that everyone has a chance to participate.
- It’s important to us to provide an awesome experience for our campers, so instructors will follow the kids’ lead on their choice of activities. If a child isn’t interested in a particular activity with one instructor, we’ll have other options to enjoy with other instructors. (That may explain why your child doesn’t seem to be in the water as often as you expect — they may have requested to participate in land-based activities instead.)
Do kids wear life jackets at camp?
Yes, all kids wear life jackets when stand-up paddleboarding, as required by the US Coast Guard. Life jackets are not required for water activities other than paddleboarding, but we are happy to keep your child in a life jacket for all water activities if you prefer. We have life jackets for campers to wear, but we encourage you to bring your own US Coast Guard-approved life jacket if your child has a life jacket they already are comfortable wearing.
Do I need to stay with my child during camp? Can I watch my child during camp?
You are more than welcome to drop your child off and come back at pick-up time – the kids are in good hands!
If you’d like to stay at the beach during camp, we encourage you to choose an area where you are not as visible to your child, and to talk with your child about staying with the instructors – not parents – during camp time. For safety reasons, our instructors need to keep the kids grouped together and accounted for at all times, and when a child leaves the group to see a parent, it can interfere with our head count.
What does my child need to bring to camp?
Dress your kids for fun activities in the water and on the beach! We recommend they wear their usual beach attire, such as a swimsuit, boardshorts, a rashguard, and a hat.
Plan to bring a small backpack or bag with anything else they might need, such as sunscreen, sunglasses, a towel, a filled water bottle, and a change of clothes (including a sweatshirt or jacket for cooler days).
We encourage you to bring a life jacket from home for your child to prevent sharing life jackets (write your name on the inside!).
We provide all the beach equipment – surfboards, skimboards, stand-up paddleboards, bodyboards, sandboards, and toys (balls, buckets, and shovels).
Should I pack a snack for my child?
Yes, please pack a snack for your child for Monday through Thursday. Please avoid bringing any food containing nuts to help keep campers with allergies safe. (We’ll treat the kids to a donut or pizza party on Friday to celebrate the end of the week!)
Rescheduling & Bad Weather
Our plans have changed, and we can’t make our scheduled week of camp. What are our options?
Flexible Rescheduling: If you need to change your child’s camp week, you can use the link provided in your confirmation email to select a new session with availability. Sessions fill up quickly, so space may be limited as we get closer to your camp dates. Please note that rescheduling must be completed BEFORE your original camp session starts. We’re happy to reschedule camp or offer credit for a future session, but there are no refunds on these services.
Cancellations & Refunds: For families who prefer a refund instead of rescheduling for a different date, our reservation system, Peek Pro, offers optional Peek Protect Coverage. This coverage helps protect your experience and must be selected at the time of booking, as it cannot be added after your reservation is confirmed.
What is Peek Protect Coverage?
At checkout, you’ll have the option to add Peek Protect Coverage, which allows you to receive a refund if your family can’t attend for a covered reason:
- Accident, illness, and pre-existing conditions
- Transport disruptions
- Family or home emergency
- And many more!
If your family has a covered reason, simply click the link in your confirmation email or visit the refund portal and enter the Order ID from your email to start the refund request.
Peek Protect (Protect Group) will work directly with you to review your request and make the refund decision. Refund requests can be submitted up to 60 days after the activity date, as long as the reason is covered.
Questions about Peek Protect Coverage?
For the quickest help, please reach out directly to Peek Protect with any questions rather than contacting Third Coast Beach Camps. If you need help using Peek Protect or run into any issues, click here to get in touch with their support team.
What happens if the weather is bad on a camp day?
For safety reasons, camp will be cancelled in the event of heavy rain or thunder/lightning. Parents will be notified of bad weather cancellations via email as soon as possible – as early as the evening before camp, but no later than 60 minutes prior to the start of camp (8:00 am EST for morning sessions; 12:00 pm EST for afternoon sessions).
Camp will take place as scheduled in the event of the following weather conditions:
Cooler temperatures and/or light rain – plan to dress your child in layers as needed, and we’ll adjust activities accordingly.
High winds and/or rough lake conditions – our instructors watch lake conditions closely, and activities will be planned with safety in mind. For example, when lake conditions are unsafe, children will enjoy non-water beach activities, such as sandboarding and games (capture the flag, kickball, freeze tag, etc.).
Give Them a Summer to Remember
Ensure your kid’s best summer ever with surfing, paddleboarding, games, and more.
- Build Confidence and Independence Outdoors and in the Water
- Cost: $230 per child / 5-day session