On Sunday, January 15th we hosted an ocean safety and surf etiquette panel at Rockaway Beach Surf Club. Panelists included surf instructor and Laru Beya Collective mentor Farmata Dia, Chris Russo, a lifelong surfer, EMT/RN and ocean lifeguard, and Taylor Hart, a bi-coastal lifeguard and local surfer. We discussed safety and etiquette in the water and they walked us through how to respond in sticky situations and some basic etiquette you may have missed in lessons.

We raised $350 for Laru Beya Collective during our raffle which will directly support their underserved mentees on their surfing journey and help sustain their mentorship programs. Their surfing and outdoor programs are created to provide opportunities to be physically active and expose them to new experiences the natural world has to offer. Laru Beya provides a diverse and inclusive safe space for our youth to have fun, decompress, and builds self-confidence in and out of the lineup.

You can watch the whole panel here.

Nico Moreno took all of the awesome photos in the gallery. Hit him up for your next event!

Thank you to Drink Rockaway and Rockaway Brewing Company for donating drinks for our event and to our raffle donation sponsors:

Raffle prizes included:
🌊 A painted surfboard fin from Barbtropolis
🌊 A gift certificate from Rockaway Acupuncture for a free treatment
🌊 A gift certificate from Fonda Ronda for a tattoo
🌊 A gift certificate for Velma Vintage
🌊 A surf lesson from Locals Surf School
🌊 A pair of super cool bookends from Locus of Occult
🌊 A shirt and set of fins from Sovereign Surf