Surf’s up

Santa Clarita resident teaches students the art of surfing during camps throughout the summer

Ella Onesti, 11, keeps her head above the crashing wave as her surfboard flies up into the air behind her during a session at the Surf’s Up SCV camp at Mondos Beach in Ventura.

During the school year, John Domke teaches lessons at Frazier Park High School.

But on spring break and throughout the summer? He takes his lessons — and his students — to the beach.

Domke, a Santa Clarita resident, teaches a surf camp to kids ages 8 through 15 years old during school breaks at Mondos Beach in Ventura. He started surf lessons by teaching his own kids and thought he should try his hand at teaching other people’s kids, too.

Now he’s been hosting the Surf’s Up SCV camps for nine years.

Each camp has a maximum enrollment of 12 kids and includes transportation from Santa Clarita to Ventura each day of camp. The July camp is full, but there are a few spots left in the August camp, which runs Aug. 1- 4. For more information, visit surfsupscv.com.

Katharine Lotze/ The Signal (See additional photos on signalscv.com)

( Left) Ella Onesti, 11, rides a small wave into shore during the first surf session of the day at the Surf’s Up SCV camp in June at Mondos Beach in Ventura.

(Above) Lily Astrakhan, 11, fastens her surfboard’s tether to her ankle at Mondos Beach.

( Below) Lily Astrakhan, 11, gets a push from Nathan Domke during her first surf session at the Surf’s Up SCV camp at Mondos Beach in Ventura.