Southampton Village Places Surf Camps On Hold

The Southampton Village Board rejected two bids from local surf schools to operate on village beaches this summer, as a precursor to reevaluating the program.

Mayor Michael Irving said the board wants to look at the village’s guidelines, which have morphed into something unintended from when they were first conceived.

“They have changed from giving surf and ocean lessons to a small group, to large day camps at the beach—not what was the original intent,” he said.

This year, two bids were filed with the village. Flying Point submitted a bid for $2,500, and Kurt Rist submitted a bid for $2,000.

The bids, in comparison to the amount of money the schools charge, raise questions to some. According to Flying Point’s website, a single day of surf camp is $190, or $950 for an entire week. Boards are provided, and for an additional $25, campers can rent a wet suit.

The Flying Point Surf School was the first school to get a contract with the village to hold classes along the beach, beginning in 2013. In 2014, a competitive bidding process was implemented to allow a single school to get a permit, similar to the way the Coopers Beach concession stand is awarded.

That first year, the owner of Flying Point Surf School, Shane Dyckman, paid only $500 for the permit.

Calls to Mr. Dyckman were not returned, but a statement on the company’s website acknowledges that it did not get a permit from Southampton Village this year, so the school that was operated at Little Plains Beach was being moved to Peters Pond in Sagaponack.

Regardless of the news, the school’s statement said its officials are “beyond excited to get surfing and counting down the days until camp starts.”

Village Administrator Russell Kratoville said the village became aware of the school breaching the guidelines from members of the public, including members of the surf community. The input from the public, he said, gave the village an opportunity to take a pause and evaluate the program.

“They talked about recognizing the long-standing tradition of surfing in the village, but they are looking at whether these are lessons or a camp,” he said. “Is this a summer camp that gives surf lessons, or is it surf lessons? I think those are some of the things [the Village Board] wants to take a step back and look at.”

The village surf school is required to follow several guidelines to operate, including operating only Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The school is limited to 20 students at any given time, and the school cannot give separate private lessons before, during or after the allotted time.

The school must also follow Suffolk County guidelines for a day summer camp for all of its activities, even though it does not qualify as a camp.

The selected surf school also cannot have signs on the beach at any time advertising the business or surfing sponsors. The camp is also required to have comprehensive public liability insurance.

Rumors circulating around the village speculated that the company was looking to operate the camp on its own. Mr. Irving said that was not the case.

“What we’re looking to do is bring that surf group together, have a small working group and say, ‘Okay, we didn’t go with a surfing camp this year. We think it’s important that we continue the tradition of surfing and make it available, especially for our youth that are looking to do it. What’s the best way to do it?’” he said. “When you throw that out there, then you can get into the nuts and bolts of how to start the program.”