Camp offers trip to beach, safety lessons

Jackie Conley

This summer, children will take to the beaches to surf, swim,

boogie-board, Jet ski and more. The Aloha Beach Camp is an

aquatic-activity-based program to help children have fun while

putting safety first.

“I started the program because I felt that the children of

Glendale and Burbank didn’t get access to the beach as much as other

areas,” said Eric Naftulin, founder of Aloha Beach Camp.

Burbank and Glendale kids are picked up between 8 and 9 a.m. at

the Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles;

and drop-offs are between 4 and 5 p.m.

Eric and his wife, Teri Naftulin, started the camp in 1999 to give

kids and teens an alternative to traditional day camps.

The camp is divided into two programs: “Aloha Keiki Camp” is for

children 5, 6 and 7, and Aloha High Action Camp is for children 8 to

15. Each day the children, accompanied by counselors, participate in

various water activities at a beach or lake.

“My mission is to teach children about water safety and help them

enjoy the water,” Naftulin said.

Each day before the children go into the water, Naftulin said the

counselors give the kids a 20-minute lesson on water safety.

“The ocean can be dangerous and difficult to navigate,” he said.

Here are Aloha Beach Camp’s top 10 water-safety tips:

* Learn to swim.

* Swim near a lifeguard.

* Protect your head and neck; never dive into the ocean head

first.

* Never swim alone.

* Obey all posted warning signs and flags.

* Never turn your back to the ocean.

* Learn about rip currents and learn to get out of them. Don’t

fight a rip current; swim parallel with it until you are out of it

and can swim safely to shore. .

* Avoid drugs and alcohol.

* Beware of trash and broken glass.

* Don’t forget sunscreen.