Skudin Surf won't be skipping a summer

Skudin Surf, the family surfing school whose name is synonymous with Long Beach, will be open this summer, but with some major precaution because of the coronavirus pandemic.

All staff and surfers will be required to take temperature screenings before each session. Anyone with a temperature of over 100.4 degrees will be unable to participate that day.

Additionally, group sizes will be smaller than usual. One instructor will be assigned to every group of five surfers. One on one private sessions are also available for high-risk individuals. Staff will be required to wear masks when interacting with these individuals on land.

Other safety procedures, such as separating personal belongings, disinfecting surfboards and having summer camps during off-peak times, will also be implemented.

But even with the safety measures to be put in place, surfers can still expect the same fun experience.

“You're still going to be riding waves, having fun, enjoying yourself, stoked out of your mind having a good time,” Cliff Skudin, co-founder of Skudin Surf, said.

In order to ensure that they properly follow all federal guidelines the family has hired a local consultant, Nicholas Perrotta, owner of Perrotta Consulting LLC.

Perrotta said that safety was the most important thing to Skudin Surf when he met with them and that the operating plan will include “daily reevaluation of our standards.”

Skudin Surf’s summer day camp will also be able to operate this summer. The camp will begin on June 29, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo will allow day camps to open, and operate through early September.

Ashley Chan, a local Long Beach resident, has been sending his sons Beau and Lucien to the camp for years. The activity is one that they look forward to every year, and thanks to the safety precautions being taken, is one, which they’ll be able to continue to enjoy this summer.

Chan feels safe keeping the annual tradition alive because the camp will be taking place outdoors and will be abiding by government safety regulations. “To have a camp that I would choose amongst any other camp right locally is just phenomenal for us,” he said.

Virtual Zoom sessions, a service that the Skudin’s started in the early days of the pandemic, will continue to be offered in addition to in person lessons. Will Skudin, co-founder of Skudin Surf, will film participants surfing from a safe distance, then give them tips on how to improve during a live Zoom call later that night.

The Skudin family will also be continuing its surfing therapy program through their non-profit organization Surf for All. The program will help individuals with special needs learn how to surf through one on one lessons.

Cliff Skudin is happy that he is able to live by the ocean where summer activities like surfing are possible, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think we are very blessed to be a beach community during a once in a century global epidemic like covid because we have this sanctuary,” he said.