Fitness by the Sea Provides Fun

Kids should be able to play and have fun during the summer, and Fitness by the Sea allows them to do just that.

Camp owner Eric Colton asks, “Who wouldn’t want to boogie-board, swim with the dolphins, jump over the gymnastics vault, get their faces painted as a favorite animal or just have a fun, silly, day at the beach?”

Colton knows that many parents work, which means they want a great place for their child to spend the summer—and this camp does it with the variety of activities and unstructured fun.

“We believe that active kids are happy kids,” Colton said, noting that many of the kids who have come to his program proclaiming not to have an interest in sports, once encouraged to try something new, find a niche that they love.

Billie and Eric Colton, shown here with their children Violet, Willow and Maia, own Fitness By the Sea summer camps. Photo courtesy of Eric Colton

There are more than 80 different activities from water sports (surfing, boogie boarding and swimming) to team sports (capture the flag, dodge ball, soccer and volleyball) to individual activities (martial arts, fencing, gymnastics and dance).

There are also activities that allow imagination and the artistic side of an individual to emerge, such as crafts, nature walks, face painting, dance, drums, sand castles, balloon animals, magic and puppet shows.

Campers, ages 4 to 14, may participate in as many or as few activities as they choose. “Kids love that aspect, because their school environment is so structured,” said Colton who started this camp almost two decades ago.

Camps run June 11 through August 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended care available in the mornings and afternoons (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.). The camper to staff ratio is 6:1, for pre-kindergarten children it is 4:1 and 3:1 for surfing.

Sun-safety measures are emphasized. There are repeated applications of sunscreen done daily, and huge cabanas are set up for shade.

Colton works on-site every day supervising staff and facilitating program development. Since graduating from UCLA in 1990 with a degree in economics and a background in kinesiology and theater, he has received certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Health and Fitness Professionals, the American Council on Exercise, and the Apex Fitness School of Nutrition and Resistance University.

His wife, Billie, is the camp’s co-owner and administrative director. After meeting Colton, she left her real estate career to concentrate on Fitness by the Sea.

“We are really grateful for the support of the public and private schools in Pacific Palisades, as well as the families who have attended camp over the past 18 years,” Colton said. “We strive to provide the safest beach camp, an experienced staff and incredible growth opportunities for our campers through fun, creative and exciting activities.”

For more information, visit fitnessbythesea.com or call 310-459-2425.

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