For kids & teens
Joana Rocha started the camps in 2019 and over 7 years she worked in more than 45 camps, international schools, 1300 participants and students and 1500 hours of Surfing and Emotional Intelligence.
2026 is about to come with the most awaited camps of the year! Waves & Minds will host 7 SUMMER CAMPS between June and August leading by the Surfing Champion Joana Rocha with a team of 6 professional surf teachers, 8 amazing monitors and more 4 staff members to support around 20 kids or teens in each camp.
It’s a 5 day camp program where we will divide each day with surfing, emotional intelligence and lots of magic!!
For Teens
At Waves & Minds Summer Camps, each day is carefully designed to support the emotional, physical and social development of children and teenagers, through the power of surf, sharing and deep inner work.
We follow a proven method from the Awareness Facilitator School (Working with Satya), integrating tools from positive psychology and youth coaching, combined with the real-life experience of Joana Rocha, who competed at national and world-class surfing events for over 17 years.
More than a summer camp, this is a journey that builds confidence, emotional awareness and real self-leadership, guided by surf, nature and presence!
Here’s how we structure our 5-day camp program:
🌀 Day 1 – Welcome & Connection
We create a safe, joyful space with ice-breaking activities and bonding moments, helping participants feel truly welcomed.
💬 Day 2 – The Inner Voice
Through group conversations and emotional intelligence practices, kids and teens explore self-awareness and how to listen to their inner world.
🤝 Day 3 – Belonging & Unity
A day focused on connection, empathy and friendship-building. Participants feel the strength of group rituals and shared values.
🔥 Day 4 – Challenges & Courage
Physical and emotional challenges are met with support, motivation and tools for real-life resilience.
🌈 Day 5 – Integration & Celebration
A day to reflect on personal growth, integrate key learnings and celebrate the camp experience with a full heart.
5 surf lessons + 5 emotional intelligence afternoons + free access to 40 Emotional Intelligence online activities
4 nights in a shared room for 6 participants with supervision of 2 amazing monitors in Quinta do Vale Sagrado (swimming-pool included !)
All the meals - Healthy homemade breakfasts, lunchs, dinners & snacks
To remember your surf camp
With tools to use on daily life on Friday 4pm.
Limited groups to guarantee full attention to the kids & teens during the camp
We do not provide transportation to Ericeira
We do not provide insurance (only for surf lessons)
For Kids
Yes! A lot of our participants are first-time surfers. Our instructors will teach you step-by-step, and you’ll feel confident and supported from your first wave.
Yes, of course! Each day has relaxed moments to rest, chat, read, or play. We balance structure with freedom.
No problem! This camp is about being yourself. Surf is just one part of it, we also do games, emotional activities, rituals, and creative expression. Everyone contributes in their own way.
It’s totally okay. We’re here to support you. There are group moments and one-on-one time if you ever feel homesick, and most kids end up not wanting to leave by the end of the week!
Yes! Just mention their name when you register, and we’ll make sure that each one of them have their own experience.
For parents
Yes, absolutely. We have a trained team of monitors supervising the children and teens at all times, including during meals, rest time, activities, and overnight. Safety and emotional support are always our top priorities! And Joana, the founder of Waves & Minds and leader of every camp week, is always present, keeping a close and caring eye on everything.
Our entire program is built to create a sense of emotional safety and group belonging.On the first day, we begin with ice-breaker games and emotional intelligence activities that gently help even the shyest participants feel welcome, seen, and included.This is only possible because of our trained and sensitive team of monitors, who are always attentive to each child’s needs and emotional rhythm.
Yes, but phone use is limited. Participants are allowed to use their phones once a day for 10 minutes, usually before dinner, mainly to connect with their families. That said, if your child ever feels the need to contact you outside of that time, we’re always available to support that and make the call if they need to: their emotional wellbeing comes first.
We surf at Ribeira D’ilhas. We always choose the time of the surf lessons based on tide and the group’s age, in coordination with certified surf instructors.
Yes, all participants are covered by accident insurance for the surf sessions and during the camp period.
Absolutely. We have delicious vegetarian options and are happy to adapt to other dietary needs, just let us know in the registration form.
Yes! Our camps are bilingual (Portuguese & English). Many of our participants come from international schools or live abroad, so we are very used to welcoming non-Portuguese speakers.
Once registration is confirmed, we’ll send you an email with payment instructions. We accept bank transfer or MBWAY.
No hidden costs. The camp price includes all activities, meals, surf lessons, materials and supervision. The only additional cost is the optional accommodation fee of 200 euros. We also have Waves & Minds t-shirts available during the camp (15–20 euros), if your child would like to take a piece of the experience home �
It is totally optional. The full program includes overnight accommodation, as we believe the group dynamic is stronger when everyone stays together. However, if your child prefers to return home at the end of each day, that’s also possible, just let us know in advance.
By showing up with an open heart!
This experience combines surf, rituals, emotional intelligence and youth leadership, a powerful opportunity to grow in community, with lightness and depth.
Each week of our Waves & Minds Summer Camp is designed for a specific age group (from 8 to 17), so your child will be placed with participants at a similar stage of development: emotionally, socially and physically. If they have previous surf experience or are looking for a bit more independence, we can also guide you to the week that best suits their profile. Feel free to message us and share a bit about your child’s personality, we’ll be happy to recommend the best option for them to grow, connect and enjoy the experience to the fullest!
PS: If your child has a younger sibling aged 7 who’d love to join them, that’s possible too, just let us know!
Waves & Minds
Insecurity
Low self-esteem
Fear of failure or not belonging
WHAT IS THE CAMP?
A unique 5-day, 4-night experience where surfing meets play, team-building, theater, dance, rituals, games, meditation, deep conversations, and lots of laughter.
We work on the 5 pillars of Emotional Intelligence:
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Self-motivation
Empathy
Social Skills
Feedback
Over more than 40 editions of our camps, we’ve gathered direct feedback from participants and their parents, spontaneous testimonials and long-term follow-ups.
Based on this qualitative and quantitative data, we’ve observed that:
These numbers aren’t just cold statistics. We don’t measure success only in data, we measure it in happy tears at the end of camp, in tight hugs, and in those messages we receive months later:
“Thank you! My child started believing in himself again.” 
