Surf and Windsurf Club
About the club
The Caltech Surf and Windsurf Club was started in 1986 as a windsurfing club known as Trailblazers. In 1992, surfing was added and the club was rebranded to the Caltech Surf and Windsurf Club (CSWC). The club is entirely run by volunteer students, post-docs, and staff. Since 1986, we have enabled thousands of Caltech and JPL community members to go surfing and windsurfing through affordable gear rentals and organized community trips.
The club is dedicated to fostering a vibrant surfing and windsurfing community at Caltech while offering two main services:
- Gear Rental: Club members have the convenience of anytime gear rental, ensuring they can hit the waves whenever they please.
- Monthly Surf and Windsurf Trips: These trips are open to all members of the Caltech/JPL community and their guests, providing exciting opportunities to explore the waters and test your water-bending skills together.
Mission
The purpose of this club is to:
- enable Caltech/JPL community to try the sports of surfing and windsurfing for very low cost of entry,
- enable Caltech/JPL community to progress their surfing and windsurfing skills without needing to invest in numerous gear setups along the way,
- organize surfing and windsurfing trips to support community members who do not have a car and could not otherwise try these sports,
- maintain a large selection of gear, including surf and windsurf boards, windsurfing rigs, men's and women's wetsuits, and many more accessories.
To sustain our gear inventory and ensure its upkeep, a nominal fee is charged for both trip participation and independent gear rentals.
Supporting riders of all kind
I haven't had that much fun in a while. I loved how the club gave us everything we needed to (literally) get our feet in a water to surf and learn more about how to plan surf trips of our own in the future. It was cool seeing things like how to load surfboards onto a car and how to care for equipment after trips are over.
This club is a complete surfing and windsurfing resource for members and friends. The only thing the participant must provide is a willing body... and of course - a body of water.
Surf club is an amazing resource for undergrads — Caltech is in such a prime location for trips to the beach and the club gives us the opportunity to access equipment, expertise, and community that really makes surfing so much fun.
I don't own a car and had a complete beginner level in surfing. This trip was a great opportunity to go to the beach and have some basic skills in surfing. The ambiance was great and I got to make new friends. It was great!
Prior to the trip we had a fantastic introduction to surfing with tutorial videos and a dry session where we learned about the gear, fit ourselves for wetsuit, and learned proper surf techniques. The leadership is super friendly and excited to help you get up on the waves. My two trips to Mondo's have been amazing! We load up the boards early Sat. morning and are some of the first to paddle out. I am pleased with the lessons and advice given and am already standing up and riding waves!
Thanks to the club, I got to experience a sport I probably never would have access to otherwise. They provided the specialized gear and support to have an incredible experience the first (and second and third...) time out. No experience, no gear purchase, no car required. And the trips are a fantastic way to meet cool people from other corners of the Caltech community. The club, and particularly its guru and gently guiding light Branislav Kecman, is an incredible asset to the Institute and I'm so grateful for all the dedication and hard work of the volunteers that keep it going!