So, as you can imagine, the whole COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation hasn’t necessarily made it easy for us and our build-up team to get summer-ready this year. Let me recap:

In previous summer seasons, our build-up team would arrive in our surf camp in Moliets in early April and then spend 4 to 6 weeks building up the surf camp. What needs doing generally? We start by emptying our storage containers and by getting tents, tarps, mattresses, etc. on to the campsite. Then it’s multiple runs to the builders’ merchant, recycling centers and the chateaux close by for our bamboo.

We are massive fans of bamboo in all our surf camps! Not just because it is the most environmentally-friendly and sustainable wood, but because it also gives our surf camps the charm and coziness everyone knows and loves. If you’re keen to find out more about our commitment to sustainability, please take a look at this blog here! ?

Then we prepare the grounds, clean and build up tents, cut and build the bamboo structures for the yoga platform and our eating areas, replace and repair bits that didn’t quite withstand the winter weather and so on. Each year, we have carpenters, electricians and multiple other tradesmen and women from across Europe to help us with our build-up.

Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the French government only announced the re-opening of borders on June, 15th. Luckily we have an amazing team that was on standby to travel shortly after the announcement. Our team, including Pablo, Ramona, this last and this year’s Moliets Surf Camps Manager, and Matt, long-time Oyambre Surf Camps all-round handyman and legend, made the mammoth journey from Fuerteventura, arriving in Moliets-Plage on June, 20th. Sami, Laura, Kizzy the Kat and a few more helpers arrived shortly after.

I said we usually give ourselves and the team 4 to 6 weeks for build-up — this year we’ve had just over 2! Still, our team has done and is still doing an A-MA-ZING JOB! With not much time to waste on photo ops, I’ve had a look through our surf blog archive and guess what I found?! This epic video of our 2015 Moliets surf camp build-up. How much has changed! ?

Watching the 2015 build-up video brings back so many memories of an extremely difficult build-up with France’s nasty spring storms destroying most of our early efforts, blowing away temporary structures, tarps and supplies, putting our surf camp build-up team pretty much back to square one!

The delayed build-up of this summer has brought its own challenges once more: Super hot summer days have made working outside unbearable. And at times inside our caravans too. But we wouldn’t be Star Surf Camps if we didn’t know how to deal with France’s pre-summer weather.

Our build-up teams get back on track quickly, and today, eleven days into build-up, we have this year’s surf camp management team arriving who have offered helping hands where needed. As they say, Teamwork makes the Dreamwork! ❤️ ??

We are really excited to start our surf camp season this coming Saturday! It’s not too late to join us this summer, either in Moliets-Plage or Oyambre!

We look forward to surfing with you!
Liz & the Star Surf Camps Team