Surfers of Samoa teach ocean safety and surfing in American Samoa

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Former Team ASA Olympic swim coach Robert Scanlan is returning to his ocean roots in American Samoa.  Scanlan coached the 2012 Olympic swim team and has recently created the Surfers of Samoa (SOS), a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to developing the sport of surfing in American Samoa and the ocean safety skills needed for ocean sports.

SOS teamed up with the American Samoa Swimming Association (ASSA) to pilot an Ocean Safety/Learn-to-Surf Clinic on August 16.  Fourteen children ranging from ages 8-16 participated in the sessions learning how to recognize safe and risky ocean conditions for watersports.  This was followed by a second session learning how to use a surfboard, enter the water safely and ride some waves.  The youth were screened for water skills competency prior to registering for the program.

“I grew up swimming and surfing in American Samoa and just learned everything on my own.  I want to give local kids the opportunity and resources I didn’t have to embrace the water.  Kids need the information and resources to be able to access their own ocean,” Scanlan explained. “The ocean is a big backyard and knowing how to read it and use it really expands your horizons.

Scanlan was joined by fellow SOS Treasurer Steve Kostelnik to run the sessions.  Both Scanlan and Kostelnik each have over 20 years of experience riding waves around American Samoa.  The two met surfing and later became lifeguards and water safety instructors with ASSA in the mid-2000s.  Kostelnik went on to pursue a career with NOAA locally that keeps him involved with the ocean and Scanlan moved to California where he moved into competitive swimming as a coach after a brief stint as a national-level swimmer for American Samoa.

“It’s great to see these guys come back to ocean safety education. They have kids of their own now and get them out on the water. They want to open that up to other kids as well. 

“ASSA has been mostly focused on competitive pool swimming for the past decade and we know what we need to do to be successful at that – our swimmers have medaled in the last two Pacific Games and the most recent Oceania Swimming Championships. But we also know that to get to that point, there has to be a rooted interest in the water, pool or ocean and it has to start early. Some kind of introduction to water safety and water sports is pivotal,” say Erika Radewagen, who currently serves as president for both the American Samoa Swimming Association and the American Samoa Association of Paddlers.

“You need to read your ocean conditions properly to participate in any ocean sport.

“You need to be comfortable in the water and know how to stay calm if a situation arises. A day that isn’t great for surfing because of wind might be a great day for sailing.  If it’s super flat and no waves, you can go swim, paddle or fish.”

SOS and ASSA are continuing to plan more programs for local youth over the next year and hope to expand their collaboration with other local water sports organizations.