Passion for Punta Cana
Macao Surf Camp started back in the Summer of 2009, when Armando, Gustavo and Rafael, longtime friends and Jesus Loving Surfers got together in Punta Cana, where they moved from Santo Domingo, they usually met on weekends at Macao Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean with six different surfing breaks. After Surfing they started teaching Armando Reid’s kids and some of their friends, it was so much fun that they decided to start a Surf School, with the main idea of giving back to the youth of Punta Cana all the benefits that Surfing brought to their life and to earn some money doing something they are passionate about. By that time, they all had more than 35 years of Surfing Experience and a lifetime involved in organized sports, including Surfing Associations and the National Surfing Federation; besides that, Gustavo Alvarez is the Surfing Pioneer in the Dominican Republic, and also opened a few years before the first Surf School in the country, at Encuentro Beach, Puerto Plata.
“God had a plan for my life, a plan better than I ever dreamed…” – Says Rafael Ferreras, Director of the School.
The Surf School was a success from day one, not in terms of the number of students but on how fast kids learned, and how fun it was to all, especially for the instructors. Soon the word was spread among the community and since Punta Cana is the most important Tourist Destination in the country, tourists started to hire their services. The demand for Surfing Lessons with Macao Surf Camp started to grow rapidly, and that is when Sonia Mercado, Rafael Ferreras’ wife became a partner and in charge of the Administration.
In just a few months Macao Surf Camp was serving all the Resorts and Hotels in the Punta Cana area and became with the support of the Dominican Surfing Federation (FEDOSURF), the First Surf School certified by the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.
“The beautiful beach of Macao lends itself so that the whole family can share the experience; and to stimulate that, we organize a monthly barbecue where family and friends of our students can participate and enjoy a day at Macao…beside basic understanding and advancement in the sport, one of our principal objectives is environmental responsibility that, together with knowledge of the ocean, we call Ocean Consciousness. With this concept, we transmit love and respect through our students to the environment; furthermore, our students learn about wave patterns and water safety, giving them the necessary confidence to protect themselves while surfing.”
– Gustavo Alvarez, Co-Owner