Jump! Jump! Jump!

There is a moment at the end of a session that all campers are familiar with. It looks like this. You’ve packed all your things, said goodbye to all your friends, your luggage is loaded, and then the boat shoves off. Your counselor stands on the pier waving good-bye back to you, there are cheers and whistles, just outpouring of emotion, as the boat drifts farther and farther away… bam! In the blink of an eye every counselor streams down the gangway onto the float and jump into the blue Pacific after you. This happens after every session of summer camp. In fact it also happens after every week of CELP, Family Camp, Camp del Corazon and even just when some guests leave in a power boat. It causes a frenzy just about every time, it’s even been adapted it to when people are leaving by car. This farewell extends around the island too. I’ve talked to counselors at Emerald Bay, Two Harbors, and Toyon that do the same thing. No one is sure why it’s done, just that is always has. Last summer I heard sailor David Dentinger yelling “and now we will jump after the boat as if we could somehow stop your leaving by doing so!” And that seems to be just about the sentiments - you’re leaving, it’s sad and we can’t change that, but let’s have some fun doing it. Endings are often like that, sad at first but becoming exciting and fun as they change into a new hello.


This Friday I’ll jump in the ocean as our last CELP school groups leave the island. And just before I do I’ll look around and ask all my friends on the dock before the boat leaves the same question that is always asked, “you jumping?” The answer to this question – just so our new counselors this summer know – is always “yes.” I’ve worked at our camp for 4 summers, and 6 CELP season, so that means I’ve jumped into the water 96 times after the boat*. But after this Friday it will be over a month before I perform this ritual again.


This is worthy to note because so much will have changed in that time in between. The CELP season started in February with staff training. Can you imagine a night snorkel training in February? Yeah, we’d all done one before so we only did 10 minutes in the water. CELP has had 12 blissful weeks of program, with a crackerjack staff and no less than 1400 guests coming through camp this spring. This Friday we will wrap up this season. The four of us (Danny, Miah, Julie and myself) staying for summer camp will have to say good-bye to a bunch of our friends, and that can’t be changed. But just like when you jump into the water, when we come up on the other side there’s a lot of fun to be had making new friends as summer camp begins.
*A complete exaggeration, maybe I jump a quarter of the time, remember I work here during March and November too!!