Our 11 year old son spent the past 5 years or so at our local day camp but was still coming home unhappy from the hot bus trips, too much indoor activity and just not enough to keep him happy. This summer he wasn't going to camp because he refused however then we saw all the advertisements for Camp Maritime and our son loves the water! He is a strong swimmer and has experience from Boy Scouts from with canoeing and kayaking and was very excited when we heard about this camp. We signed him up for 4 weeks. Admittedly being this is a new camp and in the water as any parent I was very nervous around safety but they reassured us. Well my son has had 3 weeks at this camp.... he was equipped on day one with his own water attire including special swim shoes and life vest. He comes home so happy from the nutritious meals he actually ate (I.e., eggs and French toast for breakfast; chicken and potatoes for lunch) to the lifetime of experiences he learns from certified instructors. He is kept hydrated with water all day long! There was never doubts on safety once he began. The counselors are not teenagers but young adults with background in the water, CPR qualified and knowledgeable teaching safety of surfing, safety of falling out of kayaks properly to enjoying hours in the water having fun and learning! He loves it and he plans to join their fall boating program and plans to go back longer next summer. Also the director Elliot has been very accommodating when it came to the interests of our son and activities he enjoyed to focus on as well as flexibility with dates. Great staff and love that they post pictures allowing us to see the fun our son was having. Not everyday your child comes home telling you they went kayaking to plum beach; caught a fish while fishing; slid down the slide from boat..... just amazing! I only wish they were open through late in August but hoping as more people hear about the camp they will be able to stay open longer for next summer! read more

For some reason my prior review was dropped so I am adding it here again and also adding some additional comments. Additional comments: This is a family run business and this family has not only clearly committed themselves to a massive undertaking, but succeeded at doing an incredible job. Summer camps are NOT an easy business, you must tolerate the many overwhelming dynamics of overprotective and highly reactive helicopter parents. This camp very appropriately sets guidelines on their website that children most follow for safety reasons and these guidelines are very appropriately applied by the counselors. This camp also masterfully supports children in staying engaged and physically active and trying to stretch themselves outside their comfort zone. A great opportunity to children to develop resilence and grit. I am super impressed with how the camp is run and what they are providing for kids! We will be back next summer (wishing they had a parent summer camp!). My prior Review: I don't believe the Camp Maritime counselors fully realize the undeniable positive impact they are having on their campers lives! These counselors are NOT your typical summer camp counselors (glorified babysitters). They are extremely well trained, highly attentive and fully engaged in getting to know each of their campers. They provide individual attention and support so that an anxious camper is scaffolded and building confidence, an inhibited camper is interacting and engaging, a non-naturally-athletic camper is actually comfortable trying and not giving up. Yes, this camps focus is on fostering a love for water sports...but they do this through an attention to the relationship and interactions with the children! I am beyond impressed and only disappointed that I only registered for 1 week. My kids would easily go the whole summer! read more

Fantastic camp. My son, 7, and daughter, 6, loved it. They are novice swimmers and still gaining confidence, Maritime helped tremendously in them loving the water. My son was really in to tubing and kayaking. My daughter was in to surfing and paddle boarding. They would come home every day excited and what they did and exhausted. And those two things are a win for every parent. To be honest, I was concerned about my son and his slight fear of the water, i mean this kid didn't like getting his head wet, not even in the shower. But he had no issues at Camp Maritime. I feel he actually gained more confidence by going to Maritime. Is a still a little hesitant around the water? A tad, but whatever the camp counselors are doing to encourage him to get in the water, it's working!! The only negative thing i heard from my kids was, they didn't like waiting in the cafeteria hall with the other kids in the morning before they went out for the day's adventure. Why? cuz they wanted to get out on the water and have fun. But kids these days, they can't wait for 10 minutes!!!? Ha On another note, my kids go to camps when they visit their grandmothers over the summer. And we have yet to find a Camp Maritime on the east coast that offers as many activities. Hands down the best aquatic camp on the east coast. read more

This camp is brand new, and I was really worried signing my son up for it. But Eliot and Polina made me feel comfortable, and after the orientation both me and my son were psyched. It is so different from other camps that just take kids on trips to arcades and nothing more... kids learn actual skills, sailing, fishing, kayaking, surfing...and all are taught by certified instructors. I was pleasantly impressed that the owner checks the weather and marine forecast each day and if water conditions are not favorable, kids do something else. My son only went for half a summer, and we could not extend because they were full; but next year hopefully we will sign up for the full summer! Oh. And they also provide organic breakfast and lunch that my son actually ate. Which was awesome. read more

What can I say about this camp - Camp Maritime is the best! My son has extreme anxiety and on the day of orientation he kept saying "I don't think I can do this." With the encouragement of Elliot, Polina and staff he has learned to paddle board, kayak, scuba, sail and surf. The best thing about this camp is they don't just give them the equipment and say go to it, they not only teach about the equipment but they teach them about water safety. They have expert instructors and guess speakers who teach about the oceans, tides, wind, ecology everything. I could not be happier about this program and the fact my son loves it....HOME RUN!!!! We will definitely be back next year! read more

Anthony is a Camp Maritime biggest fan. It was our third year and there's always new sports Camp founder Elliott Groman takes personal approach to EVERY student. Either it's your first time on the water or you are experienced surfer he will make sure your day is fun and safe. Camp is offering water sports that are out of reach of the majority of kids in South Brooklyn - scuba, surfing, hover board flying (was new this year), deep sea day trips, fishing and many more other activities. The staff is well trained, has certified instructors and high ratio of instructors per group. We are definitely will be back next year. Thank you for a great time, Camp Maritime! Angela read more

I felt hesitant about sending my 5 yo son to a camp that has such a large age range. But something felt so right about camp Maritime, after meeting Jeff and speaking with Elliot and seeing so many good reviews... My son had THE BEST summer camp experience! The range of water sports and activities he learned and the confidence he gained and the atmosphere the counselors helped create - he flourished and has grown so much in a few weeks! He literally even grew 1 inch taller! I am so grateful that he didn't go to some indoor camp and instead for the chance to connect with nature and have some good male role models and become more responsible and free. Thank you! read more

Our son joined this camp for 3 weeks. This is the first year this camp is operating. The owners and staff are super nice and attentive, there is no question that would not be resolved professionally. For the activities; our boy learned: kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, boating, sailing, fishing, surfing and scuba diving. All this in 3 weeks! I wouldn't mind going to this camp myself. All in all he had a great time, said he wants to go back next year and I couldn't be happier with his enjoyment. I have no doubts that next year will be only better! PS: I have no idea why YELP set me in San Fran, CA. I am in Brooklyn. read more

I am a mother of a boy who absolutely loved Camp Maritime. He couldn't stop talking about fishing, surfing, boating, kayaking and swimming they did this day. But most importantly he couldn't wait for the next day and all activities awaiting for him. Counselors were amazing, friendly,helpful and supporting. My picky eater said that this camp had the best food he ever had in other camps, and he had a chance to compare to at least five others. Also the food is healthy there. You don't see kids liking their healthy food too often. In sum it's a great camp, which keeps kids busy, healthy and entertained! read more

My experience working at Camp Maritime this year was everything and more that I could've asked for. I was excited to go to work every day and looked forward to seeing the staff and all of the kids, as well as being involved with the many fun activities that were planned throughout the day. All of the staff were very friendly and everybody came together as one in order to make this the best camp ever for those that attended. Thank you Elliot and Polina for making this all possible. I look forward to Camp Maritime 2019 being even bigger and better! read more

My son has attended Camp Maritime for three years. Were it not for the pandemic it would have been 5. It has been a pleasure to work with Eliot and all of the staff. The special care and patience that they have shown my son have lad to him calling it his "Happy Place". The activities are fun, and make the most of Brooklyn's coastline through many different water sports. They intorduced my son to surfing and flyboarding! Saafety is always their primary cancern. I highly recommend it! read more

NOT SAFE!!! This camp is careless about Covid-19 and all the children have been exposed. Camp counselor DO NOT enforce wearing masks AND constantly allowed children to cough on other children's faces. Children are kicked out if they complain or try to enforce mask wearing AND camp owner allows his children to insult other kids at camp by constantly calling them gay. (Terrible camp and apparently parents) CARELESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE CAMP! DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN HERE! read more

My son Loved this camp! He went for 3 weeks this summer, but we are hoping to sign up for longer next year. He learned so much about water sports like kayaking, fishing, scuba diving (those were his favorite, but there are many more water activities). The instructors were knowledgeable, experienced, and patient. Besides water sports my son learned a lot about teamwork, following instructions, and helping others We are looking forward to coming back next year! read more

My little brother he is by the way 13, he went to Camp Maritime this summer and he really loved it. He made a lot of friends considering that he barely speaks English, staff was amazing especially Elliot and his wife (idk her name) helped me with anything I needed. I was worried about my little bro safety but he came back with smile ear to ear and I will definitely recommend this camp for anyone who loves water and outdoors. read more

This is our 4th year at Camp Maritime and sadly our last. Its been an awesome adventure and our daughter has learned how to water ski, flyboard, surf and stand up paddle boarding. She also learned about radar, waves , currents and even first aid. It hasn't always been perfect, especially the last two years but some how they made it work. Its too bad we're moving this summer otherwise we'd be here the 5th year too. read more

Our kids had a blast at @campmaritimenyc for two weeks. They enjoyed surfing, skim boarding, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, tubing, wind surfing, wake boarding, and pontooning. It's amazing summer camp to expose to so many different kinds of water sports. Instructors and the owner Elliot are great and very kind and attentive. We highly recommend for anyone who wants to introduce to Marine sports. read more

Great camp! Wonderful life experiences for children. They provided great customer service, very thorough in explaining the experience but they definitely under sold it! It was much better! Highly recommend this camp for anyone that wants to have their kids learn life lessons that they will use throughout their journey. Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

Again you knocked it out of the park! My son absolutely loves Camp Maritime. Elliot and staff are wonderful. We were nervous camp wouldn't happen this year but Elliot kept us informed about all the changes and their covid policies. My son is talking about next year already and what new water sport they are going to introduce. Great job guys! read more

The management is horrible and they are using the worst equipment for the kids. Although the idea of the camp is great and I enjoy water sports myself, this camp is one of the worst in New York. In its first few days there was very little trained staff members watching the kids and it did not compare to the promises made. read more