Surf Instructors Teach 'Balance,' Finding Comfort After Sandy

Balance is something Coastline Adventures Surfing School owners Lance Tompkins and Jennifer Steffener teach both in and out of the water.

"You're not just teaching surfing, you're teaching other things. Surfing and paddleboarding are vehicles for self empowerment and an entryway for environmental awareness, health, and fitness," Steffner said.

Even though Tompkins and Steffner run their school mainly out of Brick Beach Three, they travel to other locations along the Jersey Shore, including Seaside Heights, for private lessons or more favorable weather conditions.

The husband and wife duo both have warm and caring personalities that play off one another when working together and with their students.

"We make a great team," Steffner said.

Between the two of them, the couple shares a great deal of unique skills which is incorporated in the way they teach their camps and classes. Aside from surfing and paddleboarding, Tompkins has a reputable background in snowboarding and skateboarding.

Steffner also has a notable boarding background and practices various types of wellness health including Tai Chi and massage therapy.  

"We kind of married all of our passions into one business," Steffner said.

Since Tompkins and Steffner both learned how to surf—as they put it "the hard way”—they know what kinds of dangers the ocean can produce for surfers and paddle boarders. That’s why they’ve always made water safety a main priority for the school, even before Superstorm Sandy struck.

However, Steffener says they now used the storm as a platform for their safety talks, particularly for the camps geared toward children.

“We give the kids a time to talk about Sandy and give them time to talk about fears about the weather or the ocean,” Steffener said.

Steffener feels allowing the children to talk among each other about how they have been affected by Sandy helps them heal and feel comfortable around the ocean again.

“It's a forum for them to kind of vent their feelings and then introduce them back into the water in a safe and wholesome environment, so now the ocean becomes a friendly place again,” Steffener said.   

Even though Coastline Adventures started their season late to ensure the water was safe to teach in, it took a little time for local students to get back into the water.

"It was just about letting people know the water was safe. Letting them know we were making a conscience effort to go to safe beaches, but now the season is going full swing and we're doing really well," Steffner said.

More information about Coastline Adventures Surfing School is available on their website.

Written by Carly Kilroy.