For third-generation Westchester resident Devin Bonney, the beach has always been more than a place to spend a summer afternoon. It’s where he learned to swim, where his father taught him to surf, and where generations of his family built memories together.
Now, at 26, Bonney has launched Coast Academy, a new beach and surf camp designed to help local children develop confidence, friendships, and a lifelong connection to the ocean.
“My dad grew up on Midfield Avenue,” Bonney says. “My grandparents raised their family here. My dad biked to Osage and then Westchester High. I went to Cowan Avenue Elementary. I’ve lived in Westchester my whole life and love it.”
Reminiscing about summer, he shares that his father, and later his sister, were fry cooks at the world-famous Shack just up the street from his camp, and that the family spent countless days soaking up the surf, sand and sun at Toes Beach and Dockweiler.
The idea for Coast Academy grew out of both personal experience and professional training.
After graduating from Louisiana State University in 2022, Bonney accepted an office job, following a path that might have seemed more conventional than launching a business in your 20s. But after about a year behind a desk, he realized he missed being outdoors and working directly with young people. He returned to the surf camp where he had started as an assistant coach and eventually became a manager, a role that reinforced his belief that beach programs can have a lasting impact on children’s lives.
“I saw the tight-knit community that was built around the surf camp in Manhattan Beach,” he says. “I was working with coaches who learned to surf in the same camp when they were kids. It was just a great community of kids that all knew each other from the different schools in town.”
That experience reminded him of his hometown of Westchester, where families are spread across numerous schools and activities. Bonney saw the beach as a natural gathering place where those different groups could come together.
“I wanted to be part of that ecosystem here in town and help bring families together through love of the beach and the outdoors,” he says. “I’m really excited to get into the first year and try to start building that.”
But launching Coast Academy has also meant taking a leap of faith.
Starting his own camp required months of planning, permits, and coordination with Los Angeles County. As a first-time business owner, Bonney has handled everything from securing beach locations and designing a curriculum to building a website and introducing the program to local families. The process has been both exciting and daunting, but he says his connection to Westchester kept him motivated.
The camp’s first season represents more than the launch of a business. For Bonney, it is an opportunity to invest in the same community that helped shape him.
More Than Just Learning to Surf
The camp’s mission extends beyond simply teaching children how to ride waves. Bonney hopes campers develop skills and habits they can carry throughout their lives.
“We want to build lifelong skills and habits. It’s more than just camp,” says Bonney.
His passion for surfing is central to that vision.
Growing up amid the bustle of Los Angeles, Bonney found the ocean offered something different: a chance to slow down, unplug, and reconnect with the world.
“When you’re out in the water, you can forget about everything else for a little while, and just be in nature,” he says. “You’ve got dolphins swimming by, birds overhead. Something about it is so healing; it’s such a good reset.”
He also sees the beach as an antidote to increasingly social media-centered childhoods that parents often worry about.
“Spending summer at the beach with your peers is such a great way to get away from screens and phones. You get exercise in, but also time to relax and have a good time,” he says.
Bonney’s own love of surfing began with his father, who would take him to the beach with a group of tight-knit friends from 90045.
“He taught me to surf,” Bonney says. “It’s something he and I share that is very special.”
Some of his favorite memories are still Sunday mornings spent surfing with his dad at Dockweiler Beach.
“Every time I’m out there, the second I get out in the water, it’s magical,” he says. “Everything just fades away.”
Teaching Kids to Love and Protect the Coast
Those experiences shaped Coast Academy’s programming, which includes both surf and beach camp options.
The Surf Camp, held at Dockweiler Beach, focuses on teaching children how to feel confident riding their boards, while incorporating lessons about ocean safety, tides, currents, and environmental stewardship. Beach Camp offers a gentler introduction to ocean recreation, with boogie boarding, beach games, and shallow-water activities for children who may be new to the beach or not yet ready to surf.
Both programs run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this summer, and are structured as five-day sessions with a curriculum that builds throughout the week.
Environmental education is also woven into the camp experience.
Earlier this year, Bonney partnered with Visitation Catholic School teacher Tina Llorens on a program called “Caring for Our Coast,” which combined environmental lessons with a community beach cleanup. During camp, one day each week will focus specifically on ecology and stewardship.
“We’ll learn about pollution and how we interact with the beach and how we can give back,” Bonney says. “We’ll do a walk and pick up trash to help beautify the shore for everyone and give back to the community.”
For Bonney, that community pride and connection with nature are at the core of his business model.
“The biggest thing I want for this community is getting kids down to the beach, getting them outdoors, and having a space for them to just enjoy themselves,” he says.
He believes the beach is one of the few places that organically brings everyone together, regardless of their backgrounds.
“All the lovely families growing up here, they might go to different schools, and they might be on different sports teams, but the beach is right there, and we all can share it,” he says.
Years from now, he hopes to see former Coast Academy campers return as counselors and mentors, making it a full-circle experience.
“In Westchester, we’re fortunate to have this incredible resource right in our backyard,” Bonney says. “If you’re a kid or teen growing up in L.A., there’s no better way to spend your summer than at the beach, making new friends and experiencing all that our coast has to offer.”
For more information about Coast Academy’s summer programs, visit coastacademy.us.
By Shanee Edwards. Photos by Ellie Taylor.