I met Marion Clark one day at a bakery in Santa Monica, and her infectious energy immediately caught my attention. When I discovered she’s been running a surf school for over two decades, I knew I had to learn more.
Talking with Marion during our interview, I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a typical business profile. The Surf Academy story spans generations, touches thousands of lives, and redefines what a surf school can be.
“My mom’s a pioneer in surfing,” Marion tells me. “Her name is Mary Setterholm.”
The story begins in the 1970s when Mary, at 17, won the U.S. Open and co-founded the Women’s International Surf Association. In the 90s, Mary went on to start the Surf Academy, initially focused on empowering women in the water.
Marion took on more than just the business — she took on a mission. When Marion took over operations in 2006, she brought her own vision to an already successful operation, transforming it into something remarkable: a surf school that reaches far beyond traditional lessons.
The Language of Trust
Near Tower 24 in Santa Monica, Marion oversees multiple programs that seem to defy typical categories. There’s the traditional surf camp, yes, but also the “Surf Bus” — a program that brings youth from low-income Los Angeles neighborhoods to the beach.
“Some of these kids are coming from neighborhoods where they don’t feel safe. Where there is a lot of gang activity.”
The statistics are striking: Surf Academy serves hundreds of youth annually through various programs. But Marion doesn’t measure success in numbers alone. She talks about trust, self-esteem, motivation, and endurance — qualities that surfing uniquely develops.
“In the water, if a wave is coming and you’re under, you’ve got to relax and float to the top. Nobody can do that for you,” she says.
“I can guide a kid on a surfboard, but when I let go, it’s all them.”
This brings up a principle Marion lives by, a philosophy shaped by her lifelong relationship with surfing: the ocean’s fundamental honesty. Unlike the complexities of human relationships, the ocean offers straightforward feedback.
In her experience, waves don’t play favorites or hide their intentions — they simply are what they are, teaching surfers to respond to what’s directly in front of them.
As she puts it, “The ocean never lies.”
Evolution and Systems
Building on her mother’s foundation, Marion has evolved the academy’s approach, creating systems that build lasting connections while maintaining the core mission of ocean access.
The academy now operates like a pipeline: kids start in camps, progress to middle school surf teams, join high school teams, volunteer for Surf Bus, and eventually become instructors themselves. It’s created what Marion calls “an army of happy surf soldiers ushering Los Angeles to the beach.”
The impact shows in unexpected ways. Marion tells me about the middle school boys’ surf team, where she’s witnessed a cultural shift.
“Instead of making fun of each other in that way that’s not nice — that ‘boys being boys’ thing — they’re actually supporting each other. ‘Hey, you can do it. I didn’t catch any waves last year and this year I’m really going for it.'”
Ocean as Therapy
Long before “surf therapy” became a recognized field, Surf Academy was practicing it. Marion even wrote her sociology thesis at UC Santa Cruz on the topic, measuring how ocean immersion impacts self-esteem, motivation, endurance, and trust.
“Now there’s a whole body of research on surf therapy,” she says. “Back then we didn’t even have a name for what we were doing.”
The therapeutic aspect isn’t just an idea. For many kids, the ocean becomes a constant in lives filled with uncertainty.
“The ocean is your friend,” Marion explains. “It supports us when the humans in life might — or might not.”
She shares how, growing up, she learned that while adults might be disingenuous, “the ocean never is.”
The Next Generation
Now Marion sees her five-year-old daughter joining the beach kids program, continuing the family legacy. But this isn’t about dynasty-building — it’s about something bigger.
“I want us to be people’s first impression of the ocean,” Marion says. “If we are, and we do a good job, that’s a positive relationship that will stick.”
What Marion hopes for her students goes beyond technical skills. She wants them to feel they “came away with more than a surf lesson — that they’re capable of going on their own surf journey.”
True Connection
In an age of quick fixes and surface-level experiences, Surf Academy offers something deeper: a chance to trust yourself, connect with others, and find your place in something vast and honest.
The ocean, as Marion says, never lies.
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Surf Academy offers programs for all ages, from beach kids (ages 5-8) to middle and high school surf teams. The Surf Bus program continues to bring underserved youth to the beach. For more information, check out our profile.
