surf hatteras: premier summer surf camps

Who Are the Staff?

Surf Hatteras has at least 6 qualified, full-time staff members working during every session this summer. We maintain at least a 1:2 staff to camper ratio or better. This, of course, is to ensure the safety of your child, but it is also to make sure that each and every camper gets the personal attention he or she needs every day.


Staff Qualifications.

  • All staff members are fully certified in CPR and First Aid.
  • All are highly experienced working with the youth and working summer camps.
  • All have extensive ocean experience, particularly in the Outer Banks.  
  • The 3 surf instructors, in particular, have over 40 years combined surf experience, all over the world in all kinds of conditions
  • Certified staff lifeguard on duty at all times.
Caroline Byrd
Director of Photography
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Caroline is a recent graduate of Sweet Briar University where she studied International Relations and Photography and was the captain of the Varsity Tennis Team. She also managed to travel to South Africa for five months last year and surf some of the best point breaks in the world! This summer marks her third year on staff with Surf Hatteras as a photographer, surf instructor, and activities coordinator. Having recently completed an internship with acclaimed photographer, Marcus Holman, she is more ready than ever to shoot epic photos of Surf Hatteras campers catching the waves of their lives!

Miles Morin
 Surf Instructor
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Miles is a rising second year at the University of Virginia studying Economics and Religion. He graduated from Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, where he swam and pole-vaulted. He has been surfing avidly for over ten years. He worked as an oceanfront lifeguard for the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service for the past two years and has extensive surf experience on the Outer Banks. When the waves are flat, Miles enjoys playing the guitar, bass, and wakeboarding.

Thomas Dixon
Non-Surfing Activities Director
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Thomas is a veteran staff member and our resident "Fun Expert." A graduate of the University of Virginia, he is currently serving as Urban Missioner at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA in the off season. He has been a volunteer leader for Young Life, a high school outreach ministry, for over five years, giving him tons of experience with high school kids, particularly in camp environments. He grew up spending countless hours on the water, being a skilled wakeboarder and waterskiier. He loves to see every kid have a blast, and looks forward to seeing that happen this summer.

Ross Byrd
Executive Director and Surf Instructor
Ross, our director, is an avid, life-long surfer/swimmer fromVirginia Beach, VA and a graduate of the University of Virginia. He currently serves as the Director of High School Ministries for Galilee Church in Virginia Beach. Over the past six years, he has co-led countless summer camp sessions, caring for children and teenagers in places such as Rockbridge, VA, Hatteras Island, NC, and even Beijing, China. As a surfer, he has ridden waves around the globe - from Costa Rica to Hawaii, California, New Zealand, and Fiji. He is also a professional musician and an accomplished singer/songwriter. At Surf Hatteras, he is dedicated to ensuring that each camper is safe, well cared for, and having the week of his or her life. 

Hannah Byrd
Camp Coordinator and Director of Videography
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Hannah, formerly Hannah Bregman, is a graduate of James Madison University where she studied Psychology. She is a native of Virginia Beach, but has spent substantial time on Hatteras Island every summer for the past twenty years, and she began surfing while studying abroad in Australia in '04. Her passion for working with youth shows in her years of experience leading Young Life summer camp trips in Rockbridge, VA and Saranac, New York, as well as her current job working with the youth at Galilee Church in Virginia Beach. For two winters she was on staff at Massanutten Ski Resort, where she served as a snowboard instructor for children and adults. For two summers she worked as an oceanfront lifeguard in Virginia Beach, and placed in both local and regional lifeguard competitions. Her favorite aspect of Surf Hatteras is seeing each campers' confidence increase over the course of the week - in surfing, and in just being who they are.

Mike Meredith
Surf Instructor

Mike is a veteran Surf Hatteras surf instructor, as this is his third year on staff. Currently a student at Campbell University in North Carolina, Mike is a fully certified lifeguard and has had lifesaving experience as a Virginia Beach oceanfront lifeguard (VBLS). He's been surfing for most of his life, has experience on both coasts, and is equally talented on a longboard and a shortboard. He has also served as a counselor for several of Galilee Church's summer camp programs.

Natalie Batman
Hospitality Director
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Natalie, the newest member of the Surf Hatteras team, is a recent graduate of Sweet Briar College with a degree in Economics. She loves working with young people, and spent two summers teaching English to children and teenagers in Fuzhou, China. Natalie has spent a great deal of time in the water on the Outer Banks and is a certified open water diver. She is looking forward to serving alongside the other Surf Hatteras staff members to make this summer an unforgettable one for every camper.