Hagal Sheli - Surf Centers

Originally launched in the summer of 2023 as a mobile surf center, our Ashkelon facility quickly became a hub for youth and teens across the city. After October 7th, demand for this essential program surged in the southern region. In response, our center expanded from a mobile truck to a dedicated facility in partnership with the Ashkelon Municipality. It now runs specialized programs that support at-risk youth and individuals processing trauma from the war, serving both youth and adults.

Established in partnership with the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council after the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, this center was designed to deliver robust surfing programs to residents of all ages—children, teens, young adults, and adults. With activities based out of our mobile surf center and enhanced by comfortable, air-conditioned classroom spaces and surfboard maintenance facilities, this center offers an ideal environment for healing and growth through surfing.

Bat Yam city has been a faithful companion since day one. Sharing values, goals, and aspirations, ensuring HaGal Sheli Bat Yam will continue to be a loving home and a safe place.

Perfect for an intimate and prestigious event. A dreamy location – right on the boardwalk between urban Tel Aviv and classic old Jaffa.

Founded after October 7th, the Herzliya center was created in collaboration with Kfar Izun as part of the Izun Arena platform. It offers holistic support to survivors of the Nova Festival and others in the region, as well as their families. Treatment groups are led by trained surf instructors and certified therapists, equipping participants with the tools to rebuild their lives, work, relationships, and resilience as they navigate trauma recovery. Participants report reduced avoidance behaviors and a renewed ability to maintain balance and routine, facilitated by surfing and the community’s support. Many later join the HaGal Sheli team as assistant instructors, inspiring new participants who are beginning the same journey.

We opened our sixth surfing center in the Hadassah Youth Village in December 2023. The village is a natural and significant partner of HaGal-Sheli since it places its greatest focus on using the ocean’s resource for the purposes of informal education. Together, the shared values will result in a lot of good. There is a bright future to anticipate.

Kfar Izun is a therapeutic treatment center uniquely designed for individuals experiencing short-term and one-time mental health crises. HaGal Sheli began collaborating with Kfar Izun in January 2024, a partnership that continues today. Our program here empowers participants who opt into each session to confront challenges in surfing that translate directly into personal resilience, revealing their own inherent strengths.

Participants experience an uplifted mood, allowing them to return to a state of balance and focus on the present moment. The combined support from HaGal Sheli and Kfar Izun staff fosters a sense of security and encouragement, helping participants find balance—both on the waves and in life.

At the Hof HaCarmel Joint School, located within Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, we launched a new center for our educational surfing programs in February 2021. Our partnership with the school developed after years of shared activities, inspiring the desire to formally bring HaGal Sheli into the school and introduce more students to the transformative power of surfing. Youth attend from surrounding areas such as Or Akiva, Hadera, Zichron Ya’akov, Shfeya, and beyond.

Partnering with the Kiryat Yam Municipality and the nonprofit ‘BeDarkecha’ – In Memory of Shmulik Zevion, we established a new educational surf center in Kiryat Yam which will provide at-risk youth the opportunity to “catch the wave” to a better life.