Behind the Scenes: Keeping the Adventure Going During a Typhoon
How ACE Club handled an unexpected typhoon during our 2026 Tokashiki Island Summer Camp
When we started planning our 2026 Okinawa Summer Camp, the plan was simple:
Take a group of amazing kids to Tokashiki Island, spend several days enjoying the ocean and nature, make new friends, and create memories that they would remember for years to come.
And for a while, everything was going exactly according to plan.
Then the weather forecast changed.
A typhoon was developing in the area, and suddenly our job became much bigger than simply running a summer camp.
We had to make sure that 24 campers and 6 adults could have a safe and enjoyable experience while also making decisions about ferries, flights, accommodation, activities, and the rapidly changing weather.
This is the story of what happened behind the scenes.
🌴 The Adventure Begins
Tokashiki Island is an incredible place for an ACE Club adventure.
The beautiful ocean, beaches, mountains, and island atmosphere make it the perfect environment for our philosophy of getting kids "from screen time to green time."
Our campers arrived excited and ready for several days of outdoor activities, swimming, exploring, playing together, and experiencing Okinawa in a way that many children don't normally get to experience.
Our goal was the same as always:
Keep the kids safe, keep them active, help them make friendships, and give them memories for life.
But while the campers were enjoying the island, our staff were also keeping an eye on something else.
The weather.
🌦️ When We Started Watching the Typhoon
When you run an outdoor camp, checking the weather isn't something you do once in the morning.
We were continuously monitoring the forecast.
We were looking at the projected path of the typhoon, wind conditions, waves, ferry schedules, and eventually our flight options.
The difficult part about dealing with a typhoon isn't necessarily knowing that bad weather is coming.
It's knowing exactly when you need to act.
If you leave too early, you may unnecessarily change a perfectly good camp.
If you wait too long, transportation options can disappear very quickly.
And when you are responsible for 30 people, you don't want to be making your biggest decisions after the situation has already become an emergency.
Our philosophy was simple:
We wanted to make decisions early enough that we still had options.
🧠 The Decision-Making Behind the Scenes
While the campers were enjoying their activities, our staff were constantly discussing our options.
Could we stay on the island?
What would happen to the ferry schedule?
What were the ocean conditions expected to be?
What would the typhoon's timing mean for our flight out of Okinawa?
Where could we stay if we needed to leave the island?
What would happen if transportation was cancelled?
And, most importantly:
What option would give us the safest and most flexible situation for our campers?
There wasn't one magical piece of information that gave us the answer.
It was a combination of many small pieces of information coming together.
Eventually, we decided that the best option was to leave Tokashiki earlier than originally planned.
🚢 Leaving Tokashiki
On August 4, we took the 10:00 AM ferry off Tokashiki Island.
This wasn't necessarily the plan we had started the camp with—but outdoor adventure requires flexibility.
Once we made the decision, our focus shifted.
We needed to get 30 people, all of their luggage, and all of our camp equipment safely back to Naha.
And we needed to make sure the campers understood that changing the plan didn't mean the adventure was over.
It simply meant the adventure was changing.
🏨 Plan B: Naha
Once we arrived back in Naha, we checked into Hotel Aqua Citta, conveniently located near the ferry terminal.
For the adults, there was still plenty to think about.
For the kids?
It was time to have fun.
We were able to continue giving them a great Okinawa experience, including beach time, swimming, the hotel pool, and a visit to the Okinawa Museum.
This was one of the most interesting parts of the entire experience for our staff.
While we were watching weather forecasts and transportation schedules, the kids were busy doing what kids do best:
Having fun.
They were laughing, playing, talking, and making new friendships.
And that was exactly what we wanted.
✈️ Then We Looked at Our Flight
The next challenge was getting everyone home.
Our original flight was scheduled for 18:45.
But as we continued monitoring the typhoon and the potential impact on Okinawa, we decided that waiting until the evening created an unnecessary risk.
So we made another change.
We moved the group to an earlier 14:55 flight.
This meant getting everyone organized, getting to the airport, and making sure the entire group was ready to travel earlier than expected.
It wasn't the most convenient option.
But it gave us something much more important:
More certainty.
The earlier flight meant we could leave Okinawa before the typhoon's effects became more serious.
And eventually, we were on our way home.
📱 What Parents Saw vs. What Was Happening Behind the Scenes
One of the interesting things about running a children's camp is that parents don't necessarily see everything happening behind the scenes.
And that's actually a good thing.
Our campers don't need to spend their vacation worrying about ferry schedules or weather models.
They need to know that the adults around them are prepared and making good decisions.
While parents were receiving updates from us, our staff were simultaneously:
Monitoring the typhoon forecast
Checking wind and wave conditions
Watching ferry schedules
Reviewing flight options
Looking at hotel availability
Discussing contingency plans
Adjusting activities
Organizing transportation
Keeping track of 30 people
Making sure campers were safe, comfortable, fed, hydrated, and having fun
This is a big part of what goes into running an ACE Club adventure.
The campers see the adventure.
The staff see the adventure and everything happening behind it.
❤️ Keeping the Campers Positive
One of our biggest priorities was making sure that the campers didn't feel like their trip had been ruined.
We could have spent the final days saying:
"The typhoon changed everything."
Instead, we tried to say:
"Our plans changed. What can we do now?"
That difference is important.
Outdoor adventures don't always go according to schedule.
Sometimes it rains.
Sometimes a trail is closed.
Sometimes a ferry is cancelled.
Sometimes a typhoon comes along and completely changes your itinerary.
Learning how to adapt is part of the adventure.
And our campers got to experience that firsthand.
🌊 The Itinerary Changed. The Adventure Didn't.
Looking back, the 2026 Okinawa Camp wasn't exactly the camp we originally planned.
We left Tokashiki earlier.
We changed hotels.
We changed activities.
We changed our flight.
We changed our schedule.
But something much more important didn't change.
The kids still had an amazing time.
They made friendships.
They laughed.
They explored.
They swam.
They experienced Okinawa.
And they came home with stories to tell.
Most importantly, all 24 campers and 6 adults arrived home safely.
That is always our number one goal.
🎒 What We Learned
This experience reminded us of something we already know from running outdoor programs:
Preparation is important. Flexibility is just as important.
We can't control the weather.
We can't control the ocean.
We can't control ferry companies or airlines.
But we can control how we respond.
We can monitor conditions.
We can prepare backup plans.
We can make decisions before a situation becomes an emergency.
And we can keep the campers' safety at the center of every decision.
🌅 What This Means for Future ACE Club Families
When your child joins an ACE Club adventure, we can't promise that everything will go exactly according to the original itinerary.
In fact, part of the reason we love outdoor adventure is that sometimes it doesn't.
What we can promise is that we will take our responsibility seriously.
We will monitor conditions.
We will communicate.
We will make thoughtful decisions.
And when circumstances change, we will adapt.
The safety and well-being of our campers will always come before sticking to a schedule.
Because ultimately, a successful camp isn't one where everything happens exactly as planned.
A successful camp is one where children come home safe, happy, healthy, and full of memories.
❤️ Memories for Life
Our Okinawa adventure didn't end up being the trip we originally imagined.
It became something different.
And perhaps that's what made it so memorable.
The typhoon became part of the story.
The ferry ride became part of the story.
The unexpected hotel stay became part of the story.
The changed flight became part of the story.
And all of those unexpected moments became part of the memories our campers will take home with them.
The itinerary changed.
The adventure didn't.
And most importantly...
Everyone came home safely.
That's an ACE Club adventure.
From screen time to green time.
Memories for life.
