Public beta — work in progress. We're building Surf Camp Scout in the open. Camps and ratings are early editorial picks; reviews, booking and accounts are coming. Spotted something off? Tell us →

Scout
Trust policy

Trust & reviews policy

Our editorial wedge is honesty. These are the rules we hold ourselves to — and the rules that camps and reviewers must accept. We'd rather tell you what we don't yet do than imply we do.

Where reviews stand today. Member reviews aren't open yet. The reviews you see now are clearly-labelled editorial examples — written by us to show how a review reads — and they are excluded from a camp's star rating, its Signal, and the rich-result data we send to search engines. Only a real review moves a score; most camps therefore show “No reviews yet.” The rules in When member reviews open below govern member-written reviews from the day that feature ships.

What's true today

Editorial examples are labelled and never counted

Sample reviews carry an “Editorial example” badge and a notice. They never count toward a camp's rating, sub-scores, Signal, or structured data — so a sample can't inflate a camp.

Reviewer skill is always shown

Every review shows the reviewer's Surf Level at the time of their stay. A 5-star rating from a Level 3 surfer at a beginner-friendly camp means something different than a 5-star from a Level 6 — and we make that visible, not hidden in fine print. That level-weighting is the point of the site.

No paid placement, ever

Best-of guides and rankings are ordered by editorial judgment of fit — never by who pays us. Affiliate partnerships exist (see our affiliate disclosure), but they never change the order of a list or which camps appear in it.

Affiliate independence

Some “Check availability” links earn us a commission; many do not. Either way, commission has no bearing on a camp's rating, ranking, or inclusion. We tell you which links are sponsored on the listing itself — full detail in the affiliate disclosure.

Tell us when something looks wrong

Every camp and spot page has a “Report incorrect info” control — nothing you report auto-publishes; a human checks it. For anything else, use /feedback. A real person reads every note.

When member reviews open

These are the standards member-written reviews will launch with. They aren't enforced yet because the feature isn't live — we're stating them now so the rules are public before the first review.

Every qualifying review published — including 1-star

Once reviews open, every review that meets community standards is published, negative ones included. Camps will not be able to pay to remove or hide a review.

Owners may respond, not censor

Verified camp owners will be able to post one public response per review. They will not be able to edit or delete a user's review, or pay to suppress it. Owner edits to a listing (photos, amenities, descriptions) will be tracked.

Anti-spam & integrity

Reviewers will need a registered, email-verified account; reviews will be rate-limited per user; multiple flags will trigger human review; and any account engaged in coordinated fake reviewing (positive or negative) will be removed.

Found something that breaks this policy — or a listing detail that's wrong? Use the “Report incorrect info” control on the page, or email trust@surfcampscout.com. We aim to respond within five business days.