Founded by Mitch and Juliette Anderson, Pura Vida in Chile has been a community and sports hub for nearly 25 years. Initially focused on sports and community spirit, it now offers diverse facilities including a surf-training center, contests, and plans to expand into a full community center providing counseling, rehabilitation, and education.
Founded by lifelong surfers and missionaries Mitch and Juliette Anderson, Pura Vida has been a beacon of community and athletic excellence in Chile for nearly 25 years. Initially starting with the goal of using sports to minister to locals and foster community spirit, Pura Vida has grown into a comprehensive facility offering diverse programs. These include a coffee shop, an indoor semi Olympic-size pool, a gym, and multipurpose rooms for various groups. Known as the surf-training center of the region, Pura Vida attracts professional and recreational surfers and hosts numerous surf contests and festivals.
With a vision to expand further, Pura Vida aims to fully develop a community center providing extensive services such as counseling, rehabilitation, special needs ministry, dance, and education. All of these ministries are already underway, yet there is significant room for growth and improvement. The Andersons, along with their son Nathan, continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Pura Vida not only meets but exceeds its mission to enrich lives through sports and support, creating a vibrant and inclusive community hub for the surrounding city.
The founders of Pura Vida, Mitch and Juliette Anderson, are lifelong surfers and missionaries who work with their son, Nathan, in Chile. Pura Vida was established almost 25 years ago and has been growing ever since.
Pura Vida’s goal is to use sports to minister to locals and create a sense of community. Within the facility, there are a number of different programs that include a coffee shop/restaurant, an indoor semi Olympic-size pool, a gym, and several multipurpose rooms used by different groups throughout the week. They have built a membership model similar to fitness clubs but with a much broader impact.
Many pro surfers train with them as well as recreational surfers and they have hosted a number of surf contests and beach festivals over the years. Pura Vida is now known as the surf-training center for that region of Chile.
In 2016 they made a short film that tells a bit of the story:
In five years, they hope to have a fully developed community center that serves the surrounding city through sports, fitness, surf, skate, counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, special needs ministry, dance, aerobics, home school co-operative and a host of other services. All of these ministries are already moving ahead but still have much room for growth and improvement.
In five years, they hope to have a fully developed community center that serves the surrounding city through sports, fitness, surf, skate, counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, special needs ministry, dance, aerobics, home school co-operative and a host of other services. All of these ministries are already moving ahead but still have much room for growth and improvement.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get the latest news, volunteer opportunities.
