Surfing, dancing, eating amazing food, doing yoga, dancing, playing kickball with local ladies, dancing, volcano boarding, dancing. It’s what we do. All fun and adventure, all day long on our women’s surf and yoga retreats. Come play and get your boogie on!
We had a particularly big swell this week and a big group of Amigas to charge it. Surf, yoga, adventure, and connecting with the local community made for an action packed week!
When a particularly big and unseasonal swell popped up on the surf forecast in February, the team of instructors at Surf With Amigas responded with excitement. It was an opportunity to teach the crew how to read a surf forecast and just what it means when there’s a long period swell (vs. a short period). The waves were pumping, and while it was a bit too big on the very biggest waves, we got some really great rides, along with some awesome wipeouts.
I absolutely love getting Amigas into big waves. Ok, i’ll admit it, I do prefer when looking at the surf forecast while planning the retreat week, it shows small to medium sized surf. It just makes life easier that way. But when I saw a swell forecasted to be 22″, I also got really excited. During the retreat, we offered a course on how to read surf forecasts to explain what the period number actually means. Standby for a blog post on that….
For now you can check out the photos below to see what that long period swell means! (hint. big waves!).
Our team of surf instructors were on it, guaranteeing that all the Amigas stayed safe even amongst very large waves breaking over a rock bottom. Each of the ladies who challenged the point got at least one large wave, and many rode theirs all the way to the beach to the cheers of the ladies on the inside. It was a magical and inspiring day! Check out some photo highlights below…
Shiseido offers a variety of water resistant sun care products that work greta in the surf! Our favorites are the SPF 50 Sunscreen Stick and the Wetforce Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion. The Wetforce sunscreen is mineral based and free of chemicals. Both of these broad spectrum, water resistant products are have a matte finish that leaves your skin feeling smooth and dry.
Raw Elements, Surf Coach Alex’s sunscreen of choice, makes sunscreen products with certified natural and organic ingredients. The sunscreen is hypoallergenic, broad spectrum, and stays on in the water. The company, founded by an ocean lifeguard, is dedicated to creating a positive impact on the world.
Another great option not mentioned in the video, which is the sunscreen of choice of SWA founder Holly Beck is Shade Sunscreen. It’s a mineral based broad spectrum sunscreen free of chemicals, parabens, animal derived ingredients, and glycols. It has a matte finish (yay!) and leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky (rather than oily). The face stick and liquid products are both water resistant, so take your pick! If you’re traveling we recommend using the stick so you can leave it in your carry on.
In addition to staying lathered up with sunscreen on your face, neck, and hands, we highly recommend investing in other surf gear to keep you safe from the rays. Cover up! Hats, long sleeve rash guards, and leggings are a must if you plan to surf for years to come and spend many hours in the sun. These are some of our favorite small brands that make awesome surf gear for all women (and some men too)!
Fave hats: Kaiola Co.
Fave rashguards: The Seea
Fave leggings: Salt Gypsy
This week not only did we surf our brains out but we also got to help out our local non-profit, waves of hope, by painting the local high school! Don’t worry, we managed to fit in all the other awesome activities of our Women’s surf and yoga retreat program including yoga, sliding down a volcano, a fun girls night out and sunset cocktails at a neighboring resort!
Brittany Hammond joined us on a retreat a couple of weeks ago and wrote a cute blog post about the experience. She’s also an amazing photographer and got some great shots. If you’re wondering what it’s like to attend a women’s surf and yoga retreat with Surf With Amigas, here’s a taste!
Here’s an intro, but read the whole story by clicking the link below.
“I spent a week in Nicaragua with Surf With Amigas… And it was one of the greatest weeks of my life! In spite of several mishaps (missed flights, injuries, scorpions, and a monkey bite) I totally enjoyed this trip.”
http://toddandbrittsblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/nicaragua-and-surf-with-amigas.html
We had such an amazing group of women this week during our first Surf With Amigas Surf Yoga Retreat of the 2017 Year, filling the line up with laughs and positive energy! Friendships were forged, waves were caught and adventure was had everyday! Can’t wait to see these Amigas next time!! This was also the first retreat that founder Holly Beck was back in instructor mode after her maternity leave so her kiddos were on hand to participate in the laughs and fun!
We recently had Kate Erwin from Cool Hunting pop in to join us on a retreat. She wrote a blog about her experience. Here’s an excerpt. Click the link to read the whole blog: http://www.coolhunting.com/travel/surf-with-amigas-nicaragua
“Between the surfing, horseback riding, meals, beers on the beach, yoga classes and the overall adventure of Surfing With Amigas, there’s an incredible sense of camaraderie and support. George says this is due to surfing—and the surf lifestyle—being so all-encompassing, “Surfing to me is everything: it’s meditation, it’s exercise, it’s worship, it’s a way to play in nature, it’s spending time with loved ones, it’s challenging, it’s fun, it’s mindless, it’s mindful, it’s a way to connect with people from all over the world, it’s empowering, and it’s a total reset.”
Holly Beck is one of the surf instructors at Surf With Amigas. Video coaching is a big part of what we do on our womens surf and yoga retreats as it’s such a great tool for improving your surfing. Here Holly demonstrates how to make your backside turns bigger.
