Release Baby Sea Turtles in Nicaragua in November and December

Surf With Amigas has been sponsoring the Waves of Hope sea turtle conservation program since 2012. We just committed to another year doing our part to give back by supporting the program that buys baby sea turtle eggs from poachers turned conservationists to ensure there will be turtles in the lineup for years to come!

See below for the video we made way back in 2012 in our first year of the project. All the info is the same! If you’d like to participate in the release of baby turtles, join us for a retreat in Nicaragua.

Supporting Local Youth Through Art in Costa Rica

At Surf With Amigas, we are always looking for constructive ways to engage with the communities where we host retreats. Whether it’s funding sea turtle conservation, donating school books to indigenous children, giving scholarships for higher education, or encouraging women to participate in sports by sponsoring a local ladies kickball team, we feel good about giving back wherever we are.

In this case, we have become friends with an amazingly inspiring woman named Hadas, who owns a vegetarian cafe and surf view cabanas as her day job, and offers art classes to kids and adults to feed her passion for art. She runs an open art studio called De Colores in Pavones, Costa Rica.

The art studio is dedicated to promoting well being and deep healing through the creative process of art making. That’s a goal we can get behind! 

 

We are so happy to donate funds to support free art classes for local children to explore and express themselves through color, textures, and the allowance to get messy! Here are a few photos from a recent class.

By supporting us, you are supporting her, and thereby supporting them. Thank you!

Sonoma Academy High School Surf and Service Trip

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High School Surf and Service Trip

Last week we had a group of fifteen students and two teachers from Sonoma Academy visit Northern Nicaragua for a service learning trip. The goal was to surf as much as possible, learn about the culture and lifestyle of the people in Nicaragua and give back to the local community by helping to renovate a local elementary school.

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Learning to surf

Most of the girls had surfed once or twice before. They threw themselves into it fearlessly. Some days we had strong offshore winds which made for challenging conditions. There were some awesome rides and exciting wipeouts.

Galloping down the beach

One of the week’s highlights was our horseback ride down the beach. The girls were so excited to gallop along the shore that the ride was the longest in SWA history. There were certainly some sore backsides but also ear to ear smiles.

We stopped half way back for some fresh coconuts pulled from the trees and opened with machetes in front of us. One of the girls noted that a coconut like that would have cost $8 at Whole Foods! Nothing tastes better than fresh coconut water!

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School Restoration – High School Service Project

Surf With Amigas is partnered with the non-profit Waves of Hope on a variety of philanthropy projects in North Nicaragua. Aiding local education opportunities is a major focus. This week we put our energy towards renovating a local elementary school. The girls spent the week cleaning and painting so that the classrooms will be in great shape for the start of the new school year.

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The trip of a lifetime

Combining adventure, excitement, and the warm fuzzies of leaving a place better than you found it leads to the trip of a lifetime. The girls said every day that that day was the best of their lives.

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Surf Completely – Coco Chanel Paddle

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How to Catch more waves with the Coco Chanel Paddle

Everyone knows the Coco Chanel logo right? The two interlocking Cs are not just a sign of luxury, but also a great way to paddle. If you want to have the most efficient paddle technique you need to increase the length of your stroke. Paddling in the shape of a C achieves that. If you use the Coco Chanel Paddle you’ll be covering more distance faster. That means more waves and fewer turtle rolls! This video will take you through some things to do and others to avoid to improve your paddle skills and have you catching more waves!

Why it’s best to learn to surf from women

At Surf With Amigas, we take a humorous approach to teaching surf skills. You’ll learn to turn with your boobs and to avoid paddling like a T-Rex. You’ll also hear that you should paddle like the Coco Chanel logo. Come learn and laugh with us! That’s the difference of a surf camp run by women!

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For more instructional videos, check out our Surf Completely page!

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Longboard Surf Coaching Retreat in Nicaragua

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The spot we surf in Northern Nicaragua for our women’s surf yoga retreats is ideal for improving your longboarding skills. This particular week in mid December 2017 had awesome super long lefts and rights that were great for all surfing levels. Some ladies were working on just standing up for the first time, while others were working on cross-stepping and trying to nose ride. No matter your current ability, we will individualize our coaching to make sure you get the help you need to achieve your goals.

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Practicing paddle techniques in the pool during Paddle School!

Other Activities

Of course it’s not all about surfing. We also offered daily restorative yoga sessions, played kickball with local ladies, hiked and then boarded down a volcano, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of Nicaragua.

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Restorative yoga
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Shoulder opening class to stretch out tired surfing muscles.

Check out the video highlights from the week!

Come and join us on our next retreat!

All our available dates are listed on the schedule page. We will be adding more for winter next year very soon.

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Gorgeous sunsets every night.

Starting Oct 2018 – Our New Home Base in North Nicaragua

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The view walking down to surf.

Beginning October 2018 Surf With Amigas will be taking over a gorgeous ocean-front hotel in Northern Nicaragua as our new home base.

Stay with us for a surf yoga retreat in Nicaragua at our new retreat base and watch the waves at “the Bay” all day!  The Bay is a sand bottom break that features great waves for experienced surfers and also super fun user-friendly waves for beginners. This is the very best spot to learn to stand up for the first time. It is also a great spot to work on nose riding, cutbacks, generating your own speed, and doing turns. This is the spot to surf twice a day.

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User friendly waves for all ability levels at the bay.
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The view walking up to the boutique hotel space.

Of course we’ll also do some driving and boating missions to surf other spots depending on conditions and desires of the group. There are lots of other surf options nearby. We are very excited about the ability to be in tune with the ocean, easily surf multiple times per day, and be on it whenever it’s good!

A Boutique Resort in Northern Nicaragua

The resort features four stylish ocean-view, thatch-roof cabanas. Each cabana has its own ensuite open-air bathroom, relaxing hammocks and lounge spaces. There’s a refreshing swimming pool for midday cooling dips. There’s a brand new ocean-view yoga studio, and stylish bar and restaurant space to enjoy healthy delicious meals.

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Rainy season views from the pool deck.

We are excited to have the opportunity to curate the entire Surf Yoga Retreat experience from the vibe at the resort to the meals.

In the past we have partnered with resorts on a week by week basis using their restaurant and staff. This new situation will be all Surf With Amigas from the delicious healthy menu to the music playlist.

Fewer cabanas mean smaller groups and more retreat dates per year beginning mid October 2018. We’ll be updating the schedule and uploading more photos and videos soon!

 

 

Surf Camp in Costa Rica – The best surf coaching program

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Congratulations to Jackie and Hugo who are newly engaged and celebrated with a few party waves in Costa Rica.

Surf coaching retreats for women and men in Costa Rica

If you’re looking for high level surf coaching open to primarily women but also sometimes men, Surf With Amigas is the place! This particular video highlights a co-ed week that was open to women and their boyfriend, husband, brother, or best guy friend.

Uncrowded surf

Surf With Amigas focuses on locations where we can take over the lineups and get a ton of waves. It’s true that Costa Rica can be crowded, but not every surf spot is full of people. We will find empty waves! The area we’ll stay is further off the beaten path of tourists. We will stay surrounded by jungle, watching monkeys jump from tree to tree. We’ll surf with sea turtles. We’ll watch scarlet macaws fly overhead.

For more information on our Costa Rican Retreats, click here!

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The Best Women’s Surf Coaching Program in Costa Rica

Surf With Amigas is the best women’s-only surf coaching program in Costa Rica.

SWA Women’s Surf & Yoga Retreats are beneficial for surfers of ALL ability levels who want to improve their surfing- from those who are learning how to pop up to those who are practicing maneuvers like cutbacks and noserides. We tactfully choose our retreat locations in places with awesome waves that are great for practicing, plus we have the best female instructors on hand to watch what you are doing and offer tips. They will surf alongside you to inspire you, but also be right by your side as you paddle out and sit in the lineup. At SWA retreats one can expect to meet Amigas of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, and surf abilities.

SUPPORTIVE. INSPIRING. KNOWLEDGABLE.

Our diverse team of female surf coaches aim to ensure that every Amiga, in and out of the water, feels supported, encouraged, and well equipped with the tools they need to reach their personal surf goals. Aside from in-water coaching + guiding, we have daily post-surf video coaching and daily Yin style yoga classes to rest and recover. At all retreats we also provide a variety of classroom sessions where we’ll cover topics like surf etiquette, paddling techniques, cross stepping, how to read a surf forecast, and more. 

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SWA believes in doing good. With a conscious effort to positively impact the communities around us at all of our retreat locations, rest assured that when you travel with Amigas you’re bound to connect with the local communities and experience much more than just surfing and yoga.

Our retreat roster is always expanding. From Nicaragua and Costa Rica, to Panama, Morocco, and Indonesia, you can surf with Amigas all over the world.

Find the right retreat for you by checking out our current locations.

Surf Retreats for All Levels Beginner and Advanced

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Surf Retreats for all levels Beginner and Advanced.

Our Northern Nicaragua location retreats are great for surfers of all levels, beginner to advanced. We typically have mixed level groups including ladies who have never surfed before and ladies who have been surfing for years. The more advanced surfers come to take their skills to the next level or just make new surfing friends. This week was a great mix of both.

Late November is also one of the nicest times of the year in Central America with really clean medium sized waves, sunny skies, and great weather.

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These retreats are all about empowerment, bonding, adventure, pushing yourself, and reviving your energy so that you go home ready to take on the world.

As you can see in the video, aside from surfing there will be other adventures. Want to gallop down the beach at sunset? This is the spot for you. We’ll also explore the old town of Leon, go volcano boarding, and learn to salsa dance. We’ll interact with the local community. We’ll eat amazing food. We’ll enjoy sunset cocktails. We’ll help you improve your surfing with one on one video analysis and targeted classroom sessions.

Since our team is made up of all women, we will support you in and out of the water. We’ll be happy to hear your stories and listen to what you’re going through. We will encourage you to achieve your goals whatever they are.

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For more info on retreats like these check out our North Nicaragua Retreat Page!

Halloween Week Adventure

This video sums up all of the adventures that we offer during one of our womens surf yoga adventure weeks. We never seem to capture any footage of yoga since everyone is just enjoying and relaxing, but trust me there’s plenty of yoga too! This week included Halloween in case you were wondering about the face paint and costumes.
Always a good time!