Carlos Zuniga

Carlos Zuniga is a true local legend from a small Nicaraguan fishing village where he grew up with one of the best beach break tubes in the world right in his backyard. Carlos got his start in surfing thanks to a unique connection with the family behind Hotel Chancletas, the area’s first-ever surf hotel. Around age 13, with their help, Carlos and his brothers learned how to catch waves and stand up on boogie boards. All of them were instantly obsessed. Shortly after Carlos got his first real surfboard and has been in the water practically every day since.

Years later, Carlos joined the Chancletas team, starting as a gardener and then becoming a bartender. This put him right in the heart of the surf scene, meeting surfers from all over the world who came to chase barrels in his backyard. In 2019, he officially began his dream career as a surf guide and instructor.

Carlos loves getting shacked, catching fish, riding horses, and adopting crazy animals as pets. As he continues his career in tourism and as a surfer, he hopes to inspire and uplift the next wave of young Nicaraguan surfers from his community who also want to carve their own paths in surf tourism in the area.