[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEchfcMAoQg]
Nadine Janker is a tough German girl who played water polo in high school and built up some serious arm muscles and water comfort. She started the week in the whitewash, paid her dues with a few awesome wipeouts, but quickly progressed to riding overhead green waves! She is hilarious, charged to the top of a volcano, grabbed a real Nicaraguan machete, and proved that with determination and confidence anything is possible!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CglwrJwjk8E]
Corine is a Suave Dulce addict. She learned to surf while growing up in Hawaii but never really mastered it. She came on her first retreat in July and learned more in one week than she did over several years in Hawaii. She came back again in November and took the progress even further. By her third retreat in El Salvador she was paddling herself into overhead green waves and even starting to walk the nose. So awesome!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcw6U21nLNs]
Sharon is a writer from New York who learned to surf for the first time with Suave Dulce in Nicaragua. She came back for another retreat a year later and achieved her goal of catching a green wave. She says her boyfriend calls her a “determined little monkey” and I can see where the nickname came from. Go Sharon!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOxVs3wXyTQ]
Kelly Latimer is an inspirational character. She flies jets as a test pilot and was one step away from becoming an astronaut. She’s super smart, super funny, and super fun to hang out with! A member of the Huntington Beach based women’s surfing club Wahine Kai, she came to the very first Suave Dulce retreat when it was held at the infamous House Hunters house! All the girls were super fired up to get in the water right out of the airport taxi and rushed out into the warm ocean. Before I had even gotten all the girls organized with boards, wax, leashes, etc., I was informed that we already had an injury. What?! Kelly had somehow broken something in her leg. She was an absolute trooper, thinking it was just a sprained ankle, she carried on and walked all over the place and surfed in a tripod style (that I would copy when I broke my foot a year later). To see footage of her first trip: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUO0Qz0fo2Y]
She needed redemption! She came back to El Salvador and I actually got to see her stand and ride. She was ripping. See video at the top of the post.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usmkehVmkuE]
Laura came on her first retreat to Nicaragua last year and couldn’t even read waves. She learned a lot and by her second retreat in El Salvador she was getting super long waves all the way down the point. The goal for her third retreat: get barreled! Stay tuned…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIrbukBkt_w]
Mariah is from Texas where the waves don’t get very good very often. She came to her first Suave Dulce retreat in Nicaragua last year, spent a lot more time surfing afterwards, and came back for another retreat in El Salvador. Her surfing had improved so much! She met some cute local kids on the beach, challenged them to a soccer game, and left them stunned after she scored a few goals. So what if they were only 13? A goal is a goal!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/D3iLaVMsHhI]
Heather Finlayson is going through a transition period in her life. She’s in her last year of law school, just got out of a serious long-term relationship, and needed a break from real life to evaluate where she wants to go from here.
She had learned to surf as a kid, but hadn’t kept it up regularly. During her week in Nicaragua she fell back in love with surfing. She started in the whitewash on day 1, but by day 6 she was charging into some seriously big waves and coming up with a smile every time. Even after only horseback riding once in her life, she took off galloping down the beach and gained new perspective on life.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZREkwZEUCU]
Renate is a former professional dancer who thrives on physical challenges. She recently learned to surf along with her 10 year daughter and absolutely loved it. After stumbling upon the Suave Dulce camp on the internet she signed up and spent a week in Nicaragua improving her surfing. Check out what the trip was like for her.
This is an excerpt from an incredibly entertaining blog called Lindsey’s Misadventures in Dating by an amiga who came to a retreat with Suave Dulce. Check out her version of what a Nicaraguan retreat is all about.
Last year, I was frustrated. I saw all my best friends taking these amazing yearly trips with their significant others– Guatemala, Turks and Caicos, Bali…and I was mega jealous. I looove to travel, I finally have the means to do it, and I was sick of waiting for a dude to do it with. Then, S-bomb (fka “Tita Sue“) popped up last summer and said, “Yo. Wanna go to surf and yoga camp in Nicaragua next spring?”
Me: “Yep.”
Done and done.
Our awesome friend Ruth had put together the whole thing and, when I’m not in charge, I just go with it. Plus, due to my hectic schedule I just hadn’t bothered to do any research other than looking at the packing list [and then forgetting half of it]. I hurtled myself on a plane a few weeks ago and off I went to Managua. With a raging sinus infection, I might add. [Bonus!]
I got off into 90 degree weather feeling kinda crappy but was greeted by my nice driver. I got into his car and asked “¿Cuantos minutos al Coco Loco?” (how many minutes to hotel Coco Loco?) His answer: “Dos horas y media.”
Umm…2.5 hours???
¡Dios mio!
This is where some research would have prepped me for that. Oopsie.
But I slept most of the way there and enjoyed the ride. I got there at sunset, just in time for the rest of the girls to greet me. I was a day late because I had stayed to go to a wedding with you-know-who. [Good idea at the time.]
Anyway-
S-bomb was there to show me our cabin and the lay of the land. It was far more rustic than I had anticipated, however, as I adapted, I realized it was a very NICE rustic. Extremely well taken care of, with sprawling grounds and gorgeous views of the ocean.
El Coco Loco is a beautiful and unique
place that is eco-friendly. Which is very intelligent in a country where the power just randomly goes out for a few hours every now and again. Now, I’ve used an outdoor toilet before. However not one that has no water and doesn’t flush. Nope, this baby is straight up COMPOST.
Yes, kind of a shock at first (once again, lack of research + idiocy on my part). Until you later realize it’s the least smelly bathroom you’ve ever used!
And how brilliant to feel like your waste is not going to waste! [hee hee]. Plus the staff and people that run the joint are just top-notch. Lovely people who aren’t just beach bums– no no, my friends. This lot is extra-amazing and not just because they’re all pretty easy on the ojos. But they are committed to giving back to the community. Not only can they drive down the dirt road and address all the local neighbors (and their roosters) by name, but they have done amazing things like BUILD A SCHOOL and give the area children a place to play and learn 2x a week, all through their Waves Of Hope program. Totally awesome. Completely inspiring.
Speaking of inspiring, did I mention that I SURFED??!?!
Talk about things I filed in the “probably never able to do” category! But when you have an incredible teacher and support crew, I guess anything is possible.
Enter: Holly Beck
Surf instructor extraordinaire, Holly, is the one who puts the whole enchilada together. Her surf and yoga retreats, Suave Dulce, offer women (and the occasional dude) a unique adventure that allows you to take whatever you want from the experience. Holly is not only funny and California chillaxed, but her calm-yet-thorough style of teaching is undoubtedly what got all of us first-timers (like moi!) up on our boards and actually riding waves. And the chicks who had surfed before saw noticeable changes and improvements in their skills. How could you not from someone who not only teaches but stands on the beach jumping up and down cheering for you when you get up? I mean really, what could be better than that kind of positive reinforcement?! Plus, wouldn’t you want to take lessons from someone who can do this:
She’s got many “circus tricks” as she calls them, but this one was pretty epic to watch. Especially when you’re out there trying to figure out how to simply STAND up on the surfboard without breaking your entire body.
And, even though Holly does pretty much all activities with the amigas, as she refers to us, it’s not all fun and games. She takes her role as teacher quite seriously. How so? The first day out, I noticed a video camera set up on the beach. I assumed maybe they took some footage of some good waves for us [assuming we caught them!] and that was part of the whole package. Turns out, Holly tapes us surfing every day, combs through ALL the video, and then reviews it with each of us individually almost every day at breakfast, so we can see what we’re doing wrong, right and areas for improvement. What an amazing tool! That bit of extra effort and care was such an unexpected bonus and greatly appreciated by all.
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| Look, Mom! I’m SURFING! |
It’s Holly, her attitude, the entire vibe of all the staff at El Coco Loco, (shout out to Jamie!) that made this experience so completely unique and wonderful. Oh, and did I mention crazily, epically, FUN??
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| Holly rooting me on as I ride a “giant” in. |
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| Sonny, yours truly, and Holly |
Even our daily yoga class, atop a lofted, breezy cabana with views of the serene ocean just felt like blissful relaxation, as opposed to “exercise.” It also helps to have an incredibly rad yoga teacher, like Cydney Gurvich.
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| Me n’ fave Brit chick, Jinx |
If you need further proof, see my all-time fave pic from the trip. That’s Holly on the right– perfect herkie and all. Hollaaahh!
Did I mention that the trip also included a little thing called VOLCANO BOARDING?
Apparently, it’s #2 on CNN’s “bucket list.” You basically hike your ass up a 1,000ft volcano, Cierra Negro, whilst carrying your board [think: sled]. Once at the top, dressed like a crazy, shrouded Hazmat scientist, you proceed to sled down.
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| Me n’ the amigas at the base… before we knew what we were in for. |
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| Sunday driver. |
For some, as fast as possible. A dude at the bottom is actually holding a radar gun so you can know how fast you’re going. The record is 87mph. I somehow got stuck and went a whopping 10mph. [Ugh]. However the ever-adventurous Holly Beck has made several attempts to break the record. Unfortunately, she ended up breaking her ankle instead.
This is some serious stuff people!
But what an awesome experience. What a view. What a rush. Well, for some people who went more than 10 mph.[Still bitter].
The magical week of what I began referring to as “Adult summer camp” was rounded out by getting to ride horses on the beach at sunset. And, even though I’m from Texas and have ridden many a horse, I’ve never gotten to RUN on a horse.
Oh man, what a rush!
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| Holly said to wear long socks. I took that memo. |
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| It’s windy as a mofo! |
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| Pic by Cydney Gurvich: Me & Crazy Eyes Killer |
Here I am with my horse. I named him Crazy Eyes Killer. He did not like me. At. All.
So I could keep going on and on about this uniquely special experience, but really–y’all should just go there and experience it for yourselves. I’ll leave you with some more pics and a supa’ awesome {video} that Holly put together. Too bad vanity has prevented me from posting on Facebook, but I’ll let you guys in!
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| Sonny and her “sturdy” board |
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| Another bit of Cydney’s magic! |
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| With mejor amiga, Sue. And, killer dogs. |
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| Amazing French resto, Al Cielo. |
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| Me n’ mini Ruth! ummm- Who’s pale? |
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| My awesome surf amigas and Coco Loco staff! |
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| Ahhh…Pura Nica! |
Yonghee learned to surf at a different surf camp in Nicaragua a year ago but didn’t feel like she really learned properly. She came to Suave Dulce wanting to un-learn and re-learn everything. By the third day she had it figured out and was getting super long rides. She claimed it felt amazing, fantastical, and was therapeutic.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV7MLKcC5no]
