Tag: blog

Freediving to Sunken Ships in the Gulfo Dulce

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Water photos by @tahoeoutdooryoga

As our panga skimmed across the open expanse of the Gulfo Dulce in southern Costa Rica, I happily welcomed the view of the flat, glassy ocean that lay ahead. It pained me to admit it, but after months of non-stop surfing and coaching Amigas surf retreats, I had had a bit too much of a good thing. My paddle muscles were ready for a break and I couldn’t be more excited to enjoy some ocean time that didn’t involve waves.

I was on my way to participate in 4-day freediving and spearfishing course.  Although I had no formal freediving or spearfishing experience (besides that which comes along with snorkeling or the occasional SCUBA dive), properly learning both was a goal scrawled in the pages of my journals from previous years. I planned on joining the group with two other friends, also with limited experience, but all of us eager to learn more about how to deliberately sink below the surface and stay there, using only the gifts of our bodies and breath. 

My goal for the trip was to become better equipped with knowledge that would enable me to unlock a new facet of ocean experience. I’m no professional big wave surfer. I’m not accustomed to impressively long hold-downs, but still, I wanted to become more comfortable in the uncomfortable, not only in my surfing but also in the ocean in general. I’m also a fish lover and was excited to learn more about identifying fish and catching my own food, not just by standing on shore with a line in the water but totally immersed in the ocean, “evening the playing field” so to speak between the hunter and the hunted.

I feel that freediving, spearfishing, and surfing are three activities that perfectly blend. They are complementary, yet distinct avenues for engaging with the marine environment.

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Who Are The Amigas? Q&A with Roni Gold

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We’re catching up with alumni amigas that you may have met on your retreat!

Stay tuned for more stories and updates from our good friends across the globe.

Q: Think back to when you attended your first SWA retreat. Why did you book that trip? What was that first retreat experience like for you?

A: I grew up in Florida, consistently around water. It has always kept me grounded and makes me feel at home. I learned to surf in college. It became my new passion and joy in my 20’s. I traveled and surfed after college and had the time of my life. While traveling I met my husband. We fell in love and had two boys. My boys changed my life. I became “mom” which was the greatest gift but my priorities were no longer surfing and traveling… life was all about raising them and working. I lost a little bit of who I was during that time and there came a point where I needed to get that back. That’s when I discovered SWA. I was nervous to travel alone again but as soon as I did it I felt alive! The girls at SWA immediately encouraged me to get out in the water. They made me feel comfortable surfing again and it was exhilarating!!

Surfing is like riding a bike in some sense but it can be scary to get back out there after a long hiatus, especially when you are alone. With SWA you are never alone. You always have a crew cheering you on. My soul was on fire again and I felt like I was no longer just “mom”, I was Roni. The girl who loves surfing, music, travel and adventure. The retreat only got better from there…I met some of the most interesting and inspiring women, ate excellent food, did yoga, went lava boarding (a first for me) and much more. The entire retreat was well organized and there was never a dull moment. I felt completely fulfilled when I returned home and could not wait for my next SWA experience!

Q: Now that you’ve been on several SWA retreats, what keeps you coming back?

A: These girls know waves! They know exactly what the tides will be, when to go out and where to go. I don’t even have to think about what board to use. They are so on it! It’s such a comforting feeling going out to a new break and having them guide you to the exact spot to sit to catch the best wave. They also know where it will be less crowded and where not to go. I seriously have the best time surfing with SWA guests and coaches. It’s just all around fun! I also love how they record your waves so you can really see how you surf and actually try to improve your surfing. But…that’s only 1 reason why I keep coming back. There are a million other reasons. : )

Q: Describe the feeling you get from surfing…

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Practice Yin Yoga with Reesie

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Surf With Amigas Yoga

Yin Yoga for the Hips

Unwind with another virtual Yin Yoga class brought to you by SWA instructor Reesie and her adorable lil’ pup Ruban. Although we can’t practice Yin Yoga in the jungle with all of you as usual right now, we’re stoked to have access to the next best thing… which is Reesie’s donation-based Yin class right at home! Good music playlist and all. This hour-long Yin style class is centered around the hips.

Reesie is accepting donations for her classes through Venmo (@cherise-Richards) or PayPal ([email protected]) but in her own words, “…if you can’t, dude I get it. Either way, hope this feels good!”.

If you missed Reesie’s most recent shoulder class, you can find it here. Enjoy!

 

 

Learn About High Performance Twin Fin Surfboards with Holly Beck

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Up until recently I would have told you that I don’t really like twin fins. Any time I’d ever tried a “fish”, it was fun, but just not as high performance as I wanted a board to feel. Sure, they paddled well and went fast down the line. They were also very loose. So loose, that if I wanted to do a quick bottom turn and hard “off the top” turn, the board would just slide out on me. I felt like I always had to hold back and surf more conservatively.

Of course, time passes and my pro surfing career is now 10 years in the past. I, along with my surfing, have matured and my prime focus isn’t quite as much about smashing the lip as enjoying the feel of the ride, including riding a variety of different surfboards. Lately I pulled an old twin fin out of the back of my quiver that I’d owned for 20 years but never really liked much. It’s not quite as wide as a Lis “fish” (for what that means see below), but still qualifies as a fish. I found that relying on more front foot pressure to control the rail made it more surf-able and actually fun, even in hollow waves. See video below.

Around the same time I’d been surfing a bigger hollow high performance sandbar wave in Nicaragua and there was a French pro out absolutely ripping. He looked to be riding something alternative and I asked him, “what are you riding?” It turned out to be a “Plan B” by Pukas – a round tail, narrower twin fin. I immediately sent the link to my shaper in Costa Rica – Randy Walker – and asked him to make me one. He did some of his own research, tweaked it a bit, and the result is the board I’m riding in the first video. It has become my favorite board to ride. Even though I had ordered it with the hollow beach breaks of Nicaragua in mind, it seems to also work really well in the long sloping walls of Pavones near our retreats in southern Costa Rica .

If you’re interested in what it means for a surfboard to be a “fish” and the differences between a traditional fish and the modern version, keep reading!

The Original Fish Design

You of course will have heard of a “fish”. This board was designed by San Diegan surfer/shaper Steve Lis in 1967. It was originally designed as a kneeboard, but began to be surfed standing up. The standard features are a shorter length, wider tail, and two fins set wide apart (compared to a standard shortboard). These boards paddle well and feel very fast and loose. They have to be ridden a little differently than a high performance shortboard because if you push on the tail hard, you’ll likely slide out. Here’s a video snippet from the film “Hydrodynamica” showing the fish in use. Click here for Vimeo video.

The MR Fish

Then along came Mark Richards. He wanted a board that would be a hybrid of a single fin and a fish. During the 1976/77 Hawaii season, he redesigned the fish, creating a board with a narrower tail and the two fins closer together, then went on to win a world title on it. Of course in 1980 the three-fin “thruster” design came along as an even better options, and twin fins were relegated to shadows until the hipster movement brought them back into the spotlight.

Here’s a full 15 min documentary on Mark Richards and original high performance twin fin:

 

Watch Holly Beck Surf The Boom in Nicaragua

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We are gearing up for one of our favorite retreats of the season, the Advanced Tube Riding Clinic in North Nicaragua! Here’s a highlight from Holly surfing the beach break from our most recent tube riding clinic.

At these retreats our goal will be to help you develop the skills needed to get your first tube ride. We’ll be getting up early and paddling out at sunrise, then coming in for breakfast, and paddling out again! If the tide and wind are good, we’ll surf four or five hours per day. This retreat is about surfing our brains out!