We are so proud to announce the sponsorship of up-and-coming Costa Rican surfer girl, Nazareth (“Naza”) Del Mar.
Naza is a 10 year old shredder from Pavones, Costa Rica that has dreams of becoming a professional surfer. The SWA sponsorship offers Naza’s family financial support, giving their daughter a chance to travel to different locations and compete in the national circuit of Costa Rica, while also being professionally coached by SWA instructor, Gabrielle Guyon. With this sponsorship, we hope to inspire girls and women of all ages and nationalities to achieve their surfing dreams and inspire others.
photo by @holalenita
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NAZA
Nazareth Del Mar Velasquez is the oldest of two girls. Her mother, Sylvia, was born and raised Costa Rica, and her father, Jonathan, is from Nicaragua. Nazareth only started surfing three years ago and participated in her first local competition just a year ago, but her love for the ocean comes from before she was born.
Nazareth was an active baby in the womb, constantly moving and kicking her mom’s belly. Her mom Sylvia found that whenever she entered the ocean, Naza would instantly cease her kicking. Since then, Nazareth has felt attracted to the sea but until recently, was never allowed to enter the water. Jonathan, her dad, has an enormous fear of the ocean and marine life. He doesn’t know how to swim and believed it safest for his family to avoid the sea.
Naza and her family. Photo by @holalenita
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Naza’s parents lost their jobs. With more and more time spent inside at home, they realized that there is more to life than work. They wanted to enrich their lives, take advantage of every day, and learn to be more open-minded and flexible. Wanting to ensure their kids also learned this valuable lesson, they realized they could no longer keep them out of the water, especially with a perfect left point-break in their backyard. Jonathan began to teach Naza the importance of bravery by overcoming his own fear of the ocean. Three years ago, they started taking surfboards with them into the water and eventually learned to surf together. Nazareth’s love for surfing and sharing the waves with her dad grew daily.
While learning to surf, Nazareth experimented riding both shortboards and longboards, and has come to love both. After only three years, she can already walk to the nose of her longboard, make cute turns with her shortboard, and even ride switch stance, all incredible talents for a young, self-taught surfer! Naza grew up watching Leilani McGonagle and Leon Glatzer surf, two professional surfers and Olympians also from Pavones. She continues to be inspired by them and dreams of having a life like theirs. Nazareth already knows she wants more for her future than her small and remote community can provide. She is different from other village kids, and her parents recognize and support that. When her parents asked if she was ready to put in the hard work to have the life of her dreams, she instantly replied with a big “YES!”
At the moment, Nazareth is one of the only young local girls surfing in Pavones.
Photos by @holalenita
In Latin America, it is uncommon to see girls practicing sports or doing manual labor. Culture dictates that these are activities for men. None of the other young girls from town surf, but Naza’s family thinks outside of cultural/social norms and is very supportive of her following her own path. Despite being the only local girl in the lineup, she claims she doesn’t mind surfing with the boys her age. It has only challenged her to surf more. However, from time to time, the boys aren’t the friendliest to her. They once told Naza she didn’t belong in the water and that she should go back home and stay in the kitchen. Some of the families that Naza goes to school with also don’t approve of her being a surfer. But none of their opinions stop Naza and her family from believing in her dream. Naza’s behavior has even started to inspire other young girls in Pavones to play sports.
As surfers, we’re constantly in the sun. Most of us are accustomed to that fried chicken feeling you get after surfing for a few hours, those sessions where you kept claiming “just one more,” even while your skin roasts, turning alarming shades of red.
Although I love living close to the equator (8 degrees to be precise), my skin protests. My Irish ancestors weren’t doing me any favors. I just wasn’t built for the life of sun’s out buns out.
Because I refuse to stop doing what I love, in recent years I’ve finally started to prioritize skincare. On one of my last retreats in Nicaragua, I hit the jackpot of skincare wisdom. Bunched around the lunch table after surfing, a group of Amigas and I started chatting about our skin routines and efforts to keep our skin feeling safe. We began firing questions at our Amiga, Malissa, who works as an Esthetician.
Amiga squad in Northern Nicaragua
What follows are some of Malissa’s hacks to perfect your skin routine. Malissa emphasized that we’re all bound to age, form wrinkles, stretch marks and spots on our skin. We shouldn’t sacrifice living the way we want in an attempt to prevent the inevitable! But we can better protect ourselves with the tools (most importantly hats, sunscreen and rashguards) to keep our skin supple and protected.
Why do you think skin care is important, does your routine change when you spend more time in the sun? Did your routine change this week on the retreat?
I think skin care is very important. It clears skin impurities off the skin, helps keep the skin clear, helps with signs of aging, and you need to use SPF to help prevent skin cancer. When I’m in the sun more I definitely am using more SPF, I will use lighter feeling products, and alway have a hat on.
My routine was definitely a little more minimal this week. More SPF, just one serum, light moisturizer and no exfoliants. I just wanted to have fun this week and not think too much about my skin. I was also tired at the end of the night and I wanted less to do.
What are the best preventive steps you can take daily to protect your skin?
A good cleanser, exfoliant, toner, moisturizer, and SPF! Once you have that, you can think about adding in a vitamin C serum, eye cream, and a retinol.
What is the most common issue you see for people with sun damaged skin?
Definitely melanoma (brown patches that appear on the face) that are usually from sun damage from years ago. Most brands have product for them, but whatever you are using, you need to be using SFP so they don’t get worse. Laser would also be an option.
What’s is your favorite product(s) to bring on a surf trip?
I would normally do more at home, but on this trip I brought Green Envee Clarify Cleansing gel. It has lime and turmeric in it that help calm inflammation in the skin. I have rosacea so it is good for that. You can smell the lime in it, it smells SO GOOD!
Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb hyaluronic serum. It helps plum up the skin and is very hydrating. Plus it smells like strawberries!!!
Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb hyaluronic hydrator. A very light gel moisturizer that smells just like the serum and it’s a pretty pink color!
Eminence Hibiscus ultralift eye cream. A nice medium weight cream and it has a cooling roller ball applicator.
Sun Tegrity Milky Mineral Sun Serum Spray. It’s a light SPF you spray on, it goes on white but rubs in with a dewy finish. Also it smells like mango/papaya (I think I have a thing for fruit!).
Other things I’ve use on this trip were a good SPF stick as a touch up before and after surfing:
My Chelle Sun Shield Stick SPF 50,
COOLA Liplux SPF 30. Don’t forget your lips, ever.
Malissa’s surf trip essentials
Does vitamin C/hyaluronic acid/gua sha work?
Vitamin C is great, its good for dull skin, fine lines, skin damage, and uneven skin tone. Once you start using it, it will take a few weeks to start working. And remember to not mix it with retinol. You can use it in the morning and then use retinol at night. If you mix them your skin could get irritated.
Hyaluronic acid might just be one of my favorite things! It helps hydrate, plump up the skin, soften the skin, smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
I honestly don’t really know a lot about gua shua, I do think if you’re consistent with it, it’s helpful for puffiness, lines and lifting. I do know it feels great.
What is your favorite sunscreen, chemical or mineral?
I personally like mineral sunscreen because I have rosacea, and I think mineral SPF is better for sensitive skin. That being said, I don’t really think one is totally better than the other, I think it’s just personal preference. You need to find what works best for you and your skin. I always go for a reef-friendly sunscreen.
Note: When searching for reef-friendly sunscreens, stay away from nanoparticle zinc! Although there is controversy over whether or not it is safe for human use, it most definitely is NOT reef safe. Look for labels and brands that advertise “non-nanoparticle.”
Is laser/red light therapy (LED) a good option for people with skin damage?
I think laser and red light therapy is good option for most people. (But alway check with your esthetician first).
I’ve had laser, but it was for my rosacea, not for sun damage. It works extremely well. It works great on melasma too. Keep in mind you will need a few treatments and touch-ups from time to time. If you do have laser treatment, then you really need to make sure you are good about SPF after, or damage will just come back. That is something to consider before getting laser.
There are a lot of different LED options that have different uses. Green light therapy would be what you’d want to treat melasma. It helps slow the melanin forming cells in the skin. This will help the melasma fade. Red light therapy is for anti-aging, reducing inflammation and increasing collagen. Blue light is good for acne. It helps kill bacteria in the skin.
Do you recommend using more/less product?
I recommend using the products that you like to use. If you are someone that is more minimal, I would recommend using a few really good things. If you are someone that wants to do a 10 step skin care routine at night, do that. I don’t think skincare is one size fits all. I also think we go through different phases in life, so do what fits best for you at that time. Just like how I’m using less product on this surf retreat, I’ll go home and add more stuff in. Do what works for you at the time. But you should at least do the basics: use SPF! Not just to prevent aging but also skin cancer.
Are natural skin products better?
I use mostly natural/organic skin care – maybe 95% of what I’m using is. There are a few things that I just can’t stop using that are not organic, like my OBAGI retinol (RETIVANCE). It is just so good! This is embarrassing to say, but I also love Aquaphor! I had a surfboard hit me in the head a little over a year ago and after the stitches came out, I kept Aquaphor and SPF on it. I’ve never had anything heal up so fast.
In the end, it’s all about finding what works for you. Just have fun with it. Try things. See what you like. Use a good SPF sunscreen!
Lately, I’ve received a few emails from potential clients who mention that they experience a lingering fear from a past injury. That situation seems to be really common and brought to mind the story of an Amiga that I met back in October in Morocco.
I was in Morocco on day 1 of a Surf With Amigas Holistic Surf Coaching Retreat, just getting to know the guests and starting to form a mental image of each participant, her goals, and how I could be most helpful. The vast majority of our guests use boards from our quiver to avoid having to travel with a board bag but one of the participants, we’ll call her “Sarah”, had brought her own – a Takayama mid-length. I could tell by our chit-chat about the conditions even before we paddled out that she knew how to surf. She presented as strong and confident, walking down the hill to the waist-high peeling rights.
Peeling right point break in Morocco
In the water, she paddled assertively, positioning herself well, taking off with perfect timing, and maneuvering down the line. “She knows how to surf!” I thought, and then told her so as she paddled back out to me. “Ya, I’m fine when the waves are small and easy,” she replied.
A few days later, the swell was small enough that the point break was slow and boring. We made our way around to the more exposed beach break on the other side. The waves still weren’t what I’d call “big”, but they were closer to head high. The peaks popped up and broke more quickly. The wave was soft, breaking over sand, but there was a quickness to it, particularly in comparison to the slow, easy point break waves we had been surfing. I noticed a different energy in Sarah. If she was closer to the peak, she’d pull back and not take off. If she was anything close to being a little late, she’d let the wave go. Having surfed with her for a few days already, I believed she had the skill to take off late and deep and make it, but she was avoiding those situations.
Punchy Beach Break in Morocco
In taking a moment to connect with her and ask about her experience, her story emerged. 20 years ago, she’d been in deep Baja CA, a week into what was meant to be a month-long+ trip. While trying to take off on a wave, she was a bit too late on a steep section. She tried, but didn’t make the drop. She became one with the lip, and in the process landed on her fin, which gouged deep into her thigh. It took a while to get the attention of the people she was with, to get to the relative safety of the beach, only to then endure a long bumpy drive to a very basic clinic and scary health care situation in a remote area. The injury ended her trip. Once back at home and physically healed up, she flung herself back into the ocean.
She didn’t want to let the injury stop her. She didn’t want to appear weak. She tried to forget about it and just keep surfing. That worked…. sort of.
As we drifted outside the surf zone, I quietly listened to her story. It all made sense to me. Her body had suffered a painful trauma. If the injury had happened in CA and she’d received help immediately, including good medical care, and the whole experience hadn’t ruined a long anticipated adventure, it may not have become as heavy of an emotional weight. In her case, the physical memory of painful injury combined with the fear and anxiety of the remoteness of the location and large serving of disappointment due to the altered trip, all combined to serve as a significant trauma.
The coping mechanism often suggested by our society : to “just get over it and get back out there,” worked, in the sense that it didn’t stop her from continuing to surf. However, it didn’t help her process the trauma. Therefore, even 20 years later, she still felt the effects.
My turn to get one!
Sarah initially told her story without much emotion. It was very matter of fact, as if telling a story that had happened to someone else. I listened, asked a few questions to be clear on the details, and then started by validating how scary that must have been at the time. I gave her space and encouragement to sit with the feelings of fear. When given an opportunity to connect to the feelings of the story, instead of just the details, the tears started flowing. She apologized, but I encouraged her to let the feelings happen. It’s ok to not be ok right now.
After the moment passed, I explained that it’s totally normal and understandable that she feels fear when faced with a situation (a steep drop) that triggers her body to remember a time it was injured. By ignoring it or avoiding those situations, she isn’t allowing herself the chance to move past it. We talked about the importance of accepting the fear.
Rather than trying to avoid the fear or feeling shame that it exists, the healing process begins with allowing oneself to feel it.
Her body is trying to keep her safe. That’s a good thing. We took a minute to listen to that message, accept it, and actually thank it for its efforts, allowing whatever emotions arise to flow. I suggested to talk to that fearful part, telling it, “I’m sorry you were hurt so badly. That was a very scary time and your reaction was perfectly justified. Thank you for trying to keep me safe. I appreciate you.”
Once that fearful part has had its chance to fully express whatever needs to be expressed, and those feelings are accepted and appreciated, there’s space for the next step, which is to notice what has changed since then. Since that time, Sarah has been surfing for 20 years. She is a much better surfer than she was back then. She has the skills to make steep drops. If there’s any doubt about that, surf coaching and working on popup technique can help.
Then, start small. On a small wave that’s only a little bit scary, try to pop up late. Notice the feelings that come up. If there’s fear, thank it for what it’s trying to do (keep you safe), but assure that part that you are capable. Come up with a positive mantra that works not to argue with that voice, but to change the script. Little by little, work up to bigger waves and steeper drops, not ignoring fearful feelings, but embracing and accepting them.
Celebrate successes, lean into falls, and smile at the simple pleasures and teachings of the ocean.
In preparing to post this story, I checked in with Sarah to see if she would be ok with me sharing and also to see if the she’d noticed any positive changes in the four months since our sessions. She said,
Yes it did help…. I repeat “all is well” to myself pretty much every time I turn for a wave now. It reminds me I’m ok, that I’m in control, and that it’s supposed to be fun. I think I never gave myself permission to talk about my injury because it maybe seemed trivial and I had no one who would understand it in a more complex way. So yes, it definitely helped. And it’s a process. Even just the permission to address those things in my surfing that hold me back helped so much. I feel like every session since Morocco is accompanied by a memory or conversation from the retreat that empowers me. I’m really glad I went and I look forward to going on another next year. It was an incredible experience and I really appreciate you listening and noticing and being there.
Holly recently completed a Master’s in Counseling and has been incorporating mental and emotional awareness into coaching to create Holistic Surf Coaching retreats. For more info on these specific retreats, click here.
I SPENT 7 DAYS CHATTING AND FROLICKING IN THE COSTA RICAN SURF WITH IRENE WITHOUT EVER NOTICING SHE WAS MISSING THE TIP OF HER RIGHT RING FINGER.
It wasn’t until after she had left the Surf With Amigas Retreat in Costa Rica that I heard her story, when the topic of fingers and leashes came up in our weekly classroom session. An amiga described her way of navigating a board through the whitewash, “a wrapping motion, directing the board by the leash.” Later on, this inspired a lively discussion amongst our crew of female surf instructors about the perils of the leash, while also revealing the story of Irene’s accident.
What follows is Irene’s recount of that experience and how it has influenced her, in surfing and in life:
It was 2012, I was 32 at the time and I was in Taiwan doing a Traditional Chinese Medicine Internship in the city of Tai Chung. After hearing about the waves in Taiwan, I arrived and instantly started searching for surf spots. I found a spot called Fulong Beach, about 3 hours away from where I was staying by train. After contacting some friends, I decided to join them on a trip there that weekend, arriving a day before to give myself time to explore.
When I arrived to I found a surf shop that also served as a hostel. I booked a room and met the owners, a cute newlywed Taiwanese couple. I went to sleep and put my alarm early for a dawn patrol session.
I rented a longboard that morning and headed out to the beach bright and early. I don’t remember much about that first session, but I remember being happy. I spent the rest of the day on the beach doing yoga and also rented a bike to explore. When the afternoon came I was already exhausted, but knew I only had two days to surf. I wanted to commit to surfing as much as I could, because I had to be back in the hospital for my TCM internship on Monday.
I decided to rent the longest, heaviest board so that I didn’t have to paddle much. As I was entering the ocean, the swell started to pick up, and the whitewash felt stronger. I was walking in, passing the waves by grabbing the nose of my board and through the whitewash. Suddenly a wave took my board, so I pulled it back using the leash. When I turned another wave was already coming, and I didn’t have time to turn the board around so I decided to pass through it by grabbing the tail. I put my hand on the tail with my right ring finger next to the rope string that attaches to the leash.
When the wave came I passed through it by pushing my hand on the tail. With the weight of the wave, the board, and me pulling in the opposite direction, the rope string amputated the tip of my right ring finger. I initially felt like the board had hit my hand, a strong slap. I didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just another bruise. But when I brought my hand to the surface, I saw that I was missing the tip of my finger. I was in shock, it was surreal.
The first thought that came to mind, was: “Ok, don’t panic, you need to get out of the water and control the bleeding.” I walked out of the water and the pain started to hit me. I started to scream, “FUUUUUUCK”, over and over again, feeling the shock, the trauma, the pain, the loss. I remember people were staring at me, feeling uncomfortable with my screams. I didn’t give a fuck. I continued to allow the trauma to move through my body and express it how I needed in that moment. I screamed, “HELP”, and shortly after the lifeguard appeared. He was a young Taiwanese man, I could see he was very inexperienced. He stared at me in shock. I tried to signal to him that he needed to call the ambulance and to help me stop the bleeding. He did nothing.
IN THAT MOMENT, I KNEW I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THIS MYSELF.
I put my t-shirt around my forearm and tightened it up like a tourniquet. After, I walked to the surf shop where the Taiwanese couple were. When they saw me, they instantly called the ambulance and were very supportive. I put my finger under running water to clean it from the ocean and sand. That’s when I felt the most pain. It was excruciating. I covered it again with clean towels, keeping my arm raised to help stop the bleeding and went into the ambulance that had arrived. The Taiwanese surf couple drove behind me to the hospital.
In the ambulance, I was panicking. But soon came the knowledge of all the spiritual practices I had done in my life. I thought, “I have so many tools, now is the time to use them.” I started doing pranayama (breath work) and mantra repetition (like prayer). When I was focused on this, the pain went away. When I saw my finger again and was immersed in the experience of losing a body part, the pain came back. This was a beautiful realization of how potent our mind is, and how our breath is such powerful tool to relieve pain and stay in the present moment. Calming the nervous system allowed me to stay grounded. It was an incredible teaching moment.
When I arrived to the hospital, the Taiwanese couple stayed with me to help translate what the doctors had to say. I was very lucky. The plastic surgeon who only comes once a month happened to be there that day, and he was able to save my distal knuckle. This might not seem like much, but it gives me a little pad and more mobility of my finger. I am eternally grateful for that. When the surgery was finished, the Taiwanese couple payed for my hospital bills and had called someone from my TCM internship to come be with me. Lisa, a Vancouverite from Taiwanese heritage, went to the same TCM school in Vancouver with me. We were never friends, but she came anyways to be at my side. I will always be grateful for the generosity, kindness, and support shown to me by Lisa and the Taiwanese couple during this time.
After landing back in Taipei, Lisa’s dad came to pick us up from the airport and take us to Lisa’s aunt’s apartment. Her aunt received me with a home-cooked meal of chichek soup, full of heart medicine and herbs. After that I went to my small apartment in Taichung to heal.
I experienced PTSD symptoms for about a month, then slowly but surely they went away. I received lots of support from people in the hospital and neighbors all around. I felt like little angels where appearing right and left to give me love. I was alone but never alone. The great mother was taking care of me through the kind acts of strangers. Taiwanese folk will forever have a very special place in my heart because of this experience.
MY FIRST SURF AFTER THE ACCIDENT WAS A YEAR LATER.
I surfed without a leash in Pacific Beach, San Diego. I had a great session and saw dolphins. It was amazing. My brother was pierced by a sting ray that same day, but that is another story. After that, I continued to surfed on and off until 5 years ago, when I moved to Tofino in Vancouver Island, BC. After the move I really started surfing more consistently. It was a perfect environment for me- since I had use a wetsuit and gloves, I felt protected and confident.
Surfing is one of my passions in life, and I will be a surfer forever. But this experience definitely changed my relationship to surfing. Now I am more aware of the danger of the board. I don’t feel as carefree as I did when I started surfing. Even though I know I have the ability to do certain maneuvers and go for more critical waves, I psyche myself out because of fear [of the accident].
There is so much I still need to work on, but I am very proud of myself for sticking with surfing and not allowing fear to take my bliss away. Now, 10 years later, I can’t imagine my life without surfing and I am grateful for everything that I have learned through this beautiful journey of life. I’m grateful for the medicine of the ocean and for all the beautiful people I meet through this life transforming spiritual practice that is surfing!
MY ADVICE TO OTHERS WOULD BE:
Keep your hands away from the tail! Cultivate deep belly breaths, those will keep you calm in difficult situations! Keep following your bliss! Keep searching for that perfect wave! Keep your heart open to new experiences and new people, you never know what life will gift you with!! May you be safe, happy and free! Namaste.
Thank you Irene for sharing your powerful and inspiring story with us!
While we are consistently searching for that feeling of blissful exhilaration, innocently wiggling our bodies on waves created by wind out at sea, it’s important to remember that the sport isn’t without risks. Knowing your limits before entering the water and feeling confident and in control, of both your body and board, can make the difference in a tricky situation.
As Irene describes, putting your hands near your leash string (or using the leash to pull or direct your board) can be dangerous, even when you’re least expecting it. When navigating your board through waves, whether it’s a cute one or gnarly whopper coming from out the back, remember to use the turtle roll technique to your advantage!
For those who have not heard of this amazing maneuver, let us shine some light on the subject. This technique is especially helpful when riding long, heavy boards as described in Irene’s story, but can be used on a mid-length as well.
While paddling out into the lineup through whitewash, try practicing the turtle roll with these steps :
Timing. Learn to watch and anticipate the oncoming waves, giving yourself enough time and space to flip both yourself and your board over.
As you see the whitewash, slide off the side of your board, flip it over with your hands on the rails, holding on right at shoulder level, in the same position you’d use to pop up on your board. This gives you the most grip on the longboard and increases the likelihood you’ll be able to hang on.
Keep your body straight like a pencil, perpendicular below your board! Imagine you and your board make a T shape underwater. As much as you may want to hang on for dear life, do not bear-hug or wrap your limbs around your board. Your vertical body helps anchor you in place as the wave passes over both you and your board.
If you feel like you need more force, another option is frog kicking and/or pushing the board through the wave as it hits you. This can help but isn’t necessary.
Find the will to hang on! Focus the grip in your fingers and let everything else relax.
Remember, turtle rolling (and surfing) is an art, not a science. Take a breath and play around with different ways that work for you!
In this video tutorial Surf With Amigas Founder Holly Beck takes a holistic approach on how to develop an at-home popup practice.
In addition to learning all about different popup techniques + modifications, Holly will teach you an effective “reverse popup” technique that will help you target and ease physical limitations that you may feel in YOUR BODY while popping up.
