Tag: surf nicaragua

Who Are The Amigas? Q&A with Grace Lee

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WE’RE BACK AGAIN TO CATCH UP WITH MORE ALUMNI AMIGAS THAT YOU MAY KNOW!

THIS MONTH WE’RE CHATTING Q+A STYLE WITH our friend grace who has joined swa retreats with the main goal being to reconnect with herself and to make new connections with others. STAY TUNED FOR MONTHLY 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?

I had actually been researching surf retreats and was ready to reserve a spot with a different group in Dominical area.  I asked my friend, Jaime if she was interested in joining me and found that for the exact same week she had already reserved with SWA – so she suggested I tag along with her! Best decision ever!

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

Holly and her wonderful staff, the awesome women I have met, the great knowledge shared in the clinics/lectures, feeling of community and FUN times! I had lost my connection to surfing for a few years with life happening… the goal for the Costa Rica retreat was to reconnect, which definitely happened. I wasn’t even half way through Costa Rica retreat yet and booked Morocco! The Morocco holistic retreat that I joined took that further and I’m finally feeling like ME again… it’s been a long time and it feels great!

Q: Describe the feeling you get from surfing…

Freedom… that’s the best way I can describe it as it’s difficult to put in words. When you catch a wave, you are in that moment and everything else is drowned out – you feel free and unhindered… as if you are a child again! I giggle riding down the line…!

Q: What are you most passionate about in life right now? The SWA community wants to know!

Making new connections and experiences through surfing, snowboarding, and travel adventures. Spending time with framily (friends + family)!

Q: What is your dream SWA retreat location?

Maldives! New Zealand! Holly knows this 🙂 

Q: What would you tell someone who is about to go on their first SWA retreat?

Continue reading “Who Are The Amigas? Q&A with Grace Lee”

Advanced Surfer Mom Katarina Marlett Shares Her Surf Journey: Setting Goals & Sending It

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Katarina has joined us on several advanced retreats over the years. Without fail, she shows up with a fiery passion to “send it” whether it be in the surf, or in her Halloween costumes. She recently joined us in northern Nicaragua for her third Tube Clinic and she took her “charge it” mentality next level, consistently taking off on the biggest, hollowest waves and coming up smiling regardless of the ensuing wipeouts. She earned the nickname “Senderella”!  
We caught up with Katarina post-retreat to learn about the impact that retreats with SWA have had on her surf journey.

Enjoy this journal-style entry by Katarina Marlett:

I’ve just had these burning goal inside for a while now: to surf more critical waves and to get that dreamy barrel! To set a goal and achieve it at any age. To show myself I can do it, and to be an example to my two boys!

Heading to Surf With Amigas Advanced Clinic with a host of like-minded women and badass surfers makes those goals  seem valid, intensified, and achievable. During the retreat, at every corner you are held up by the other women, both participants and staff, (and not in that cheesy way that makes you have nausea) but held in a way that actually means something and resonates. 

Sometimes I think back to moments on other surf trips, of being intimated by a boatful of male Aussie rippers headed to the peak, or times of being growled at in the water by the resident grump who judges your every move. Not here! At these retreats you swap smiles for breaky and fist bumps for lunch – in that not so nausea-inducing way that I mentioned before. No eye rolls… it’s the real goods! It’s the actual feeling of being happy and understood, of being supported in every way and encouraged to feel exactly how you want, when you want. No judgement. You’re given the best window to get the best surf and then every wave is on video for analyzing, celebrating, and improving. 

Every upset is met with a supportive Amiga so that you can wake up and try again, and every victory is celebrated with vigor. And every amiga, has similar goals. They share the exact enthusiasm you have, they want the same things!

The advanced retreats are unlike any others because all of these women rip! We all want to shred harder and our eyes are saucers to the lineup each and every time. We’re full of froth and every second is about achieving the most badass epic session possible.

Continue reading “Advanced Surfer Mom Katarina Marlett Shares Her Surf Journey: Setting Goals & Sending It”

Inspiring Surfers: Advanced Tube Riding Retreat

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14 charging amigas + 1 super cool amigo joined us at the Northern Nicaragua retreat location for a week-long shred fest! We had a record breaking week with the most tubes ever ridden, the gnarliest waves ever taken, and the best turns ever completed. This inspiring group of surfers spent the week pushing their limits and supporting each other along the way. We can’t wait to do a retreat like this again!

Enjoy this recap of the Advanced Retreat shred-fest in Nicaragua!

Most of our retreat locations are open to surfers of ALL levels and have plenty of shortboard-able waves close by. If you’re a fellow shortboarder and feel inspired to join a retreat and level up your technique, contact us here to see which retreat might be the best fit for you!

Surf Tips: All You Need to Know About Cross Stepping

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The cross step. Both graceful and functional, it’s how us long boarders really use the entire surfboard, from front to back & back to front. It’s how the most talented surfers dance and trim their way to the nose.

Ready to transform your longboard shuffle into a graceful cross step? Keep reading.

Surf Instructor Shelly cross stepping through Costa Rica

Start here: Practice on land!

Repetition of the cross step (or any technical surf skill) on solid ground will implant the physical movements into your muscle memory. If you can master the cross step on land, you’ll have a better chance of accessing the fancy footwork once on your surf board.

Cross step as you walk through the kitchen, while checking the waves, or while playing on your yoga mat. Practice it everywhere! Once the movement feels completely fluid and natural you can take it to the water.

The Setup:

The cross step setup goes like this- First, drop into your wave and get going down the line. Think about placing your feet closer to the inside rail of your surfboard, the rail that’s tucked into the wall of the wave. Then, it’s all about the stall. Shift your weight onto your back foot in order to slow down and steer the board up towards the top third of the wave. The stall often resembles a bottom turn, depending on the size and shape of the wave.

Surf instructor Chloe demonstrates the stall

Taking the Step:

After the stall, it’s time to take the step(s). Shift your hips forward then let the feet follow. The back foot crosses over the front. To start, just cross your feet, hold, then right step back into your normal stance. Step lightly. Once this movement feels more comfortable, try and take a few more steps. The end goal is to take as many steps as needed (usually 2 or 3) in order to get your toes all the way to the nose.

Check out this video of SWA Co-Owner Jackie styling through a stall-to-cross-step combo during a Surf With Amigas Morocco retreat.

 

*As always, remember to take it slow, laugh through the wipeouts (there will likely be a lot of them), and surf with other ladies who inspire you to surf more + have fun!

 

 

 

 

SWA Just Announced FIVE MONTHS in NICARAGUA

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Yep, that’s right. We’re headed back to our original stomping grounds in Northern Nicaragua with a variety of Surf & Yoga Retreats on the schedule from Nov. 2020 to Mar. 2021… and we’re stoked. We’ve already begun dreaming of volcano scattered backdrops, warm waves, dirt roads, and reggaeton!

SURF. COMMUNITY. YOGA. ADVENTURE.

Surf With Amigas originated back in 2010 in a small village in Northern Nicaragua when SWA Founder and former pro surfer Holly Beck was drawn to the idea of sharing the empty beaches, perfect waves, and slow pace of life with other adventurous women who wanted to surf. Apart from the obvious reasons why a place like this is any surfer or traveler’s dream, the local community has always made it extra special to SWA. Unfortunately, the political and economic issues that transpired in Nicaragua in recent years have put small villages like this one in a rough place. Simply put, less tourism = fewer jobs, so as we shift back into hosting our Surf & Yoga Retreats in Nicaragua, we’re especially committed and really stoked to help our local friends in the community along the way. 

Interested in joining Surf With Amigas at one of our Surf & Yoga Retreats in Northern Nicaragua Nov. 2020 to Mar. 2021? Check out the retreat highlight video below or click here to learn more.