New Instructor for May – July : Chloe Buckley

 

We are excited to welcome a new instructor to the Surf With Amigas family, 23 year old Chloe Buckley from San Diego, CA.

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Chloe Buckley grew up in Del Mar, California. She started surfing in grade school and fell in love with the sport. If you couldn’t find her at school that was usually because the waves were good and she always showed up to everything with wet hair. She began competing at the end of high school.

In June 2010, at age 19, she won the Surfing America National Championship. From there she joined her college surf team and took first place in the state and third in the nation. After that she spent 2 years traveling and got to compete in a few ASP events in Australia and Peru. Now she’s back in school and looking to finish up and figure out her next set of goals.

She has experience teaching surf lessons and typically teaches a group of young girls between the ages of 5-10 to surf. “I love teaching these young girls how to surf. It’s a great feeling to help them get over their fears of the ocean and help show them they can do it all on their own.”

In her free time she likes to draw and paint and absolutely loves live music. Sun, sand and surf remain her priority and spreading STOKE will always be a part of her daily activities.1016595_10201318624025055_697551983_n

March 1-8 Highlights and other Awesomeness

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The first week of March was the final retreat of our 2014 winter series. The Amigas got super lucky with an unseasonable solid swell that saw the point light up and some ladies pushing themselves to get the biggest/best waves of their lives! A bit of foreshadowing of the season to come… We start back up in Northern Nicaragua at the end of May. Check out the schedule tab for details!

Pro Surfer Kim Mayer Will Coach El Salvador Retreats

We are excited to announce that pro surfer, organic farmer, and all around awesome human Kim Mayer will be attending the October El Salvador retreats as the pro surfer coach in 2014.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5knd_Vvwfvg] Kim Mayer shredding in Ecuador

Holly and Kim spent years traveling the world together for competitions and photo shoots. According to Holly, “Kim Mayer is probably one of the coolest people on the planet. She’s always stoked, always positive, jams on the guitar, kills it with a soccer ball, is up for any adventure, is the one most likely to make friends with every random person she comes across, plus she totally rips at surfing!”

Kim Mayer boosts an air in Ecuador
Kim Mayer boosts an air in Ecuador
Holly and Kim on an adventure in the Galapagos.
Holly and Kim on an adventure in the Galapagos.
Holly, Kim, and the gang on the beach between heats on the North Shore.
Holly, Kim, and the gang on the beach between heats on the North Shore.
Kim and Holly competing in China.
Kim and Holly competing in China.

Since Holly will have a brand new baby by the time October rolls around, travel to El Salvador isn’t feasible. Luckily Kim is available and excited to fill in.

For more about Kim Mayer and to witness her awesomeness, check out the videos below:
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Cool perspective on a long left

I came across this video of a shredding goofy-foot surfing a long left and it reminded me of Pavones. I’m so excited about that trip and am looking forward to trying to get some shots like this of Amigas shredding with the GoPro. We have just one spot left for the March 29-April 5th week and 3 spots left for the April 6-13th. Imagine long lefts like this, but no wetsuit required! If you’re interested, email me asap! [email protected]

 

February Surf Highlights

People always ask – what are the surf conditions like in February? Well, you just never know. Sometimes it’s super small with just cute little waist-high longboard waves and sometimes we get a good swell and it’ll be overhead and kinda firing. This week was a mix of both. The first few days were mellow and easy and then half way through the week the swell cranked up and put the girls to the test. They totally handled it!

What I learned from the Ocean

A blog post from an Amiga who came on a retreat in January.

I just spent the most incredible week of my life in Nicaragua at a surf and yoga retreat. I suspected the trip would be healing but never anticipated that the ocean would teach me so much about myself and life itself.

Learning to surf for the first time was an incredibly humbling, challenging, and spiritual experience. The ocean is powerful. Surfing is complex. It is challenging yet oddly easy at the same time. The skill of balancing and joining forces with the wave’s energy was at times a frustrating and scary task. At one point, it even brought me to tears. The process of learning to surf challenged me to try, try, and try again. And then try some more. It taught me to push past my fears and self-doubt that were fighting to cloud my judgement. To push past those voices in my head that said “you can’t do this!”

In those moments where I rode the wave, it was absolutely magical. An experience of pure bliss and excitement.

Of course, I wasn’t alone out there in the ocean. I was blessed to be surrounded by a community of wonderful women. We all came together with different levels of experience and from all walks of life. Yet we all had one thing in common: the readiness to push ourselves to new limits. We learned from one another, got inspired by one another, and drew from one another’s experiences. We bore witness and brought compassion to the low moments and shared in the joy and excitement of the highs. We knew when to push ourselves and when to take a break or call it quits for the day. There was ample cheering when one of us made progress and  encouragement or a hug when frustration ran high. And of course laughter when those all too frequent “wipe-outs” happened-and we all had them, regardless of experience or skill. No matter what was happening, we always supported each other in an atmosphere of love and encouragement.

I quickly began to realize that riding the waves were much like riding the ups and downs of life. Like riding the rise and fall of our various emotions. There’s no hiding from a wave when it comes, it’s the ability to flow with it that must be exercised. At other times, patience must be practiced. Waiting for the “right” wave can be a time-consuming process and you must stay focused to see when the right wave is headed in your direction. A beautiful wave can appear just when you least expect it. Learning to read the waves is an incredible skill. It felt like an impossible task to be able to predict the pattern-especially for a beginner surfer like me. As the week progressed I found myself getting better and better at reading the waves. At knowing which ones to paddle for, which ones to float with, and which ones to brace myself for and hold on for dear life. At times the waves would leave me spinning and struggling to reach the surface, leaving me disoriented and panicked. At times I would be riding waves and would be up so high I would laugh in disbelief….and then quickly fall off the wave. At other times, I was moving in synch with the wave, allowing the incredible power to propel me to the shore. Bringing my soul to new heights.

The ocean reminded me that just as with the waves, in life, there will be ups and downs. They are inevitable and not always predictable. Our task in life is to move with the rhythm and breath of life rather than resist or fight it. Our mission is to learn how to go with the flow. To persevere, practice, and try again. To rest when we need it. And all the while, to do so in a community of love, support, and encouragement. To cheer for your friends and give them a hug when they need it.

Simply Healthy, Simply Strong.

Lisa Tabrizi is a naturopathic doctor who is passionate on inspiring others to take control of their health and to guide others on a simple path towards health and wellness.0873 Tabrizi (High Res)

For more about Lisa, check out lisatnd.com

2 New Surf Instructors for Feb-March Retreats

Introducing Skyla and Michelle, two East Coasters who have joined the Surf With Amigas team for the first part of 2014.

Skyla Lamberto-Egan – Surf Instructor

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Skyla grew up the youngest of 5 (3 brothers and a sister) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Shes been active in the water since she was a baby, whether it was boogieboarding, bodysurfing, longboarding, shortboarding or just building sandcastles on the shore. Her father and brothers taught her to surf and with her sister shredding nearby and her mom charging it on a bodyboard, a deep love for the ocean quickly developed.

Skylas travels began with family camping trips down to Sebastian Inlet, Florida and since then she has made it a goal to go somewhere every year. Working in a seasonal, tourist industry centered town, Skyla is able to take a break from massaging and waiting tables to venture out into the world. Any escape from the cold, winter winds delights her senses and inspires her to keep going. She currently has been to Central America, Spain, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand and all over the United States.
When Skyla isnt in the water, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Bonfires in the backyard, relaxing on the beach, watching sunrises, casual bikerides, or making fun activities like crafting kites out of paper bags, chopsticks and a lot of tape. Shes always down for an adventure and loves to meet new people who are active and ready to try new things!
Michelle Kienlen
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Michelle, 23, was born in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and moved to St Petersburg, Florida at the age of 6. Growing up fishing, playing softball and a few musical instruments she was not introduced to surfing until the age of 15. That first wave was all it took and she was hooked. Surfing instantly turned into a passion. Her parents were unsupportive but as soon as Michelle was 16 she drove across the state every weekend to surf the Atlantic side of Florida and learned to surf. She picked up a few small sponsors including Nekton surf shop, NXTC shapes, Zinka, and DNA energy drinks. With the support of Tommy Daniels shaping her boards and coaching, Michelle started avidly competing, surfing small waves in ESA and local pro-am contests all around Florida. After that, she decided to start traveling in search of better waves in between school and work. At the age of 19 a close friend brought her and her friend Nina to Puerto Rico. They loved the perfect Caribbean waves and took many trips back to PR to surf. Since then Michelle has traveled to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and El Salvador. She is currently taking classes online and working at the Don Cesar hotel on St Pete Beach florida, when not surfing with and inspiring Amigas.