Town Run (and Surfing) in El Tunco

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On the last day of the retreat we walked into town, did some shopping, got smoothies, and of course also went surfing! There were some muddy toes, but it was all part of the adventure. Would you try to get through it cleanly or embrace it and feel the between-toe squish?

Amigas in El Salvador Part 2

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A few days into their retreat, the Amigas started really getting comfortable with the waves and were totally charging. They’d look at the footage and couldn’t believe the size of the waves they were able to ride. Trust Ako when she tells you, you could do it too!

Amigas Charge Big Waves at Sunzal

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On day two of the retreat the girls pushed themselves into bigger waves than they had thought possible. Think you couldn’t handle waves like this? Neither did these girls until they showed up, and with the help of the Surf With Amigas staff, they were able to charge!

Surf Hats are Cool

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We used to think hats were dorky – something the old crusty man was wearing. But living in Central America has changed that. We’re in the sun so much that we really don’t want to look like leather-face woman in 10 years. We found these awesome surf hats by CrossenSurf and are now super stoked. If you’re coming on a retreat, you might want to invest in one of these. You can find them online at crossensurf.com or here in Nicaragua in our Suitcase Boutique!

We’ve Got Shirts!

You asked, we answered. We now have t-shirts and tank tops available! If you’ve been on a retreat, then you get it right away. “It’s a cute one!” when the wave doesn’t necessarily look all that “cute”. I like to think that we are unique in calling waves “cute”. It’s our thing.

It all started back in the early days of Surf With Amigas, when I was giving a surf lesson to someone who felt very nervous and afraid. She didn’t immediately trust me and kept looking over her shoulder and doubting my ability to pick the right wave for her. I’d say, “here’s a good one” and she’d look back and say, “no, that’s too big”. I’d say, “no, it’s small” and she’d say “no it’s big” etc. So instead of arguing over our perception of size, I said, “here comes a cute one”. That stunned her. It’s hard to be afraid of something called “cute”. She accepted, caught the wave, stood up and rode! From that day on, waves became cute. But, that doesn’t mean that “cute” always equals “small”!

To order your shirt, go to our page at Palmera Local and choose your favorite style!

Spring Retreat in Southern Costa Rica

Previously, we had avoided planning any retreats in Costa Rica because Costa Rica is so overdone. Instead, we’ve been focusing on less common locations like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the Philippines. But as a goofy-footer, I’ve always eyed those long lefts at Pavones with amazement. It’s time to go check them out! Anyone want to surf super long lefts with me?p sd-mata-pavones2-4-1-5

Like any world class wave, Pavones can be crowded. So, we’ll stay at a mellow place in the jungle about a ten minute drive (or 20 min bike ride) from the point. This place has a private little wave right out front that is super easy and user-friendly when small, and more powerful and tubular when the swell is bigger. The nice thing, is that we should have it mostly to ourselves! There are several other waves within walking distance of where we’ll stay which will be awesome for the afternoon sessions. We can even hop in a boat and check out some rights across the bay!

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We’ll hit up the main spot at off times to try to avoid the worst of the crowd and we’re going slightly early in the season, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Plus, we’ll paddle out in a pack of bikinis and smiles, so that should definitely work in our favor!

The place we’ll stay is nestled in between jungle and ocean. This region in Costa Rica is regarded as one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. There’s a nature trail from the hotel to a waterfall where we’ll check out monkeys! We’ll go on an adventure to a native indigenous village. We’ll relax and reconnect with nature.

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The accommodations only have space for 10 amigas and while some of the rooms are slightly more eco-friendly than others, all are super comfortable.

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There will be yoga too of course!

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Retreat details

Dates: March 29 – April 5, April 6 – 13

Price: $1700
Includes:
– Transfer to/from the resort to/from the Golfito Airport
– 7 nights accommodation in a shared room
– All meals (alcoholic beverages are extra)
– Surf coaching/instruction with video feedback
– Surfboard rental (if you can’t bring your own)
– Daily yoga
– Other adventures

Travel info:
Fly into San Jose Costa Rica on whatever airline works best for where you’re flying from.
Connect with Sansa Regional Airlines and get a flight from San Jose to Golfito. They have three flights per day and flights look about $103 each way ($206 roundtrip).
We’ll pick you up at the Golfito airport.

For booking info, contact [email protected]

Check out this video of an 8 year old girl loving the long lefts of Pavones

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And to see what 4 years of surfing awesome long lefts can do for your surfing, here she is at 12 years old!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6LBlV2CG4w]

Compassing

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Some of you may know of Cyrus Sutton from his DIY and surf culture website, www.korduroy.tv. The shaka-laden site contains heaps of entertaining videos, articles, and photos, and adopts a mentality of “spreading digital aloha.”  Sutton’s latest and greatest adventure turned project for the website is a short film about the search for freedom and the love of life on the road.  The film, “Compassing,” takes Cyrus throughout the west coast of California down to Mexico, during the plethora of south swell we all (including many amigas) experienced during 2013.  We love this film’s message, sweet van turned to living compound, and loads of  shredding!COMPASSING-Trailer

Check out the film here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DXq7S1VVU&w=640&h=360]

Galloping on the Beach – There’s nothing else like it!

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Even if your horseback riding experience consists of one ride at a carnival when you were 8 years old, if you believe in yourself and get in sync with the horse, you can gallop down the beach at full speed. It’s an unbelievable feeling. There’s nothing else like it. Come to a Surf Yoga Adventure Retreat in Nicaragua and fulfill your fantasies!
Thanks to Nadia Schulkind for the words and demonstration.