volunteer Archives | Surf With Amigas

Giving Back – Books for Kids in Costa Rica

on February 26, 2018April 10, 2018 By

Supporting education

Some of our goals at Surf With Amigas are to do good and leave a community better than we found it. We try to partner with a local non-profit who is doing good in the local community at all our retreat locations. We believe strongly in helping people through education and focus our efforts primarily on supporting students and schools. Surf With Amigas gives back by donating books to kids Costa Rica.

At our Costa Rican location, in the very furthest Southern parts of the country we have teamed up with a local woman who has made it her mission to be sure all kids in the area have access to the books they need. You would think this would be the government’s job, and it is. But unfortunately some of the schools are located in incredibly remote areas and sometimes get forgotten.

Remote Communities

A large part of the local community lives in an indigenous area, far off the beaten track. They are totally self sufficient and very remote. There are no roads, so the people travel to town along the beach on horseback and only at low tide. Book delivery can only happen via horseback and in some cases, by helicopter!

In order to do our part, we have dedicated money for each guest who joins us in Costa Rica. We recently received heartwarming photos of the books being delivered and enjoyed by the local kids.

Sonoma Academy High School Surf and Service Trip

on January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 By

High School Surf and Service Trip

Last week we had a group of fifteen students and two teachers from Sonoma Academy visit Northern Nicaragua for a service learning trip. The goal was to surf as much as possible, learn about the culture and lifestyle of the people in Nicaragua and give back to the local community by helping to renovate a local elementary school.

Learning to surf

Most of the girls had surfed once or twice before. They threw themselves into it fearlessly. Some days we had strong offshore winds which made for challenging conditions. There were some awesome rides and exciting wipeouts.

Galloping down the beach

One of the week’s highlights was our horseback ride down the beach. The girls were so excited to gallop along the shore that the ride was the longest in SWA history. There were certainly some sore backsides but also ear to ear smiles.

We stopped half way back for some fresh coconuts pulled from the trees and opened with machetes in front of us. One of the girls noted that a coconut like that would have cost $8 at Whole Foods! Nothing tastes better than fresh coconut water!

School Restoration – High School Service Project

Surf With Amigas is partnered with the non-profit Waves of Hope on a variety of philanthropy projects in North Nicaragua. Aiding local education opportunities is a major focus. This week we put our energy towards renovating a local elementary school. The girls spent the week cleaning and painting so that the classrooms will be in great shape for the start of the new school year.

The trip of a lifetime

Combining adventure, excitement, and the warm fuzzies of leaving a place better than you found it leads to the trip of a lifetime. The girls said every day that that day was the best of their lives.

Surf Completely – Coco Chanel Paddle

on January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 By

surf completely, learn to surf, paddle school, improve your paddling, paddle faster, surfing, surf with amigas, surf coaching, video, tutorial

How to Catch more waves with the Coco Chanel Paddle

Everyone knows the Coco Chanel logo right? The two interlocking Cs are not just a sign of luxury, but also a great way to paddle. If you want to have the most efficient paddle technique you need to increase the length of your stroke. Paddling in the shape of a C achieves that. If you use the Coco Chanel Paddle you’ll be covering more distance faster. That means more waves and fewer turtle rolls! This video will take you through some things to do and others to avoid to improve your paddle skills and have you catching more waves!

Why it’s best to learn to surf from women

At Surf With Amigas, we take a humorous approach to teaching surf skills. You’ll learn to turn with your boobs and to avoid paddling like a T-Rex. You’ll also hear that you should paddle like the Coco Chanel logo. Come learn and laugh with us! That’s the difference of a surf camp run by women!

For more instructional videos, check out our Surf Completely page!

Longboard Surf Coaching Retreat in Nicaragua

on January 7, 2018April 10, 2018 By

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The spot we surf in Northern Nicaragua for our women’s surf yoga retreats is ideal for improving your longboarding skills. This particular week in mid December 2017 had awesome super long lefts and rights that were great for all surfing levels. Some ladies were working on just standing up for the first time, while others were working on cross-stepping and trying to nose ride. No matter your current ability, we will individualize our coaching to make sure you get the help you need to achieve your goals.

Longboard Surf Coaching, learn to surf, surf with amigas, surf camp, surf retreat, nicaragua, central america, holly beck, jackie george, fun, adventure, travel, women, all women, girls, sun, the best, value, surfing, yoga, horseback riding, beach, coaching, womens surf lessons, womens surf camp, womens surf retreat, womens surf and yoga retreat, give back, volunteer, meaningful, advanced, intermediate, classroom, learn to read a surf forecast, surf yoga retreat, womens surf camp, learn to surf nicaragua, holiday — Practicing paddle techniques in the pool during Paddle School!

Other Activities

Of course it’s not all about surfing. We also offered daily restorative yoga sessions, played kickball with local ladies, hiked and then boarded down a volcano, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of Nicaragua.

Check out the video highlights from the week!

Come and join us on our next retreat!

All our available dates are listed on the schedule page. We will be adding more for winter next year very soon.

Starting Oct 2018 – Our New Home Base in North Nicaragua

on January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 By

surf camp nicaragua, surf yoga retreat, surf with amigas, new home base, boutique hotel, learn to surf — The view walking down to surf.

Beginning October 2018 Surf With Amigas will be taking over a gorgeous ocean-front hotel in Northern Nicaragua as our new home base.

Stay with us for a surf yoga retreat in Nicaragua at our new retreat base and watch the waves at “the Bay” all day! The Bay is a sand bottom break that features great waves for experienced surfers and also super fun user-friendly waves for beginners. This is the very best spot to learn to stand up for the first time. It is also a great spot to work on nose riding, cutbacks, generating your own speed, and doing turns. This is the spot to surf twice a day.

surf camp nicaragua, surf yoga retreat, surf with amigas, new home base, boutique hotel, learn to surf, nahualapa bay — User friendly waves for all ability levels at the bay.

surf camp nicaragua, surf yoga retreat, surf with amigas, new home base, boutique hotel, learn to surf, la bahia — The view walking up to the boutique hotel space.

Of course we’ll also do some driving and boating missions to surf other spots depending on conditions and desires of the group. There are lots of other surf options nearby. We are very excited about the ability to be in tune with the ocean, easily surf multiple times per day, and be on it whenever it’s good!

A Boutique Resort in Northern Nicaragua

The resort features four stylish ocean-view, thatch-roof cabanas. Each cabana has its own ensuite open-air bathroom, relaxing hammocks and lounge spaces. There’s a refreshing swimming pool for midday cooling dips. There’s a brand new ocean-view yoga studio, and stylish bar and restaurant space to enjoy healthy delicious meals.

We are excited to have the opportunity to curate the entire Surf Yoga Retreat experience from the vibe at the resort to the meals.

In the past we have partnered with resorts on a week by week basis using their restaurant and staff. This new situation will be all Surf With Amigas from the delicious healthy menu to the music playlist.

Fewer cabanas mean smaller groups and more retreat dates per year beginning mid October 2018. We’ll be updating the schedule and uploading more photos and videos soon!