Christmas In Tamarindo

If you are lucky enough to be here on Christmas, then rent a car!  Things usually get very busy with tourists from San Jose (Costa Rican's); many of who have 2 weeks paid vacation as well as an annual bonus equal to one month's pay.  (It's the law here)

You'll find that the quieter breaks will be south of Avellanas towards Nosara.  Make sure you know how to change a flat tire, and for Pete's sake, be careful crossing some of those streams because the currents can be stronger than you think.

The Papagayo winds have begun. The Papagayo wind is a north to northeasterly wind which periodically blows through the gap in the mountain ranges of Central America in which Lake Nicaragua is located. It is named for the Gulf of Papagayo on the Pacific coast in this region. The wind is stronger than the trade winds which normally blow here. It is notable for causing a pronounced increase in upwelling of cooler, nutrient-rich waters on the Pacific coast which in turn supports an abundance of sea life. The wind and upwelling are together referred to as a Papagayo event.

The Papagayo is caused by a surge of cooler, drier air originating from the North American continent. Such surges are more common in the winter, but may occur at other times of the year as well. This air is denser than the tropical air mass normally present in the region, thus a strong pressure gradient is established which induces the wind. The wind is further accelerated by the funneling effect of the mountain gap between the Caribbean and the Pacific coastlines. The same conditions are the cause of the Tehuano wind in southern Mexico and the Panama wind to the south.

What does this mean to you?  Colder water and jellyfish.  Wear a wetsuit and/or long sleeve rashguard!

The Papagayo winds shriek across Nicaragua, pulling dust out over the Pacific Ocean in this true-color image acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) on March 19, 2004.


Merry Christmas!  I'll be in Ireland hunting waves!

Surf Forecast December 2 Tamarindo

Even though the surf forecasts don't show it, waves have been pretty decent on many of the local beaches. The best places have been in front of the Diria and river mouth. Playa Grande has been good, but super busy and other favorites like Avellanas have had a lot of beginners on the mains breaks.

According to Wetsand.com, a sizable system in the SW Pacific off the coast of New Zealand recently has kicked up a surfable swell for the end of next weekend into the week.  The angle on the swell looks like it will be around 220-221 degrees filling in with 18-second periods Sunday and Monday. 

Paddle boarders have been an issue lately, and have been really pissing people off here. If you are a paddle boarder please remember:

a) Because you can take every wave, you shouldn't. There is a thing called a line up. That means if you are last to the break, you need to wait until everyone else has either taken a wave or bowed out.

b) If you cannot control your board, then you have no right being on the water. yesterday I was on a wave and a Paddle Boarder jumped in front of me. His excuse was that he found it difficult to back off the wave. NO Excuse! He shouldn't have been on my wave in the first place.

c) Stay of breaks that are dominated by short boarders and beginners. Since you can paddle, go to remote breaks where you won't be a danger to other people.

Anyways, 'nuff said on that topic.

See you out on the surf and remember, "Surfing Comes First"

Technology

The leaves here have turned from green to orange to brown in the weeks that I have spent up in Saltspring. I had forgotten how beautiful Fall is in Canada, and had definitely erased the memory of being cold. Funny, because I never used to find this weather cold, and played rugby most of my life in conditions worse than it has been. That’s what happens when you move to the tropics.

Fishing has been slow, although yesterday I managed to hook into a decent size salmon only to have it throw the lure. Up here, we use barbless single hooks to make catch-and-release easier for the fish...but it also has the effect of making fishing much more difficult when you are fighting a beast that jumps into the air to when trying to escape.

Work has been keeping me busy, and it’s really great to have 3G wireless and a BlackBerry. Unfortunately, I have become too used to the technology and must resolve the fact that I will be back in Costa Rica soon where internet connections are sketchy at best. The great thing though, is that I will be back working out of my office and keeping regular hours again rather than being available 24/7. I just don’t get the mindset of people demanding replies immediately. Something like this:

Start the clock

Rob emails me a document.

T + 2 minutes

Rob text messages me, “did you get my email”

T + 5 minutes

Rob text messages me, “are you there? you aren't answering your texts”

T + 6 minutes

Kyle texts me, "Are you awake?"

T + 7 minutes

Silvio (Rob ’s Partner) texts me, “Did you get the email from Rod?”

T + 10 minutes

Rob phones me, “did you get my texts and my email?”

T+ 12minutes

Silvio phones me, “Did Rod get a hold of you?”

T + 13 minutes

Kyle calls me, "everyone is looking for you"

Meanwhile, I have just woken up because it's midnight on a school night and have had to go pee before looking at what kind of person would be so desperate to get a hold of me. Notwithstanding, have you ever tried to digest a legal document with the sandman on your shoulders?

It will be great to be home and not have that availability. So, for all you reading in North America, I will be back to market hours again soon!

The thing that I am missing most is the warm water, and of course, surfing. Hope to see some of you out there! (ps – November’s best spot to surf is between Grande and Casitas...a place called Palm Beach or Marker 26)

Saltspring BC

It’s pretty cold in the mornings here on Saltspring Island, a small socially active “Green” community located between the southern mainland of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

The first thing I have to do at 6am before the sun rises is to light the woodstove for heat...quickly followed by plugging in the kettle to make some hot java!

Jasmine isn’t liking to cold too much, and manages to pull the covers over herself and wait for sunrise at just past 7am.

Kate too, bundles herself up waiting for the warm glow of the Autumn sun to rise from the East where the big city of Vancouver waits.

Allergies have kicked in, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the dust and cobwebs that have accumulated in the cottage over the years. Today, Sunday, is cleaning day.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and have spent the first couple of days buying groceries, supplies and launching Duggan’s boat so we can harvest crab, prawns and maybe, if the sea Gods smile upon us, a salmon or cod. Yesterday, the outboard engine holder almost fell off the transom of the boat, and I had to pull the engine back in lest it plunge overboard. I managed to get to the hardware store before it closed, bought some stainless steel bolts and a wireless drill. Found some good pieces of wood, and re-set the mountings using the timber as a bolster to the stern of the vessel. Today will be the big test when I go and check the crab pots.

Saltspring, like the rest of the planet, has changed in the twenty or so years that I have been visiting. But surprising less than most places. It still has its unique hippy charm, lesbian activists and active retiree population. What was once frowned upon as being a fringe element of society, “socially active environmentalists” now call places like the Gulf Islands their bases, and those newbies who are looking to understand sustainability, now flock to the Islands like some sort of Mecca.

I think of myself as one of those who waxed eternal the importance of environmental stewardship, learning it equally from my parents, the Boy Scouts and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards where I achieved the Gold Medal. As a person who loves to fish, I only keep what I will eat, and ALWAYS, return those species that are too small or too few. Recently, I have become very involved in a number of projects relating to Clean Energy, and am in the midst of launching a solar power company.

It all starts at home though. My parents taught the importance of composting and recycling at a very early age. They still take used envelopes and put blank white stickers on them so they can be used again. My grandmother used to count how many sheets of toilet paper she used, and collected all sorts of things like pieces of string and wax paper. These generations learned from living during the Wars and Depression. It wasn’t that they were being consciously ‘Green”. They needed to survive. But their necessity evolved into what has become a mainstream doctrine in the West.

If you are interested in looking at SRI, then visit www.cleangoal.com

Canada Fall 2009

So, I spending some time up in Canada this Fall to escape the rainy season in Costa Rica. Don't get me wrong, I like the rain, but sometimes it can just be a bit too much in October especially. I left Tamarindo on the 26th of August, and have been living out of a suitcase since.

So far i have spent a week or so in Toronto, and now find myself in Whistler. Things here have been really busy with work and play...

This Friday I head to Saltspring for a month living in a cabin on the water.

"Summer" is swell

Well we are well through July and the swells continue to fire in every week. I have been getting out as much as possible and surfing more of the beaches to the south including Marbella and Avellanas at least twice a week. As you note from the forecast, we are in for a good week here in Tamarindo and all along the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica

(Marbella)



The bigger swells mean that some beaches close out sooner than others such as Grande and Playa Negra.

Airfares from most major hubs are dirt cheap, so if you can make it down before the middle of August then you'll be in for a treat.

I moved into my new office this past month and here is a view of it.

See you on the break

July 5th Surfing Update Tamarindo, Costa Rica

The surfing conditions in Northern Costa Rica's Pacific Coast have been outstanding lately on the SSW and South breaks. Recently, I have surfed Marbella, Playa Grande, Tamarindo and Avellanas in better than prime conditions. The best time has been on the incoming tide in all cases...from about high tide minus 3 hours to flood.

The wind has also been very cooperative, and we have been fortunate to enjoy offshore winds during the peak times, which have made for some excellent barrels.

This morning I surfed the river mouth at Avellanas, and caught some of the best rights of my life. Didn't quite have the power to get the board airborn, but I sure caught some major airtime jumping back over the waves.



This coming week looks sick. Note the lack of wind Sunday during high tide.



And have a look at the southern-hemi swells coming.


Hope to see you out there!

June brings great weather and awesome waves

Lately I haven't been updating the blog, because...quite seriously, I have been spending every free moment out on the water surfing.

This morning at Avellanas kinda summed it up. We headed out at 715 from WRSC (Larry was late), and got there by 745. Conditions were glassy and the water was soooo clear. And the waves...um...perfect. Managed to hit lefts and rights non-stop fop 90 minutes straight.

This has been pretty indicative of how things have been here in Northern Costa Rica for the past month. Perfect mornings with sunny conditions that melt into cloudy rainstroms in the late afternoons bringing cool breezes and keeping the dust and bugs to a minimum.

The next week or so is going to be perfect. Have a look at the forecast.

Weekend update Northern Costa Rica

It appears as if we will have some decent waves this weekend with a solid swell hitting on Thursday evening. Last week's prediction was a blow out, but then again there weren't supposed to be waves yesterday and I was surfing Avellanas for three hours in chest high, offshore conditions on Tuesday.







Speaking of Avellanas, I was at Lola's with some friends and the service this time was outstanding. (Guess they read the blog?) Still, USD$80 for lunch for 4 was over-the-top, but seeing as I didn't pay...



Anyways, the best thing about surfing yesterday (besides the waves that just went on forever) was that the onshore winds didn't start until noon! Weird.

Also, note the swell comes from almost due south, so choose your beaches appropriately.

Rincon de la Viejo

We went to Rincon de la Viejo on Sunday hiking, and it was well worthwhile the hours tramping through the jungle to get to a waterfall. Rincon de la Vieja, the largest volcano in the country's northwest, comprises a remote volcanic complex in the Guanacaste Range. At least nine eruptive vents are located within a 15-kilometer-wide caldera. The twin cone of 1,916 meter Santa Maria volcano, the highest peak of the Rincon complex, features an incactive crater 500 meters across. To get to it, drive about 10 minutes north from Liberia on the Pan Am highway and look for the well-marked turn off to the east. (Right)

The park itself is stunning - full of wildlife and beautiful jungle. We hiked for an hour through dense jungle on a very well kept path, then over dry scrub grasslands for another hour, before decending into a valley with a waterfall and swimming hole.

Rincon de la Vieja volcano, and its dormant sister cone, Santa Maria, as well as the older dormant Cerro Von Seebach. Thermal mud pools, waterfall swimming areas and freshwater lakes are also available for visitor use.

Be sure to take a lot of water with you, good foot attire and bug spray. You can be out on the trails for hours, so make sure you pack some good energy food. And make sure your camera battery is charged to full!

We wore hiking shorts and tshirts only because we didn't go to the top of the volcano. If you do go up higher, then they say to take a sweater or rain jacket. Be sure to have a dry set of clothes back in your car, beacuse one way or another, you will be soaked.

This is the best link I found http://www.liberiacostaricainfo.com/Rincon-de-La-Vieja.htm

weekend update

Looks like it could be a good weekend for surfing if the forecast holds. The swell is a little late coming in, but we expect that it should hit in time for Friday's high tide evening session.

It rained pretty hard all night here, but is now looking like it will end up being sunny during the day.

See you on the break!!

Taxi Cabs - beware of the fake yellow cabs in Tamarindo

Costa Rica has over 7,000 taxis, and they provide a cheap and efficient way to get around San Jose as well as just about all other populated areas around Costa Rica including Tamarindo. They are red (and sometimes orange) and are easily spotted. Unless you really know your way around, take a cab.

Tamarindo also has a LOT or pirate taxis called piratas. These are usually yellow cars and the owners are very pushy. They don't have meters and they will do everything to rip you off. A friend of mine was charged USD$10 for a 5 minute ride. Most are not insured, and you are taking your life into your hands with them.

And they don't pay the fees to the government, meaning that they are cheating the system.

Your best bet is to ask the hotel front desk to call you a red cab or a mini van (Tourismos I call them).

Lola's in Avellanas - it sucks

Avellanas is a long stretch of white sand about 15 km south of Tamarindo by road ands about 5 km to the north of Playa Negra. There are both left and right breaks, 8 different surf breaks, reef, sand or beach breaks with rocky points and a good beach break called 'Guanacasteco' with very hollow rights and lefts, along a three kilometer long stretch of beach. Surfing is best at mid or high tide.

For years, the only restaurant called Lola's has been producing excellent food, and the service has been good.

However, on the last few occasions, things have really gone down hill.

Service is a joke. Yesterday we waited 15 minutes to be served before just walking out. It's not like they were busy as there were only 6 other tables occupied. And this isn't the first time that this has happened.

The prices have also gone way over the top. Fish and Chips costs C6200 (USD $13,00), and a smoothie with rum will set you back C5000 (USD$10.00). Add the mandatory 10% tip and 13% tax, and lunch for 2 is never less than USD$50.00.

I don't what happened, but next time you go to Avellanas, take your own food and drinks.

Memorial Day Surf Outlook

Hey Kids. It's going to be a bit of a slow week, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Waves will stay weak for the first half of the week then rising to head high as a new SSW swell kicks in Thursday evening.


Friday should be outstanding with head high surfing on all SSW breaks such aas Langosta and Playa Grande. The swell peaks on Saturday, but it will still be strong as it fades on Sunday. Memorial Day Monday looks okay at about waist high, and looking at the swell charts there should be some good swell later on that week.


Things have been slow about town as we move into the Green Season. Hoestly, it's really been the quietest that I have seen in the three years I have lived in Costa Rica. The economy and the swine flu have taken a real toll on the travel industry, and the forecast is for a brutal summer 2009. (June to September).

There are lots of deals to be had on airfares, and most of the smarter hotels and hostels are ready to do deals. Wish I could say the same for restaurants and bars here in Tamarindo, which continue to price food way higher than it should be.

Even the grocery stores are being more generous in their discounts.

Surfing Tamarindo, Langosta and Grande

The Green season is upon us giving us cooler days and perfect sunsets.























Personally, I think this is the best time of the year as the southern swells have begun to hit us on a weekly basis. When it does rain, it's only for a few hours and it brings down the dust, cooling the humid air & making everything emerald green again.

Waves the past week or so have been pretty good, with most break getting chest high sets on average. Down south in Marbella and Avellanas, the waves have been rolling in head high some days creating some of the best surfing conditions so far this year.

Check out flights on www.kayak.com into Liberia (LIR). They have dropped immensely, and so have hotel rooms. This is the perfect season to visit.

Surf Forecast April 27 Tamarindo

It looks as if we will get some more waves this week once the wind drops - see below.







and the swell models show that we will be continuing to see a SSW swell and continue to do so now that the southern pacific storms are moving off the antarctic coast.















The long term forecast calls for surf.

Wax your boards and get ready!

Here comes the swell. Should hit today about noon in conjunction with the high tide and play out for the next few days.

More commentary after I go surfing.

Summer Swell Season Starts

I've been surfing pretty much everyday at various beaches including Tamarindo, which has been excellent. The water is warm, the waves are strong and the beaches aren't that busy.

It looks like it may be shaping up to be a good week here on the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica again. It looks to be SW swell with chest to head high range all week. Look for beaches facing 235 degrees (South West) such as Grande and Langosta. The wind has been playing tricks and is mostly onshore starting at 10 am daily.


As the week progresses, we should see more action on the SSW beaches as the next swell fills in.


And next week looks like it my be really good....it looks like the Southern Storms are starting to kick in and we should start to see more swell starting on the 22nd.

Ollie's Point

A group of us spent Thursday at Ollie's Point on The Northern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Included in the group were Joe, Larry, Valerie, Rafa and Ricardo from WRSC. And me of course.

We ended up driving to Playa Coco on the previous evening so we could get an early (5am) start. The only way to the break is to charter a boat. You're looking at about $300 divided by 6 people, so it's not so bad.


We arrived on the break at 7am and had the surf almost to ourselves for the first hour. Then a dozen boats came in and we were packed with 37 surfers for the next two hours.

However, the last two hours we had all to ourselves! Do the math and you'll realize we surfed for 5 hours!

Ollie's is best done on a low tide, but because there was a good swell, the waves lasted all day. Most waves were chest to head high with a perfect right roll. Occasionally we got overhead waves and once in a while, the dreaded rogue wave rolled in.

Oh, did I mention we had perfect offshore winds? And Crystal clear water? (we did need spring suits though)

The rivermouth/pointbreak has to be one of the more enjoyable rights in the world, almost as good as a warm-water Rincon

Ollie's Point has to be a solid south swell to even show. The only practical way to get to Ollie's is by getting a boat taxi from nearby Playas de Coco, which you can easily organize from surf shops in Tamarindo such as WRSC



How did the break become named such? "Ollie's Point," was the favorite place for Oliver North's shipments to arrive on their way to Nicaragua during the war in the Eighties. Once you see the beach, it will all make sense. Supposidely there is a secret airfield around too...

	Surf Quality
				wave quality	World Class
				experience	experienced surfers
				surf frequency	very consistent (150 day/year)
				Wave type	point-break
				direction	right
				bottom	flat rocks with sand
				power
				normal length	long (150 to 300 m)
				good day	very Long (300 to 500 m)
					Tide, Swell and Wind
				swell size	starts working at 1.5m-2m /5ft-6ft and holds up to 5m / 16 ft and over
				tide position	low and mid tide
				tide movement	rising and falling tides

National park tickets for each day at Witch's / Ollie's: $15 per person, per day

GPS Lat.	10° 51.1465' N
GPS Long.	85° 48.15216' W

Surf report Monday the 6th of April

Looks like it's going to be a great week!






Slow day today though...flat like a pancake with the rare knee high wave.




Lots of babes on the beach though!

Surfing the Langosta River

Last night's session at Playa Langosta's river mouth was one of the best days I have had in a while. Although there was a major rip current, the waves were powerful enough that you could hit a good drop and pump all the way in on river-like waves.

Sure cleaned out my sinuses, and got a little whip lash, but what a hoot!

Managed to even take a long left right into the middle of the rocks that straddle the north side of the break. Not fun getting out of that mess, but damn the ride was so worth it. This is not beginner surf, and I saw some guys on soft tops getting pummeled. Be careful and know the water.


The swell has hit, and as of this morning, the waves are best on the SSW facing breaks.

More pics of the beach:

These mist covered mountains

The seasons are a-changing! Mornings are now a little misty (no not because I am hungover), and there is definitely more moisture in the air. Makes for some wicked sunrises and sunsets though.

The mountains and central valley of Costa Rica are starting to get some rain, and we on the coast in Tamarindo are about 40 days out. However, May through August are my favorite months as the rain only lasts a couple of hours per day and leaves the countryside a brilliant emerald green. It also cools the air substantially and makes the days out on the surf much more pleasant.

Last night I surfed the incoming tide at Playa Langosta from 33opm to 530pm, and it was great. The outer reef located about 200 meters from the shore was breaking, which made for some really fun rides. Some of us managed to take the outer reef all the way into the main break then into the estuary, making for a long ride! We did have to pump it pretty hard between the reef break and the main break though because it was a little mushy in the middle.

Closer to high tide, the main break formed up beautifully and the waves were chest to head for the entire session.






Theres so many different worlds
So many differents suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones
(Dire Straits)

Sunset at Grande

Quick update: I surfed Playa Grande from 4pm to sunset (6pm) last night on the incoming tide. The wind has been tapering off late in the day, and we had a good session.

Waves were chest high (1 meter) and they were breaking both left and right.

This am didn't look great but hope springs eternal for the evening session!

The Ocean is Salty

Yes, I know. You're all saying 'he's frickin dumb to have just figured that out."

Surfing yesterday at Langosta and Tamarindo, I found the water to be extra salty; so much so it burned for the first 45 minutes because I was not used to it.

The combined forces of the onshore winds and extreme heat have cause the salinity of the coastal waters to increase. We're not talking Red Sea stuff here, but it defiantly is noticeable.

Waves were okay yesterday, although right now it does not look great as the onshore winds are flattening everything.