Surfing Tamarindo

Summer begins? Well I hope it does soon!

2011-06-24T14:53:00.000-06:00

This morning I stepped out from my new apartment in downtown Vancouver and swore it was November. In fact, the song ‘November Rain’ has seemingly been playing in my head all day. So, as you can imagine, it has been cold and wet.

My favorite cliff - starts at a 90 degree drop, then levels out to about 60 degrees

Snow Board and golf in the same day

So much snow

May went by beautifully up in whistler, and I managed to hit the powder on multiple occasions. In the third week of May, we got over a foot of powder. Seriously! I managed to convince the lift operator at 7^th Heaven to let me and a couple of Aussies go up early, and we had a full 3 runs to ourselves. Then I managed to find deep powder for the next 3 hours before needing to break for food at Horseman’s Hut.

Check out all that pow pow

Even the last few days of the regular season which ended May 30 were spectacular. This was the second heaviest snow fall on record for the Whistler and Blackcomb, and we milked it! And the funny things is, the very next weekend we went camping and fishing up north of Pemberton past Duffy Lake. Bloody cold at night but we built the mother of all bonfires, and kept warm with hot toddies.

Duggan fishing at the mouth of the Birkenhead at Lilloet Lake

ast week I had an MRI. UGH. Turns out my wipeout in March tore major ligaments in my shoulder and I will need surgery. So I guess this ongoing pain makes sense. And I thought it was just a bruise.

Apres at the Longhorn

Ken, Tony and me after a perfect Dim Sum experience

Just got myself a place downtown close to the office as (a) the weekly commute was killing me (b) the constant living out of a suitcase in various hotels all week was awful and (c) the weight gain was bad. (eating room service for 2 months? Not a good thing for your waist line)

The new pad's kitchen

I found Flor de Cana!

Tamarindo to Whistler – Three months later

2011-04-16T10:20:00.000-06:00

Patrick 'shredding the pow pow'

It’s hard to believe that it has only been three months since I left the warm waters of Costa Rica for the harsh cold of Whistler. When I left Tamarindo, the temperature was 35c. In the middle of February, the temperature outside my house in Creekside was -25c. That’s a 60 degree temperature difference. Ugh!

Since coming here, I have picked up snowboarding pretty well, and for a beginner, am holding my own on the blue runs to the point of being comfortable through the trees. I have done a few black runs, in fact, to get home; I need to traverse one almost every day. Runs are colored by difficulty for those of you who don’t board/ski – green is the easiest, then blue then black. Then double black!

So far I have only had a couple of major wipeouts. On day 4 on a board, I almost broke my ankle and tore up my knee pretty badly. In fact, the first aid guys on the mountain who took me off the hill on a snowmobile thought it was a career ender. Whatever. The very next day I went swimming, and by mid week was boxing and lifting weights with my legs. One week later I was on the hill.

My other nasty wipeout was when I attempted to hit a straight-away section of flatter terrain at high speed; probably about 50 km. A blind skier came out of nowhere and my attempt to avoid him resulted in a spectacular single person (me) collision with hard packed snow. I guess he didn’t see me coming…

Anyways, for a couple of days I couldn’t lift my arm at all, but now it is somewhat better and it only hurts like a son-of-a-bitch to lift it over my head. Oh, I was boarding a week later.

So I like snowboarding a lot! Just not the wipeouts.

Après at Dusty's with the Kokanee Girls

Whistler is much like Tamarindo in many respects. The town is small, full of ex-pats, tourists abound and people are generally in good spirits. Never have I encountered so many Australians in my life though, unless you count my trip to Australia of course. There are also a lot of Kiwi’s, Brits, Japanese, South Africans and even one guy from Ireland named Padrigh. Oh, yea. There are Canadians here too.

Weekends here remind me of weekends in Tamarindo. All of the tourists show up, the chairlifts are busier and people are generally ruder. “You live here?” They will ask. “Oh. Well without us, you wouldn’t have a job.” That seems to be the attitude. And much like Tamarindo, I just don’t go boarding on weekends, or I stick to obscure runs that are gnarly and not gringo-friendly.

My house is to the right in the trees - about 50 m from the hill

Being a local has its advantages anywhere I guess. Being a local here means anywhere from 10% to 20% of shopping, restaurants and up to 50% on services such as massage and snowboard tuning. I really wish Tamarindo businesses did that for locals; they just didn’t really get it minus a few places such as WRSC, Banana, CR Surf and Kelly’s. It helps keep things local, and helps the economy, especially during the slow season.

One of the biggest differences for me so far has been the speed of the internet, and consistency of my BlackBerry’s signal. As many of you know, my job is being on the phone, and my VoIP phone just didn’t have the strength of a signal in Costa Rica. I believe that as a direct result of having a solid infrastructure, that my business has improved immensely. And even though I live up a hill like I did in Tamarindo, it is paved and when it snows, we have plows hitting it nonstop. But those roads in Costa Rica are part of the Pura Vida attraction, so it’s all good.

Now one thing that has been different is the price of things. People, things are expensive in Tamagringo! My monthly grocery bill has dropped by at least 50%, and my utilities are about 25% of what I paid before. Gas is cheaper, especially on the Indian reserve in Pemberton, and when I took my car in to get it fixed, it took 2 hours and was done properly. Costa Rica really needs to get its import taxes under control. As a stalwart conservative, less taxation creates more available capital to grow the economy.

reacquainting with old friends - Andrew Wong, Owner Wildrice restaurant vancouver

I miss Tamarindo though immensely, especially the friends that were made and the surfing buddies that I would see daily on the break. Surfing has been ‘replaced’ for now by boarding, and now that summer is only a couple of months away, I will be mountain biking, mountain climbing and of course, fly-fishing the rivers and streams for trout.

So, there’s my three month report.

Me and my CrackBerry working away

Tamarindo - The fleecing of Gringos

2011-01-17T10:22:00.005-06:00

The fleecing of Gringos

This is my last post from Tamarindo, Costa Rica for the next while as I decided to move to Whistler, British Columbia for the next year. I am planning to come back here both in the short term and long term.

Those of you who know me know that I don’t pull any punches and call it the way it is. While the surfing here is second to none, sometimes I feel like a second class person. It’s because of the gringo tax. Here are some examples.

Alamo car rental – prices rose 100% from September to December’s high season “because of the tourists.” So my SUV rental went from $50 a day to $100. Okay fine. Supply and demand. But come on? I live here.

Economy Car rental – they tried to charge me extra insurance even though the website clearly stated one price of $10 a day, they wanted $30 a day. I was told insurance on all cars is mandatory in Costa Rica. Bullshit. My Jeep doesn’t have insurance nor is it legally required to have insurance. I got on the phone with the owner, told him to fuck himself and ended up not paying the ‘insurance’.

Shopping – a blond friend of mine walked into a small grocery store near Avellanas. Two beers and two bags of chips cost $8.00. WTF??? I walked in the next day and purchased the same items. It cost me and my darker skin $4.00.

Water – When the government took over the water service here last year, my bill went from $5 a month to close to $100. Seems I was not alone. A lot of bitching, phone calling and dropping in unannounced at their offices and it is back down to $16. No reason nor explanation ever given. And no refund.

Electrical bill – When we moved to Tamarindo, our electrical bill was about $100 a month. Now it is over $300. That’s right. In four years it has gone up that much. That’s about the average salary for a Tico. Do you think they look at where I live and give me a ‘special rate’? You bet they do.

It is what it is. Don’t even get me started on the road to Langosta! Or how when you take your car in to be serviced they swap out your new car battery and replace it with an old one!

Tamarindo 2010 - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-01-02T06:59:00.001-06:00

Good

Witch’s Rock Surf Camp making their property open and making the beachfront more accessible - Joe and Holly have put a lot of effort into building a sustainable business that looks good too. Did you know that most of the used deep fat oil from many local establishments is converted into diesel by WRSC?

Kelly’s making the entrance of Tamarindo look good with his storefronts – it looks great. Maybe they rest of Tam can keep up with Kelly'’s example.

Water clean – the ocean has been clean and free of pollution this year. I love swimming in Tamarindo again!

Gil’s getting his own place – damn great burritos and a good locals’ hang out without getting gouged.

Cassie’s recycling still going strong – in a country where people litter, it’s great to see recycling going strong here.

Road to my house – amazingly enough, they graded the hill to my house

Sandbar out front returned – makes for some wicked waves again

Bad

Neighbors bickering – there is no community spirit here. Not at all. Businesses fight, people accuse others of developing on public property, there is no chamber of commerce, some chick complains about dog shit on the beach while her hotel uses a septic field that is literally 10 feet from the beach, and it goes on.

Internet slow – like brutally slow. My VoIP won’t even work now. They don’t understand that more people online equates to less bandwidth. Seriously. I told them that and they said it wasn’t how the internet worked.

AYA and their takeover – water never works and smells like bleach. And last year they tried to gringo tax us all with my bill going from $15 to $100 in one month. It’s back down to $18 now.

Langosta road and ex president lying -the road still isn’t done even after locals shelled out thousands to ex Prez Arias who promised a paved road.

No lifeguards and an irresponsible hotels like Diria (lots of employees seemingly doing God knows what when I order food, but they can’t afford a lifeguard?)

Passitiempo still closed – those new owners came in thinking they knew all that and a bag of chips. Hint for anyone buying a business. Don’t fire the employees and bring your nephews from LA in to run it.

Babylon closed – Thursday nights are missed.

Ugly

SUP’s in the line up – In the USA they are classified as boats and not allowed on the breaks or in swimming areas. If you want to SUP, go and do it Laird Hamilton style in 16 foot waves instead of hogging the rivermouth

Fires – we lost some great businesses and hangout places due to fires that could have been put out had there been a fire station here. Taxes come into Tamarindo and are spent in San Jose

Helicopter – that mother fucker of a helicopter pilot who insists at flying dangerously close to the water and beaches. FAA rules allow for a minimum or 500 feet over beaches and populated areas. Fucking idiot fucking dumbasses with no respect for the planet.

Robberies and useless police – the police here remain as useful as tits on a bull. Missing people, robberies, and an infestation of criminal activity has gone unchecked. Right now we have a missing friend under suspicious circumstances. Where are the police? Probably drinking or setting up roadblocks to take bribes from the tourists.

Nicaragua – Friend or Foe?

2010-11-29T08:23:00.000-06:00

I just got back from my third trip to Nicaragua this year, and was caught in the middle of a debate by locals and expats about the border ‘war’ with Costa Rica. Having grown up during the era of Ollie North, communism and Time magazine, I always figured that the president of Nicaragua, Ortega was nothing more than a despot ruling under the guise of socialism. Well, I still feel that way. But not about the people.

I have learned that the average Nicaraguan (Nico) is friendly, hard working and will treat you with same respect that you show them. On the surf breaks, there was ZERO territorialism, and in fact, I found myself hanging right in the middle of the pack at Playa Ramanso and Play Yankee with some really great locals who I watched encourage some of the beginners who had ventured out into deeper waters. I cannot even imagine this happening at Dana Point or even one of my local breaks like Playa Grande.

Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America, has widespread underemployment and poverty. GDP fell by almost 3% in 2009, due to decreased export demand in the US and Central American markets, lower commodity prices for key agricultural exports, and low remittance growth - remittances are equivalent to almost 15% of GDP.

Per capita annual income is $2600 or $217 a month. They suffered a major disruptive civil war and these people are literally starving, yet they seem to be happy with what they have. Maybe that’s a lesson we can all learn.

We stayed in San Juan del Sur again at the Hotel Villa Isabella which is run by Mike and Jane. They also run the volunteer library there, and seem very involved in the community. The usual suspects were visited including Iguana Bar and the Crazy Crab, and a couple of restaurants that served $10 lobster dinners. And instead of Playa Maderas, we surfed the southern beaches this time, Ramanso and Yankee, which were way chill and less crowded.

Next time you come down to Tamarindo, set aside a few days to go to Nicaragua too. The country needs your dollars, and I bet you will have a great time!

Costa Rica and the impossibility of doing business

2010-11-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

For all of you who think that living in a surfing paradise is easy.

This past week was especially difficult for us who depend on simple things like water, electricity, roads and internet. The weather has been sunny all week, and the only saving grace is that I have a Blackberry on the Costa Rican 3G Network. Although, the actual speed of the 3G here reminds me of AOL dial-up circa 1998.

I think that Friday really summed things up with an email from AYA, the government run water monopoly who at least had the courtesy to send out an email for those of us who opted in. It was as follows:

DEAR CUSTOMERS, We have problems in transportation lines and the network of water supply. This is because the repairs to the streets of Tamarindo, which take place at this time. For this reason and to repair existing damages will be suspended water service. We have no definitive time to finish our repairs. We can not estimate a time to return to provide water service. We apologize for the inconveniences it may cause you.

Thank God we have a two huge water tanks buried under the garden, which means we can enjoy long showers and washing our cars for at least two weeks while the rest of Tamarindo bathes in the Pacific.

We lost power a few times this week. It’s kind of expected in the rainy season, but during the sunniest weather we have had in months? Perhaps the government subsidized monopoly gave it’s employees a day off at the beach? In reality, tourism season has started and the air conditioners probably drew too much load off the grid and the electricity company was unprepared. It’s not like we have had tourists here before, right?

And on that note, the main highway called the Inter American Norte has been shut down for parts of last week. This is the only route for commerce to move from the ports or from our neighbors to the north. I guess that closures like this account for such a low GDP as you need to be able to transport good to sell them at market. Funny concept I know.

And finally, the internet. Also run by a government monopoly, we have had problems at the house for the past two months and have had countless technicians visit and try to determine the problem. They tell me that for some strange reason there is not enough bandwidth coming up the hill to my house. They can’t seem to figure it out, even after having 6 workers here on Wednesday for 5 hours.

I told them the problem. Someone has parked a server in town and is eating up all the bandwidth so they need to (a) find the server and put him on a dedicated server or (b) increase throughput on the cable lines.

They assured me that I knew not what I was talking about and that it didn’t matter how many people were on the internet at the same time because bandwidth can’t get used up and slow up download/upload speed.

No, I am not kidding.

And then on Thursday, most of the country lost internet for about 40 hours. No explanation. No apology. And no discount on the bill for sure.

25% of the people in the country who are employed work for the government or a monopoly, and this has led to an attitude of ineptness among the same. They get paid no matter what and have a union that is so strong that the President would not have been elected without their support. Next month, all employees of Costa Rica must be paid a full month’s wages as a bonus as mandated by law. Plus, they all get about 2 weeks off.

Is it no wonder that the country is close to being bankrupt?

I guess my overall point is to let people who think that they can carry out a remote business like I do, is that it is next to impossible. I have to start a company in the New Year, and if this country had a dependable infrastructure, I could stay here and employee Costa Ricans. As it turns out, I am moving to Canada where they have competition and people who care about your effectiveness to create wealth and contribute to the country’s GNP.

Tamarindo now in full swing - surfers start your boards...

2010-11-14T15:17:00.000-06:00

Well, it’s pretty much official – the tourists have returned to Tamarindo in the past week, and we are really seeing some busy beaches. This is what we all (well, most of us) wait for and now is the time to start gearing up for a busy Christmas.

And the other way I can tell that its tourism season is that the southern hemi’s have backed down and the waves are smaller. This week, for example, the big ‘swell’ will be hitting us mid week at 5’ at 15 seconds. Yippee?

Look for really South facing breaks and do everything to avoid the main break in Tamarindo where lessons will be in full force.

You might want to try Marbella in the mornings on an incoming tide, or even Grande at sunrise. And look for onshore winds to hit around 11am everyday this week.

And the water has been somewhat cold with the offshore’s blowing all the warm water out and creating this upwelling – suggest a spring suit (shortie) or long sleeved rash guard.

Here are some of the forecast shots from MSW etc.

Kelly Slater wins his 10th ASP Champoinship at 38

2010-11-07T12:32:00.000-06:00

At the age of 38, Kelly Slater earned his 10th surfing world title this weekend with a dominating performance in Puerto Rico against fellow surfers half his age.

The ASP tour has been giving out world titles for 30 years, and he has won 10 of them.

And in a befitting tribute to a falled friend, he dedicated his win to Andy Irons.

A terrible day for Tamarindo - a terrible day for surfers

2010-11-03T13:28:00.000-06:00

We have had a couple of terrible days here in Tamarindo and I guess living in a small town really puts an emphasis on how close we all are here.

No matter our differences, we are a tight knit community that is effected by things both good and bad.

A good friend and member of the local surfing community lost his baby daughter a couple of days ago. And we are talking about one of the greatest couples in the world. He is someone here in town that makes every person feel like a million dollars, and when I first moved here, was one of the few locals to make an effort to get to know me out on the territorial breaks. Our prayers go out to his family.

Then this morning, I heard two fire trucks race into town at 6:00 am and 6:30 am. Well, we don’t have fire trucks or real EMS here in Tamarindo, so they had to come from the towns of Santa Cruz and Filidelphia; each an hour’s drive away. I dressed quickly and drove into town to see the firefighters battling to put out Sharkey’s Sports Bar and Costa Rica Surf. By 730 am as the smoke cleared, it was a no brainer. They were gutted and will have to be leveled. I had to get away from it because the acrid smoke of 200 burning surfboards was choking my throat while the sight of seeing good friends in tears made me feel nauseous.

Here are the pics:

Sharkey’s was a relatively new place that opened a couple of years ago with Ben & Katie at the helm. It was a place that featured every sport possible on their giant screens, making it the only sports bar in town (not including Langosta). It was the kind of place that was small and intimate, so no matter how many people were there, it seemed busy. And most importantly, they showed hockey. Of course, karaoke Tuesday was always a time to see ‘everyone’ in town make an ass of themselves. Not only is a business lost, but it also displaces those who worked there, and whose families depended on it. Even the parking attendant was there and one could only sense the feeling of dread he had knowing that the few dollars he eked out were now gone.

Costa Rica Surf was the place that I first rented a surf board when I came here five years ago, and then was the first place that I ever bought a surf board. Owned by Sabrina and Diego, it used to be called Banana Surf and the place was always a welcome home to both locals and tourists alike. I still take my boards there to get dings fixed and bought a custom made quad there in July. And let’s not forget the schwarma’s and falafels that were sold there. Costa Rica surf has a second location near Aqua, which doesn’t make it easier, but does provide them with some hope now. Knowing Diego and Sabrina’s Argentinean strength, we’ll see them smiling on the break at Playa Langosta in no time.

Finally, although not from Tamarindo, Andy Irons died yesterday at the age of 32 from Dengue. A great surfer and three time world champion, he commented once that I try changing my surfing, which is the absolute worst thing you can do. Everyone surfs their own way. If I try to surf like someone else I look like a dork. What brings this close to home besides the obvious surfing connection is that he died from Dengue; something that is a problem here in Costa Rica that has struck most everyone that I know here.

Anyways, typical of the infrastructure here, we now have no internet or cable. And I am trying to send .5 MB files by uploading them to my blackberry external disk, then emailing on the 3G network. (Which actually works at about 1G on a good day.) Thank God for the internet connection at Witch's Rock Surf Camp, eh?

Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day here in our small communities of Global Surfers and Tamarindans.

Pura Vida

Cold November Rains and a return of the cold war?

2010-11-02T08:01:00.000-06:00

What a beautiful morning here. Well, not really. Last night some sort of tropical storm blew through and knocked out power for most of the night. I guess it’s not bad because we are all in bed, but living here, I like to have the perimeter around my house lit up like a downtown Manhattan.

Then this morning, we hear that those members of the Nicaraguan army had been seen on Isla Calero, a piece of land on the Costa Rican side of the Río San Juan. Pictures and video reveal a Nicaraguan flag has been placed on the property. The flag is located on the same property, known as Finca Aragón, where trees were cut down and sediment was deposited by a Nicaraguan dredge that is deepening the Río San Juan.

“A flyover this morning above Isla Calero revealed the presence of Nicaraguan troops in national territory, Costa Rican territory,” a Costa Rican ministry official said. “There is a Nicaraguan flag and tents belonging to the Nicaraguan army. ..

As we all know, we have no army here in Costa Rica and the Nicaraguan one has been battle hardened by years of civil war that only ended a decade ago. They have 15 Soviet made The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship and over 50 operational T-54 and T-55 tanks.

I guess the ‘good thing’ is that we have about 7000 US Marines and about 50 USN Ships here on a drug combat mission. Along with about 2 dozen harrier Jump jets, 200 helicopters and AWACS that I always see flying over my house on its way to land in Liberia, I don’t see Nicaragua as attacking anytime soon.

Of course, maybe the USA presence has fueled tensions instead of abating them? Due to the long history of US intervention in Latin America (perhaps most notably in neighboring Nicaragua), the region is clearly justified in its concern over the disproportionate and virtual invasion of troops into an area that could potentially provide such a logistical and geographic striking point.

We hear all about Iran, but very little about our own hemisphere and the increased US military spending down here and in the Caribbean.

Anyways, no point in stressing just yet.

Aqua Claro and the end of the rainy season in October in Tamarindo?

2010-10-19T05:27:00.001-06:00

We haven’t really had any bad rains here for over two weeks now, and this morning when I paddled out the water was clear enough to see the reef on the point break where I surfed.

An amber jack (fish) jumped about 5 feet into the air in front of me, and there was evidence of more fish around. So, my attitude is if the fish are back, then the dry season is upon us. Why? Nature always knows best!

And we are getting great swell due to the southern hemi storms that are still rolling up the Chilean – Peruvian coast, and some days the waves have been overhead with offshore / cross shore winds!

October is usually wet and miserable here in Tamarindo, and many shops and restaurants simply close their door for the month. So, without all the tourists here, we are having some beautifully empty surfing breaks. As an example, this morning there were probably 10 people surfing four breaks in Tamarindo, and earlier this week, about the same amount of people at Playa Grande.

And it should be quiet for a while here, as even the Tico’s from San Jose can’t make it here. With little rain in the forecast many head for the beaches here on weekends. However, it will take up to 9 hours this due to the collapse of Costa Rica's road infrastructure.

The San José - Caldera remains closed betweeen Atenas and Orotina, the Interamericana Norte at Cambronero is still with "paso regualdo" and the Monte de Aguacate (old road to Jacó) cannot handle the volume of traffic.

For example, a trip from San José to Tamarindo or Flamingo can take up to double the normal time trough the Cambronero and Agucate. An alternate is by way of La Fortuna and Arenal to Tilarán and Cañas. In either case, the 4 to 5 hours normal travel time can easily turn to 8 or 9 hours.

The best news this week was the announcement that Starbucks Coffee, ubiquitous in North America, is set to open its first Central American location in San Salvador later this year. Expansion into the rest of the isthmus is in the works, though the company has not yet released specifics. Maybe we’ll see one here in Tamarindo before long? Right.

September Surfing in Tamarindo

2010-09-18T12:08:00.000-06:00

For many of us, September and October offer a brief respite for the craziness that tourism, the life and blood of this hamlet called Tamarindo, brings. Don’t get me wrong, we love tourists and their value to us enables most of us to enjoy the Pura Vida lifestyle to which we have become accustomed.

Just like my second home, Whistler, September and October are our slowest months - our off-season so to say. And let’s face it, everyone needs a vacation. Even the Tamarindons. (Is that a word?). A lot of restaurants including my favorite Chinese to go place are closed, and the bars are quiet at night. But there isn’t anyone on the surf breaks…anywhere!

This past week it has been a perfect storm here of sunny mornings, excellent southern hemi swell, light winds and open breaks. During the high season, I never surf the main break in Tamarindo because it is full of beginners taking lessons…and I feel that anyone who can hold their own on a board has no right to be surfing with the people who have flown thousands of miles to learn a life changing experience.

So to be able to surf the main break for me is a treat!

This past week we have seen some excellent swell hit on a SSW vector almost veering into a westerly at times. Waves have averaged 4 to 5 feet in the past couple of days, with bombs coming in overhead plus.

My personal favorite break is Pico Grande, the rocks just to the south of Witch’s Rock Surf Camp. While the waves usually trend to the south side creating a right break, this week boomers have been hitting the point break on an unusual direction making for an outstanding left surf break. Just don’t do what my friend Rudi from Radical Surf did, and wipe out on the take off over an exposed reef. Damn it was a top ten wipe-out! But he pulled himself together and showed us all why he is one of the best instructors in town!

This morning Joe Walsh, the owner of WRSC, and I hit the river mouth early. Joe kicked some ass while I pretty much got my ass kicked. Coffee, some French toast and a new application of wax, and we hit Casitas across the Tamarindo Estuary for about 90 minutes until we got blown out by the onshore winds. We both caught some half decent waves while Joe’s brother-n-law Happy filmed us. And there were only 4 of us on the break – sweet!

On my last wave I got shacked! ( Shacked means a perfect wipe out right? Hahaha! - I am still pulling sand from out of my ass.

So if you want to come down for perfect surf, and enjoy Tamarindo with the locals, then these are the months to do it!

Visit Patrick Smyth's new bog at www.patrick.tc

What is DOH? & The end of summer in Tamarindo

2010-08-25T06:26:00.001-06:00

doh (dəʊ) noun Definition of D'OH —a wave in height that is Double OverHead

d'oh (dəʊ) interjection Definition of D'OH —used to express sudden recognition of a foolish blunder or an ironic turn of events

"Doh, doh, DOH!!!" what I said on seeing the 3rd of 5 double overhead waves barreling down on me this afternoon.

That was some wave!

Well, it the end of August and the last of the tourists are leaving now. Things are starting to really get quiet for the rainy season which really starts in earnest the long weekend of September. And it’s going to be a bad one.

Eight cyclones will affect Costa Rica this year, four of which will likely reach hurricane strength...The National Meteorological Institute has projected “extremely rainy” conditions from August through October for the Central Valley and the Pacific Slope.

From my perspective, it is the time of year when Tamarindo recharges and when we see who stays here during the worst time of the year. Sort of cutting the wheat from the chafe. The waves are big, the breaks are tranquillo, and people are generally less stressed because they don’t have to deal with a lot of the crap that the tourists bring.

Don’t get me wrong…we love tourism, just like any other tourist town out there, we need our time to rest.

And if you do come down here during the months of September and October, there are deals to be had as most hotels are empty. Just be prepared for rain…and for D’OH!!!!

Courtesy of Witch's Rock Surf Camp

The Mother of all swells is inbound

2010-08-16T15:37:00.000-06:00

have a look at the attached...nuf said

Surfing Tamarindo

2010-08-03T10:15:00.001-06:00

Quick update - the waves have been stellar here in Tamarindo and at Playa Grande.

Most days have been head high with DOH bombs coming in.

More to come later

Il pleut des cordes

2010-07-08T09:47:00.000-06:00

Il pleut des cordes is French for it’s raining cats and dogs. And it sure is. A mini dry–season known as the “Veranillo de San Juan” (similar to an “Indian Summer”) typically occurs around mid–July

Not this year!

We have been told because of the retreat of El Nino and the cooling of the Pacific, that we can expect lots of precipitation this year. And, we have also been warned of an extra brutal hurricane season. Combining knowledge of the conditions that spawn major storm--based on years of research and observations--with computer modeling, scientists are calling for a 2010 hurricane season so intense that it could approach the record set in 2005.

All indicators point to a 2010 hurricane season “at or beyond” record levels, reports Greg Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., a research facility supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). To date, the 2005 season, with 28 major storms, according to NOAA records, was the most active on record.

Scientists point to both routine climate variability and global warming as factors contributing to the prognosis for the season that officially began July 1. A hurricane-spawning zone in the North Atlantic, off the west coast of Africa, is experiencing a decade of high ocean temperatures. In May 2010 scientists recorded the warmest sea surface temperatures on record, relegating the previous record from May 2005 to second place.

Other indicators of an intense 2010 season include extra moisture in the atmosphere, a result of the higher sea surface temperatures; lower wind shear, giving hurricanes a greater chance to strengthen; and the retreat of El Niño conditions, which typically inhibit hurricane formation. The retreat could potentially usher in a La Niña, which tends to increase the frequency of hurricanes.

Anyways, this month on the 25^th of July we celebrate Guanacaste Day, the celebration of Guanacaste's freedom from Nicaragua in 1812 with Bullfights, dancing, music, food, parades, and more.

Guanacaste is the province that Tamarindo is located in and is named for the massive guanacaste tree - Costa Rica's national tree. This remarkable species is easily recognizable, expanding greater in width than it does in height, and hanging its lowest branches just a few feet above the ground. And creatures of this region couldn't be more pleased; the guanacaste tree provides them with an oasis of shade in what is Costa Rica's dryest region.

Most of the population descends from a mix of Chorotega Native Americans, Spaniards and sub–Saharan Africans, namely Bantu slaves. Guanacastecan residents speak a dialect distinct from the rest of Costa Rica. As in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Guanacastecans use the “usted” conjugation upon initial meetings, instead of “tu”, but once they have established a friendship, use the more informal “vos” conjugation. The Guanacaste culture has been successfully integrated into the mainstream culture; among the main elements are their unique music, literature (folklore), musical instruments, bullfighting and important religious events

I’m back baby!

2010-06-30T12:37:00.000-06:00

That was what the sandbar off Tamarindo’s main break announced to the world this week!

Because sandbars are created by water, and our sandbar in front of WRSC and the parking lot is created by the Tamarindo River (Estero), it shifts depending on where the water chooses to flow.

It has been two years now since I would consider the main break at Tamarindo any good due to this shift in the mouth of the river.

By the way, here is the definition of a sandbar (not the cougar bar in Vancouver either!) - A long mass or low ridge of submerged or partially exposed sand built up in the water along a shore or beach by the action of waves or currents.

Here is the old flow of water and the river mouth sandbar (which really needed a big swell to do anything decent)

Here is it now with the "new" sandbar highlighted in black

So, the surf has been awesome...just watch the rip current that starts about high tide minus 30 minutes and whips you south towards Pico Grande.

And if anyone is looking for lessons, please check out http://www.radicalsurfcr.com/ which is owned by Rudy and Stephanie who will be getting married this Saturday!

I’m back baby!

2010-06-30T12:32:00.001-06:00

That was what the sandbar off Tamarindo’s main break announced to the world this week!

Because sandbars are created by water, and our sandbar in front of WRSC and the parking lot is created by the Tamarindo River (Estero), it shifts depending on where the water chooses to flow.

It has been two years now since I would consider the main break at Tamarindo any good due to this shift in the mouth of the river.

Here is the old flow of water and the river mouth sandbar (which really needed a big swell to do anything decent)

Here is it now with the "new" sandbar highlighted in black

So, the surf has been awesome...just watch the rip current that starts about high tide minus 30 minutes and whips you south towards Pico Grande.

And if anyone is looking for lessons, please check out http://www.radicalsurfcr.com/ which is owned by Rudy and Stephanie who will be getting married this Saturday!

Surf Update Tamarindo June 28

2010-06-28T08:39:00.000-06:00

June has been a very rainy month, and this morning was no exception. If it wasn’t for the balmy temperature, I would have thought that I was in San Francisco with all the rainy fog. And mud...damn there has been so much mud here in streets that should have been paved years ago according to promises made by the Costa Rican Government.

Pura Vida right? I actually think Pura Vida has the same meaning as Manana in Mexico.

Now that I have had my gripe, let’s talk about the surf. It has been great! So long as you can get over that the water isn’t crystal clear like it can be in the dry season, you have better surfing conditions and far fewer people on the breaks.

And because we have cloud cover, or at least partial cloud cover, the beating sun doesn’t drain you like it does in the November to April period. And that makes a difference to your ability to stay out longer, and the mitigation (somewhat) of getting overheated / dehydrated.

Yesterday afternoon on my favourite reef break there were four of us out there for my 2 ½ hour surf session. I guess I could have stayed out longer, but since we have an afternoon high tide today, why not do it again?
You have to love living in a surf town.

I am still thinking about Panama though...really starting to think about moving to Santa Catalina seriously.

Austin is calling for some good swell this week. And if this weekend was any prediction, look for some overhead waves on more of a westerly swell than the usual SSW breaks.

This morning’s winds were onshore and heavy, but I’ve noted that seems to be the case in the mornings, and afternoons have less wind, although some chop remains. As for the period, it has been weird. Yesterday the average was about 17 seconds, but every once in a while we got slammed (on the reef that is) with five back to back waves with about 2 seconds in between. Funny though, they were big enough to take even with the short period.

Anyways, here are some cool looking graphs and charts for you all.

And remember what Chris Cote said, "Whatever you do and wherever you go and however you get there, just remember one thing: surfers travel. If you don't, you might as well quit."

Surfing Santa Catalina

2010-06-18T11:32:00.000-06:00

Well not much has changed since I was here last year except that they now have an Internet cafe and also 3G wireless for mobile technology. Prepaid chips for a Blackberry are about $3.00 in Santiago or Panama City, and you get free data for a month included. Buy a couple of $10.00 prepaid cards and you should be set as international calls are about $0.15 a minute...and why would you be calling home anyways?

I stayed at the Buena Vida Hotel again, and owners Mike and Michelle (and their son Zack) were awesome hosts. Elaina from Oregon was also working the hotel, and always had a smile, even at 7am in the morning when they open for breakfast. Really, they have the best breakfast in town, an a three egg omelet with two pieces of toast will cost $5.00

I ate at Jammin’ Pizza, Los Pibes and Donde Viancka over the course of the nights I spent here this time. Dinner without alcohol should not cost you more than $12 including an appetizer. My favorite was Donde Vianckaa which is owned by a beautiful surfer names Bianca, who makes a wicked hot sauce that is a natural accompaniment for the ceviche.

They now have a surf shop (Surf and Shake) too owned by a couple of really friendly German girls, and it has some cool stuff in it. And they sell shakes / smoothies. Get your dings fixed by Carlos...he is great. You can find him on the first right up the hill.

The surf this time around was big. The Point was overhead, and there were some big close out sets...not fun when you are being rolled over a reef. There were never more than a dozen people out, and ten of them were posing. I never understand why people even paddle out into hairy shit if they aren’t going to go for it.

Over the course of the week, I took a couple of double overhead waves at the point, but had more fun on the inside hitting the corners and rolling our left into the open water. Probably got 5 waves to everyone else’s 1 that way...hehehe.

Estero (the rivermouth) was also big this week, but was closing out. It was a bitch to paddle out through the white water, and then get caught in the south ripping current which took you towards Punta Brava. However, there were great waves...I took some from right outside on lefts into the dry sand...talk about a ride that lasts 30 seconds. Your legs feel like jelly afterwards.

Get here soon before this place gets busy...Santa Catalina, Panama, will be hosting the 2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship. For more information about the 2010 ISA World Masters Surfing Championship, go to the official website: http://www.isasurf.org/events_WMSC10.php

Santa Catalina Panama this week

2010-06-17T14:38:00.001-06:00

I am taking a break from work this week and am in Western Panama in the sleepy town of Santa Catalina. Waves have been huge and conditions glassy.

More later!

Tropical Depression Here

2010-05-27T10:49:00.001-06:00

We are all very depressed here by the rain, onshore winds and muddy water. And Tamarindo is in the tropics. - So we have a Tropical Depression in town!

But now that I have my stitches out and have taken a dose of secnidazol for the buggies in my tummy, I am going to surf this afternoon!

Here is something from the official forecast from NOAA "THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE...60 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS."

And given that it will probably stall off the coast of El Salvador, the outer bands will soak us here in Northern Costa Rica.

Here are some pictures from town:

Tropical Storm here in Tamarindo

2010-05-25T13:54:00.001-06:00

Spent the entire night battling the elements and dealing with power outages only to have our gutters/eaves fail and leave us in about 1/2 inch of water throughout both floors of my house. AND I live on a hill!

Tonight I am sleeping with my surfboard. (by the way, the water is chocolate brown...no surfing until this cleans up)

Here is the NOAA forecast

ZCZC MIATWOEP ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1100 AM PDT TUE MAY 25 2010

FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE..

1. A LARGE AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER IS LOCATED JUST OT THE WEST OF
NICARAGUA.  THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS AND FLOODING OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AMERICA.  SOME
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS AS IT DRIFTS TOWARD THE NORTHWEST.  THERE IS A MEDIUM
CHANCE...30 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE
DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

Surfing comes first

2010-05-24T16:00:00.001-06:00

Whatever you do and wherever you go and however you get there, just remember one thing: surfers travel. If you don't, you might as well quit. - Chris Cote (Transworld Surf)

Parasites in my surf

2010-05-24T15:38:00.000-06:00

Ah...it's raining hard today and the waves are big. Yet, here I am in the office working away because the water has turned muddy, and besides nursing four stitches in my head, I have the dreaded parasites.

Around this time of the year, the rains come and do what I call the, "The MIB flush". Remember that scene from Men In Black II when they do that? Anyways, think about 6 months of no rain on a bunch of fields and pastures that have cows and so forth roaming around. Well, it has to go somewhere right? Anyways, it's not nearly as even close to being as gnarly and gross as Los Angeles after it rains where you can't surf for at least three days. (I know...)

And anyone who surfs knows that you end up swallowing water.

Really, it's no big deal. More of an inconvenience than anything. You stomach witnesses major cramps every once in a while and your poop is nasty. Plus you feel like sleeping more than usual and are a bit run down.

Just pop some Albendazole and a couple of days later, it's all good. And here in CR, no need for a prescription from a doctor...the pharmacies don't need them. (they don't need them for a lot of things, but that's another story).

But...it's good to pop them every three months or so during the rainy season. Ignore your doctor here, and just do it. So long as you don't take more than a a couple of thousand milligrams a year, everything is fine.

And oh...one thing. If you want to prevent the parasites that you get surfing, then don't surf. (eating cloves and garlic is total bullshit.)

Surfing and getting stitches in Tamarindo

2010-05-19T10:00:00.001-06:00

It's been a pretty slow week for the surfing this week for me. High tides have been in the late afternoons, and the winds have been pretty strong and onshore. I guess I could go in the morning(s), but my work needs me to be in pretty early.

I have found that some of the quieter breaks like Palm Beach Estates to be good for long boarding. It is a break south of Playa Grande at marker 25...about 500 meters south, but there is a place to park a car nearby if you know the area.

The other day I was surfing a big heavy funboard there without a leash doing some new tricks. Starting on one foot surfing regular then doing a 180 and surfing goofy. Kinda fun! I did a carve back on a goofy left and lost my board, so had to swim into shore for it.

As I was about to pick it up in about 3 feet of water, a wave back washed into it and it smashed my head. Right away I knew there was a cut. With blood pouring down my face, I made it back to the car where I keep a BIG first aid kit and administered triage on myself.

The local doctor wasn't in, so I hit the EMS where I was treated by a really great guy...who asked me why I surfed because "it is so dangerous". Apparently, he is constantly putting people back together who come off the breaks. The cost was only $60 by the way.

Anyways, four stitches to my head later and I am grounded to dry land for the next few days. The worst things about the accident.

1 - Lidocaine doesn't work on me yet they refuse to give me a better pain killer when sewing me up. Basically, I was stitched up sans anesthetic .

2 - I should know better then to surf a break alone...dumb ass!

3 - The surf was soooo good...I only got 45 minutes in before smashing open my skull

Anyways, I am seriously looking into surfing with a helmet. I snow board with one...I kite surf with one...I drive my Ducatti with one...

See you on the breaks in a few days when the weekend swell hits.

Early week surf Tamarindo and Playa Grande

2010-05-10T16:15:00.000-06:00

Went surfing around high tide today - surf was flat as a pancake at Tamarindo, so I drove to Palm Beach, about 500 meters south of Grande at marker 25.

The waves were about ankle to knee high with the occasional set coming through waist to chest high.

I took my 7'0" Thruster...way too big. Tomorrow it will be long board or 8' fun board at a minimum.

Let's hope for some swell this week!

Holy crap is it hot!

2010-05-09T16:14:00.000-06:00

We are in an another heat wave here in Tamarindo - this morning I went jogging at 6am and it was already 28C.

Surfing has been okay - have had a bigger funboard out (7'8" Micheal Dolsey) and have been surfing some of the quieter breaks in the area.

With the offshore winds, and lack of decent swell this weekend, the water has been crystal clear and super warm. This morning, because I was doing a lesson (sort of), I had some fins on and a mask and was swimming off Playa Grande when I spotted a decent sized sea turtle. I swan about for a while with it then remembered my student who had washed up on the beach. Oops.

Looking forward to a decent week of surfing and working...

Flying Crocodile in Costa Rica apologizes - happier now

2010-05-04T08:29:00.002-06:00

Hallo Patrick

I am real sorry what happened and I agree that their is a certain security height and as well a noise abatement procedure. We normally respect our neighbors and during 17 years of operation in Samara I think we have a good recommendation. As a small explanation I just like to tell you that the pilot flying over you is owning since short a Gyro and low flying is really one of the biggest fun for pilots. But normally!!! we do this when their is no person we could disturb. I apologize the situation and as instructor I will try to give advises to avoid these situations. Nevertheless the pilot would be happy to take you in form of a compensation for a flight in Tamarindo area.

wish you a nice morning

Guido Scheidt

Never fly with Flying Crocodile in Costa Rica - you might die

2010-05-03T13:44:00.000-06:00

Here is a copy of a letter I sent out to the owners of the local ultralight business, with copies to the local and international aviation authorities.

http://www.flying-crocodile.com/

Flying Crocodile

Correo Playa Samara Codico 5235, Apdo. 99 Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Dear Sir:

On Saturday May 1, 2010 at about 16:30 hours, I observed your Tamarindo based helicopter-type aircraft flying over the beach directly overhead from my position 50 feet from the shore at an altitude of about 30 feet. (10 Meters)

Your pilot made two passes over the beach at this level and it was close enough that I felt the propeller wash.

The surf break over which you buzzed was full of surfers – I observed about 45 surfers in the water and 100 people on the beach.

This is extremely dangerous behaviour, and you are endangering people’s lives should you lose control of the aircraft.

I note the following from the FAA, whose safety standards are generally recognised globally:

FAR-91:

· Over Congested Areas - Shall maintain an altitude of 1,000’ above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000’ of the aircraft.

· Min. 500’ AGL over non-congested areas (except over open water or sparsely populated areas).

· Anywhere - Should maintain an altitude such that if the engine fails, an emergency landing may be executed w/o undue hazard to persons or property on the surface

There is no way you could have maintained your altitude without endangering lives in the water or on the beach.

Furthermore, the noise pollution was unnecessary and generally not enjoyed by those of us who live here and are your neighbours.

I strongly urge you to not fly with reckless disregard to international safety protocols before a tragedy befalls us all and you kill someone.

Regards,

Patrick

Mid week update

2010-04-29T17:31:00.002-06:00

The past few days have looked bad on the surf reports...and we all thought surf was going to be bad. Well, these so called forecasters were all wrong except Austin Gendron who was perfect on his predictions as usual.

The waves have been very good considering the onshore afternoon wind and choppy conditions. I have surfed 2 hours plus every day this week, and have only come in because I needed to get back to work!

We are experiencing early rains, and today we have thunder and heavy rain that started about 430pm.

This weekend should be good - look for me at Casitas (south Playa Grande) and Avellanas with some friends in town from Russia and Colorado. (weird right?)

Hurricanes are Swell, Surf Costa Rica

2010-04-27T09:32:00.000-06:00

I had that saying, "Hurricanes are Swell, Surf Costa Rica", made into a bumper sticker. Everyone loves the sticker, except one dumb ass (who recently failed at a surfing business here) who said, "Costa Rica doesn't get hurricanes."

Well, that's true. But we sure feel the effects of them when the trade winds come blasting from the East.

This season we are expecting 15 hurricanes, up from the average of 9.

That segways us into today's topic about the weather change here and the inbound southern hemi swells this week. The rainy season is here about 3 weeks early.

Here is the view from my house this morning...ugh. And the satellite view. Double ugh. At least it's cooler and somewhat greener though. Usually, the rains begin here in Tamarindo around the 15th of May and are pretty heavy until late June, with rains usually coming down in the afternoons for 4 hours a day or so. Thunder and lightening this early in April are unheard of, so I guess we have a banger of a season ahead. Let's hope July and August are their usual selves. (Pretty dry).

The change in season also brings about the southern hemi swells. These swells originate from the Antarcitc and come racing up the west coast of Chile and Peru before spilling onto our shores. See below.

As a result, we get some big waves. Saturday looks to be way to big on the SSW facing shores, so look for more of a SW break, which should be easier. Note the period at 9 seconds.

Thursday looks like the best day with a good period.

Have fun out there, and check to make sure you are using strong leashes and that your fins are on tight!

Camaronal Surfing

2010-04-19T09:09:00.001-06:00

Playa Camaronal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (Latitude: 9° 50' 60 N, Longitude: 85° 25' 60 W)

For my birthday, a few of us went down to Playa Camaronal which is about 20 minutes drive south of Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula. You can get there by either flying into Sámara and renting a car, or by driving in from San Jose (6 hours), Liberia (4 hours) or Tamarindo (3 hours). To get there, you need a 4 x 4 and the shortest route will take you through rivers.

In the rainy season, be prepared to drive a longer route because the rivers will be impossible to cross. Make sure to speak with locals for current river and road conditions before starting the trek. Fuel up on gas before and bring along all the supplies you’ll need.

Drive from Sámara through Playa Carrillo and about another 8km is your destination. Look for the signs (small and easy to miss).

Playa Camaronal is of greyish sand and stretches 3 km between the mouth of the river Oro at the west, to the cliffs called Point Camaronal at the southeast of the beach. It has strong to moderate waves with a lush vegetation composed of madero negro, gumbo-limbo, wild plum, bastard cedar, stinking toe, spiny cedar, yellow cortez, gonzalo alves, red berry, terciopelo, mahogany, espave, canelo, balsa wood and white cotton. This beach is very apt for camping and fishing. During the green season, the leatherback and Pacific ridley turtles lay their eggs here.

We camped in a designated park area about 50 meters from the beach behind the shore scrub and bushes. The closest hotel-type accommodations are in Carillo or Samara. Although we were allowed to have a small fire ‘for cooking’, no dogs are allowed in the park as it is a major turtle nesting beach. The site has showers, bathrooms, and potable water (US$4 a night)

Local surfers from Sámara and Carrillo rave about its strong and consistent left and right beach breaks, but it remains almost completely unknown by travelers who opt for more-touristed and accessible surf spots. In fact, it is not unusual to be the only person there.

The waves were big...really big, and were coming in from the South / South-South West. Some sets were over 10 feet (3 meters), and there was a massive rip. This is definitely not a place for beginners, and even if you think you are a good surfer...make sure you are in great swimming shape. Some of the locals say that the waves reach 20 feet (6 meters) some days...

We ended up surfing on the Eastern end of the beach, where it was a little more protected and the waves smaller. We found that the best surfing was on the outgoing tide, but again, be prepared to paddle hard to stay on the line.

There were very few surfers out there, and we were the only campers except for the park volunteers who were all young women from the USA, Canada and Germany. Volunteer opportunities are available at the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Camaronal. Contact either Julian Garcia or Dominica Alarcon (☎ 8332 3339).

Finally, should be a great week of surfing - look for SSW break again, and head out at first light.

April 7 - Major Swell inbound this weekend

2010-04-07T11:49:00.000-06:00

Pull out your thrusters and some moxie!

A major swell is about the hit us up here on the Northern Costa Rican coast on Thursday and it should last at least a week!

It should peak on Monday with 8’ (yes...you read that right) peaks at 17 seconds at 203 degrees or SSW.

In between sets, I will make sure I take some photos.

Other than that, I am happy to report that the surfing has been stellar in Tamarindo and surrounding areas. I have been surfing 3 to 4 hours a day, both high and low tides.

If you are out and about, drop me a line. If you have photo's, please send them to me.

Nicaragua

2010-03-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

I must apologize for not updating this blog more, but have been super busy working on new projects and part of this work entails writing...so writing even more hasn’t been at all appealing. Alas, I digress.

A couple of weeks ago, a few of us went to San Juan del Sur Nicaragua for four nights and stayed in a two bedroom house overlooking Playa Maderas complete with dining room, full kitchen, satellite TV (so I could watch my CNN) and of course, hammocks!

I like Nicaragua. The people are friendly, the rum is cheap ($5.00 a bottle) and the surf breaks were empty. The whole atmosphere was very chill, but everyone seemed to be working diligently and no one seemed to be slacking about...unlike some other Latin American countries that I have visited.

There are a lot of options for eating in San Juan del Sur, and there is a great Irish Pub with Guinness on tap! We visited the market every day for fresh fruit and veggies, and bought seafood right off the boats. Yummeee! I think the only complaint we has was that we couldn’t find a decent bottle of wine anywhere...so we drank come pretty gnarly table wine with dinners.

Back to reality and Tamarindo. I am looking forward the the southern hemi’s hitting us now, and last week we had some really excellent conditions. This weekend is looking outstanding again, and I am doing my daily crunches so I can last at least three hours out there every day.

Surf hard!

March 8 Surf Forecast Tamarindo and Northern Costa Rica

2010-03-08T10:46:00.000-06:00

Well, I am getting a little better at this surf forecasting and am trying to get a better understanding of the winds and swell.

This week is looking pretty good with a swell coming in on Wednesday and peaking on Saturday. I would be looking at the swell to rotate back to a SSW after the weird WSW.

Last week, the surf reports all called for a small swell to hit with waves no bigger than 4 feet. Well...let me tell you...the swell brought in average waves of 6’, with rogue sets of 8’ to 10’ coming in on Thursday.

This week, I think we will see more of the same big waves. I would be looking for overhead for most breaks by Wednesday.

The winds have been brutally strong, but at least they have been offshore. One thing though is that they have pushed the warm surface water out and it has been replaced by a cold upwelling current that has brought Jelly fish and sharks close to shore. So, make sure you wear a wetsuit, or at minimum, a long sleeved rash guard.
I am heading to Nicaragua this weekend...taking lots of photos and surfing my ass off!

Costa Rica shoots itself in the foot by denying long term tourism

2010-02-20T11:05:00.002-06:00

When the new immigration law goes into effect March 1 tourists here will still be able to renew their visa by going to and returning from a nearby country. But the rules are changing.

Mario Zamora, the director general de Migración y Extranjería, said Thursday that a tourist will not be able to go to the same country twice and that after two trips to renew a visa a tourist will have to stay out of Costa Rica for a minimum of 15 days.

The new law seeks to crack down on perpetual tourists. What Zamora said is not in the law. These new rules are in the regulations that soon will be published in the La Gaceta official newspaper.

In lieu of going to another country to renew a tourist visa, a foreigner also can show up at any immigration location and renew the right to stay here for 90 more days for $100, Zamora noted. That procedure is in the law, but the new information from Zamora is that the renewal process will be available at immigration offices at international airports, at border posts, ports, marinas and any other location where immigration officers work. There had been concern that the renewals could only be done in San José.

In order to renew a visa that way, the tourist will have to establish financial responsibility and show that they have the means to support themselves for 90 more days. For those who do not have the money, such as students, a procedure is being set up so that the $100 can be waived by the Ministerio de Hacienda, said Zamora.

The rule that a tourist cannot renew a visa by traveling to the same adjacent country twice is a new concept. That means a perpetual tourist living near the Nicaraguan border can visit that country once. But the next visa renewal will have to be at some other country.

And after two visa renewals the tourist will have to leave Costa Rica for a minimum of 15 days, according to Zamora. The idea is to encourage perpetual tourists to seek another form of residency.

Tourists are not supposed to work in Costa Rica, but many do. They run the risk of losing their
possessions and holdings if they are grabbed and expelled by immigration police.

Zamora was among other officials who met to discuss the new immigration law at the Hotel Radisson in Barrio Tournon Thursday afternoon. The new law was outlined in general terms. The law was reported in depth when it was passed last Sept. 1 and signed into law. HERE!

The major changes for expats are:

• They need to join the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social. Still unclear is if membership in a similar program in another country would be sufficient for the Costa Rican requirement. The exact system to enroll expats has not been made clear but they will have to show that they have Caja membership when they renew their cédulas..

• Tourists who overstay their visas will pay a larger fine when leaving, and they will be prohibited from reentering Costa Rica for three times the period that they were illegally in the country.

• Many more categories are created for persons who seek to work or stay in Costa Rica. Work permits traditionally have been difficult to get here unless the applicant is a large company.

• Pensionados approved under the new law must show a monthly income from a certified pension of at least $1,000 a month, up from $600. That amount also covers foreign spouses and minor children. Rentistas have to show that they have a continuing monthly income of at least $2,500, up from $1,000.

• Innkeepers and hotel operators will have to keep a registry of persons staying in their facilities for inspection by the immigration police.

The broad law creates an immigration police that is composed of Fuerza Pública officers. It criminalizes trafficking in persons. It creates an immigration council to issue visas to citizens of restricted countries and takes that job away from the immigration director.

The measure also gives the president the power to grant residency by decree. A.M. Costa Rica has reported that this creates the possibility of immigration amnesties of the type that were mandated twice in the 1990s.

A Tale of Two Cities

2010-02-16T09:12:00.000-06:00

Some of the juxtapositions of my little town of Tamarindo are glaringly obvious. I just had to share some of the reality of what goes on here.

This is the new government installed telecommunication tower located right smack-dab in the middle of a residential area. They put it up over the weekend. This is funny because no one knew about it and it flies in the face of the Ministry of Environment’s ruling that no construction is supposed to take place within 500 meters of the National Park, Las Bulas. (The tower is within that 500 meter zone)

The other real eye sore is the garbage dump in Tamarindo. Funny, because we don’t actually have a dump here. Over the past six or so months, this piece of private property has become a place for people to dump all sorts of trash from construction materials to appliances to general waste. It always seems to be a few ‘workers’ with dump trucks and pick up that are soiling the view. I never see any of the ‘locals’ (read ex-pats) who create the havoc.

In fact, it was ex pats who got the recycling going in Tamarindo in the first place.

Tamarindo Surfing

2010-01-06T11:02:00.000-06:00

Well, it's a new year and the season started off with a bang! Surfing was excellent for the first few days of 2010 before the usual flat period that seems to settle in during the first part of January.

It's really windy as the annual Papagayo winds have arrived.

This is the time of the year that I usually take my fishing rod with me to the beach...

Going to have lots of photos of my Ireland trip up soon - keep checking back!

Christmas In Tamarindo

2009-12-11T09:35:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-02T08:54:00.000-06:00

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

2009-10-22T11:53:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-01T10:06:00.002-06:00

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

2009-09-20T20:24:00.002-06:00

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

2009-07-21T16:07:00.003-06:00

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

2009-07-04T17:37:00.004-06:00

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

2009-06-18T10:32:00.003-06:00

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

2009-06-03T09:15:00.003-06:00

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

2009-06-01T08:52:00.003-06:00

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

2009-05-29T06:38:00.000-06:00

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

2009-05-26T14:04:00.003-06:00

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

2009-05-23T07:21:00.003-06:00

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

2009-05-19T09:41:00.003-06:00

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

2009-05-05T07:44:00.003-06:00

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

2009-04-27T13:35:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-04-22T07:38:00.001-06:00

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

2009-04-14T10:01:00.005-06:00

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

2009-04-10T09:35:00.009-06:00

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

2009-04-06T14:06:00.004-06:00

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

2009-04-03T11:29:00.003-06:00

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

2009-04-02T06:08:00.004-06:00

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

2009-04-01T10:20:00.003-06:00

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

2009-03-31T13:17:00.002-06:00

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.