Longboarding in the south of Costa Rica

Longboarding in the south of Costa Rica

Women-only retreat near Pavones

Ever since she had spotted a longboarding girl during a retreat with Surf Expedition in the south of Costa Rica, Charlie wanted to learn this technique. Finally, the time had come. She got to spend one ween in exactly the same spot on an all-female longboarding retreat with Surf With Amigas.

The location near Pavones

The break is near the second longest left hander in the world, Pavones. The wave is more beginner-friendly than Pavones itself and the accommodation is a literal stones-throw from the break. Well, there are multiple breaks along the beach, each of them are point breaks that provide a long left-hander. And, they are perfect for longboarding. That’s what Charlie had come for.

Coaching during the surf retreat

The group of 12 participants – ladies of all ages between 22 and 65 – was split into two depending on existing surf skills. Some were beginners, others had already some experience. Charlie wanted to start cross-stepping and the coaches provided a dedicated workshop for this and provided the right type of equipment. Charlie was on a proper log, a 9’,4’’ longboard.

The waves were usually best in the early morning hours and at high tide. Most days during the week-long retreat, they met at the board room at 5 am, waxed their boards and walked to the break. It was the rainy season in Costa Rica, but the rain didn’t show until the final day. Most mornings, they were blessed with the golden light of the sun reflecting on the glassy waves that rolled into the bay.

There was a 2-1-instructor ratio, and the coaching was tailored to the individual level of each participant. Those that needed a push to catch the wave, got the push. Others got the verbal encouragement and more detailed instruction during the video review in the afternoon. There were separate workshops about surf etiquette and forecasting that also provided new information for those that had already heard about those topics before.

You can’t leave Costa Rica without…

Of course, you couldn’t leave Costa Rica without seeing a sloth and Surf With Amigas even covered that. One of the surf instructors spotted the local resident in one of the trees on their way back from the surf one morning. Breakfast had to wait until everybody had spotted the lazy fella. Monkeys could be heard at almost any time, and they even showed their faces occasionally. Enough for Charlie to capture it. Turtles could be seen in the surf and at the river that passes the property. A few houses down the road, macaws take their breakfast in the almond trees. You have to walk a few steps to see them.

The group went on a nature walk near Punta Banco one afternoon and that covered the much-wanted sightings of toucans, aguti and coati. They even tasted star fruits fresh from the tree.

The other afternoons were filled with a pottery workshop, chocolate making, horse riding along the beach and watching the surfers at the famous left-hander in Pavones at sunset.

The yoga sessions were tailored to individual needs and knew exactly what the bodies needed to recover from intense paddle-sections.

Surfing with friends

The word “amiga” is Spanish for “female friend”. Surf With Amigas is truly an experience where you surf with friends. The mutual support among women is incredible and Charlie felt that every step of the way on this longboarding journey. The smallest wins were celebrated and by the end of the week, every amiga, even those that were surfing for the first time, shared the stoke on the same waves. Party waves have never been more celebrated.

And the amigas also included the staff. On other retreats, surf instructors ate in a separate corner from the participants, and the kitchen staff was never seen. With Surf With Amigas, everybody is sitting on the same table and is sharing stories or playing cards in between surf sessions. It felt like a surf family; the daughter of one of the local surf instructors included. The communication was good and all staff members always seemed to have all the information. Charlie has not seen such a smoothly-run retreat before.

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