Zephyr Eco Project in Costa Rica

Brought to you by the owners of Witch's Rock Surf Camp , another great venture, the Zephyr Eco Project. I am anxious to see the progression of this cutting edge community and the development of its organic farm and sustainable resort. Check out the Zephyr Project website and follow the story behind the building and planning of a unique resort and relaxing retreat in the beautiful hills of Alemania, Costa Rica.

Enjoy

Medelise

Women and Surfing

Did you know that for the first time in history the number of woman entering the sport of surfing has surpassed men. Traditionally, surfing has been dominated by men, but not anymore. Some statistics indicate that there are twice as many women entering the sport as men.
"There are an estimated 260,000 women surfing in America, and female participation is growing twice as fast as that of men, according to the Surf Industry Manufacturer’s Association. The number of female surfers jumped 15 percent last year alone."
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And those are statistics from as far back as 1998. In the last three years, I have seen an explosion of young and not so young female surfers at our local beach break in Narragansett, Rhode Island. On any given day, I witness just as many women in the water as men...sometimes more.

About five years ago, My daughter was interested in a surf camp here in Rhode Island. Having tried surfing 12 years earlier but never really getting the knack for it, I thought it would be fun to enroll myself. I have been surfing ever since. At forty five I may not be the youngest female in the water but I am certainly not the oldest one either. In the early 1980's, "Gidget" Lee Ferrera, began surfing at the age of 21. She was recently featured in an article in the Rhode Island monthly on the diehard pioneers of surfing here in the Ocean State.

Photograph by Dana Smith
Rhode Island Monthly November 2007
She surfed for love before she loved to surf. “I had a boyfriend who surfed, and if I ever wanted to see him I had to go in the water,” says the Peace Dale resident. “That first time felt like dancing on water. I still get that feeling, that ‘Yeeaaahhhhh!’ What a rush!” A year and a half later, she was surfing competitively. Ferrera was a Northeast division champion in the Eastern Surfing Association and still competes, recently scooping first place in its thirty-five-and-up women’s division. Her first board—a 9'6" 1967 David Nuuhiwa longboard—still “rides like a gem.”
This article appears in the November 2007 issue of Rhode Island Monthly.


I love this paragraph run in a SurfPulse publication back in 2002 titled Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,
"Today, however, a whole new culture is emerging within women's surfing: surfing for fun. While previous rises in popularity revolved primarily around professional surfing, today's surfer-girl to be isn't necessarily aspiring to be a traveling pro. Rather, she may just want to go down to the local beach to ride a longboard, hang out with her friends, and enjoy the ocean. This represents a 180 degree shift in both mentality and image for women's surfing. Instead of the previously serious, often very aggressive representation of women in the surf, today's portrayals are centered simply on women having fun."
Written by Dane Larson


So this is for all you women out there!!! You are never too old or too young to start surfing. It may just turn out to be the most exciting thing you have ever done. If you need a little inspiration, check out this link to my a favorite video clip of an amazing longboarder by the name of Summer Romero that can be found on the online surf magazine Jetty Girl.

If you are ready to take the next step there are numerous camps, clinics and resorts that cater to the female surfer. Here are a handful to get you started.
Surf Diva
Las Olas...Surf Safaris for Women
Pura Vida Adventure
Boardfolio.com...surf directory

Yours Truly...Costa Rica 2007

Go Surf Costa Rica

Surf Outfitters
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Okay....for all those surf wannabes and surf guru's , we would like to introduce you to an outfitting group out of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Go Surfing Costa Rica was established by two individuals, one Costa Rican and One American, who have worked to combine their experience and knowledge in creating the perfect surf vacation for you , your family or your friends. In their own words, " We offer organized professional management, with all the comforts of home, in a laid back environment, which never lets you forget…you’re on vacation! Both Eduardo and Erika have extensive experience with surf instruction, travel and adventure, but equally as important, they are two people that you will truly enjoy meeting. We are quite confident that their hospitality, knowledge and enthusiasm will result in an outstanding surf vacation for you, your family or your friends.
My family met both Eduardo and Erika last March when were were surfing in Costa Rica. Eduardo was in charge of the surf instruction and tour program at another well know surf camp that we were staying at. Fortunately for us, we bumped into both of them on our last night in Tamarindo this past December. He gave us a quick update on Go Surf Costa Rica and I am ready to sign up. If all goes well, I hope to book a trip with Go Surf Costa Rica and check out one of their surf packages in February or March of this year. With a little persuading, I might even rope my brother Bob, know in the surfing world as Tuna, to pack his board and join me. We will keep you posted.


Check them out!!!

Dawn Patrol at Playa Grande - Thursday

5:30 am on the last full day in Costa Rica came very early this morning even though everyone was moaning into the rack at 9:00 PM the night before. Surprisingly, Jonathan and Meddie were up for the morning trip. At 6:00 am we had a short bus ride and then a 20 minute boat ride to Playa Grande. The waves were inconsistent but they had plenty of height. We were all catching some decent waves but unfortunately having some pretty terrific wipe outs. Med had a spectacular "pearl" - burying the nose of her board into the bottom of a 6 foot wave and then having the wave collapse on top of her. Dan (still struggling with some of the basics like positioning) popped up perfectly on a good size wave only to find myself dead-center at the top of too big of a wave. The board went down the face faster that I did, leaving me to get buried. Our Boat Captain (Chilio) was also surfing with us and had some great laughs at our expense. Its all good....

Back at home base we wolfed down a breakfast (or two) and then went about various mid morning activities. Steven, Nolan and I went for a run, Jonathan and Meddie for a walk, Med went out to get a present for Jonathan's birthday. After a lunch at the local bakery we were all in bed and napping by 1:00 pm.

Surfing at Avenellas

Yesterday, Christmas Day, we spent a quiet morning at the camp. We were all still pretty wiped out from our day at Ollie's and Witch's Rock. In the afternoon we went to Avenellas to surf. It was the best day of surfing we have had so far. Avenellas is a beach break. This particular day the waves were between chest high and head high, beautiful lefts and rights for as far as the eye could see. We got to the beach at around 1:45 with the intention of surfing for about two hours. We did not get back into the van until almost 5 pm. Everyone was catching waves. Jonathan and Stephen, our two nephews, really started putting it all together here. Dan had a great afternoon. I even got inside the barrel or at least that is what people say. Generally it felt like I was getting crushed by the wave, but I held on for awhile.
We were so toast by the time we got back that we ate dinner and crashed. I was asleep by 8pm. The rest of the gang held out a bit longer. We didn't take any pictures from this beach so there is nothing to really show you. But we promise to take some surf shots before the end of the week.
Pura Vida.

Costa Rica Pictures

Motley Crew on a hot afternoon


Italian Ice Cream store manager Flaminia who befriended us


Slick bike that Jonathon talked Adreas (surf instructor middle) to let him ride through Tamarindo to give Ricardo (surf instructor left) a ride home.


Witch's Rock Surf Camp's outdoor patio

Group Photo on the last day


Smallest cousin always gets the short stick


Preparing for the next wave...


Nephew Steven Catching the wave

Nephew Jonathon catching a Wave
Down Time at Witch's Rock


Cattle taking an afternoon stroll on the beach!


A Costa Rican home on the beach. This is located on the beach just before Playa Conchal.



Costa Rican wildlife - largest grasshopper that I have ever seen... A full 6 inches end-to-end.


Walking back from Playa Conchal.

Baby Howler in Playa Sugar.

Her Mama!



One of the thousands of hermit crabs that invaded our spot on the beach. Yes it was a little creepy. You could hear them walking there were so many.


Outrigger trip back in Portero at Playa Sugar.

Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas from Costa Rica. While we are waiting for high tide to surf ... we are looking over the beach having breakfast and preparing to open a few gifts hauled down from the states.

Witch's Rock

After climbing out of the water at Ollie's we wolfed down a packed sandwich (marginal) and some fresh fruit (excellent) and guzzled as much water as we could get out hands on. We hauled anchor and headed south along the dry coastal cliffs of Santa Rosa. Numerous sea turtles lazed in the water and gave us ample opportunity to get a quick shot.

We arrived at Witch's and took a quick tour of the Rock as the guide explained that the local people believed the rock to be haunted. Though exquisite to look at, you can imagine that it's ominous presence could conjure up dark thoughts and perilous stories.

We anchored off of the 4 mile beach and paddled into the surf. A nice swell was coming in with a mixture of left and right breaks. For most of the afternoon there was no one but our group of 6 in the waves. We all got some good rides but the arms started to fade as the surf started to build. This is not a preferred combination! As the waves reached an overhead state, I began to sense that my strong paddle had diminished to a weak imitation of a dying turtle. Arms loosely flapping in the water. It was time to exit with some sense of dignity. The gringos dragged themselves out of the water and onto the boat, barely able to get up the ladder. The Ticos of our party continued to catch wave after wave. David and Jose amazed us with their ability to catch a wave, ride it all the way in and get back out and in position for the next wave of the set only missing one wave. They would do this continuously!!

They finally paddled back to the boat as the waves started to get "mushy".

We then had a 60 minute boat ride back to the beach. A FULL DAY!

Witch's Rock and Ollie's Point

At 5:25 am the day before Christmas I rolled out of my bed and reached for the Ibuprofin. We were leaving in20 minutes for the famed Witch's Rock. I wasn't sure that I could swim across the wading pool let alone manage through any sort of big sets. Meddie, Nolan, Med and I were not well educated on what to expect for the day. After a 1 hour car ride we got to Playa Cocoa and then packed the boards onto an open fiberglass fishing boat and launched. Little did we realize it would be 8 hours before our feet hit dry ground again.

The boat ride to Witch's and Ollie's point took about an hour. The seas were fairly flat except for the last twenty minutes which consisted of a pounding over the swells that rattled us to the bones. We ventured past Witch's Rock and on to Ollie's point as the tide tide was low and Ollie's is much better at low tide. Ollie's is a right point break that begins at a small outcropping of rocks on the far right of the beach. The swells were not huge but nicely formed. There were a couple of other boats hanging around in the water but no one was actually in the water yet. Our tour guide David, a young Tico, pulled on his wetsuit and plunged right into the surf. So with nothing else to do we followed. I would love to say that we riped out there but the truth of the matter is that with an incredible strong offshore breeze we all had some difficulty paddling into the waves. Meddie actually showed us all up including the seven other guys(ticos not included) that were in the water by this time. Eventually we all manged to catch some waves. We hauled out on the shore a couple of times to catch our breath and warm up our bods. There is a beautiful river that flows right out into the break which we explored a bit. We lasted a couple of hours and then, with shivering bones we paddled back to the boat for an early lunch and some needed water. It was only 10:30. We had hours to go still!!!

Witch's Rock and Ollies' point are two of the most famous breaks in Costa Rica. They were both featured in the Endless Summer 2 movie. Most people take a boat to the breaks as they are located off of a National Park (El parque nacional Santa Rosa) which only has road access with a four wheel vehicle. Our guide informed us that there are some hard cores that make the four hour walk to the breaks carrying their boards. The boat seemed a good way to go for us.

From Ollies we headed back south towards Witch's rock...

Countdown to Costa Rica

Just four more days until we head to Boston to catch a plane to Liberia, Costa Rica. Although it has been a bit stressful getting all the Christmas gifts and arrangements done before we leave, were ready.
I forgot to mention that we will be spending our first week in an intensive spanish language program north of Tamarindo. We will be at the CPI Spanish Language Program in Playa Flamingo. The kids aren't wild about being in school but it's hard to complain to much when it is 90 degrees and the pool is just outside the door.
We will keep you posted on departure and hopefully we can post everyday while we are in Costa Rica.
Medelise

Witch's Rock Surf Camp, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

"Nachos As Big As Your Ass" might possibly be the first thing you see or should I say read when you are dropped off in front of the Witch's Rock Surf Camp(WRSC). As you begin to wonder if this is really the place you are supposed to be, you are greeting by the wide face grin of your future surf instructor...usually a good looking, well defined(can you say six pack)Tico. Your adventure is about to unfold.

When we decided to venture to Costa Rica for a surf vacation we went with a bit of trepidation. My daughter and I had been surfing for several years but were by no means established surfers. The men in the family, in a nice twist of gender roles, had never surfed. We began to wonder if this whole surfing vacation idea was too grand an undertaking? Did we really think we would all be surfing by the end of the week, let alone still be able to move? After all my husband and I are 45, certainly surfing was not meant to be learned in your forties. However, it was not long after our arrival that our trepidation waned and we became stoked about the prospect of catching a wave and hanging ten.

Let me say a quick word about the instructors at WRSC. Most of the instructors are local Ticos who have been surfing all their lives. Some are even competing on a professional level. All are overly enthusiastic about teaching others about the joy of surfing. There is a saying in Costa Rica, Pura Vida, the pure life. Surfing and Ticos are all about Pura Vida!

WRSC is located in the beach resort town of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Being on the North Pacific Coast it is renowned for its first class surfing. The classic surf movie Endless Summer, forever cast Witch's Rock and Ollies Point as the preeminent of all surf breaks, both just a short boat trip ride from Tamarindo. But what really makes WRSC so outstanding is their surf instructors' ability to take a complete novice and have them surfing on their own by the end of the week.

So as our first lesson rolled around, we waiting nervously for our surfboard and instructor assignments. My daughter and I had been paired together because of our prior experience surfing, while my husband and son were designated beginners and therefor bound to one another.
With one instructor for every two aspiring surfers, we headed to the beach. The beach lessons always start on the beach, literally. Before you even set foot in the water, your instructor will inform you on such basics as the anatomy of the board, things to do before getting in the water, such as waxing, which by the way is put on the top of the board not the bottom, and the all important pop up, which will determine if you are goofy foot(right foot forward) or regular foot(left foot forward). Once you have mastered the pop up on dry ground it is time to hit the water.
Initially the instructors will recommend that you practice catching waves in the white water(after the wave breaks) for obvious reasons. Once you begin to feel comfortable with the white water you can move on to catching a wave before it breaks. Remarkably, by the end of our first lesson all four of us were actually catching and riding waves. It was not necessarily pretty but we were doing it.

Towards week end, all of the new surfers have the option to go on a surf trip to one of the local surf breaks. If you decide you can handle it, you are loaded on to the WRSC surf mobile, an old yellow school bus decked out with fringe and tassles around the windows. The surfboards are loaded into the bus through the back window and off you go down the back roads of rural Costa Rica in search of the perfect break. Eventually you emerge from the trees to catch a glimpse of a a remote beach with one rolling wave after another crashing against the shore.

This is it, the true test. Were we really good enough to ride these waves? There was only one way to find out. We grabbed our boards. Undaunted by the size of the waves, we raced into the water to try and paddle out beyond the break and show our instructors what we were made of.

Continued by Dan....

Arms and back already aching from five days of beginner riding, we paddled out. Initially the wash of the whitewater seemed to momentarily impede forward progress but I could regain momentum with a few hard strokes. After several minutes of paddling I couldn't tell whether I were just getting closer to the break or a larger set was coming in ... but the crash seemed louder and waves seemed higher. The "wash" now took on a different level of energy and I felt like I was loosing more ground then I was gaining.

I occasionally caught site of my daughter to my right (who seemed to be faring better) and considered asking for help. My grimace and exasperated look must have been interpreted as a good natured laugh ... she waved, smiled, and ducked under the next wave like a young seal and kept going. On my left side (but now much further out) I saw my fiercely determined wife pulling hard against the sea and frankly, kicking my butt. With renewed vigor I continued paddling, convinced that I was to ride the big surf. Several turtle rolls and 15 minutes later I lay panting on my board safely outside the danger of the break. It did not take long before the self congratulatory praise of making it "outside"was quieted by the thought, how the hell do I make it back in alive.

The nursing of my slightly salt-waterlogged ego came to an abrupt end as my mind raced to
Nolan. I wondered how that scrawny waif was managing in this tempest. I tried to catch a glimpse of him, hoping to see him back on shore or trying to catch some smaller second breaks. Then, to my awe and amazement I saw him drop in and catch a medium size wave. He disappeared down the front side of the wave and harnessed a not altogether glamorous, but clearly fun ride. Tottering off balance near the end, his hands punched high into the air with triumph as he fell and got swallowed by the foam.

I thought ... I can do that!

Well, I will leave the rest of this story up to your imagination. Suffice it to say, I'm alive.
With the excitement of the day burning in our minds, as well as our arms, we were all anxious to get back to WRSC. We were ready.....ready to sit under the thatched umbrellas at Joe's Restaurant and gaze out at the beach with a cold beverage in front of us and yes a huge plate of nachos, which by the way, are as big as your ass and twice as good!!!

We loved Costa Rica

In March of 2007, Dan and I took our two children, Nolan and Meddie, on a surf vacation to Costa Rica. We had heard about this great surf resort called Witch's Rock Surf Camp from our local Surfrider Foundation here in Rhode Island. So on a whim we decided that we would go for it! We reasoned that since we were going to make the trip all the way to Costa Rica we shouldn't limit our stay to just surfing at a beach resort town...so we tacked on four extra days and added Reserva Monte Verde and Reserva Santa Elena in the northwestern region of Costa Rica to our itinerary.
When we began our trip, we never imagined we would fall so in love with a country and it's people. We now find ourselves getting ready to revisit Costa Rica only eight months later... in fact we will be spending Christmas at Witch's Rock Surf Camp. We even recruited our nephews, who live in Texas, to join us.
So what was so great about our trip that would make us want to return so quickly? Well I guess I would answer with, "What's not to love about Costa Rica?" The beaches are beautiful, the surf is amazing, the mountains and cloud forests are spectacular and the people are incredibly friendly and hospitable.