On the seventh day of our trip we got our fourth recruit, Anya Estrov. Anya arrived at Quepos Airport (where we pick up all of our guests) at 9a. We hit the beach at 530a for a dawn patrol. I got a nice little shallow barrel and headed in to grab her while the other crew stayed at the beach. Then we all hung out at the beach for the remainder of the day. In this video you can see how the beachbreak at Dominical can go from low tide drainers to fun crumbly high tide walls. There are more than a few closeouts but there are also plenty of great corners if you know where to look. This is great practice for all beach breaks around the world—finding that one wave that will allow you a longer ride—and learning to find the line that will get you up the face and into the speed section. Johan seemed to never get out of the water this day. Mariza and Christina paddled out three separate times, and Mariza broke her leash. It's kind of a surfing rite of passage to break a leash or a board, so kudos to her for charging! As you may also notice, everyone is switching up boards between the 7'2" and 7'6" Colo Ticos, the 9' Soft Top (original version with the harder bottom and sharkskin top), and the 9'4" quad (not sure shaper). Riding different equipment aids in board and wave knowledge and paddling skills because it forces one to adjust his or her weight to the new dimensions, volume, and curves. This is a foundation of our approach both in Costa Rica and New York, and hence the reason why we try to operate with a solid quiver at all times.
CSC x RDA Day 6
Well I'm back in the good ol' US of A and still have a few more vids to edit and upload from our amazing third retreat at Rancho Diandrew in SW Costa Rica. Here's the vid from Day 6. You can see that everyone's drops are getting stronger and they're really starting to hook into the waves. Also featured is the lovely waterfall at the tilapia farm just down the road from us. You'll also witness Andrew's excellent waterfall skills, which come in handy at the many wonderful gorges. The waterfalls in Costa Rica are so refreshing after a long day of surfing. They wash off all the salt and sunblock and cool down your core temp. Not to mention they're beautiful as all get out.
CSC x RDA Day 5
Intro scene gives you and inside view into our drip coffee prep. It's the Tico way to use those cotton filters and it makes an excellent strong brew. On the way down the hill we caught a local morpho butterfly on her morning commute. And of course when we got to the beach it was a pumping wave garden once again. We surfed our brains out for about 6 hours and returned home for another epic dinner followed by video review and surf seminars at (on) the conference (dining) table.
CSC x RDA Day 4
Day 4 antics without music so that you can get a sense of the commentary and banter we get going on down here. It's all clean fun. With everyone improving so rapidly we're logging hours of usable footage every day. It's getting a little unwieldy but I should have some more fun episodes up for you before this amazing trip ends. And it's not over after this one. Looks like folks in NY/NJ are getting some frosty winter tubes. Hope for more when I return. And then the March retreat is just around the corner. There are 4 spots left. For rapid improvement and the time of your life get involved!
CSC x RDA Day 3
Day 3 and people start doing bottom turns and looking for barrels! I may have to pull this down because of the music, but enjoy for as long as it's up. More vids on the way. We're having an epic time down here. Andrew just saw a guy get spit out of a barrel on the local cam, so we need to hit the beach. Catch ya later!
CSC x RDA Day 2
Here's the video of the first full day of our third retreat. The previous one was a half day with Andrew and I surfing first. This one includes all three students: Christina, Johan, and Mariza who successfully dodged volcanoes to join us just one day late. The waves were on point once again: 2-3 feet and offshore in the morning, and glassy in the afternoon; lefts and rights. Everyone made huge progress with dropping in at the power source. We also had an epic fish and vegetable feast. Stay tuned for Day 3!