Sorry not sorry for the extra long video. I swear I tried to cut down the "less than awesome" rides on this day, but I had to keep so many in just to commemorate the awesomeness of this day. We started with a low tide spelunking adventure to Playa Ventanas, just south of Uvita. Then we spent the remainder of the day surfing a reeling left reef break to ourselves. Andrew got the float tube "bar" going in the channel again so that we could rest and rehydrate without having to go through the hassle of scrambling over rocks multiple times. Like many great things in life, this spot comes with a fair amount of obstacles: razor sharp, hot rocks, a long paddle, theft-prone parking spot, sea urchins, a dumpy, shallow inside section, and occasional clean up sets. Andrew and I work together to mitigate most of them, but the students also have to put in their own mind over matter approach. And that they did. It was a banner day for all of the retreaters. It was especially special for Christina, who we did not allow to surf it last January because she was too new to surfing. That certainly lit a fire under her to surf it again, and she definitely won the hard charging award this day. You can also see that Johan, Mariza, and Christina all worked on getting back to the power source at different points in the session. Their turns may seem quite small to the experienced surfer but to us, them, and to most beginning surfers these are HUGE strides for people who have been at it for under 2 years. Anya struggled to find the right place to take off but almost nails a ride. She has been at surfing for half the time of the others so I'm sure she'll nail this spot on her next trip with us, especially after you see her progress in the last few videos. You may also notice our focus on whole foods in any of the food related clips in these vids. For surf sessions we relied on mangoes, coconuts, watermelon, and avocados. I love the way that Johan savors the pipa water like he's been trekking through the desert for 2 weeks. I think the hat adds to that image.
CSC x RDA Day 7
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!