After years of kayaking trips to places like New Zealand, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico to break up the winter it was time to try something new. So this year for something fun and relaxing, we headed down to the beaches of the west cost of Nicaragua to Buena Vista Surf Club just outside San Juan del Sur.
Yep, ruffing it!
Being total beginners in surfing and Stand Up Paddling, we wanted to go some place with nice warm water that would be great for learning. So easy to get to - check. Warm water - 80 degrees sounds about right - check. Nice place to stay that's not the 4 Seasons but still has great food and a nice beach break near by - check.
From the 1,000+ sq. ft deck you can check out the break, do yoga, or just watch the monkeys in the jungle all around.
These guys lived right outside our tree house
Amazing breakfasts every morning with fresh local fruit
surfing. We rented boards from BV Surf club along with a helpful lesson to get us going. Then we brought along a Kona Samoa inflatable SUP board. This proved to be super handy as it fit in a large duffel bag and with my clothes, was still under 50 lbs. For a paddle, we were able to place a Kona 2-piece paddle in a ski duffel bag. No hassling to get creek boats checked in on overseas flights, which seems to get harder and harder every year. Besides a pair of board shorts and flip flops, little else besides sunscreen was needed. No camping gear, stoves, freeze dried food, rain gear, etc. Traveling light!
Karen having a blast learning to SUP in nice warm water.
Our host Marc giving SUP a try (his first hour). Helps when this is your home break that you get to surf every day.
Not quite ready for Mavericks yet, but could go for another month on the breaks of Nicaragua.
Almost ready for ski season.....nahhhhh!!!!
So if your not quite ready for winter and would like to go someplace warm and a little more off the beaten path, I highly recommend Nicaragua. Warm waters, 320 days of off shore wind make it an amazing surfing/SUP'ing getaway perfect for beginners or experienced Surfers/SUP with many other breaks close by.
Fall Nicaragua Surf trip
GearBobby Kuepper
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