JEREMY TEULADE'S SURF TRIP IN NICARAGUA
After coming back from the Polynesia trip with the Oxbow team, I was considering a trip to South America, Chile in particular, to surf some long and intense point breaks at the beginning of the South Pacific swell period (April).
I had one week to decide, unfortunately, because of the administrative requirements due to Covid, it was difficult to enter Chile. Mathieu Crépel had sold me on Nicaragua when we were talking at the peak during a surf session in Tahiti. During my trip to Costa Rica last year, a lot of people had told me good things about it, the only drawback was that it seemed small and not very powerful, and of course the surfing I like is when you can feel some power in the wave.
After some moments of hesitation and several hours studying the different spots of the country to plan my trip, I decide to book my tickets... for Costa Rica haha. Yes, the flights to Managua (the capital of Nicaragua) are too expensive so I decide to fly to Liberia (Costa Rica), not far from the Nicaraguan border. A flight, or rather three flights, with a total of 36 hours then another day to cross the border by bus!
Off I go! I love risk and solo adventure, I especially like the Latin culture and the Latinas, I know I'm going to enjoy myself in the land of the offshore!
I arrive in the south of the country for the first part of my trip, it is one of the most reliable regions with a variety of incredible spots. I find a good atmosphere here with a mixture of locals and young tourists passing through to learn how to surf.
Ahhhhhh the tropics, I don't know why I always find such an incredible energy here (actually I do know why: the sun, the warm water, the glassy waves, the fruit and of course the smiles and good mood of the people). I am really tired after the trip in Polynesia which was wonderful but exhausting. Nevertheless, from my very first day, I am eager and ready to jump in the water and discover the different spots.
This is what I do as soon as I arrive. I am lucky enough to be staying somewhere high up where I can easily check the swell and conditions. I wax my 7' minimalibu to enjoy myself without overdoing it after all those hours travelling. The wind is indeed side offshore but quite strong, which sometimes makes the waves difficult to surf. I have fun on a long left-hand wave which rolls over a reef that is much less frightening than in Polynesia (they are fairly smooth rocks with little uncertainties in the wave). The wave is a bit soft with some hollow sections, I manage to get 3 to 5 turns on each wave, it's amazing! During this first session I realise that it's going to be crazy!
I go back home and am recommended a little bar to taste the local food. I choose the typical local dish, Gallo Pinto (rice, kidney beans, eggs, plantain and fried cheese) as well as nachos, yes, I am hungry, and it is a feast. All this washed down with a Classica, a local beer which is drunk like water in this heat. April is the hottest month of the year, it's just boiling, but I handle the temperature well and it doesn't cause me any problems during the trip (except when you go surfing at midday and you have to run so you don't burn your feet on the sand).
The following days are great, the waves are small but clean and there are lots of young locals in the water. They take over the waves, it's difficult to join in and I get out of the water slightly frustrated. I tell people about it, it turns out there's a local competition the following weekend, so they're training like crazy, and I understand why they are acting like that. In any case, for their age they have great style and a good level. Nicaragua is a poor country, so it is difficult for them to travel and have quality equipment. I become friends with some of them who have goals and dreams in mind and train like crazy, it's moving. They use up all their energy on their shared passion: surfing.
A swell is expected and it should hit us for 3 days. I plan my days according to the size of the expected waves and I contact the locals to pick me up on their motorbikes. I'm really excited to visit the surrounding areas and surf bigger waves.
The first day I decide to go to the Nicaraguan equivalent of La Gravière or Puerto Escondido. I take my 6'2, which is designed for hollow waves. The spot is hidden and almost private. One of the only ways to access it is through a luxury resort overlooking the beach and if you don't pay a fortune for the night, you can't surf there. Except... When you are with a local on a motorbike! We cross some rivers, some rather tricky paths and we arrive at the beach. It's only a 5 minute walk to the spot. He says to me, “Joder está grande”, or, “Fuck, it’s big!” A few Americans are checking out the spot, one of them had surfed a wave here the day before and shared it online, a 10 second tube... Yep! They tell me that it won't be too crowded because it's big (big for tourists, nothing huge). We wait for the right moment to go in the water and when the tide is optimal, off we go! I look for left-hand waves because the right-hand one is prettier so more people are on it and my backside tube riding is bad. I want to make the most of this session. Some nice faces come in and I feel like I'm surfing a small Puerto Escondido. I get some beautiful views, some tubes that go on forever but I didn't exit any of them. There are some great right-hand waves surfed by the locals. I get out of the water, happy not to have broken my board and to have discovered this spot.
I discuss with my local guide and we decide to change the spot for the afternoon because the conditions are not optimal for staying on the same one.
One and a half hour later we arrive in a small village where we leave the motorbike. We walk along the beach for 15-20 minutes in the heat at 1pm but it saves me from paying for a boat which is usually the best option to surf this spot. Arriving in front of a steep cliff with big birds and cacti, I see a long to very long left-hand wave rolling in and 5 people in the water, I am crazy! I jump off a rock and off I go for the second round of the day. The waves are incredible but there are a lot of sets that shift and sections that break so it’s a lot of paddling, but it's in these conditions that I catch the most waves.
And I really catch a lot, it's incredible, the waves are difficult to read and there's a lot of wind so it's not very easy but it's bliss! I was on a 5'10, I would love to surf it again with a bigger or longer board, it must be incredible on a longboard!
After two and a half hours in the water, I get out because I'm exhausted and the sun and the morning session have taken it out of me. We return by motorbike at sunset, after visiting a "taller" or garage, because we had a puncture. A nice little drive where I think to myself how lucky I am to be living my dreams...
The next day, completely surfed out, my goal is to surf an outer reef with my 7'. I want to feel the power of this wave that I see rolling every day but which rarely works. This is the biggest wave of Nicaragua, a gun wave. I go with a Californian friend. A lot of paddling and we find ourselves on the spot. Unfortunately, the left-hand side (the best part of this wave) is too dangerous because it breaks too hard.
We decide to surf the right-hand side, it's difficult to position yourself, there is some current, quite short but good big drops, I would like to have had a heavier board. I get out of the water and think to myself that I want to come back here with big waves and a gun board, it will definitely be on my surf list!
In the evening there is a party in a local bar. A lot of regaetton, my heaven! Dancing with your feet on the sand, with or without company and with or without being drunk, I'll let you imagine it, I'm not going to give you all the details haha!
Overall, a memorable surfing trip. But with a lot of other things to do as well: a rich culture with beautiful cities, islands and volcanoes to discover!
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