Found the Waves

Central America Caribbean » Costa Rica » Guanacaste » Samara
April 9th 2006

Published: April 9th 2006

Today is Sunday and we are still in Samara. Originally we intended to leave yesterday morning, but were persuaded by our Tico Mom, Maricella, to stay another day and check out some of the beaches North of Samara. I cannot believe how much the family we are staying with has opened up to us. After she made us a bomb breakfast yesterday she suggested that we rent a Vespa, or scooter, for the day and take it about North to Playa Giones. Maricella called the shop to rent scooters for us, found out it was 30 bucks a day and that we would not need to return it until this morning. Then she packed us snacks and gave us her cell phone in case there was an emergency. On top of that she washed all of our laundry. Deanna asked what time we should be home for dinner and Maricella replied, "Don't worry about that, just go have fun and I will take care of the rest." The sweetest and most kind people ever, we dont even know how to repay them.

Despite the fact, that we were going to head to Mal Pais yesterday, the two of us had no trouble deciding to stay another day here in Samara. So we agreed to go get a scooter and head up to Playa Giones. Little did we know about the kind of trip that was in store for us. We went and got the little scooter and I drove it around town before I had Deanna jump on the back. We looked so funny with our huge black old school helmets on. So many people must have been laughing at us. Anyways, for about 200 meters we had a paved road and for the remaining 24 kilometers or over 15 miles it was all dirt roads. I'm talking dusty, wash board, and extremely weathered roads. The whole time driving I had a death grip on the handle bars so we would not loose control. Every time a car or truck would pass going the opposite way, we would get swallowed up in a dust cloud. About 3/4 of the way there, huge mounds of fresh dirt were poured on the roads, cutting the roads width in half! This added a whole new dimension of difficulty to our trip, but we pressed on. It seemed like forever before we got there; passing through completely undeveloped towns. One thing about getting directions and distances of how far places will be from the Ticos, is that what is close to them is much further in our minds. For instance, I would have told warned someone how far this trip was going to be and how the roads would be; Maricella, on the other hand, made it seem like it would be a piece of cake.

As soon as we arrived I walked towards the water to see about a 2 mile stretch of shoreline and the BEST waves I have come across so far. I just got quiet and was ready to go rent a board. After jumping into the water to wash all the dust we were covered in we walked a few hundred meters back into town to rent a couple of boards. We went to Nosara Surf Shop. They had a huge selection of quality boards, and I could smell the fiberglass in the air from someone repairing or shaping in the back. They even had Epoxy boards, needless to say I had no trouble finding the board I wanted and also a 9 footer for Deanna to learn on. The fiberglass boards required a 400 dollar deposit on the credit card and were 15 bucks for the day, really good price. The epoxy boards required an 800 dollar deposit and were 25 bucks a day. We opted for fiberglass after learning that there were no rocky hazards out in the water. Once thing that made me a little nervous was the the one local sitting in front of the surf shop with half his leg gone and another dude that must have been bitten by a shark. His right calf was half gone and severly scared, something you see on the Discovery channel during Shark week. I wanted to ask if there were sharks, but already knew I was paddling out no matter what so just left it alone. One thing about this beach is that there was NO shade, except for make shift Cabinas people have made from surrounding wood and debris. It is important to mention because it gets so hot and having shade is necesarry if you do not want to roast.

Anyways, I had told Deanna I would show teach her to surf, so they waves had to wait a little longer, but I could see they were not going anywhere so I was cool with it. I threw the long board on the beach and began showing here where to be on the board, how to position herself in the water, and of course how to pop up. She hung on every word, and practiced popping for about 10 minutes or more before I took her in the water. When we got in the water, it was still high tide and the undertow was really strong. Since she does not have much experience in the water she was a little nervous, but still pushed herself. And one her first wave she stood up and caught a ride for less then 10 seconds. After that she was ready for another one, haha (sucker), we were having some trouble though. There was a wierd cross current that would swoop in and it made it difficult for Deanna to keep the board heading straight. After 30 minutes or more she was exhausted and could barely push herself up. So we got out of the watern found a cabina, and that is when i grabbed the 7'2'' i rented. I got this size, because i could see that there was a bit of a paddle and waves were breaking all along the shoreline, there was not really any good single place to paddle out , you just had to go for it. It ook me about 10 to 15 minutes to get out and I was exhasuted, especially after the hour long ride there, running up and down the beach and pulling Deanna around on the longboard. Afterter i recouped from the paddle, about 5 minutes or so, and a huge set (at least double over head) came out of no where. It was about 150 in front of me and ready to break. I started to paddle as fast as I could right at it so I would not be creamed. A funny thing happenmed though, the wave never broke, it held the whole time. I couldn't believe it, and didn't notice as mucxh from the beach. These waves were consistenly 10 feet or so and just rolled in. The next opportunity I had I paddled into the best wave of my life! It was a huge left and the the most beautiful wall of water I have ever seen. Just writing about it makes me get chills, I will never forget this ride. I took it down the face and cut half way back up and then headed down the line. It sounds corny, but I don't give a damn, it was a sprirtual moment. I caught a few more, and then dropped int oo late on another and was swallowed up. It held me down a bit longer than I am used to, but wasn't bad at all. The bummer was that it took me real close to shore. I troed to paddle out for another 10 to 15 minutes, but just didnt have it in me and was ready to pass out. I was so stoked about what had just happened that though i wanted more, I still had the biggest smile on my face.

We packed up and headed back to Samara before dark. Deanna convinced me to miss the sunset and it was a good thing. We left at low tide and I could see it was a much better time for people to learn to surf, water was much more calm. There were a ton of Americans int his twon, because of the awesome surf. A lot of people riding around on golf carts.

Today, Deanna is going to practice surfing some more here in Samara, the waves here are perfect for it. We are heading out early tomorrow morning to Mal Pais. Staying here in Samara has defintely slowed us down on this trip and we have decided to not go to the Carribean side, especially since we hear it is flooding over there.

~Pura Vida~

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