We got the biggest swell we’ve had in months this week to chime in the new year. I think last Thursday morning was the most enjoyable surf lesson I have ever done. Some of our guests were new to surfing and blew me away by getting bombs like Evan (below) for whom this was only day 10 on a surf board! Pete (above) already had a few years experience under his belt but I don’t think he often gets waves like this one back home in Scarborough (UK).
Once all the students got a few waves under their belt, new Surf Simply coach Martin (above) couldn’t resist paddling into this perfect right hander and even Gem (below) managed to tear herself away from answering emails and preparing delicious lunches to snag a few good ones.
We’d like to say a big thank you to all our guests this week for being such a thoroughly enjoyable bunch. There was Julia, Will, Evan, Pam, Di, Pete, Kit & Dan (above) and Emily, Shannon, Kristi, Kevin & Sharon (below). Apparently there’s already talk of a reunion trip later in the year, so I’m sure we’ll see all you guys again soon…
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After being closed for September and October, Surf Simply opened again on Nov 13th. With four new surf chalets and a new yoga / massage room, the resort is bigger and better than ever. Our favorite improvement is the new video coaching room. It has black out blinds and a projector, so that we can now do all our video coaching with an 8ft high image on the wall rather than just using the TV. Ru and Harry (the eternal geeks) now want to complete the set up with a laser pointer.
(Left to right) Amy, Dave, Joe, Scott, Mo, Max, Ray, Lily, Kelly, Phillipe, John & Drew (Drew was still out surfing when we took the pic) were our first group of guests and were all chatting away with each other like old friends on the first night.
Some of them were absolute beginners and some of them had been surfing on and off for years, but the head high off shore waves which Playa Guiones served up were perfect for everyone.
There were some great waves and wipeouts this week. Our favorites were when Phillipe and Max didn’t seem to fall so much, as launch themselves from the board. In the middle, John Lancaster gets a refreshing punch in the face.
With the overcast evenings of the wet season behind us, it’s nice to see the beautiful nightly Nosaran sun sets again.
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Last week was a beautiful week at the Surf Simply. Some great sessions were punctuated by heavy rain storms followed by the sun burning through the green steaming jungle.
We were joined by surfing honeymooners, Rachel and Murray, all the way from the biting cold waves of Scotland. They both were charging with Braveheartesque enthusiasm and got some sick waves (as you can see).
Murray nearly got barreled on this one although we think he was a bit too focussed to hear the hoots from the beach.
Deliciously bubbly school teacher Andrea’s expressions when riding waves seemed to be either intense concentration or beaming for ear to ear but not much in between.
Veteran surfer Rob caught some of those classic glassy Costa Rican waves which put the country on every surfer list of places to go. His toes are getting progressively closer to the nose too.
Matt, Dani and Camilla completed the perfect week with a wonderful combination of comedy moments, high fives and our favorite moment of the week, Camilla coming down the face of an over head wave in a perfect yoga pose. (Check all the photos on Facebook.)
Hope we see you all again…
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Sambo (above left) stepped up to the editing plate again this week to produce another classic Surf Simply movie. Ian, Camilla, Michelle, Andre (above right) and Zsolt stayed with us a few weeks ago and it was a blast. Michelle and Zsolt ended up staying for two weeks and Camilla is still here doing her yoga teacher training at the Nosara Yoga Institute next door.
My favorite bits of the movie are Michelle’s sunset session with the GoPro camera at the end, Andre’s massive take offs and Ian’s first ever unbroken wave (you can’t beat the first time). I hope we’ll see you guys again and don’t forget to tell us about your future surfing exploits. We’re always stoked to get emails and photos from Surf Simply guests showing us the surfing they’ve done since staying with us. As a coach there’s nothing better.
Having a willingness to wipeout and not be too “precious” with your waves is one of the most import lessons to learn in surfing. It means that ultimately you progress a lot quicker and up enjoying the sport all the more as the years tick by. We, the Surf Simply team, secretly prefer a good wipeout photo to a shot of a great wave. There’s simply more entertainment value in it (just look at Ru’s Facebook profile pic). This week we managed to get some of our favorite all time wipeouts on camera and may we tip our collective hats and offer much kudos to all the protagonists.
Most good surfers wipe out on more waves than not, because they’re trying to do something new. That’s where the fun is in surfing. So a wipeout isn’t a fail, just as standing up and riding a wave isn’t necessarily a success. I think it was Rudyard Kipling who said that you need to “meet success and failure and treat both imposters just the same.” Good one Ruyard (he must have been a heavy shredder).
If you’ve put in the preparation and planning, you may wipeout over and over but eventually it will all come together. It’s only a matter on time.
Zsolt and Ian – putting it all together.
(This blog was sponsored by www.OneTravel.com the cheap flights website.)
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