Costa Rica live update

Sunset sesh at the beach side of the river mouth pulling lefts off the rocks. Very calm, but waist high with occasional chesties. 2 hours of ninja close out barrels and acrobatically hucking close out lips in bath water. Kept getting snaked by this German couple on longboards. They'd eat it and then linger with their boards inside. "Chill dude you're in paradise" I said to myself. Rogue set comes in and I'm properly pitted and looking out the wombhole and I see the clown suckers about to go for it and inevitably get tossed so I bail
Into the wave. I then scream obscenities at them, getting everyone's attention for 1/4 mile. And that's how you get a wave to yourself.

Yo dudes chop pineapples and put straws in em for like $1!?

 

Flores. On the dirt road heading north from the beach. Just up from the ding repair shop.

 

Update ... It's 11pm. Sitting poolside at the Hotel Flores watching raccoons drink from the pool. Reggae off in the distance. Smoking a Cuban cigar and drinking Nicaraguan rum and legit fruit juice. Esta bien boys and girls.

On the street here I've noticed that eye contact is the universal sign for "I want to buy cocaine", which I don't.

I want to adopt all the dogs.

When board shorts don't sell in the USA they go to a clearance rack and then TJ Max and then if they don't sell they come to Tamarindo and get sold for $70.

Everybody here is a hustler. The entire nation should sell used cars. They're all hustlin.

I've been lazy and surfing the river mouth all week. It's been consistently mediocre and I don't care. One day was effin amazing and I had a magic session. Belly to chest pretty much every day. Been riding my groveler with big rear fins and having a blast pounding speed and going for balls out hopeless airs. Landing in waist deep bath water. I'll head to Av this week maybe.

Rogue set the other day. Superhero paddled on an angle and caught the right spot, turned around and picked it up. Pulled into a proper overhead barrel that I got deep in and happily did not make it out of. Life in slow motion.

To conclude: Cuban in one hand, SI in the other hand, beard tastes like pu$$y, glass of Nicaraguan rum by my side, dawn patrol in 6 hours......

 

Dusk session at the river mouth last night yielded a shark in the water. Nothing big but big enough to make me start seeing shadows. That first set of rocks to the south of the Tamarindo river mouth throws up a nice relaxed wave at high tide. My back was stiff and it was nice to cruise a few as opposed to being all grrrrrr and pumping myself down the line.

This morning I spooked a ray while making my way out. Looked just like the one on the side of a u-haul. Big as f. Lonely dawn patrol. Fish jumping all around me. Saw what was probably a little shark swim by 2' away. Makes me miss not being able to see what's in the murky cold NNE waters. Not that much.

Leaving this afternoon. Carolina bound.

Conclusions:

The surfing is world class. What people here consider flat is what New Englanders call a fun day out. There's always a spot heaving something.

Definitely saw some massive stuff the first few days here humbled.

The locals here in Tamarindo are assholes with no etiquette. They back paddle and snake waves. We don't do that at home. The toursists do, but the regulars play by the rules. Had I been traveling with a few more gringos I suspect they would've played by the rules but I was easy meat as a lone wolf. Next time this is a bro trip for that reason.

Tamarindo is basically a Central American version of myrtle beach. It's kinda dumpy. I'd explore before I came back.

Playa Grande was beautiful but without a vehicle to hit the right spots at the right times it was a pain in the scrorum.

South Pacific before the winter is out. Viet2Barrels?