After the civil unrest broke out in April in Nicaragua, we stayed in Costa Rica through the summer and I missed out on a few prime months at my favorite place in the world. For the last 8 years I have called Northern Nicaragua home, but since safety wasn’t assured we moved all our retreats to Costa Rica and that became “home”.

Our standard US trip had us traveling between So Cal and the PNW in August and September. I surfed a few times, but they were quick unfulfilling sessions. We hadn’t planned to stop back by Nicaragua on the way back to Central America at the start of the fall season, but since the unrest had calmed down and it was safe to travel, I spent way too much money on changing plane tickets and we stopped at our house in Nicaragua for a precious two weeks.

The swell wasn’t ideal, but I ate good food cooked in my own kitchen, did some strenuous beach runs, and surfed a lot of big hollow lumpy waves. I did get a few good ones and am feeling rested and recharged for the new season with Surf With Amigas.