Anyway, we talked for most of the day, and we are going to keep each other posted with the surf report from now on. The reason I'm writing this is because I saw the article on the website where that teacher who shapes was saying that she hoped that more girls would socialize in the water. Just so she knows, some of us are working on it.

Anyway, I went to Costa Rica this summer and wanted to share a tidbit of my experience. I've only been surfing for about 6 months but I've already taken a few surf trips, so bear with me. I went with some friends and stayed in Jaco for about 4 days (not enough time by any means). I had brought my funboard from home, a 7'4'' Kechele. Anyway, a swell came in the day we got there and the waves were easily overhead. I had never seen waves this big. I grew some boobs and got in the water, alone, and tried to paddle out. I'm not exactly an expert at duckdiving a 7'4'' board so it took me quite a while to get out into the lineup, but I finally got out. When I finally got out, I felt like such a loser - there was a girl out there who was a cashier at the local grocery store and her brother (who looked about 10 years old) catching waves and paddling back out in no time, and here I was, a 23 year old girl who is pretty strong. I had also been conditioning to go to Costa so I thought I was in shape.

Anyhoo, I caught a wave, which was bigger than life itself and nose dove right into it. I swear it took me in a spin cycle for what seemed to be 5 minutes. I came up
with about a gallon of water in my lungs and decided I would give it another go in the morning (we had just gotten there and I had gone straight to the beach).In the morning, I woke up early, and my friends and I went out. I figured out that letting the board just drag behind me worked alot better than my poor attempts at duckdiving. We got into the lineup and surfed big, uncrowded waves. We also saw a school of stingrays playing in the waves. It was amazing, I didn't know that stingrays jump out of the water, and they would just swim by us like if we weren't there.

Anyway, we were getting ready to head back to shore to get a drink of water when we noticed a little Costa Rican lifeguard (yes there are lifeguards in costa rica but all they have are whisles and fins and a lasso) blowing his whistle and yelling at us to get out of the water. When I looked around, we were the only people left in the water. I, of course, panic and think....SHARK!!!!!

Anyway, my friend and I paddle to the shore to safety. We look behind to where we had just been and it was none other than an 8-foot (at least) salt water crocodile. Yeah, I think that beats the whole shark thing. We couldn't believe it, I mean, what the F***? We pulled our boards to the shore and amused ourselves by watching the 2 little Costa Rican lifeguards trying to lasso the damn thing. Talk about friggin cowboys dude, it was a sight.

Anyway, one of the guys finally got the lasso around the croc's mouth, and the croc pulled away. Dude had nasty rope burn, he was bleeding, so SCORE: Croc 1 ; Costa Rican Lifeguard 0. After about an hour and a half of just watching these poor guys, we got hungry and left. It was quite an experience.

To sum up Costa, it was beautiful and amazing, and once I got comfortable on the waves it was really fun. The only thing that really freaked me out was that when you would wipe out and get sent in a spin cycle, the sand there is black, and so when you open your eyes, you can't see which way is up. My advice (after almost drowning twice from trying to swim down instead of up) is to grab on to your leash and follow it up. Besides that, I recommend Costa Rica big time, it's a pretty dope place for a 3rd world country, and the waves are perfect. I've been to many countries in the world and in no other place I've been have I interacted so much with the wildlife. I had a tucan fly right up to me and eat cereal out of my hand. We saw monkeys on the powerlines, iguanas running around like squirrles, roosters singing (I guess, or crowing) in the mornings, frog in the bathtub (that was pretty unexpected), and we were eating mangos off of the trees. I do also recommend a canopy tour, the one in Jaco is like the safest one in Costa Rica and the guides are really cool. I also recommend visiting the Arenal Volcano and going to the hot springs (but make sure the day is clear, if it's cloudy, you can't see the volcano erupt). Wow, talk about making a long story long. I'm out!
Becky

My first board was a gift and boy was I thrilled because there was no way that I could have afforded one as a teen! What I find interesting about people here in Miami is that everybody wants a brand name surfboard that is usually too thin and too small for the waves we have here. Also, people don't really know that getting a custom board made is usually about the same price as a stock board and it's custom designed to fit your level of surfing, the type of waves you usually surf, and your body. Actually, these big brand name boards are more expensive than some of the boards that local shapers make and may not be the best type of board for you of for your local break.

When I went to California, I didn't see many big brand name boards in the water. I saw a wide variety of local labels and many, many longboards and funboards. I'm not dissing shortboards, but I don't know why people insist on riding our crappy miami waves on boards that are meant for more powerful, bigger waves.

People would have so much more fun on a funshape or fish board on our average Miami waves. Another thing that I don't get is why beginners are so obsessed with riding a shortboard. They just want to have a little "potato chip" board because it looks cool instead of working their way into a shortboard. Don't get me wrong, I love to see people rip it up on shortboards when the waves are bigger. They kick butt! But I am baffled when I see people trying to surf a 2 ft wave on a tiny board. I suggest surfers take a look at the local shapers in Miami before they just pick up a board off the rack. They can talk to the guys at local surf shops about what type of board would be most fun for them and most cost effective. I know the people at Blackie's and Wahine Blue surf shops are really helpful when it comes to choosing a board and they do order custom boards.

It's also good to learn about what design characteristics different boards have and what they do for a board. Also, beginners, you're gonna have more fun and your going to learn faster on a board that is taller, wider, and thicker. After all, surfing is about having fun. Hope some of this info helps someone learn more about choosing the right board. 8-)Sylvia