Fall Nicaragua Surf trip

After years of kayaking trips to places like New Zealand, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico to break up the winter it was time to try something new. So this year for something fun and relaxing, we headed down to the beaches of the west cost of Nicaragua to Buena Vista Surf Club just outside San Juan del Sur.


Yep, ruffing it!

Being total beginners in surfing and Stand Up Paddling, we wanted to go some place with nice warm water that would be great for learning. So easy to get to - check. Warm water - 80 degrees sounds about right - check. Nice place to stay that's not the 4 Seasons but still has great food and a nice beach break near by - check.

From the 1,000+ sq. ft deck you can check out the break, do yoga, or just watch the monkeys in the jungle all around.

These guys lived right outside our tree house



Amazing breakfasts every morning with fresh local fruit

surfing. We rented boards from BV Surf club along with a helpful lesson to get us going. Then we brought along a Kona Samoa inflatable SUP board. This proved to be super handy as it fit in a large duffel bag and with my clothes, was still under 50 lbs. For a paddle, we were able to place a Kona 2-piece paddle in a ski duffel bag. No hassling to get creek boats checked in on overseas flights, which seems to get harder and harder every year. Besides a pair of board shorts and flip flops, little else besides sunscreen was needed. No camping gear, stoves, freeze dried food, rain gear, etc. Traveling light!


Karen having a blast learning to SUP in nice warm water.


Our host Marc giving SUP a try (his first hour). Helps when this is your home break that you get to surf every day.


Not quite ready for Mavericks yet, but could go for another month on the breaks of Nicaragua.



Almost ready for ski season.....nahhhhh!!!!


So if your not quite ready for winter and would like to go someplace warm and a little more off the beaten path, I highly recommend Nicaragua. Warm waters, 320 days of off shore wind make it an amazing surfing/SUP'ing getaway perfect for beginners or experienced Surfers/SUP with many other breaks close by.

An East Coast Fall - Photo Recap

Here is my TO DO list from this past fall
#1- knit millions of hats
#2 - hang out with the family
#3- find a winter job
#4- kayak some of the classic whitewater the east coast has to offer

I succeeded in accomplishing all of the above.
Here are some pictures from the adventures.


Dave Fusilli surfing the top wave at Sheepscot Reversing Falls in Maine. A tidal rapid, these play features form daily a couple of hours after high tide. I can't tell you exactly when they form, but I do recommend not showing up late, because the fun spots appear and disappear quickly.

Looping the lower hole.

Camping at the Kennebec River in Maine

Lachine
Dave is lost trying to figure out how to get back to the top without a jet ski and no one to show us where the ropes are located.

Moose River Festival!
Fowlersville

Jared Seiler running Magilla's middle line.

Dave - Magilla

Wonderfalls on the Big Sandy in West Virginia

Big Sandy's Big Splat

Green Race!
Megan Smith browns while Jakub Nemec prepares for his second race lap with a short boat.

Bryan Kirk entering the notch.
Sorry, no pictures of Gorilla.
With hundreds of spectators, I was not there early enough for a coveted Gorilla spot.

Shannon Carroll on one of the slides after Gorilla.

Shane surfing the Dries of the New River in West Virgina.
I never imagined I would be surfing the dries on a beautiful sunny day in November wearing only shorts and a dry top.
What an amazing way to end the kayaking season!
Now I am ready to head to snowy Utah in a week.