Friday 4th of September
Here we rise with the Sun, drink pipa (coconut water), eat sandwiches and fresh fruit, and drive off to find waves. As the forecast was showing the swell was rising and it was supposed to be some good waves today, we expected to surf Pavones for the first time today, and we were bummed because there was a championship scheduled for today right on the main peak of the famous left-hander Pavones.
We drove off to find the judges tent built on the left corner of the Cantina (the bar overseeing the beach of Pavones), and very little waves. Gero (Fatum Surfboards Shaper) had told me that the bay was very deep and it was needed pretty decent and consistent swell for the waves to break and the sections connect around the bay, and he was very right. We watched 1 or 2 heats before we drove off to Punta Banco to find better waves and surf conditions.
We spent all day surfing at Punta Banco stopping only to eat and rest a little, getting the best of both tides. The afternoon session the waves got overhead and I was still using my 5’5’’ “Joker” (the name I gave to the model, because it is so fun on small to medium waves), and it was still performing and responding very well, I was impressed, happy, and able to turn on critics section and I thought I couldn’t with this type of boards … stoked!
This day there was also a local festivity (the championship at Pavones was part of it), I had a look at it while seeping a fruit juice at Café de la Suerte and browsing the web for surf forecasts, e-mails and facebook.
Later on at the supermarket we met Henry, we told us he won the open category of the championship today, good on him!
We tried to eat at La Manta today, supposed to be a very good restaurant in the area, but it was raining so much that everything seemed to be flooded!
As usual we had an early night. Reading more of Civil Disobedience, Henry Thoreau’s book, I start to perceive how it inspired so many history changing figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Moreover I admire John Brown the anti-slavery hero condemn to death for freeing slaves and make them cross the state of Massachusetts towards freedom.
He defends something I find remarkable; “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”
Tomorrow is our last day in Pavones before heading up towards Playa Hermosa, forecast looks good and tonight I dream and wish of long lefts for tomorrow!
Saturday 5th of September
I woke up with Filipe running around saying “Pavones is PUMPING!!”
He is normally the first to get down to the beach for the morning check in.
Got up and had something quick to eat and headed off! I took the 5’5’’ and I wanted to try it even in more demanding conditions, if it was not working I would come back and take my 6’0’’.
When we got down to the river mouth it seemed nothing special. Pavones requires some ocean breathe to work, and after some minute some set waves rolled down and around the bay, and yes it was on! Because there was not enough swell for the wave to be running in all its glory we had to place ourselves on side of the river mouth since the set waves were not breaking out enough for all the section to connect.
When we got to the lineup I saw Sean, his wife Jamie, and both his children, Noe Mar and Leilani. Sean has one of the smoothest; most polished; and yet super powerful backside hand attack I’ve ever witnessed! And right after seeing him on a good one I saw his son and seen the generation step-up to be taken place in not too long! No wonder the Costa Rican Surfing federation is taking his to the Juniors World Championships in New Zealand this year.
The first waves I got were intermediate ones, just to have a go. This wave had no flat sections, I had to be pumping my board all the way and it would finish normally in a big mushy close-out.
Then I paddled to where Sean was and talking to him about this wave I could see he has his bearings sharp, he could describe the behavior of each waves coming up and position wise where to be. It was a bit hectic on the main peak and I could see Sean was a little more to the side, with none of the local arrogance we find in many places we surf around the globe.
I manage to score some decent size set waves shoulder to head-high and man they were long, the wall of the wave has so much power you don’t lose any speed on the turns, the only thing is that if you make the turns too tight the section is gone and you are left riding foam. Great wave, one of the bigger ones I got today was the longest thing I’ve ever ride, I reckon!
For Tourita this wave wasn’t so goo as for bodyboarders it doesn’t offer the hollow barrels, he was looking for but I reckon he also had fun.
With the tide coming in the surf conditions got poorer and I decided to take the afternoon to relax walk around a little, taking some shots, and read. Also, because we get up so early I’m taking some nice siestas in the outside hammock.
Also during the afternoon we met Alex Outerbridge, the owner of Sea Kings Surf Shop, a nice surf shop right across the road from Cantina, and I believe the only one in Pavones. Great guy, we find a connection via Thomas Lange (from Fatum Travel) and Future Fins, he talked to us about his experience in the area, we also met Fred, the owner of the restaurant La Manta, where we wanted to have dinner yesterday, and the artist Alex Lanau, from San Diego who is also living in Pavones. I loved his artwork and bought a print from a painting made by him called Tiki-Takeover, superbly nice!
You can visit his website at http://www.myspace.com/alexlanau
Our last night was spent at La Manta, Fred’s Restaurant, the best we had so far in Pavones, great ambience, and very good food.
We watched the documentary about Pavones and the man who discovered it, Dan Fowlie (aka King of Pavones) (trailer below).
Now is bed time and tomorrow we hope to surf Pavones in the morning and then head towards Playa Hermosa…
PURA VIDA to you all!
:-)