Playa Grande, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a land of simple beauty and perfection. During my second trip to this fascinating country we spent our time on the Nicoya Peninsula where the off-shore winds kicked up right around 10am each day, the swell was consistent, the people were super-friendly, and the sun was hot.

A recipe for success while in these little latitudes:

Wake early

Fill with banana pancakes

Down 2 liters of water

Apply sunscreen liberally

Shred

Repeat

And yea- I couldn't imagine anything better than finishing each session with an insanely-refreshing Imperial Lager.

Monumental Baby Steps

Pardon me sir, but can you tell me how to get to the Banzai Pipeline?

Consistency, consistency, consistency...

Or did that old saying have something to do with practice? Either way 2011 is here and it's heating up to be a good one. The shortest days winter are already behind us, and as we experience last Friday at Pleasure Point, the waves continue to barrel across the Pacific.

Each year of surfing is a tableau of beautiful rides, terrible wipeouts, boring lulls, progression, steep drops, frustrating lackadaisical floundering, and mellow evenings fading to black. So- as we pour on the sauce and get ready for the next round of flogging, sogging, and dodging- cheers to surfing half as well as these ladies this year!