May Surf

Last Wednesday, May 28th, a couple of low pressure systems sat on boths Caribbean and Pacific Coasts creating a very unique weather pattern. The skies were grey like any typical winter day but the wind blew from the north pretty much all day long. Louis Wilson sat on the beach watching his girlfriend surf. Louis runs Hotel Las Tortugas (which by the way, serves the best gallo pinto ever!)and first came to Tamarindo in the early 70's. The hotel runs smoothly and for years the ticos that work there seem very happy to show up for work. In order of, exemplary manager, nature loving and good friend Louis Wilson's opinion matters to me. So I took the freedom to ask him a few questions that I thought would be fitting for this column.

WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU EVER SAW CONDITIONS LIKE LAST WEDNESDAY?
Marco, you know our friendship has now spanned almost three decades, and we have both been fortunate to be pioneers in the surfing history here in Guanacaste. I remember when you were a gangly teenager hanging out in the hammock at my Tamarindo "house" with Mario Sotela. Tamarindo Estero mouth was an amazing left (the right didn't exist) before the developers took the beach sand in the late 70's to build roads. The north east off shores opened the wave which started in front of "Dollie's" (back then it was "Lobos") and finished somewhere on the Playa Grande side. We took turns drift paddling back to the peak watching each other surf with our legs up in order to not entice the ever present sharks.

There have been some crazy storms over the years. Some lasted for weeks. Once in the 70's, Tamarido reached island status from the flooding. My bed was an island-like sanctuary from the crab-infested water on the floor of my "house". The stranded Dos Pinos truck finally ran out of diesel and we all ate melting ice cream for free until we were sick.

This storm, however , is unique to me. It reminds me more of the hurricanes I have seen in Florida with its rotating nature and side shore high winds. My roof proved definitely not designed for this type of storm.

LOOKING MORE INTO THE FUTURE WHAT SORT OF MIND FRAME SHOULD ANY TOURIST ARM THEIR SELVES WITH WHEN PLANNING A TRIP TO COSTA RICA THESE DAYS
As for our tourists - other than bringing a courteous attitude toward sharing the "wavescape", a keen sense of being a traveler rather than a tourist is helpful. I went through a similar situation in Puerto Rico in the 60's when security became a real issue for surfers who shun the mega-resorts; but it was all part of the experience. At least here, you won't be taken to prison and the possibility of a violent encounter is almost unheard of. The camaraderie between the Costa Ricans and the foreigners never ceases to amaze me. I can't think of a better and safer place to visit for a surf vacation than Costa Rica as long as the Disney World - like atmosphere doesn't lull you into euphoric "loopiness". It's a shame that the tiny criminal element has such an enormous impact in this traditionally peaceful and culturally friendly country.

AND LAST, IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CHANGES SHOULD WE SEE FORTHCOMING FOR OUR SURFING COMMUNITY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM ERA THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE ABOUT
As far as the future of surfing in Costa Rica, I am hoping that Costa Rica will not be lured into completely commercializing its surfing community. We are already feeling the effects of Tamarindo's over-hyping. Hordes of surfers are spilling over into Playa Grande daily. Just recently, I was surfing alone with my wife, Carrie, on an almost non-existent isolated peak when a boat load of noisy beginners was dumped on top of us by a local surf school company. I don't see all that well and after a few near collisions and the drowning-out of all the natural sounds that make surfing so enjoyable for me, we had to get out. I paranoiacally envision the day when it is left to you and me to yell at the jet ski businesses doing tow-ins in Tamarindo and Playa Grande. And so on. Pura Vida.