Last week was another unforgettable one with 6 wonderful chicas enjoying their Chica Brava surf retreat up at the Cloud Farm. Our North Cali, girls Amy and Emily had already spent the previous week with us at Surf House and were entering their second week of their stay with us. Our two Canadian amigas Carrie and Beth and Caroline M. from Nashville joined us this week to gain their first surfing experiences. Our SoCal girl Caroline R. chose Chica Brava and the warm waters of Nicaragua to refine her surfing skills. We had a late arrival, Paige, who was the niece of the one and only Ashley, Chica Brava owner! Not only did these chicas rock the waves of three different beaches, they also went on a canopy tour through the tropical forest of Nicaragua, visited the statue of Jesus to enjoy the stunning view over San Juan del Sur, went on a guided hike through Cloud Farm to learn about local plants and animals, did three sessions of restorative yoga and last but not least they got a little insight on how to cook Nacatamales, a local dish in Nicaragua! Here is a preview of their week!
After mastering the waves at Playa Remanso, Playa Hermosa, and Plava Maderas the week before, Chief Amy surfed the point break in Popoyo and dominated the lineup in Playa Santana where the waves had a decent size of 5ft-6ft. On her last day she ripped the fast breaking left in Playa Yankee and demonstrated that being 51 years old means that you can still kill it like a grom!
Emily’s goal after one week of surfing was to advance her skills of reading waves and choosing the right ones to paddle into. This smart attorney gained a lot of confidence in the water the previous week while a bigger swell was hitting the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. Not only was she paddling for every promising wave regardless of its size, she constantly surfed green waves down the line and at the end of the week switched to a shorter board!
Caroline R., our lovely Teacher from L.A. surfed on and off for 3 years in SoCal and demonstrated her surf skills with her consistent performance in the water. She did an excellent job in choosing her waves and in pumping down the line. One of Caroline’s goals was to learn how to duck dive, she switched from a fun shape board to a 5’11 shortboard on her last day. She caught and ripped her first wave on a shortboard! Keep it up girl!
Our brave girl Beth showed the invincibility of a Canadian hockey player. On day one she was surfing the white wash but by day three she was already paddling out in the line up and caught her first green wave.
Carrie’s wonderful and infectious laughter touched the hearts of many and was a soulful reminder that the best surfers in the lineup are those who have the most fun. She was our Empower Hour queen and kept on going and going. During this week she mastered her pop up and after a few days paddled out in the line up and kept on catching green waves until the last day.
Caroline M. was rocking the waves in her stylish outfit of black surf leggings and a matching rash guard. This powerful chica showed real drive with her surfing this week. First, she mastered her pop up and then she made her way out to the line up and caught some green waves. Not only was Caroline M. keen on surfing, she also came a long way with her spanish, practicing with our lovely house staff every day.
Paige had her first surf session in the water and was hooked from there. She cruised down the line all week, which was not a surprise. She had skill in and out of the water as she is in cosmetology school at only seventeen! Good luck and come back soon to go surfing!
On their last day our lovely ladies went on a boat trip to their favorite surf spot Playa Remanso. Amy jumped out a little bit later at Playa Yankee to surf the wedge for two hours and joined the other chicas for their last session back at Playa Remanso. All of them caught a lot of beautiful, green waves throughout the day and crushed some cervezas on the beach afterwards. It was a wonderful and humble last day on the beach followed by our last night out in San Juan del Sur. After a week full of paddling and surfing our chicas still had enough energy to show some sick moves on the dance floor and demonstrated that girls simply rock!
Each woman truly embodied the Chica Brava style in their own wonderful way. It was an absolute honor and pleasure to host, play, and surf with each and every one of you.
Stephanie Fischer
Surf Instructor/Host
Cloud Farm, August 9-14, 2015.