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Throwback: A Week in Florida- March 2018

I work in Florida for a couple months each winter. Sometimes I’m conflicted. Florida provides an interesting place for new adventures and new ecosystems. Rocket launches at Cape Canaveral, The Everglades, Miami, gators, bald eagles and manatees, sometimes fun waves. However, winter waves are generally much better in San Diego than south Florida.

The winter surf of 2018 was historically dismal in Southern California. The winter surf of 2018 in Florida was possibly the greatest of all time. I had been in Florida for a few weeks prior. I usually go for a dawn swim a couple times a week regardless of the conditions. 40 minute drive to Juno Pier at 5am and make it to work at 10am. But I had been watching the surf forecast when a monster purple blob began to form.

Winter Storm Riley moved off the coast of Massachusetts on March 2nd and went through a period of explosive development known as bombogenesis. Unfortunately, wreaking havoc across New England and beyond. On the morning of Sunday March 3rd, 1,200 miles south, I arrived at the Juno Pier at dawn. Nonstop waves were already breaking 100 yards past the end of the pier. The swell had definitely begun and wasn’t scheduled to peak for 2 days.

This swell quickly became the most impressive I have experienced anywhere. Five days of overhead to double overhead waves without a lull. It was like a 5,000 wave set bombarded the coast. Most Florida surf spots were overpowered by the immense energy as the swell peaked but a few mythological spots lit up for a select few. Winds remained light and even went offshore for extended periods.

I bodysurfed every morning and my employers were gracious enough to give me a day off to chase this incredible swell. I didn’t have to go too far. The closest beach to my hotel is a little nondescript beachbetween the Lake Worth Pier and West Palm Beach called Phipps Ocean Park. It was firing all week! Peaky lines of neon blue swell going below sea level and exploding on the sandbars. I also swam epic Delray Beach, pumping Jupiter Inlet and all-time, incredible Reef Road.
-KS

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August, 2018August, 2018

Swell Lines Magazine

Tripping Fins: Maui

Hawaiian shorebreak is different than others. The waves are faster and thicker…more menacing. They grow more on the sandbar. The cleanup, sneaker sets are more frequent. Somehow, the barrels are rounder and more square at the same time. Even surf spots far from maximum swell exposure receive deep water wrap and turn inside out.

Having visited Oahu 5 years ago, I instantly fell in love with Hawaii. My best friend Brooke is from Maui and always speaks of its majesty. So this past year, I bolted for the second largest island in the Hawaiian chain and it quickly became my favorite place I’ve visited.

I arrived in Kahului at 9pm on Saturday night, rental car pick up and I was quickly on my way to my room in Paia. The forecast for the week showed a series of solid north swells with likely strong tradewinds from the northeast. I woke up at 5am on Sunday and immediately drove the hour to the dream spot. The spot with the glorious green landscape and the long roping waves wrapping into the Bay and that one section, known as the Cave, that I’ve stared at endlessly on YouTube. After driving past dozens and dozens of beachfront high-rises and resorts, the coast opens to reveal relatively untouched terrain. A true gem of the world’s coastlines.

I attempted to pack as much of Maui into my week as possible, with an obvious focus on waves and that particular northwest corner of the island. I very much enjoyed the surf nerd fanhood opportunities available around the Island. Watching Clay Marzo ride dangerous spots that few others would consider, witnessing the best women in the world warm up for the Maui Pro and watching Kai Lenny foilboard open ocean swell all stoked out my inner surf fan.

Clay Marzo

Courtney Conologue

Wednesday was between swells so i decided to chase a classic Maui tourist day. I woke up at 5am and began along The Road to Hana. About a dozen stunning roadside waterfalls later, I couldn’t imagine what this sometimes single lane road would be like with full tourist traffic. Glad I was the first to reach the beautiful small town of Hana that morning. I continued around the east side, looking for a beach that was recommended numerous times. This small cove is the most idyllic little place I could ever imagine: the neon green hillside drops down to jagged volcano rock coastline with a small crescent of perfect sand. Nobody else around…this is where I envision myself living into my 90s. There was just enough swell to reveal some interesting potential and neon blue shorebreak tubes welcomed me for an enjoyable swim.

The Road to Hana

Hana

Dreamy

I continued around the south side and was struck by its remote beauty. My little Chevrolet did awesome on the sometimes unpaved and wildly winding road. I loved seeing the ecological difference between the windward and leeward sides of the island. From cloudy tropical forest to arid sunshine in a matter of miles.

Trusty little ride and the stunning Leeward side.

With time to spare in the afternoon, I drove straight to the top of Haleakalā National Park. Rising 10,023ft straight out of the Ocean, this volcano makes up most of the eastern part of Maui. Clouds filled the famous summit craters when I arrived but the low sun created wicked optical effects shining through the moisture. As the sun began to set, hundreds of people filled the summit and the sky actually cleared enough to provide views of Mauna Kea across the channel to the Big Island and a beautiful pink sunset next to Science City.

Fogbow

Broken Speectre

Sunset

Being wholly unprepared for 10,000ft of elevation at night, I climbed back into my car shivering violently. It was a must that I experience the dark night sky from here so I turned the heat on high and waited. After about 30 minutes the shivering subsided and the cosmos emerged in the ink black sky.

What a beauty! I could only manage about 10 minutes outside before the shivering restarted. It took awhile to regain my bearings from the cold as i drove slowly back down the gigantic hill. A classic Maui day.

All told, I bodysurfed about a dozen different spots around the island including one particularly glorious wave at the aforementioned Cave. From slabbing shorebreak on the West Side in front of the countless resorts, to peaky fun shorebreak near Paia on the northside. I hung out with my good buddy Duke who graciously showed me around and met Brady from @we_bodysurfers. I went to lunch my dear friend’s father Ned and had a chance encounter with fellow Ohioan, filmmaker and bodysurfer Michael Donohue (@blue_motion_pictures).

Before getting on the plane, I managed to swing down to the southside and snorkel with sea turtles and check out the infamous Big and Little Beaches. What an incredible bit of volcanic rock! The potential for fun waves around every corner, gorgeous beaches, amazing terrain and friendly people. I will reside on Maui someday.

-KS

February, 2018February, 2018

Swell Lines Magazine

Tripping Fins: Nicaragua

I‘d seen the photos and heard the stories…tropical beachbreak barrels and offshore all day! What? Really? Its perfect offshore all day? Apparently, Lake Nicaragua sits just inland from the coast and disturbs the typical land/sea breeze cycle. After 10 years of the afternoon, blown-out sea breeze in Southern California, it was a must to check out the mythical Nicaragua land breeze.

Lago de Nicaragua

Mythology?

I left home at 5am, easy Uber to the airport, no problems through security, stroll to the gate and wait. Excitement building. I’d been worried about a tight connection in Dallas to Managua. As I entered the jetway, my phone buzzed…the flight from Dallas to Managua was cancelled. Damn. I quickly called American Airline customer service and had just enough time hear something about mechanical issues and no flights to Managua until 2 days later. The flight attendant forced me off the phone in preparation for take off. I spent the entirety of that flight cursing under my breath.

Arriving in Dallas, I found a long line of disgruntled passengers waiting for a chance to voice their frustration and amend their broken travel plans. One of them, Kelly Anne, lives in Encinitas and was also headed to the same surf community in Nicaragua. After a 2 hour wait, the rep found me a flight to Mexico City that afternoon and then to Managua the next morning. Mechanical issues at least guaranteed a hotel room in Mexico City. But now the great mystery…what would become of my checked bag containing my swim fins. Would I ever see them again? Would I be able to experience the magical Nicaraguan conditions?

I arrived in the seeming chaos of the Mexico City airport at 11pm local time. A couple of helpful American Airline employees helped me acquire a hotel voucher and track my bag…it was in El Salvador. Optimism at a new low. When I entered the hotel lobby at midnight, a couple hundred travelers waited in line for a room. Finally, I laid down in bed at 2am and slept for 2 hours. By 4:30am, I was back in the chaos of the Mexico City airport. Quick flight to Managua, still fuming at American Airlines for the delay and missing baggage.

Gusto Pablo. First time I’ve been picked up with a sign…extra credit that it’s spelled wrong.

Gusto Pablo met me outside the airport and drove me the 3 hours to the community that’d be home for the week. Gusto Pablo dominates the hectic roads of Nicaragua. Not in a dangerous way, but in a supremely confident manner. The beautiful countryside and colorful towns flew past. At one point, we were hung up in a traffic jam in a town because of a festival passing through. Pablo simply found a dirt road to the right and proceeded to take his small sedan over and through the rutted, flooded road. We pulled back onto the road on the other side of town and continued toward the coast.

We drove into the idyllic surf community and quickly arrived at the home that I had rented a room. It was beautiful: four rental units surrounding a pool and the home of the owner, plus a large common room. A small river runs through the backyard and the whole property is surrounded by thick forest.

After dropping my bags, I walked the few hundred yards to the beach. Wow…a gorgeous tropical paradise. Not pumping swell yet, but sure enough the wind was offshore and a fun, high-tide shorebreak womped onto the sand. A rainbow appeared as a quick squall passed through and I jumped in the Ocean, finless, for a quick womp. The forecast showed a slow start to the week with a very solid swell filling in after a couple days.

Welcome to Nicaragua.

Rainbow womp.

I walked back to the house to meet Mateo, the owner of the home and his parents Ken and Judy that had just arrived. Turns out, they live about a mile away from me in Encinitas and would be staying for couple weeks. Their friend, Bruce, also joined for a few days. Ken and Bruce are retired teachers and they are all delightful people.

As darkness fell, a man appeared in the driveway. American Airlines slightly redeemed themselves. My bag was delivered to the house all the way from the Managua Airport. I was elated! I had my swim fins! Plus, I could finally change my clothes after two days of humid travel.

I woke at 5am everyday of the trip and rode a bicycle to the beach with my fins. The first couple mornings, the surf was small but still gorgeous. I went for a long walk down the beach and into the forest on the way to a little fishing village. I was blown away by the vibrant ecosystem: butterflies, iguanas, birds and howler monkeys.

Vibrant Ecosystem.

View from atop of the point.

Dry reef slab at the fishing village.

All you need.

The food at the house was delicious! Three meals a day, all super fresh and healthy…perfect surf fuel. Ken and Bruce vs. Mateo and myself commenced a table tennis tournament after dinner each night. I was the weak link and it took us a couple games to overcome the craftiness of the older gentlemen, but we eventually figured it out.

Que rica!

The older guys taught us few lessons.

Even when the locals said it was flat, there were still fun, chest high waves finding their way across the sandbars. The swell filled in over the next two days. Every set larger than the next and becoming more consistent. I swam 5-7 hours each day: session at dawn, after breakfast, after lunch and at sunset. If I wasn’t swimming, I was on the beach with my camera.

Photo: Bruce

A set wave stands up in the wind and crackles as the top is blown off. Dive deep into the darkness. Dig fingers into the sand, ears pop as the water weight passes over top. Push off the bottom…surface blind from the sudden bright light and the spray. Pure exhilaration!

Mateo on a freight train River Right.

Local Carlos with a tuberiding clinic.

Carlos

Mateo

I dealt with a stomach issue one afternoon but I considered it a right of passage for my first trip to Central America and was perfectly fine by the next morning. My trip was scheduled for 7 days, but after scoring the best waves of my life, I extended for an extra 3 days. The swell peaked in the double overhead+ range and the conditions remained mostly flawless. During 12 hours of daylight, maybe a front would blow through for an hour and the wind would switch onshore. The other 11 of hours were either light wind and glassy or perfect offshore.

Photo: Tony Zacharek @TonyZphotos

Photo: Tony Zacharek @TonyZphotos

Photo: Tony Zacharek @TonyZphotos

Photo: @surfNSR

I went to the beach every night with my camera and tripod in an attempt to photograph the Milky Way in the light-pollution-free sky. Tropical clouds made that difficult but I witnessed some spectacular lightning storms on the horizon. I even scored a super fun moonlight swim on my final night.

Milky Way

Luna!

Moon swim.

Only Lightning photo.

Twas a spectacular trip! I hope to go back for a full month next summer. Many thanks to Mateo, Ken, Judy, Bruce and their staff for all the wonderful hospitality! If you are looking for a Nicaragua surf adventure, I highly suggest contacting Mateo:
Website: VRBO
Email: Mateo@nicatime.com
Instagram: @NicaTime

Gringo sun armor.

Fins for emergency use only.

Good living.

-KS

September, 2017February, 2018

Swell Lines Magazine

Tripping Fins: Baja

We left Cardiff at 5:30am, quick 30 minutes to the Border and it’s a whole different world. We stopped to check the first beachbreak south and found gorgeous shoulder high, glassy peaks breaking in the thickening fog. We knew the water temp had dropped significantly at home and we knew it’s always colder down here.

Dawn

Fun

Fogbow

Suited, we walked down the cobblestone street as light poured through the old archway. Yeah, it was cold. June ice cream headaches with stunned fingers and toes. But the bending bowls! Oh those bending bowls. A reinforcing south swell was joined by a touch of NW windswell to provide hollow rides all along. We warmed a bit chasing the peaks in out of fleeting rip currents as a thickening fog swallowed the coastline. Wind picked up side offshore and we departed, heading south. A vibrant fogbow illuminated the beach as we meandered south again.

With no plan for the rest of the morning, we picked a random spot on the map and headed down a winding road scribbled across the prominent peninsula. Reaching the end of the road, we found a beautiful cove, a small town and a long street market. And lastly we found the star of the show: La Bufadora! An impressive blow hole, tucked into a fold of the coast. Every surge of swell entering the Cove focuses into a small crevice in the cliff, blasting water and rainbows hundreds of feet into the air.

We drove to our rental just in time for a siesta before some glassy waves in front of the house at sunset. There is something very special about checking the surf from the roof deck then walking out of your abode, to the sand and into the Ocean without ever losing eye contact with the sea.

We had a delicious dinner at one of the fine local restaurants on the cliff with some proper Mexican hydration the locals called Tecate. Followed by astrophotography on the deck, we slept well.

We woke at dawn the next morning and groggily checked the surf. Glass. Not a single breeze or breath of wind. Chest high peaks with a few bigger sets graced the sandbars out front. Of course the water temp hadn’t come up so we gutted up for the chill. But once again, chasing fun peaks kept us warm. As the sun rose over the hill, a deep fog settled in. All of the sudden we weren’t just witnessing a fogbow, we were inside the fogbow. Vibrant colors refracted out the fog and we hooted in excitement as the combo swell kept producing glassy bowls.

We hadn’t seen another surfer since we’d been down but out of the fog a guy paddled out and caught a couple fun waves. We started chatting and it turned out that like Swell Lines staff, the guy is a special needs educator in North County San Diego…cheers to summer vacation!

We moved to a different rental down the beach and when we arrived, the very sweet owner, Cathy greeted us with her squad of delightful Mexi-Mutts that she rescues. She showed us around her gorgeous house full of amazing stained glass and stone-work. She also offered us a unique amenity that more rentals should offer: puppy time with a new litter she recently rescued. Everybody could use some puppy time in between sessions of tube time.

The sun was high and the peaks remained glassy so we went to the beach out front. After a solid round of beach paddle ball, with a nice sweat going, it was time for a swim. Air temperature in the mid-80s…water temp feeling like mid-50s. Rising tide pushed the wave energy inside and provided more fun, invigorating waves.

Get out of the sun, siesta time. Then towards sunset, we were watching the waves thinking about an evening swim. But the sky was cloudy and the wind was up a bit onshore. It didn’t look enticing. Then a set of wave clouds formed over the horizon. We had to go swim and just to add a little spice, we only wore trunks. Even the deep bone chill was worth the few barrel visions and fun waves we caught before heading to dinner still shivering. A shot tequila warmed us from the inside while enjoying a Radiohead sing along on the deck of the rental while the Ocean sand backup.

Set!

The surf remained glassy and fun the next morning before we packed up and headed north. A record-breaking one hour border wait and we were home with wetsuit rashes, fatigue and a joyful haze. Another successful, simple adventure across the border…we should do that monthly.

July, 2017February, 2018

Swell Lines Magazine

Perspectives from Professional WaveRiders

Rob Machado:

Bodysurfing played a huge role in my development as a wave rider. My first memories were from the shore break. It was my first understanding of what it felt like to get tubed. From there I graduated to riding a body board and then eventually on to a surfboard and I took those same fundamentals of “how to get tubed” along with me ever since.

I love when I see guys bodysurfing. I always give them the right of way. It takes so much more effort to get in the line up and put yourself in the right spot for the right wave… They deserve more respect.

I still bodysurf and I don’t leave home without my fins… Always in my car or in my board bag.
*Cover Photo: Sean Davey

Greg Long:

Bodysurfing…. The most pure and beautiful way to experience the act of wave riding. Every surfer out there should occasionally take a step away from their conventional wave riding craft and dive back into the water with nothing but a set of fins. There is no freedom quite like that which you experience when you’re body surfing, fully immersed in the ocean, gliding in harmony with mother natures energy. Body surfers are welcome in any lineup as far as I’m concerned.

Gary Linden:

Bodysurfing was my first experience riding a wave and one I will never forget. My Father grew up in Hermosa Beach and started teaching me about the Ocean from an early age. In those days there were no Boogie boards so we learned to bodysurf. Once I had a feel for how the Ocean worked with the currents and swells it became my number one priority. I eventually got a surfboard but the knowledge acquired from bodysurfing is still in use to this day.

I am really stoked that a group of guys are bodysurfing at the beach where i always surf. It reminds me of what we are out there for, to feel the force of nature. Bodysurfing is the root of all wave riding and seeing it being enjoyed keeps it all in perspective for me.

May, 2017May, 2017

Swell Lines Magazine

Glassy: Fernando Amorim

My name is Fernando Amorim. I am 31 years old and living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three years ago, I bought a GoPro and started to take photos in the water. Around the same time, I met a lot of bodysurfers on the beach.

During these three years, I have learned a lot about water photography and bodysurfing. I recently bought a new camera and a waterhousing.

In Rio, we have numerous slabs and plenty of good shorebreak, so consequently a lot of bodysurfers. There are a lot of well organized bodysurf crews in Rio including Leme`s Crew, Mafia Bodysurf, SoulBodysurf, Itacoatiara Crew and every two months all the crews get together to have fun and share some waves.