Around The World In 80 Waves

I am up early and meet up with an American surfer called Harry I had met here and went off on a surf safari to try and find some bigger waves. Our route took us 18km along a dirt road towards Playa Avellana, which was at the limit of where I am comfortable with in the little green surf machine these days. Along the way we get a shakedown at a police road block and they are licking their lips when they discover I am not carrying my driver’s license (I had left it locked in my cabana rather than risk it getting nicked from an unsecured car while I was in the water) or my temporary importation documentation. Despite many threats of massive fines and the car getting confiscated, which are clearly attempts to exact a bribe, we stonewall them. They say they are phoning the traffic police to come and really cause us some trouble but I can see the ‘telephoner’ miming into his telephone so still don’t offer anything saying I will pay the fine if it is necessary at the police station. Reluctantly and empty handed they let us pass, but NEXT TIME…!

After all that we rock up at the beach only to find it is looking very naff. We paddle in more in hope than expectation at the only peek we can make out along the huge sandy beach. However I am pleasantly surprised by what we score though and catch a hat full of fun rides going left and right on the chest high waves that the howling offshore wind is still doing everything it can to spoil. The water is surprisingly cold, but I am staggered to see locals joining us in the water wearing wetsuits. One paddles up to me to ask why I am not cold in my shorts but I can only offer that the water in Wales never gets close to being this warm! Personally I can’t figure out how he could bare to be in neoprene in this relentless heat.

After a quick drive to Tamarindo, I help the family move hotels before diving in with round eight of the latest battle with my failing IT. I am getting so ticked off with it in this heat that I was about to jack it all in so that I can just focus on my holiday rather than this never ending frustration which keeps putting me in a bad mood. That I am typing this means I won another short term victory in this on-going war!