Costa Rica Interest | Life at The Shaka Front

Surfing, the hardest board sport in the world.

Why do we say surfing is the hardest board sport in the world? In actuality it doesn’t take any longer to learn to ride a surfboard than any other board sport, but in surfing because of the elements of the ocean the amount of stand up time you get in an average surf session is miniscule compared to say snowboarding or skateboarding. For example I’ve been surfing for over 15 years and am pretty efficient with my time in the water but still in a 3 hour surf session with perfect conditions and no crowds i might still only get 5 minutes total on my feet.

Point#2 Learning the ocean. Before you even get to practice surfing you have to learn about the ocean, tides swings, currents, how to deal with endless oncoming whitewater or waves, and to top it off you need the strength and endurance to paddle back out then catch a wave over and over. To make things even more confusing every surf spot will have a huge range of changing characteristics such as ,reef break, point break, sand bar beach break, high tide wave, low tide wave, onshore wind, off-shore wind, rip currents, channel or no channel and the list goes on. One of the first things people realize when they take their very first surf lesson is how difficult it is to balance just lying down on a surfboard with the motion of the ocean.

Point#3 The hunter element. In surfing we essentially become wave hunters. A. First you have to find a good hunting ground or as we call it beach. B. Then you have to watch carefully to see where the waves are running, how long the set intervals are and where there are not already to many other hunters getting in your way or stealing your catches. C. You then need to make sure you have the proper equipment to catch the waves. D. Finally you need paddle out, wait in the line-up, identify an incoming wave, position yourself at the peak, pick the proper direction left or right then finally the chase is on.

All of this makes surfing the hardest board sport, but the challenge, the ocean medium, and the lifestyle makes surfing the most addictive board sport as well.

Pura Vida & Aloha
Mo’e

Surfing, and Costa Rica tides explained

Well, as head surf instructor for Shaka beach retreat talking about and explaining the tides has become an everyday task for me. Many people come to the beach and they don’t understand why certain times of the day are good for surfing and other times are considered bad. The beach is the beach, so what difference does it make when i go surfing? So anyway the purpose of this blog is to explain how the tides affect our beaches here in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

1. High tide & low tide. About every 6 hours the tide switches from low to high and vice-versa. The tide goes out for 6 hours then the tide comes in for 6 hours. So if low tide is 6am and rising, then mid tide is around 9am, and high tide is 12noon then it turns around and goes back out. An interesting thing to note is when the tide switches directions the waves can go completely flat for 15-20 minutes. This can give a false impression of wave size and conditions to someone who arrives to surf right at that moment. I always advise beginners to watch the waves for 10-15 to get an accurate assesment before jumping in.

2. Here in Costa Rica the tide swing is pretty big around 8-9 feet difference between low and high tide. An interesting thing is every coastal area around the globe has different levels or measurements of tide swings, some ranging to less then a foot to over 20 feet. Variables such as the the moon phase, time of year, and geographical location greatly affect day to day tide levels. On any given day here the low or high tide can vary 2-3 feet so its important to check the local tide chart as well as a visual check.

3. Every day the tides move up about 1 hour. If high tide comming in Monday is 8am, then Tuesday high tide will be 9am then wednesday 10am and so on. So the 2 things to think about are that tides switches aproximately every 6 hours from either low or to high and roughly every 6 days the time of a high or low tide will completely switch.

Here is a tide chart for July 2010 to show the changes

Day	High	Low	High	Low	High	Phase
Fri 01	02:36 AM 9.60 ft	08:52 AM −0.47 ft	03:11 PM 9.25 ft	09:10 PM 0.02 ft
Sat 02	03:27 AM 9.91 ft	09:40 AM −0.85 ft	03:59 PM 9.73 ft	10:02 PM −0.32 ft
Sun 03	04:17 AM 10.03 ft	10:28 AM −1.04 ft	04:48 PM 10.04 ft	10:53 PM −0.47 ft
Mon 04	05:06 AM 9.95 ft	11:16 AM −1.00 ft	05:38 PM 10.12 ft	11:44 PM −0.42 ft
Tue 05	05:57 AM 9.64 ft	12:04 PM −0.75 ft	06:27 PM 9.98 ft
Wed 06		12:36 AM −0.16 ft	06:49 AM 9.16 ft	12:54 PM −0.29 ft	07:19 PM 9.65 ft
Thu 07		01:31 AM 0.25 ft	07:43 AM 8.57 ft	01:46 PM 0.29 ft	08:14 PM 9.20 ft	Last Quarter
Fri 08		02:29 AM 0.71 ft	08:42 AM 7.96 ft	02:42 PM 0.92 ft	09:13 PM 8.73 ft
Sat 09		03:32 AM 1.12 ft	09:46 AM 7.47 ft	03:44 PM 1.48 ft	10:15 PM 8.34 ft
Sun 10		04:38 AM 1.38 ft	10:55 AM 7.18 ft	04:50 PM 1.86 ft	11:19 PM 8.10 ft
Mon 11		05:45 AM 1.43 ft	12:02 PM 7.14 ft	05:57 PM 2.01 ft
Tue 12	12:20 AM 8.04 ft	06:46 AM 1.30 ft	01:02 PM 7.32 ft	06:58 PM 1.95 ft
Wed 13	01:14 AM 8.11 ft	07:38 AM 1.07 ft	01:54 PM 7.60 ft	07:51 PM 1.76 ft
Thu 14	02:03 AM 8.26 ft	08:23 AM 0.80 ft	02:39 PM 7.93 ft	08:36 PM 1.51 ft
Fri 15	02:46 AM 8.42 ft	09:02 AM 0.55 ft	03:19 PM 8.24 ft	09:16 PM 1.25 ft		New Moon
Sat 16	03:26 AM 8.56 ft	09:38 AM 0.36 ft	03:56 PM 8.49 ft	09:54 PM 1.04 ft
Sun 17	04:04 AM 8.62 ft	10:12 AM 0.26 ft	04:32 PM 8.66 ft	10:31 PM 0.89 ft
Mon 18	04:40 AM 8.58 ft	10:46 AM 0.26 ft	05:06 PM 8.73 ft	11:06 PM 0.83 ft
Tue 19	05:16 AM 8.43 ft	11:19 AM 0.37 ft	05:41 PM 8.70 ft	11:43 PM 0.87 ft
Wed 20	05:52 AM 8.18 ft	11:53 AM 0.58 ft	06:15 PM 8.58 ft
Thu 21		12:20 AM 1.00 ft	06:29 AM 7.84 ft	12:27 PM 0.86 ft	06:51 PM 8.40 ft
Fri 22		12:59 AM 1.19 ft	07:08 AM 7.46 ft	01:04 PM 1.18 ft	07:30 PM 8.18 ft
Sat 23		01:42 AM 1.41 ft	07:51 AM 7.09 ft	01:46 PM 1.50 ft	08:15 PM 7.97 ft	First Quarter
Sun 24		02:31 AM 1.60 ft	08:43 AM 6.80 ft	02:36 PM 1.77 ft	09:09 PM 7.80 ft
Mon 25		03:29 AM 1.70 ft	09:46 AM 6.66 ft	03:37 PM 1.94 ft	10:12 PM 7.77 ft
Tue 26		04:35 AM 1.60 ft	10:56 AM 6.79 ft	04:47 PM 1.88 ft	11:20 PM 7.94 ft
Wed 27		05:42 AM 1.27 ft	12:05 PM 7.23 ft	05:58 PM 1.53 ft
Thu 28	12:26 AM 8.34 ft	06:45 AM 0.71 ft	01:06 PM 7.92 ft	07:04 PM 0.95 ft
Fri 29	01:26 AM 8.88 ft	07:41 AM 0.06 ft	02:02 PM 8.71 ft	08:03 PM 0.27 ft
Sat 30	02:21 AM 9.42 ft	08:33 AM −0.58 ft	02:53 PM 9.46 ft	08:57 PM −0.37 ft		Full Moon
Sun 31	03:12 AM 9.85 ft	09:22 AM −1.08 ft	03:42 PM 10.06 ft	09:47 PM −0.83 ft

Many beaches here are categorized as tide optimal breaks; for example Playa Carmen is a mid/high to high tide break, Santa teresa, La lora is mid to mid/low break.

Depending on what time a particular tide is, what the current wind direction is, as well as the swell direction and size will completely dictate the schedule for an entire day or even week in the eyes of a surf instructor or experienced surfer.

Pura Vida!
Mo’e

Brainstorming in the Rancho!

Pura Vida!! It’s an amazing day here at Shaka! The sky is clear, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze is blowing, and it is muy tranquilo.

In between surf sessions and quad expeditions, Krista, Mo’e and I have been busy brainstorming and tossing around new ideas for vacation packages to offer on Shaka Beach Retreat Website! Inspired by an old friend, Mo’e, a certified personal trainer, is totally stoked on the idea of putting together a Fitness Adventure package. it’s going to be amazing: early morning yoga on the beach, beach boot camps, hiking and zip-line tours in Montezuma, surf lessons, healthy meals, and so much more! It’s going to be killer and designed for the vacationers who are interested in getting in shape while enjoying all of the adventure that the Nicoya Peninsula has to offer.

In addition, I’m working on writing a biography for our camp dog, Lady, that we will have posted on the website and a write up to submit to Zoom! Nicoya Peninsula- a local magazine with news and tourist information. It’s a pretty exciting time here.

I’m totally excited and working ferociously to get camp ready for 2 weeks of adaptive surf camps with Ocean Healing Group!! It’s going to be great to see all of my old friends, meet some new people, and bring some excitement to our injured campers. Ahhh… it makes my heart feel so good when the camps are here. The experience of being involved with OHG camps is hard to put into words: emotional, inspiring, soul-soothing, and magical. I have met some of the most incredible people in my life here at Shaka!!

Mo’e will be here soon to take me out for an instructional surf session… I’m stoked! Gotta go wax my board, liberally apply that sunscreen, and hit the beach!

Keep checking back for more news, updates, and stories about my volunteer experience on The Shaka Front!

Katie

Random Costa Rica thoughts in the Rancho

Well its been awhile since i blogged. We have a new volunteer Katie who is gonna keep the blog section updated. This last week has been very quiet so sitting around in the rancho web browsing, facebooking and blogging has become a staple time filler.

Actually the rainy season is my favorite time of the year. No dust, downtime, more swell and uncrowded waves are just a few of the benefits. If you only experience the dry season you really miss out on the greenest time of the year. More animals show up near and around Shaka, and ocasionally the internet and power go out during the rain forcing you to unplug kickback in a hamock and read a book or just sit with your thoughts. Something many of us dont do, or forget how to do in this pace increaing society.

This past week i rebuilt the website for my brothers group SPITBREED. Both of my computers broke in the last 6 months, so Ive been relatively unplugged for a while. Its nice to have the luxury of internet but when i don’t have it i am 3 times more active outside, which makes me wonder if i like it at all. I really cant complain since my office is basically a hammock outside on my terrace looking out to the rain forest with the sounds of wild animals, ocean and waves in the background.

My brothers group SPLITBREED is really gaining momentum in Vegas and their music really suits their location. They just released their first album and you can listen to the entire album online here www.splitbreed.com. Although my web skills makes them look like Starts that have arrived they are still grinding and struggling, so if you have a moment visit their page and become a face book fan they need all the support they can get.

Until next time

Mo’e

Shaka Self improve Week

Shaka will be holding a 1 week camp in Aug 21-30 with Jacob for the ridiculous low price of $1599 we will put a more detailed page up next week, but for now here is short blog on it. Feel free to contact with any inquiries

VERSION 4 – COSTA RICA WEEKLONG RETREAT

In this economy, I know you’re looking for an edge. We all are.

My name is Jacob Cherrington and I’m a life coach with over a decade of experience helping people just like you radically change their lives for the better.

In my years as a life coach for the Anthony Robbins Organization, I conducted hundreds of workshops with diverse groups of people who all had one thing in common: They had a goal. But they just weren’t sure how to get there.

So, I created the F.U.E.L. For Life Success Plan which helps people:

*Improve decision-making abilities

*Fast-track personal goals

*Identify the roadblocks that hinder potential

*Defeat old fears once and for all

*Remove obsolete patterns and replace them with better working models

Normally I conduct 2- or 3-day seminars in major cities around the U.S., but I realized that in order to make a massive shift, a step away from the ordinary is required.

Which is why I expanded my program to 7 days and augmented it with completely radical location: Costa Rica.

Getting out of your everyday routine is critical to making major life changes (you can’t dry clothes that are sitting in a bucket of water, can you?) so I chose the tropical beaches of Costa Rica as the backdrop for this exciting weeklong workshop.

For 6 nights and 7 days you’ll get access to:

*Full accommodations and three healthy meals per day at Shaka Beach Retreat (www.shakacostarica.com)

*Daily workshops and discussion groups

*Inspiring personal and group activities designed to expose your patterns

*Private personal coaching about your ambitions

*Enlivening activities such as yoga, snorkeling, and surfing

I know you’re ready to move to the next level in some area of your life. And this workshop is designed to take you there.

As of today, there are only 8 spaces left (and this event is filling up fast!) so email me for a FREE

information packet to get you started.

Remember: Information doesn’t change your life. Experiences do.

-Jacob

www.fuelforlifeonline.com

Left a biz in the states to live the simple life. Why?

Many of our friends and family thought we were crazy to be leaving the US/Las Vegas when we had our own small successful Read the rest of this entry »

Walking to the beach with monkeys

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From my house or the surf camp it’s about a 3 minute walk through lush jungle like vegetation with lots of cool animals. It’s not uncommon to see cows, horses, iguanas, squirrels, crabs, and monkeys. Today on my way to the beach a pack of white faced monkeys were all around me. They were yelling at me Read the rest of this entry »

clean small waves, self reliant Real estate

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Swell gone, murky water, Sharks, and Crocodiles

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