going to nicaragua in april and staying at a place called mark and daves .I need info on waves and what type of boards to bring . It will be a father and son trip we will be meeting friends from the mainland there . any info would be welcome big mahalos from the garden isle
expect anything from chest-high to x2 overhad faces… i would think similar equip and size for California waves… pointbreaks, rivermouths, reefs… beachbreaks Nothing too heavy… compared to Kauai. Good time of year to go. can’t tell you much about accomodations though.
-J
Kimo -
I have spent quite a bit of time in that part of Nicaragua. The place you are staying is in front of a wave called Ponga Drops and just down the beach is the river mouth.
Pongas is generally considered to be one of the more mellow waves in the area, although I would not call it a “mellow wave”. Generally, you will want a larger board and the longboarders I have visited Nicaragua with seem to like Pongas over many of the other waves.
The River Mouth gets nice and hollow. A standard shortboard will be fine.
If you are renting a car - which I would highly recommend - then there are a number of other spots you can visit within approximately 30 mins drive. There is an outer reef at Popoyo that is downright frightening and notwithstanding the earlier comparison of Nicaragua to HI, I can assure you that it is a wave that should not be taken lightly.
Send me a PM if you want me to fill your canteen on other spots - there are a bunch of pointbreaks north of where you are staying.
Nicaragua has consistently provided some of my best surf trips. I have not been there since 2006 and when I was last there I was amazed (and - to be frank - disappointed) at how rapidly it has changed. Same story as everywhere - surf camps, magazine coverage, etc. etc.
I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore that area of Nicaragua and surf great waves before the proverbial cat escaped the bag.
thanks for the help Im trying to travel light and easy . Im thinking two standard thrusters one single fin shorty , fins, and two mats.your thoughts ? we are going to be guest at this place so i dont know If I will get to travel . T-roy do you think the waves in front will be uncrowded ? again big mahalos to all you guys . swaylock rules aloha .
Quote:
going to nicaragua in april and staying at a place called mark and daves .I need info on waves and what type of boards to bring . It will be a father and son trip we will be meeting friends from the mainland there . any info would be welcome big mahalos from the garden isle
My buddy owns a place down there and tells me is really nice. Good surf. His name is also Dave and he owns a hotel there.
Email Anthony at
He’s a really knowledgeable guy and loves to talk waves.
Are you sure about the wave heaviness factor, seems many people who visited said that the beachies out front get pretty darn hollow and heavy…
Curious myself since I’ve been wanting to do a nicaragua trip for a while now… just gotta get 7 of my closest friends together
Havoc
RE: heaviness factor - the waves are plenty hollow in that part of Nicaragua. I have never been up north there but from what folks tell me there are plenty of meaty waves there as well. Having never surfed in HI, I cannot compare them to island waves but I don’t think you will find Nicaraguan waves gutless in any way.
Kimo - it is hard for me to say whether the waves out front will be crowded because from what I have heard, things have changed a lot down there. When I was last there in '06, a “crowd” consisted of 6-8 people (in addition to the guy who came with me on the trip). From what I have heard, it has become Costa Rica crowded down there due to the significant uptick in surf camps. When I first went there 8 or so years ago, there was only one surf camp run by JJ Yemma from Florida. There was also only about 1 or 2 local surfers and the road situation was less than ideal. From what I have been hearing lately, there are now a number of surf camps running several boats each day to the local breaks and I can confirm that the road situation is much better than it used to be.
My guess is that you will be able to score uncrowded waves since you will be right in front of Pongas. You may have to time it between the boats but you will have the advantage of being able to scope the wave from your front porch. The spot you will be staying (Playa Iguana) is beautiful and it has some cool geography. There is a big point to the north that I have never seen surfed and I always thought the land mass looked like a gorilla’s head facing out to sea. A local told me that it is called Playa Iguana because there used to be a bunch of iguanas but the locals ate them all when the Sandanistas took everyone’s property during Sandanista reign #1 (they apparently haven’t done that yet during Sandanista reign #2). Anyway, there used to be a bunch of trippy purple and orange cocanut crabs over in the wet areas so it may be worth a hike if the surf flattens out on you.
Have fun and report back on how your trip went. Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful - and poorest - places I have ever visited. It will always have a special place in my heart for whatever reason.
P.S. - as always, be sure to shuffle your feet - one of my friends was hit really bad by a ray getting out of the water at Ponga Drops. The barb cut over halfway through his achilles tendon, if you can believe that. When all was said and done, he was out of the water for almost a year due to the surgery/recovery, etc.
Thanks T-Roy for all the info I let you know how it goes. Ghost thanks for the e-mail Aloha