I'm new on sways but i have gained alot of info from this site before and everyone seems very helpful. Alright so this winter break (mid-late dec.) I am going to nicaragua and doing the whole Dale Dagger surf tour thing with my best bud, his dad, and my dad. My friends dad surfs and i am teaching my dad presently so he can join us. So first of all how is it if anyone on here has stayed there before. How is the surfing and fish? Any info on that would be greatly appriciated. I understand that this is not the big surf season but i have heard from many sources than there are usually some really fun head highish off-shore waves around even at this time of the year. Being from virginia beach i do not necessarily have "good wave board," however i have ridin my boards in some really good waves in hatteras and in virginia beach. Im considering shaping a board for this trip and just for good waves in general but first of all i want to know what kinds of boards yall would suggest bringing. I have a Vernor Rocco that i love and its dimensions are 5'10 by 13 1/4, 19 3/8, 15 1/4 by 2 3/8. It is similar to a rocket shape but i little skinnier and it has the rocket tail, or a round fang as Vernor calls it. My other board is a quad fish that is 5'8 by 21 by 2 3/4 that i shaped. I am 5'11 190lbs and dont have trouble catching waves on those boards, especially the fish. My question to people who have been there in the winter is if these boards will be fun on the waves there. If i was going in the summer i would shape like a 6'3 rounded pin of something like that but I dont think the waves will be that powerful/big/hollow, but what do i know. Any advice on boards or nica in general would be awesome.
take what you like to surf. You never know what you'll get in the way of waves. I went in April and took a 6'4" quad and a 7'5". But that's what I chose to ride. The crew at the lodge will take you where the waves are and that can be pounding beach breaks to easy points to reefs with a lot of water moving around. I needed both those boards for my trip.
Tell Kassidy, Ben and the crew that Tim and Jan say hi!
Hi Dane, First I need to Clarify something about seasons. Our Winter is the Southern Hemisphere’s (South of the Equator) Summer and vice versa. If you are going in December you will be going in Nicaragua’s Summer.
Never been to Nicaragua but I have been to Costa Rica around 6 times from 1993 - 2008. There could be some fun surf (the big lake helps make the winds off shore 95% of the time) but your best bet would be to go in their Winter (Our Summer) when the waves around where you and I live go flat (June-July).
If you have the chance, best bet for December would be where I live: Puerto Rico. Many East Coasters come down here during this time and flights from VA should be at a reasonable price. Fish and shortboard are good to bring anywhere if that is what you normally ride, but it’s a good idea to have a board that can handle some juice too; especially down here in Puerto Rico (at least a 7’0" for PR Winter).
Now Fishing is another story… the Pacific rules if you like trolling for bill fish! good luck!
Yeah i know its not the optimal time to go but im still stoked about it, and iv heard it's still supper fun this time of year. Well im just wondering if the tail on my vernor is too wide and it has too little rocker to handle the hollowness. I love riding my Vernor as well as regular shorties. My plan was to shape a black beautyish board, or some kind of rounded pin with a decent amount of foam from 6'2-6'4(probably 6'2). The problem is that i can only bring two boards and i love riding a fish when the waves are suited for it (any size with clean walls but not hollow). So the questions are what kind of waves should i be expecting this time of year? Will my vernor hold in some shacks? WIll there be shacks? haha im just stoked and like thinking it all over even though im probably over thinking it completely. When you start shaping it makes you notice alot of different things and it sucks even more not having the most fun possible because of riding the wrong board, especially when you know exactly what you need
Go to NicaSurf, and look at the waves, the spots, and see if they are close to what you ride–Some swells will sneak in during the winter, but be prepared for smaller conditions, (mentioned earlier) and , after Jan-Feb, the wind can howl offshore for weeks, laying everything flat–Talk to Kassidy, and ask the crew–Mac
Contrary to popular belief, fish were originally designed for hollow waves. Steve Lis was riding this type of kneeboard in nice hollow conditions back in the 70’s as I have seen in some photos. People now a days ride em standing up in mushy conditions. I love riding my fish in head high tubes, sometimes if it gets too late of a drop I don’t stand up and ride it kneelo style. Of course I am talking about “classic” twin pin keel fish…
Tony I have seen Them ridden in nice fast hollow waves on the reels around La Jolla and The Sunset cliffs. The board was developed in and for those waves. One of my favorite all time surf memories was of a trip down the Baja with a friend named Dave. Dave was tall lanky and had really big feet. We were surfing a place we called brothers Point. right next to the take off zone the reef sucked dry. looking into The wave from down the line looked like you were looking into a death trap. It was a little deceiving since the take off was followed by the wave backing off then lining up for a down the line drive .It was a nice over head day. Calm slight morning fog and there were only four of us in the water. Dave did a couple of air drops and drew out these beautiful bottom turns. Dave was a very good surfer and knew that wave well. He got a lot out of that board, and those waves. For Fish you keep a low center of gravity and work the rail. around mid 1972 I had used Fish shaped by Ed Wright at Sunset. Wish i had that board today.
By the way Dale Dagger is an old surf buddy. Did a few trips down the Baja with him and Cosmo who post here every once in a while. I remember when he sailed off for Costa Rica around 1975 or 6 He has been down in Central America for a long time now.
Oh by the way Tony Nicaragua is north of the equator.
Oh shit, I checked the world map and Nicaragua and Costa Rica are in fact North of the Equator, my bad… I feel embarassed for my dumb dumb moment of the day, must be the resin fumes… Anyway I have been in Costa Rica several times and locals call June/July Winter, I guess it’s because at that time of the year Southern Hemisphere swells are most predominant and not because of their relationship to the Equator as I erroneously said… At least in Costa Rica, during December Salsa Brava can get pumping, I guess Nicaragua must also have good breaks in the Caribbean side. Does anyone know??? Artz, I agree with you, fish are for down the line and hollow, I love the design and I think that to this day they are still very advanced surf craft. Mexico must have been awesome in the 70’s. I was born in 1977 so I really don’t remember the 70’s but it seemed like a very neat time to be a surfer!
Howzit Tony,If you think Mexico was good in the 70's you should have been there in the 60's when all the breaks were uncrowded. First time I was there was 64 at San Miguel on cinco de Mayo and san Miguel was a good 8 ft plus and only the 4 of us out and 5 cars in the parking lot.Aloha,Kokua
Kokua, I love San Miguel. I have also surfed there with just a small crowd nice thick over head waves. Camped just down from there where the tuna Processing plant now stands. There were some good waves out front there as well.