After leaving Cuba, the next stop of the adventure was 11 days at Buena Onda Surf Camp in southern Nicaragua. Blessed with warm water and a swell fetch that stretches over 15,000km to the south of Australia, it is a pretty good place to go to get some waves. However it's best asset is not the Pacific Ocean, but Lake Nicaragua (it's actually the 19th largest lake in the world), which delivers offshore winds to the isthmus we were on for over 330 days of the year. It was this detail alone that meant we were going to spend some time here.
Most of the days were spent being up before dawn, and either 4wd'ing the coast or checking the more out of the way spots from the boat. Being offshore all day, meant the only real factor to worry about was the tide, and once the swell settled in (it was actually too big for a day or two) and we got to know the area (with the help of our guides Paul and Brandon), the only thing stopping us from surfing all day was our own exhausted bodies - and the fact that we had unlimited free food and drink whilst staying there. Hell some of our "surf trips" ended up being beers on the beach - thanks to some persuasion from Brandon and Paul and a beer/ice filled esky in the back of the truck.
Here are a few photo's from one session the local photographer got of us at the wedge out the front of the resort - it was a little cloudy, and a little bit of morning sickness was on it, but there was no one out and there were plenty of waves to be had!
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| Me reversing. |
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| Heerey |
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| Fun little backdoor section |
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| Wedge |
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| Sunset around the corner |
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| Fun river mouth wave, blowing about 40kts offshore this day made it hard to get in to. |
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| After a dawn surf in the boat, Brandon thought it was time for a beer. |
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| Another be achy, this was taken after 3 hours out there (we got out when it started to go shit) |
The local bull riding comes to town for about a month every year, luckily we were there for it, it was a spectacle and a good afternoon to be had with the other kids at the camp.
Some bulls would buck around for 2 seconds, then just stand there, so everyone would start running around to get it angry, eventually the bull would start to buck again with the rider on it, once he was off, everyone would start to run around like they were at Pamplona, until eventually the cowboys would come in and lasso it to get it out of the arena.
When I say everyone, I mean all the town drunks and any other guy stupid or macho enough to step in to the ring. A few guys got absolutely belted and trampled, and there was word that one of the bulls (one of the smaller ones with only one horn, had previously killed 3 people).
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| Sometimes if things got too predictable with one bull in the ring, they would let another one in unannounced - just like the old pinball machines when you start mastering it and the "Multiball" comes in to play. |
Complete with their very own Latin band to bring in the next bull rider.
The following photos are from one afternoon when the surf wasn't very good - instead we sat here for a few hours with beers and a camera.
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| Paul in the photo was spending 3 weeks here and on his 2nd day hurt his ribs - he was forced to watch for the rest of his time there. Poor bloke. |
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| Not where you want to be |
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| The balcony of our adobe |
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| Me afternoon wedge. |
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| Helen and Hannah |
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| Helen and Hannah, watching Mark shoulder hopping, like a typical pom. |
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| Mark and Helen, they were alright. |
Beach dogs, everywhere.
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