Peruvian Delights

Well Peru was incredible…as usual.  On this trip was myself, Gabriel (the first STSF intern), Jeanine from Domical Waverider Surf Camp and her husband Andrew, Kerri Smith, STSF Board Member and lawyer extraordinaire and my biggest supporters, Neily and Anela.

This trip was already set to be one for the books based on the fact that I got to bring my almost four year old on a Share The Stoke mission for the first time.  I was so excited to see how she would participate.  It was pretty cool to watch and I will go into more of that later.

Like most times traveling to Chicama, we usually end up with an overnight in the Lima airport.  Well finally this year, after all the years sleeping on the floor at the airport, I discovered there was a hotel attached to the airport that you could walk to.  GAME CHANGER!  No more floors, no more guarding bags while you sleep and no more security guards harassing you for sleeping on the floor and blocking walkways.

Leading up to this trip, Gabriel spearheaded a wetsuit drive with Nomad Surf Shop, a local surf shop in Florida who have always been very supportive of STSF.  With their help and few posts to social media we were able to score over 50 wetsuits for the kids.  This is critical for them as the water hovers in the 50’s for many months of the year.

Once we arrived we went straight out for a surf despite being supremely tired from waking up at 4am to catch a flight.  The waves were super fun which was great because after that sesh it got super small for the rest of the trip except for the day we left.

That evening the Chicama Surf Team showed up and surprised us with a huge welcome that included a small kid on the team jumping out of a giant gift box and flossing.  It was unreal.

It was interesting to see how the team has morphed over the years.  Some years they would have all girls on the team. One year they had one boy with them.  This year they had a few girls and a few boys.  We got introductions from all of them.  They are so cute and seem to be truly happy to be on the surf team.

My kid, Anela, was a bit overwhelmed by the whole scene at first with the kid popping out of giant box and firework type noise makers going off.  I think she was confused about what could be going on.  As time passed on that evening with the kids she became more and more interested in them and playing with them.  They were all very interested in her as I don’t think they get to see, much less spend time with many light skin babies rolling through Puerto Malabrigo.

We had a few down days before the big event so we spent them riding tiny waves, playing with dogs on the beach, swimming, eating and socializing with the kids and other people we met on the trip and organizing all of the gear and supplies that we brought for the kids and Peruvian families.

What I was starting to notice about Anela was that she wanted to be a part of all the organizing and getting stuff together for the kids.  She really loved helping and spending time with me doing what I love which is of course a heart melter.

 

This year we had two special guests show up to support our event and help out.  One was Natalie from Groundswell and one was a local from Huanchaco named Javi.  STSF and Groundswell have partnered up in the past to donate boards to the Groundswell programs in Huanchaco, Peru and in Cuba.  Javi runs his own surf club in Huanchaco and inspires the youth there.  We all had a nice lunch together before we made our way down the beach to do our giant beach cleanup.  After it was all said and done we had a solid group of kids show up.  Not bad for a late Friday afternoon.  This year was the cleanest we have ever seen the beach and the kids were amping on getting out there to see how much garbage they could find.

After the cleanup was done we circled the kids up while Javi led the kids through stretching and surf lessons.  The Chicama locals volunteered to help and pushed the kids into the waves.  Also, we witnessed a record number of locals showing up and giving back to this event this year.  It is a good sign and a good direction we are heading.  I suppose the next step is to have them do this at least a few times before we show up and do our big event.

The kids surfing were doing awesome. You always get several kids who really show promise and the desire to keep going.  Likely we will see them next year shredding when we return.  After the kids got their last waves we ran up on the hill where we passed out a meal for the participants and a little gift we had for them.  Of course Anela was elbow deep in the doling out of goodies.  It was a great day!

Later that night we had a movie night for the kids and locals at Chicama Surf Resort.  It was about the protection of the waves in Peru and how some had been destroyed.  It was pretty good and informative of what can happen to our precious resources if people don’t become stewards and fight for them.  At the end Jeanine spoke about pollution, plastics and how to start introducing ways to eliminate the use for plastics.  She even brought some bamboo straws for each of the kids to start using.

The next day was contest day.  This day is always the best as we get to watch the kids showcase their skills.  They always show up big too as there is a lot on the line.  We had three divisions all competing for brand new Firewire Surfboards and gear from FCS  and Sticky Bumps.  Andrew, Myself and Gabriel all got to be judges.  Of course, Anela had to be in the mix too.  She would shout out which color was up and riding…a perfect job for a person with young eyes.

Neily, Kerri and Jeanine all worked to run the contest smoothly and organized prizes and make sure everyone had water or food if they needed.  At the end of the day everyone was stoked.  Every kid that competed got stoked out with some really great stuff and as a thank you we were all greeted with Chicama doing its finest sunset we had seen the whole trip. 

The next day the waves came up a bit and we surfed in the morning and flew out that night.  It was a successful trip.  We donated 12 surfboards to the locals, 50 wetsuits, booties, shirts, boardshorts, hats, gear, etc. to the people of Chicama.  We would like to send out a massive thank you to everyone who helped support this trip by donating gear, wetsuits, made a donation, volunteered their time or sent us good vibes on our mission.

One last note…I am so grateful to have been able to take my kid to Peru on a stoke mission.  Peru has always been one of our most favorite places and when we go we feel like we are at home.  I loved seeing her mix it up with the locals.  I was so proud of her for getting right in there and telling me every time that she wanted to be a part of something that we were doing.  It was exciting to see how confident she was helping out.  Her vibe was like hey I’m Anela…I’m with Share The Stoke Foundation and we are here to make a difference!

I am so thankful to the kids of Peru who loved on her and played with her and treated her like family.  Until next year…stay tubed my friends!

 

Mixing It Up In The Maldives

The Maldives have always been on our minds. Why not? It is a tropical paradise. Lucky for us, we got a message from a group in the Maldives called Raalhu Edhuru who have been doing work with the local kids on different islands. They do a week long camp with local kids and get them surfing and thinking about caring for Mother Nature. They invited us to come out and be a part of it. We knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity so we quickly said yes. That began the planning and logistical side of things. After all, traveling 10,000 miles is no easy chore. Finally we all agreed on dates and we booked our tickets. STSF ambassador, Matthew would accompany me on this big adventure and later on, with little to no coercion, Jeff Biege jumped on. With Matthew’s sense of adventure and Jeff’s skill behind the lens , I knew we had the right crew.

Finally the time had come and it was time to go. I flew to Miami and met up with Jeff and Matthew. We boarded our Turkish Airlines flight and we were off to Islanbul, Turkey. To be honest, Turkey made me nervous because we had a bit of a layover there and we wanted to see some of the city. A few days before the trip I had checked the travel warnings and it said to reconsider travel to there.  It said that westerners have been targeted for kidnapping and assassinations.  S-K-E-T-C-H-Y!  It wouldn’t be the only time we had been to places that said to reconsider travel and based on Turkey’s location…I was reluctant. I’m finding as I get older I like to stay a little more low key. We all decided we would feel out the vibe when we got there and decide then whether or not to venture out.

After our 11 hour flight we arrived in Turkey. Everything was pretty smooth so far except for me getting the visas for October instead of August. Oops. It was easily fixable thank goodness. We headed out in a shuttle to our hotel. Istanbul was super cool and had a bit of a European vibe to it. It felt safe so we ventured out…but not too far:)

Next up was our eight hour flight from Istanbul to Male, Maldives. It was pretty much a breeze. Luckily I slept the majority of both flights. My travel budddies weren’t so lucky. When we got through customs the crew from Raahlu Edhuru were at the airport to meet us. They were super warm and friendly and helped us to the boat ferry to get to our hotel. It was at the ferry where we first caught a glimpse of what the water was like.  Our minds were blown!

Driving through the city was insane. It reminded me a lot of Bali with thousands of scooters lining the streets. It was pretty hectic but we were so happy to be on the island at last. The rest of the day we chilled and slept because our wake up time to catch the ferry the next day was 3:45am. We had to ferry back to the airport to catch a small plane to head over to the project site at Veymandoo, a nearby island.  That is where we met the other members of the crew.  Everyone was super friendly.

We boarded the plane and were all chatting it up.  About the time Dhafy from Raalhu Edhuru said things are going so smoothly I looked out the window and see all of the surfboard bags heading back inside the airport. We realized that they weren’t gonna make it on the flight. We were so bummed!  Every single trip we have taken always produces stress around the surfboards.  We worry about them letting us on with so many, having to pay extra because they are overweight, wondering if they will even make it to the destination, curious if the airlines will destroy them in transit and the list goes on.

The plane ride over was unreal. We flew over lots of beautiful atolls. It was picture perfect. After we landed and were all getting our luggage we were stoked until the man with the bags drove away and Jeff didn’t get his. It was a total bummer because that bag had his camera housing and all his clothes and stuff.  We were promised the boards and his bag would arrive the next morning.  Our fingers were crossed.  Luckily they did arrive that next day:)

After some relaxation the whole crew went to surf and it was one of the most beautiful breaks we have ever seen.  Every surf sesh on Veymandoo required a 20 minute boat ride to a nearby break.

The next day was our first day with the kids. There were about 30 of them. They were so cute and sweet. They all fell in love with Matthew right away. That day Matthew led the surf instruction and stretching with all the kids. Prior to that we had done a beach cleanup and made a huge pile of trash.

Luckily I got to push kids into the waves. For some of them it was their first time surfing and some had already tried it. It was so much fun talking with the kids and getting to know them while we were out surfing. The best part was when you would push one of them into a wave and they would stand up and ride it to shore.

Photos by Dhahau Naseem

The next day with the kids was similar. We spent most of our time with them shredding. That evening we had dinner with our hosts and discussed having a surf contest for the kids the following day. Nothing serious but something to bring the kids together and get them excited to win some prizes. We agreed on a plan and enjoyed our yummy dinner. Most Maldivian meals that we had involved tuna. They catch it then lay it out in the sun to dry.  There must be about a thousand ways to do tuna!It was definitely a staple as well as rice and moringa. For those of you that don’t know, moringa is a tree with green leaves that are a super food. We first came across the tree on a stoke trip in Nicaragua a few years ago. I made sure to eat lots of it! Thanks to our host for keeping our bellies fed with some Maldivian spice!

The next day we announced to the kids we would be doing the surf contest after watching a documentary about plastics in the oceans and doing a proper beach cleanup. They were excited but their faces grew dim as they watched the documentary about how we are killing our planet. And as I watched at the amount of plastic and trash accumulated on the island I became very overwhelmed and saddened at where we are as a society who absolutely neglects the most important thing we have. I kept asking people what is the solution and no one really knows or has one. I still go back to our time we spent on Tanna in Vanuatu with Nev Hyman. His group, Nev House, takes plastics and turns it into composite material they construct houses out of that can withstand cyclones. I do keep seeing companies starting to follow suit and making impacts. That stokes me out. But, we have to have enough of these amazing humans doing this to offset what everyone is creating. For sure we must reach the young children and teach them to be mindful of the issue. Hopefully the kids we worked with can make a difference and feel empowered to say something when they see someone making bad choices that affect Mother Nature.

So…the surf contest. Matthew and I got to be judges. It was epic. We got to give prizes for first, second and third in each division as well as fun prizes like longest ride, best wipeout, best style, etc.

At the end of the day for the closing ceremony I got to say a few words and we donated some surfboards to the kids on that island.

Photo by Dhahau Naseem

Of the 12 boards we brought for the kids, four boards will be used on Veymandoo.  One board went directly to Shaafi, a local kid who has been progressing rapidly and shows a serious desire to shred.  Another board went to the island school and two boards will be kept at the host house.  Kids who participated in the program will be allowed to use the boards.

Photo by Dhahau Naseem

Photo by Jeff Biege

In addition to the boards donated to Veymandoo,  boards will be donated to  G.Dh.Vaadhoo,  N.Lhohi, and  Gn.Fuvahmulah due to the rapid growth in the sport on those islands.  The last three boards will be kept for Raalhu Edhuru’s next project.

This trip was one for the books.  The Maldivian’s welcomed us so graciously and took amazing care of us.  We got to experience a culture so far from what we know but what we learned, well what we were reminded, is that we are all the same.  We are on one team…planet earth.  Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible…Raalhu Eduru, Firewire Surfboards, FCS, Sticky Bumps Wax, Paul Carman and The Sleepy Otter…and remember #WorriesCantSwim.

If you like the work we do and want to make a tax deductible donation go to www.sharethestokefoundation.org.

More photos from the trip below.

Photo by Jeff Biege

Photo by Jeff Biege

Photo by Jeff Biege

Photo by Jeff Biege

Photo by Jeff Biege

Please check out Jeff Biege’s photos at https://www.jeffbiege.com/

 

Pura Vida Chicas

Home for a day now and what a whirlwind! This past stoke mission was to Costa Rica. Last July a gentleman that we partnered with in 2013 asked us to do an impact trip to a different place in Costa Rica with a new group. Having worked with him in the past we were stoked to do it. We organized with the leader of the group and we booked our tickets about three or four months before the trip. As time passed the trip grew closer and closer and I reached out to the organizer about a week before the trip asking for details. Long story short…she mentioned that she is no longer running the organization and it has closed. My first instinct was anger at the fact that we now had very few days to organize something else while we are there. It is always our first priority to keep our commitments with our sponsors so we needed to find a different group to make an impact with. I remembered back to 2015 when we worked with Chicas Con Proposito in Dominical. I reached out to Jeanine, co-founder of the group and told her our circumstances and asked if she would be able to organize something in such short notice with her girls. Thankfully she was so eager to help. We were grateful.

My partner for this trip was Matthew, STSF extraordinaire. Before the trip he and I brainstormed potential sponsors for this epic adventure and ended up finding some great ones. We had Southern Coast Enterprises, Bruce Celinski and Brendan Leen. Southern Coast Enterprises are known for their craftsmanship in roofing and waterproofing with competitive prices and are based in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Bruce Celinski is a Fort Lauderdale architect that specializes in high-end custom homes and commercial projects for private clients and quality builders.  Brendan Leen is a local life guard based in Boca Raton who believes in our mission. With their support as well as Jetblue jumping on board with free transport of the surfboards,we were able to make a bunch of children happy.

Matthew and I arrived in Costa and spent a horrendous two hours getting through immigration and renting a car. After an hour drive we finally made it to some beautiful country scenery. Finally, I felt like I could relax. We arrived just at dark to Mavi Surf Hotel, which Jeanine had set us up at. They have been close friends and took complete care of us at their hotel. Mavi Surf Hotel is probably the cleanest hotel I have been in and I have spent a lot of time traveling and seeing lots of lodging options. They are also a short walk to open barrels galore.  Aside from the epic hotel…Max and Barbara (the owners) were so nice and wanted to make our stay amazing. Every request we had they would always come through. Max even shreds in the water and we got several sessions in together.

The second day in Costa we surfed in the morning and scored perfect offshore barrels with some size. We were so happy! After checking the swell charts and talking to the locals we decided to take our chances on Pavones since we had a few days before the event. We got there and surfed some overhead nuggets that had a little wind on it. The next morning we surfed Pavones sister and had so much fun. I actually got my chancletas stolen on the beach and I was bummed until I really thought about it. I thought…jeez if you have to take someones shoes you probably really need them. I figured they needed them worse than me. I proceeded to go barefoot for the next four days until I borrowed Matthews for the flight home. Makes you appreciate shoes…especially if you have ginger feet like me.

The next few days we spent surfing and heading back to our beloved Mavi Hotel. Saturday came and we made our way over to Dominicalito for the project. We rolled up and soon after all the chicas started showing up. I recalled their faces from the last time we were with them. These girls are super timid and not very reluctant to give you their trust. I remembered some of their stories and understand why. After a bit they warmed up to us.  Next the girls hit the water. I really couldn’t believe how much they have improved. The girls are standing up on almost every wave. I saw a few of them paddle into the waves themselves and catch and ride them. That always makes us so happy. We ended up donating some of the boards to the chicas and then also finding a few boys to give them to. We actually went to their houses to find them and make the donations. It was pretty fun watching the reactions. One kid was super stoked just smiling ear to ear and one kid seemed like we just told him his cat died. The other donation went to a set of three brothers who couldn’t stop smiling. It was great.The next day we headed to the airport bright and early and made our way back to South Florida. Without the support of Jetbue, Southern Coast Enterprises, Bruce Celinski, Mavi Hotel, Dominical WaveRider and Brendan Leen we would not have been able to make the impact we did. Thanks to all of those generous supporters who help us keep stoking out children all over the globe.  Remember if you would like to help us keep kids off the street you can make a donation HERE.

Chile & The Valpo Surf Project

Today was a great day!  We got to spend time with the kids at Valpo Surf Project (VSP) at Con Con Beach in Chile.  About two years ago an intern from their organization reached out to me to see if they could partner up with us and get us to donate some boards for their program. I told him I couldn’t that year but to keep reaching out to me because we wanted to work with them.  So after few years and a few emails back and forth we bought some plane tickets and made a plan.  

We were really excited to come down to Chile to meet the crew and find out more about their project.  After meeting Chelsea and Claudio at the airport for our transfer to Valparaiso we made our way to the VSP offices to see where the magic happens. There we met Jon, one of the founders of the VSP.  We talked a little and agreeed to meet up later for a dinner at a secret spot. We were excited.  

We got to our hotel, took a ten minute breather and headed out to sightsee and grab some coffee and lunch. The area surrounding our hotel was super cool.  The park area was called Victoria Square.  It was pretty clear it was the local hang out spot. It was very vibrant and alive. We bought a couple of souvenirs and headed to the hotel to meet up with Jon and Claudio to head to the secret spot. 

On the walk we met Wiley, another one of the founders of VSP. He is a super nice lad from Maine.  On the way up to dinner  they warned us about the steep incline.  By the time we arrived I was certainly huffing and puffing but the view was out of this world. We went up to the top floor and you could basically get a panorama of the city.  It was stunning.  Over dinner we talked story and compared Florida waves to Jersey and Maine waves.  I really love to hear about people’s home break.  

That evening we learned more about how VSP came to be and how far they have come.  What I like about their story is that it is similar to how we started STSF.  In 2008 These guys all took time off to travel around South America and surf.  They spent some good chunks of time in different places and one was in Valparaiso.  They noticed that there were not many kids in the water and the ones that were came from effluent families.  This inspired them to step up and see to it that more kids had a chance to utilize the ocean which spans the entire length of the country.   They decided to use three things as their core disciplines.  The waves themselves, teaching the English language and teaching the importance of taking  care of the environment.  With this foundation they have impacted over 300 kids in four neighborhoods near Valparaiso and they continue to grow.  We were so stoked to hear about all the great stuff they have done and to be able to partner with them. They are the perfect match for us to make a donation to and we look forward to hearing stories about the kids shredding on the Firewire’s.

The next day we got picked up from the hotel and driven to Con Con Beach where they usually do their surfing with the kids.  It was quite a beautiful drive along the coast.  We passed a few surf spots before we got to the event site. We beat all the kids who would be showing up later in the van.  As soon as they arrived they all piled out and ran up to us to greet us with a kiss on the cheek.  It was very sweet and they all made sure to say hello.  We let the kids open up the board bags for fun.  It is always fun to see how they react to the Firewire Surfboards.  There was one kid who fell in instant love with the Cornice board.  I think I caught him giving it a kiss.  Clearly he was marking this one for himself.  He actually never let it out of his hands after that.  I loved his perseverance.  The VSP guys gave demos on how to put on the traction pads, the FCS fins and the Sticky Bumps Wax.  After the boards were ready we all got suited up, stretched and made our way to the water.  When I got in I thought I was going to die…well not really but it was so cold.  It was so cold that my feet hurt and actually by the end of the sesh my right toe was numb.  Dang I am such a Florida surfer.  The kids were going for it on the new boards.  It definitely took them some time getting used to because they are more familiar with the soft tops.  There was one girl in particular who was significantly better than everyone else.  I was so stoked to see her ripping on the Firewire.  It always feels good seeing the kids having so much fun on the boards we bring all over the world.  It was a great day complete with some Chilean empanadas and a jugo de maracuya.  

Our trip to Chile was short and sweet and left me wanting more.  It is a beautiful country and the people we met there were super friendly and loving.  We will definitely be back.  Thanks for the love Chile. 

Passion In Peru

All I can say is wow! Peru gets better every time we go there. Our trip included Gabriel Mccorry, the original intern for STSF, Matthew DeMayo who has been on several trips now with us and Carlhey Bolz, the Peace Corp volunteer who helped start the Chicama Girls Surf Team.

We arrived in Peru after a 2am flight with a connection through Lima. I was so excited to show some new people a place that I have come to love. I was also very excited to get to wear a wetsuit, a jacket and real shoes. The Florida heat gets old!

The drive to Chicama is pretty surreal. The anticipation of getting to the iconic wave is almost unbearable. I spend the entire drive wondering what it will look like as soon as we come up the hill and get our first peek of the ocean. That, coupled with scenery you might find on the moon, you stay pretty entertained.

Our first day was spent surfing then getting a massive and warm welcome by the Chicama Girls Surf Team. In 2013 we helped start a girls surf team for some of the chicas who we thought might be interested in learning to surf. Since then they have grown by leaps and bounds. They started out getting pushed into waves and now they can all catch waves on their own. They are also super unified and look after each other and the team. They are truly an inspiration to us.

Saturday was the first day of our event. We were told to cut the event off at 100 kids because we couldn’t feed more than 100. I always hope the kids turn up and get really nervous before the event. We had the girls surf team there to help us and take a leadership role in helping us execute a killer day for the kids. We ended up cutting it off with 105 kids. I was blown away! We put them into bigger groups and led a massive beach cleanup. I am always surprised at how hard these kids work and how much trash they pickup. They just keep coming back for new bags until they are all gone. It is so cool. After the cleanup we had all the kids circle up for surf lessons. This is the part of the day that usually takes the longest with the number of kids we work with.   All of the kids were so stoked to get their waves. The smiles were endless and we were pumped for them. Soon after the kids chowed down on some tasty BBQ. As they got their food the girls surf team passed out the swag we had gotten donated from local companies by us in Florida. This trip we had donations from Camila Swimwear, Corey Hudson, Casual Starfish, Ron Jon Surf School, Blue Water School of Surfing and Grom Social. It was a great day.

Usually on the Sunday of our trip we put on a surf contest for the kids who are surfing pretty well. This time around we had about 50 kids come to compete. Each division winner would receive a new Firewire Surfboard with FCS gear and Sticky Bumps wax. It took us about seven hours to get it done but by the end we had the three surfboard winners and all the runners up. The kids were so happy to win boards and we were happy to give them away.

Our Monday turned out to be an epic day for great reason. We had decided that we wanted to do something special for the girls surf team so we decided to take them on a field trip to surf a new break and then to take them to Huaca El Brujo, an archaeological site built by the Moche sometime between AD 1 and 600.

We told them to be at our hotel at 630am for a 7am departure. This was certainly not the day to be running on Peruvian time (usually an hour late).   As soon as they came, the bus came for all of us and we started packing the boards in which ended up taking quite a while to get them organized well enough to fit 10 people. On the way to Huanchaco we all played music and sang in anticipation. To get to Huanchaco it took us an hour. None of the girls we brought had ever been here which seems odd to us Americans being that it is only an hour away. This made the trip that much cooler and meaningful for them.

After we arrived we unpacked the bus and got all our gear ready for our surf session. There were some overhead sets for sure and some of the girls were intimidated but they all paddled out into the waves. Only a few of the girls made it out back for the set waves. Since most of them stayed inside I paddled in to be with them while Matthew was out there with Gabby, one of the top surfers on the team. At one point I got out and was walking up the beach when I looked out the back and saw Gabby on seriously the wave of the day. It was well over her head and she was high-lining down the face. I was blown away. I was so proud of her. It was like seeing my own kid catch a wave like that. I felt like my heart was going to explode!

After our sesh we took them to lunch. It was really fun interacting and getting to spend quality time with them. We all ate chicken plates and lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish that I had many times. Soon enough we headed to El Brujo to check out the ruins. The part about this leg of our field trip that was so cool was because the girls got to see the actual mummy of Seniora de Cao, a high-ranking ruler of the Chicama district that was found only 10 years ago. She was discovered wrapped in many layers of cloth, highly tattooed, found with ceremonial items as well as weapons and jewelry. I think for young girls to see that women are leaders, especially in the Chicama district, must give them a sense of confidence and pride.   To be there to witness this day was and will be a memory that I will hold on to for a lifetime. What a gift it is to be able to give the girls our time and love. I am honored!

The rest of the trip we were able to donate the rest of the surfboards for a total of 12, surf, relax, eat some rally good food and have a sad goodbye with our friends at Chicama. It was an amazing time and it is more clear now than ever that we need to keep coming back to Chicama. Our work there has been great but we are not done and the girls need someone to count on and we can do that for them. We are blessed to receive their love!

 

 

Barra de la Cruz…Mexico

This is our third year going to Mexico and teaming up with the AHAVA Project with local Mexican, big wave surfer Coco Nogales. He and I touched base earlier in the year about how this year the project was going to be bigger and better. He said he would be inviting 35 kids this year and the event would span over a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He asked how many boards I could bring and I committed Share The Stoke Foundation to donating 10 to the project. 

The flight was from Miami through Mexico City and on to Huatulco. We met up with Coco at the gas station across the street from the airport and we caravanned to Barra de la Cruz, about thirty minutes or so away. We pulled off the main road to a small road that went from pavement to dirt. Soon enough we realized we were in the middle of nowhere based on no real hotels, only cabanas and no cell signal at all.

As soon as we unloaded the boards into the cabana we headed down to the beach for a surf. Right as we came over the hill we could see there was a small swell and the waves were glassy. This was a perfect way to wash off the travel funk.   Later that night we had a meeting with all the volunteers and kids about the weekend activities. It was so cool to see a bunch of familiar faces and the kids were still riding Firewire Surfboards that we had donated in 2013.  It was epic!  After that we headed back to the cabana to get some sleep. While we were winding down we noticed some scorpions in our room. This didn’t sit well. And with the fact that our fan wasn’t working properly we decided to sleep in the car. Yeah, yeah I know that seems crazy but with being in the middle of nowhere we decided getting stung by scorpions would not pan out too well. It was a long, hot night.

The next day we met down at the beach at 630a to get started. The kids surfed, exercised and cleaned the beach. Beginner surfers got pushed into waves and the better surfers were absolutely shredding the point. While we were there we learned that this place used to be a super hot spot. They actually had a Rip Curl event here in 2006 and didn’t name the location, instead said “somewhere in Mexico”. Between some hurricanes and the people diverting the river so they could put a restaurant on the beach, the sand shifted and it hasn’t been barreling in years. It was still certainly good enough for all of us to have a field day on the right hand point.

Saturday was more of the same except for we all camped on the beach that night. It was pretty great. We got approval from the town to camp. Usually it is off limits for everyone so we felt pretty stoked to be able to sleep under the stars. The boys had a massive bonfire complete with smores and some good ole amigos singing and playing the guitar.

Sunday started out with beach yoga and some surfing. After that we donated the surfboards. The kids were pumped. There were three different areas of kids that got boards. Some went to the Barra kids, some went to the Puerto kids and some went to the San Agustin kids. It was great to spread the love amongst different communities. We are so stoked to be able to donate free surfboards to kids in communities like these where there are so many other negative options for these kids to choose. We love that they have chosen surfing and they are good surfers. They absolutely rip, even the tiny tots. I guess when you have perfect waves in your backyard it is fairly easy to be a solid surfer.

After the event we headed to Puerto Escondido to get a couple of waves before we headed back to Florida. We surfed the point which was firing. Zicatela was off its rocker and pumping. There were only a few guys out. They were riding massive guns and a few were towing in. It was heavy. You could literally feel the waves through your body when they detonated on the shore. Just watching it do its thing made my heart race. It was a sight to see. Soon enough we rushed back to the airport to make our flight and were home with loved ones with new tales to tell.

Final Stop…FIJI!!!

Wow that was a blur…well kind of. We arrived from Vanuatu so pumped to see what Fiji had to offer and it did not disappoint! We spent a couple nights on Nadi where we met up with our local Fijian contact, Ian Muller. When I had asked Nev if he had a good contact in Fiji for us to work with he said Ian is the man! When I saw him for the first time I thought this guy is the real deal. By the real deal I mean he is as local as they come and proud of his roots to the Fijian culture and surfing. We chatted outside the Fiji Club Resort getting to know each other. He told me about how surfing came to be in Fiji and his role in helping to get it started. Ian is the founder of Fiji Surf Co., the only surf shop in Fiji. Not only do they do surf tours and lessons, but they also do all sorts of other excursions too. So basically, if you need something epic to do on the island call Ian and sort it out. And we can vouch for the quality service because we spent two days on the boat with them out at Cloudbreak surfing epic waves.

While we were chatting he talked about the idea of donating the surfboards to the Vodo Ua Boardriders Surf Club. They are a group of surfers united to make the island better with beach cleanups and getting more people into the surf culture. He assured me this was the best way to donate the boards so that the most amount of kids get to use them. We agreed.

We decided to turn over the boards in a few days after we return from Malolo, a neighboring island that we would spend three days on. So we traveled to Malolo by boat. It was about an hour boat ride from the main island. The ride over was bumpy but we didn’t care. The sun was soon to set and we were out in the deep blue sea to catch it go down. I felt blessed for this moment in time. The next few days were spent surfing. It was our time to get some surfing in so we did two sessions a day. Basically we woke at 4:45am, surfed for four hours, ate lunch, surfed for three hours, ate dinner and went to bed by 9:00pm.  Our last day we hitched a ride back to the main island with the Fiji Surf Co. boats and met up with Ian, Sam and Anne from Sustainable Coastlines and headed over to Ian’s place for some relaxation before we headed to the airport later that night. Sustainable Coastlines is a charity that aims to inspire, educate and enable people to look after the places we love.

At Ian’s we met his family and played a few games of pool and some ping pong. Ian also concocted up some Kava as a farewell to us. The Kava didn’t taste like much, other than some rooty water. The effect was mild and made your mouth a bit numb. After a couple of shells of Kava Ian fired up the barbecue and Sam prepped the fish he had speared earlier in the day. We ate it sashimi style. It was yummy and so was Ian’s BBQ. This was one hell of a send off. It was so nice. As the sun was setting Logan and I handed over the boards for the Vodo Ua Boardriders Club. We are proud to be able to work with such great people with big hearts looking to make a positive contribution to society. And just like that our time was up and we were due at the airport. As I sit here in LAX airport waiting to go to Florida I am so happy for all the experiences we had, all the amazing people we met and the idea that we can all work together for the greater good. Now get me home so that I may share my love with my family. I miss them so much!

Vanuatu Part Two // Tanna

As I sit here on a plane headed from Vanuatu to Fiji my heart is full. I mean the fullest it has ever been. I will try and describe how it all happened. Two days ago we left Port Vila and headed to Tanna Island to take part in a celebration with the people of Tanna and other NevHouse contributors. I wasn’t so sure of what to expect but I knew it would be an experience of a lifetime and one that may never come my way again. While waiting for the flight to Tanna a lot of people with the same itinerary started showing up and we just started introducing ourselves. It was there that I met Nev Hyman for the first time. He was just as gregarious as I had imagined him to be and full of life.   Soon enough I realized that we were in the company of some really great people. We met investors, shareholders, journalists, optometrists, solar experts, inventors, board of directors, architects and a photographer whose photos I have seen many times all over social media and in magazines named Ted Grambeau. Surf Journal called Ted “the master of surf photography” in 2009. Here is something to feast your eyes upon by Ted.Photo by Ted Grambeau Photography

When we landed in Tanna, there were probably 20 or so 4×4 trucks waiting to drive us to Enkatalei Village, a bumpy hour or so drive. We ended up in the back of one of the 4×4’s with Ted. We started off and soon we were away from the airport and things just got more and more pretty.

With each kilometer passed the scenery became more lush and super green. It is hard to imagine that after the cyclone in 2015 that the entire island turned brown and that all the leaves were gone from the trees. About 45 minutes into our trip we started seeing lots of people in brightly colored garb walking in the same direction. I certainly didn’t realize they were headed to the same ceremony as us. Later I found out that some of the people had walked from the other side of the island, some for at least a day to get there. Ponder that for a minute. We started seeing little huts and people coming out of them to greet us with magnificent smiles and frantic waves. Their outfits were made from local plants and trees from their villages. It was surreal.

Each minute that passed materialized into something greater than the last. We pulled into this huge clearing where there must have been two thousand people. I kept saying “where are we”? I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. We jumped out of the truck and started following the masses and were greeted with a flower lei as a welcome. We were corralled onto another area that was open this time with even more people we saw than when we pulled up. It was overwhelming. About as soon as we took a seat the villagers started this massive circular dance where the men came out first then the women and children encompassed them. They sang, chanted and danced followed by running holding hands. Each tribe had 200 people in this dance. I will save you from doing the math and tell you this was a giant circle with 2400 people. While they jumped you could literally feel the ground beneath your feet shake. You could feel it through your entire body. This went on for the good part of thirty minutes.   Afterwards I was so jolted and I am not sure I have ever felt so alive.

At the end of the dancing a series of men started bringing out, one by one, a live pig, root crops, kava plants and woven mats (the pillars of life in Vanuatu). I was puzzled but had a really bad feeling that something bad was going to happen to them. A translator came out into the middle of the circle and explained in English what this celebration was about. We learned that there were 12 tribes on the island who have agreed to work together as one for the betterment of the island. The gifts that each tribe brought were an offering and a a gesture to confirm their commitment of tribal unity.  It was powerful considering that these tribes had never seen each other before this great day. I won’t go into the details of the sacrifice other than to say I didn’t watch but being ringside you really could not escape it.

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the Tanna governor, Nev and Ken the NevHouse architect all made speeches this day. All of this was geared toward the work being done by NevHouse, which is quite remarkable how far they have come in just four years since its inception.  We got to take a tour inside the NevHouse and it was really nicely made but more important than that is the fact that it can withstand a category 5 cyclone. This means that if another cyclone ravages Tanna again, the people can take refuge in these houses built from recycled plastics. I had a chance to speak with Nev about the construction of these houses and realized that the NevHouses have the ability to clean up the planet. Nevhouse purchases recycled plastics and makes their new materials for the houses. So what if laypersons knew that if they could be paid for the plastics they use? I believe that people all over the world would be incentivized to keep their homes, streets, beaches and everywhere clean. People who cannot find the money for food would now have an occupation and a way to access the some of the basic necessities. In many places we travel I see dirty beaches, dirty towns. I see people throw an empty water bottle to the ground after they finish it. This could be a thing of the past. How cool is that? I see so many positives to the NevHouse project. It is absolutely brilliant.

The rest of the day was spent with another Kastom dance with different people. This time the people were dressed more conservative despite the bright colored attire. Another highlight was being able to tour the NevHouse hospital run on solar power. It was built for everyone on the entire island, despite it being in Enkatalei Village. If you can make your way there, you were welcome.

Later that day we met up with Simon from the Vanuatu Surfing Association over at the beach where the inaugural Tommy Tanna Nev Cup contest was happening.  The kids where strutting their stuff out in the water.  They are pretty good surfers considering they have only been surfing for a few months.Photo by Ted Grambeau Photography

At the end for the awards ceremony  Nev was talking about how cool this day was and he got a bit emotional, I was thinking thank god I am not the only one.  It is magical what he has created here with the local people and especially cool that he started the Tommy Tanna Surf Club there.  The next day we ventured back over to the village to drop off some surfboards that Nev had brought with him. We were told to go back to the nakamal (the meeting spot for the people) and ask for the chief and tell him we were there to donate the boards to their people. So we did that and the chief had left for Port Vila so we gave them to the kids and for them to tell the chief. The kids were keen to surf so we walked down the path with them leading to the surf. When we got close enough you could see that a lot of the kids were already in the water surfing on their Firewire Surfboards. It was awesome. We then asked if we could borrow a board so we could join them. As I was paddling out I had a strong sense of just how magical this moment was. We were in this far off land, surfing fun waves with the Tanna locals with a backdrop of the most lush, tropical setting. I was taking it all in and almost overcome with tears because of what I was getting to experience and how most people will never have this epic experience. I was grateful.

As the sun was starting to drop we packed it up and made our way back up the hill. The hill was pretty hectic so I kept making little stops to take a breather then some local girls caught up to me. We introduced ourselves. They didn’t speak much English but they kept saying “God is good, all the time”. Then I would join them and we kept repeating it. They were so sweet. One girl kept pouring out her water on the back of my legs because I was tracking mud up the backs and she wanted me to be clean. I kept thanking her but felt bad because she was using all her water for my legs.   It was a moment I will remember forever.

Soon enough we found our way to the truck and hopped in the back and headed off in the direction of the volcano. We were told it was the most active volcano in the world and it would erupt every four minutes. I was pretty excited to see this. On the drive out all the kids and people would run to the road to smile and wave goodbye to us. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I felt overcome with love. They loved us and we loved them. It was a bittersweet drive.

Once we started getting closet to Mt. Yasur we finally caught a glimps of the volcano and holy moly it was pretty cool. You could see the smoke billowing out of the crater from afar. I was anxious to get there quick. The drive in was something out of Jurassic Park or another planet and every twist and turn got more and more exciting. We made it to the top finally and walked the last bit in the dark with flashlights. As we were walking up we heard a huge boom then lava jolted up into the sky. I was freaking out. Once at the summit you could see into the bottom and see the lava. Sure enough about every five minutes or so there was a loud boom and lava would go flying up into the air. It was amazing to see and to feel it too. It made for an epic end to our time on Tanna.Photo by Ted Grambeau Photography

Tanna is probably the most welcoming place I have ever been. The people are so full of love and willing to open their hearts to you if you do the same. Tanna was an experience of a lifetime!

Vanuatu Part One // Port Vila

Where do we start with this one? Well, I suppose from the beginning. So I got an email from Nev Hyman, founder and shaper for Firewire Surfboards inviting us to collaborate on a project. Naturally, when you get an email from this man you do whatever it takes to make it happen.   So I told him that STSF would love to partner up and said any time you are ready. He mentioned that on April 23^rd there was going to be a big celebration in Vanuatu for the NevHouse project and invited us out. NevHouse builds sustainable housing made out of recycled materials that takes five days to construct. The purpose of this particular project was to help the people of Enkatalei Village rebuild after the destruction from the cyclone of 2015. In addition to the finale of the project we would be helping host the the surf contest there for the local villagers. So needless to say this project was right up our alley and we were going to make it happen.

After lots of research and planning we decided that we could make some surfboard donations to the Vanuatu Surfing Association. We also decided to donate surfboards to the Fijian youth on our way back from Vanuatu on our way home.  We eventually booked our tickets and hotels and were all set. We were stoked to have the support of Surfr App and Corey Hudson Artworks for this trip to the South Pacific.

A short time passed between the time we heard of the event from Nev, booked our tickets and boarded our planes.  I packed up eight Firewire Surfboards, FCS gear and Sticky Bumps wax and flew out to LAX to meet up with Logan Kamen, longtime STSF volunteer and ambassador. Stoke was at an all time high as we were checking in our luggage in the line at Fiji Airways. We crossed security and went to our gate and I slept for about two hours before we boarded our plane.   The flight to Fiji was 11 hours and I think I slept for about eight of those which was pretty darn good. After we touched down in Fiji we hopped another two and half hour plane ride over to Port Vila. We were pumped. As we were flying in you could see beautiful blue water and green land with palm trees everywhere which is exactly what feeds my soul. We hit the ground and went to wait for our luggage and boards. The luggage came but the boards didn’t. This was a heartbreaker. I spoke with the airline agent and they said the boardbags were too big for the small plane which seemed odd because I have been on smaller planes often and traveled with the same two boardbags. I was bummed. The story was that they were going to try and put them on the flight the next day.   We accepted that and headed off to our hotel to get some coffee and to go for a surf.

Through Nev, we had been in contact with a representative of the Vanuatu Surfing Association named Simon who told us where to go to get boards and to get some waves.   We paid our taxi and headed for the beach. The island is beautiful and the people are as well. Everyone speaks to you and greets you with a massive smile. They certainly make you feel welcome here on their island. We met up with a guy from the VSA named Brad who gave us some boards to use. He introduced us to the local kids and we all went out for a surf. The kids were all outgoing and super loud in the lineup when the bigger waves come. They would hoot and holler when you get a good one. The reefbreak we surfed was super fun and broke on super shallow, live reef. If you opened your eyes underwater you would see the most spectacular colors. It was epic. After the sesh we flagged down a bus and headed back to the hotel super happy that we got to surf with the kids. That was a pretty long day we had and we fell asleep early and slept like rocks.

The next day we went back to the beach and surfed with the crew and had a blast getting fun, ripable waves. On the day we were to leave the boards arrived!  Thank you surf gods!   We were stoked! Three days late but they were here and we could hand them over. We made our way out to the beach with them and finally one of the guys asked if he could open up the bag so we let him. He opened it up and got loud and so excited and was smiling ear to ear. He picked up every board and held it before he passed it off to the other kids to hold. It was a pretty magical moment seeing them get so excited about the new boards. This was also our first opportunity to give away one of the new Slater Designs boards. These SD boards are super special because we always wanted to be affiliated with Kelly Slater and now we have our logo on his boards. How cool is that? The VSA crew decided they would use these new boards as first place prize for the next four surf contests for the kids.  Man, I want to win a new board:)  The kids are going to be stoked!The evening faded and we packed up shop so we could head over to Tanna for the big event with NevHouse. Port Vila was good to us and a place we know we will return to one day.

I would like to send a massive thank you to JETBLUE airlines for allowing us to fly our boardbags for free out to California for this trip.  You have been a lifesaver on several of our trips now.  We cannot thank you enough for being an epic airline and believing in our mission!

Coming In Hot On The Equator

For us, traveling to a new place is so exciting. Ecuador was a country we have thought a long time about until we got an email from a local woman named Patricia White telling us about their cozy little town and the great kids she works with. Patricia is owner of Betty Surf & Yoga School, a local business aimed to offer just that…yoga and surf. She invited us out to be a part of their weeklong surf/yoga program with some of their amazing youth. After a few emails back and forth we came up with a game plan and I booked some tickets.

I didn’t know much about Ecuador aside from it being so close to the Galapagos. I did a quick search on Google to get some facts and the more I read the more excited I got. Soon the day came and Jeff Biege and I packed up the surfboards and boarded a plane. Jeff is a local photographer and friend of about 12 years. I met him soon after I moved to Florida and loved his chill vibe. It also never hurts to have a great photographer on a stoke mission with you that can take photos like this.
The first day we spent most of the day traveling to get to Canoa, which was a five-hour drive from Guaycil where we flew into. As soon as we got our first glimpse of the ocean we could see there was plenty of swell and no wind. We were amping. We got to the hotel just in time to get about a 45 minute long surf sesh which was the best way to wash off the stress of traveling. We waxed up and put the fins on and bolted for the ocean. Jeff took off on a fast sprint to the waves. Usually it is me who is frothing so hard to get in. It was nice to feed off someone else’s stoke.Photo by Jeff Biege

The next day we got to meet up with the kids and all of the amazing volunteers for the youth camp and practiced some yoga. I got the sense it was hard for the kids to keep their focus during yoga knowing that in an hour or so they were going to go shred.
Soon enough we were all suiting up and going for that surf together. We broke up into two distinct groups: the ones who were already shredding and the ones who will be shredding soon. In situations like these the kids are always pushing themselves and going for it in order to impress us. It is so cool to see. That night we had a little outdoor movie night party with them where some of the locals made treats for the group.Photo by Jeff Biege

Over the next couple of days we surfed, practiced yoga with the kids and drank a lot of coconuts.
Our last day there we had organized the surfboard giveaway. Patricia and the crew decided which kids would receive the boards based on their attitude, who shows the most interest in surfing and who will be able to use them the most. As the kids were showing up you could feel their excitement. Even though we didn’t tell them they were getting surfboards I think they knew something cool was going to happen. And it did! We were able to give six kids a surfboard, fins, leash and wax to help them follow their dreams of surfing.

I think the kids tried holding back their excitement during the handover but once I was out in the water with them they were absolutely freaking out.Photo by Jeff Biege

Photo by Jeff Biege

Valerie, one of the girls who got a board was telling me how much she loved it and she was giving the board kisses. Each kid I asked if they liked the board just smiled from ear to ear saying yes I love it. I was stoked! If the kids are happy we are happy.Photo by Jeff Biege

Later that night the volunteer crew met up for dinner and drinks. We all laughed and carried on knowing that what we had done was give the kids some confidence by giving them the gift of surf. There is a freedom in having your own surfboard and not being limited to when you can borrow or rent one.Photo by Jeff Biege

Later that night Jeff and I traveled the five hours back to the airport, waited in line to check in for our flight for two hours (that was loco) and took the red eye home. This was a great trip. I don’t always feel sad leaving but this time I did. I really bonded with the crew and had such a fun time sharing their little slice of paradise.