MIA

I feel alive again. Finally the waves picked up and the wind fixed itself. Hurricane Ida in the Caribbean sucked all of the air from the Pacific, creating this nasty onshore flow that lasted for what seemed like forever but was really only about 10-12 days or so. Still, it seemed endless.

Just when I was starting to lose all hope, finally the hurricane went north, the conditions cleaned up, and everyone started getting shacked. Over three days last week I got 5 in-and-out tube rides surfing the Tamarindo Rivermouth. It was sick, total tube vision. I can't stop thinking about how sick the waves were last week. (exhale)

Everyone seemed to be getting tubes. Here's some pics from around the Tamarindo area:

Witch's Rock Surf Team - Luis Castro

Viper, a local surfer from Nosara getting shacked at Marbella

Trey Brownell, one of the owners of W.R.O.N.G., Playa Avellanas

If you haven't yet checked it out, WRSC now has our web cam on Surfline.com

Check it out here:

http://www.surfline.com/surf-report/tamarindo-costa-rica_5782/

There have been tons of things happening at Witch's Rock Surf Camp over the last four months. As I reflect on it all, I realize why I'm exhausted. We went to 3 trade shows in 2 months (btw we just signed up to do the Surf Expo in Orlando this coming January), traveling to 3 corners of the US. We launched a new surf yacht tour with the Zori and we're about to open the new surf shop. Both of these endeavors are new businesses within themselves, each on their own would be an overwhelming experience even if we weren't trying to simultaneously run the surf camp. We opened new WRSC offices across the street from the camp. We hired a new CFO. We hired Yana, helping with new business development as I personally try to "back out" of my existing job and move back into a job that allows me to surf more, test new products, go to more places. I know it has only been a few months of heavy lifting, I'm just glad the low season has ended and now its time to just manage the camp. And at least now I realize why I'm not so good with email, blogs, returning phone calls or even showing up lately.

A new office with a big whiteboard on the wall = time to really plan shit out. Here we are with the new shop, figuring out where everything is going to go.

We are finishing up the light boxes, kindof hard to explain but you'll see them when they're done and they should look sick. Audio, electrical, internet and cable all ran above the caña brava ceiling we're installing this week. Paint is done, the slat wall is about to go up.

The WRSC maintenance crew hammering up some caña brava outside of the new shop entrance.

Humbero Sanchez and his son Yeudi are my favorite wood workers here in Costa Rica. I've had them make tons of things over the years. They finished the front desk / counter and internet cafe desks, and currently they're doing the finishing work for the shop from the tile to the ceiling (walls, light boxes, woodwork).

If you listen to Costa Rica's RADIO DOS radio station (99.5), you'll notice the groovy sounds of American 70s and 80s hits. Perfect for the older ex-pats and younger throwbacks as well. I went to Radio Dos' headquarters in San Jose last week and signed a deal to deliver surf reports daily starting the end of this month. I've actually already started recording them and they are playing currently on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays. Last night I was driving and I heard it, and it made me laugh when I thought about how we started the surf camp with Holly doing laundry by hand in her bikini and me driving a boat to Witch's Rock and Ollie's Point (no GPS, no phone, while trying to remember where all of the rocks were so I wouldn't hit them). All I wanted to do is surf, and thats all I still want to do. I'm actually sitting in the Liberia Airport right now, about to board a flight with Holly to San Diego. We're going to be MIA for a few days surfing California from San Diego to probably around Arroyo Grande, depending on the conditions. I am so stoked that a NW swell is about to hit

If you don't know how to read this, basically it means we're getting a big northwest swell. San Diego will be smaller so we're driving up to Ventura / Santa Barbara area and hopefully I'll be scoring perfect right point-breaks. Holly and I are going on the first vacation we've ever taken without the boys. Weird. Awesome. Kindof sad. Still awesome though. This morning we woke up and realized that we were leaving on vacation and we got really happy.

That really makes me think a lot about our boys. I miss them already. Thankfully Holly's mom Suzanne is staying at our house and watching them.

In case you want a good laugh, this is what our Halloween looked like this year:

Otis was a robot, Happy was a bunch of grapes. Happy actually loved his costume, I'm not sure what he was crying about when I took this photo but it surely wasn't because he was dressed up as grapes. Otis was on Planet Otis, as normal. They both won prizes from the costume contest in town. I dressed up as Santa Clause and handed out candy at the kid's Halloween party. Damn was that costume hot. I was sweating balls and couldn't wait to take off that wig, hat, beard and suit and find the closest Imperial I could get my hands on.

Another cute pic of my kids, this time with Pipas on the beach (get used to me always posting pics of my kids, they kill me with cuteness)

Hey, do you know anyone who wants to relocate / retire in Costa Rica? My good friend Patrick McNulty has a nice 1,100 sq meter lot in Avellanas that he is selling for $28,000. This is a little over a quarter acre and perfect for a home, there is water to the lot and electricity right there too. Find him at www.skullbonepass.com if you want more info. Also, WRSC has a lot that we are selling. It is 723 sq. meters and has a stunning ocean view. Its located approximately 4-5 minute walk behind the surf camp, on the mountain here in Tamarindo. The price is $150,000, I'm pretty sure this is the cheapest ocean view lot of it's kind in Tamarindo. Contact the WRSC Sales Office if you want to go look at it (US/Canada - 1-888-318-SURF, CR - 2653-1262). Here's the plano:

Here's what the view is like (there are ocean views in all directions so email if you want more pics sent to you)

I almost forgot to tell you all the coolest thing. WRSC just partnered up with a large cut and sew factory here in Costa Rica. We are now local-sourcing all of our t-shirts and rashguards here in Costa Rica as opposed to shipping shirts from China or other countries. I am a firm believer of trying your best to find local products, services, and staff as much as possible. Not only does it cut down on one's carbon footprint, but it also reinvests one's money in the area. I'd rather be supporting Costa Rica and Costa Ricans instead of people I've never met in places I've never been.

We're screening a few hundred Witch's Rock t-shirts for the new shop opening next week. Next will be women's tanks and men's / women's rashguards. We're currently developing a new surf shirt that is loose and dries quickly. I tested out one of the early samples and now my nipples feel like they're peeling off, totally rashed out of control. Not quite as glamorous as it sounds, being the product tester will always come with issues like this until you get it perfect. At least we have the perfect place to get it right.

Thats about it. My plane is boarding, I'm planning on sleeping for a few hours, then hanging with my family and good friends, surfing California's cold water, and getting to know my wife again. pura vida - joe