$9.99 U.S. & CANADA

Photos: SecretSurf007.com

David, ready and waiting to pick us up in Panama CityChristina, Dan, David and Gabriel

Sandra adding her bikini sponsor stickers (Honey Girl), to her brand new Fluid Surfboard

Dan & Gabriel... Happy to be flying TACA Airlines!

Making our way through the bus termina with our guide, DavidREAL cuban cigar anyone?

Now THAT’S a view to remember!

www.TacaAirlines.com www.MorroNegrito.travelwww.PanamaSurfCamp.com

I t wasfinally here...

Panama awaited us, and we were SO ready to go!The day started off at the Waffle House, across from the Daytona 500, as we waited for our photog-rapher, Gabriel, to finish photogra-phy class.

After filling our bellies with the last US meal we would enjoy for a week, we headed to FedEx to mail my diamond ring back home. We had been in Florida for business, but didn’t want to be “targets” in South America, so we were taking all the necessary precautions. After all, no need to tempt anyone there, right?

We picked up an excited Gabriel and headed to the airport, surf-board bags sticking out the side of our small rental car. We were excited... After months of planning and research, we were finally on our way!

Arriving at the airport, we searched several floors of the parking garage before finally finding a cart (we never pay for those things!), and piled it high with backpacks and board bags, then headed for the TACA Airlines counter.

Unlike most airlines these days, TACA Airlines checked us in with glowing smiles and everyone was extremely helpful. We knew the board bags would be a hassle- they usually are, but surprisingly-- not at TACA. It was almost like it was a usual occurrence for surfers to be traveling with them.

Through security, down the ramp, and onto the plane, TAKEOFF!! That’s when we knew there was definitely something different about flying with TACA. Unbe-knownst to us, included in the flight (for FREE) was a nice meal (even on our 45min flights), and right after takeoff they came by with drink carts stocked with com-plimentary snacks, coffee, soda, juice, and adult beverages. Free headsets were also offered (with a smile), and with over 30 movies to enjoy on our personal video screens, time flew. Upon landing in El Salvador for a quick plane change, a cruise of the airport- making note of anything we liked and might want to pick up as a souvenir on the way home-- IF we didn’t happen to find it in Panama City, we were back onto TACA to our next leg, Costa Rica.

TACA filled us with another round of food and drinks, a bevy of in-flight entertainment, and touchdown—we were in Costa Rica. It was the rainy season for South America this time of year, and clouds filled the evening sky,

making it feel even more remote and exotic. The Costa Rican & El Salvadorian airports were quite interesting to explore, and with a 1 hour layover, we spent it cruising the shops, sip-ping on coffee samples (the airport shops offer free coffee, chocolate and liquor samples right there in the airport. Strange, but who’s gonna turn down free coffee!) and watching the planes come and go on the water-soaked runway. Boarded flight #3 and we were now amped. Next stop? PANAMA!!!

Touchdown... Panama City!Once through customs, we were greeted by David; Morro Negrito had sent him to meet us, take us to the bus station, purchase tickets, and show us where to wait-- nice! Our good friend, Christina (surfer/photographer), who had arrived earlier from Florida on a different airline was with him also. After ex-cited hugs, jumping up and down in excitement, anticipating the fun we were about to have, we fol-lowed David to the van, loaded our bags, and made our way through downtown Panama City to the bus station. Now Panama’s bus system is a little different than what you’ll find in the States... To start with, the terminal was more like an airport... 2 levels, and HUNDREDS of double-decker buses that were plush—and air conditioned. We had been told to dress warm for the ride—the night bus was known to be a bit frigid.

After a bite to eat at the bus terminal, we purchased water and boarded our bus (only $15 US per person for a 5 hour ride) bound for the province of David. The midnight bus would be making one stop about 3 1/2 hours into the trip, and we were warned to set our watches and NOT FALL ASLEEP after that point, as we would have to remind the driver to let us off at our remote stop. It was in the mid-dle of nowhere, and if we missed it, it could be hours before getting back. Sure enough, it WAS in the middle of nowhere, but it wasn’t a problem, because as soon as we got off the bus, we were greeted by our Morro Negrito contact, who loaded up the boards and bags again, and we began the slow 1/2 hour drive to the waters edge, through winding roads hedged with thick, lush, jungle foliage.

Arriving at the Morro Negrito Surf Camp “holding area” was a relief. It had now been 15+ hours of travel, and brushing our teeth, taking vi-tamins, wrapping our bags securely in plastic (they warned us every-thing may get soaked during the boat ride- they were right!), and catching a quick snooze was at the top of our lists. Though the staff offered us beds to sleep in as we waited, we opted for the outdoor

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Headed to the boat launch... ready for adventure!

Photos: SecretSurf007.com

At the Morro Negrito Surf Camp holding area, waiting for the tide to rise high enough to allow the boat to come pick us up.

Photos: SecretSurf007.com

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Photos: SecretSurf007.comDan and Sarah at Emily’s

Christina and Jordan, practicing their own “surf duet”. They met here in Panama, were inseparable, and have been dating ever since. NICE!

hammocks instead, and relaxed as Gabriel snapped photos of the local horse that roamed freely about, the chickens, and a picturesque bridge near the boat launch. We were waiting for the tide to rise high enough to allow the boat to come pick us up.

7am brought the sound of the boat’s motor, and we eagerly gathered our bags and started down the cobblestone path to the boat launch. Doug (surf guide) and Irvin (boat captain) greeted us. We piled in and were off for a watery, rain-drenched ½ hour ride down a winding, twisting river, surrounded by thick jungle, leading to the open ocean. Majestic outcroppings of black rocks and small islands dotted the horizon everywhere. After 15 minutes, we could finally see the Morro Negrito Surf Camp up ahead, with its bright orange bungalows dotted against the deep green and uninhabited landscape.

The rain began to let up SLIGHTLY as we arrived on shore where a handful of staff greeted us and proceeded to carry ALL our bags and boards up to the camp- what service! A short 3 minute walk later, and we had arrived at camp, soaked to the bone, but stoked on our adventure as we followed our guides to our individual rooms. Well groomed trails seem to lead in all directions, each to its own small bungalow, and since Dan and I were the only couple on the trip, we got to stay in the family room, which was farthest from shore, but also had its own private lanai and bathroom, and the best view! Smooth, round, black rocks tum-bled in and out with the shoreline break- a mere 25 yards below, and the bungalow overlooked Emily’s… a nice little left that was dependant on the tide levels, but always a fun way to catch a few more waves before dinner, when you needed just one more!

Emily’s was unique in that you could surf it ANYTIME you wanted since you didn’t need a boat to get to it, and your friends could watch you surf from the nearby open-aired dining room or hammocks. It was like having your own cheering section!

That first day in we took much needed naps, and woke to the sound of the lunch bell (love that sound every morning, afternoon and night!). After a filling meal, Christina, Dan and I loaded up the boat with the boards, accompa-nied by Doug (surf guide), and Eric (boat captain), and we left in search of surf.

Morro Negrito Surf Camp is awe-some in that there are all styles of waves available. The staff made sure we knew which spots we were surfing, and where they were on the large map drawn on the dining room wall... offering a buffet of

waves and conditions. You have ankle-kissing baby waves near the boat launch (Elijah’s), Emily’s- the smaller break directly in front of the camp, and Snickers—which soon became one of our favorite waves. Snickers is a solid beach break, canvassed by a mile-long black sand beach, and gets REALLY good on a rising tide (lefts and rights). El Toro (the bull) is another great wave, nestled between giant, foliage covered black rocks, and offering a punchy left or right that looks like it’s going to break right on shore—yet you rarely touch the sandy bottom.

There are more advanced waves available- on the right swell- such as Nestles (we didn’t get to surf this spot since it only breaks when it gets over 15ft). Nestles is appar-ently a death defying drop, into an extremely shallow, boulder-filled, ocean bottom— and just waiting to teach you a lesson. We’re told this is a pop-up fast- while air-dropping into a stand-up barrel that shoots you like a rocket out of the danger zone. No shoulder to speak of on this wave AT ALL. Yikes!

Lastly, you also have the ever popular Point, which was close to camp, and offered heaving barrels galore. Less sketchy than Nestles, this was the spot to hone your bar-rel riding skills, without the crowd. At the Point, a steep and dedicated takeoff is mandatory, and there’s no avoiding the closeout by going for a doggy-door here either. On the waves that barreled, you had to ride into a closeout almost every time, or pay your dues on the shallow, rock-infested inside, that sits mercilessly near a steep, un-scalable cliff. Not the friendliest conditions, but a magnificent wave to say the least.

While the Point was FUN we later found out, it also drew most of the other 10 surfers at camp, and after living in Hawaii and dealing with crowds, this spot wasn’t at the top of our list. After all, we were in Pan-ama to surf waves all to ourselves, without hassling with lineups or overly aggressive paddle-battlers. Instead, our crew usually opted for Snickers, which hosted 6’-10’+ wave, after wave, after beautiful glassy wave, after another.

As with any surf spot in Panama, the tide really affects the breaks, so on our first day in, we chose the Rock, which was just that… a little rock sticking out of the ocean, that peeled a fun right-hander, with a sometimes, make-able section. Coming from Hawaii, this little wave was a lot of fun to play around on, and I got a serious wake-up call when I caught the rail of my board… squarely on the right jaw. Hearing an alarming crack and fearing the worse I checked my teeth—they were still all there. (Praise God!) An immediate froggy appeared though and cuts lined

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Morro Negrito Surf Camp

Dan at El Toro

Sandra @ Emily’s, testing out her new Honey Girl swimwear. BEST SWIMWEAR for surfing... EVER! (honeygirlwaterwear.com)

Christina hitting the lip at Snickers

Dan & Sandra, headed to Emily’s for an evening session

Surf guide, Doug, at The Rock

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Photos: SecretSurf007.comSarah snags a nice one at the Point

Dan dips deep to avoid taking one on the head at the Point. His HD GoPro camera got some great underwater video of this wave! (goprocamera.com)

the inside of my mouth where my teeth had almost pierced through my cheeks. Swelling set in and by nightfall—I looked a bit like a chip-munk hoarding food—for a really long winter.

Not all bad came from the accident however. Back at camp that night, after multiple chunks of ice were applied, I was officially awarded the camp’s daily trophy of excellence. Surf guide, Jordan, explained that every evening, directly after dinner, they give an award to the person who really gave it their all that day, made an impressive snap or ma-neuver, or also- for the most stupid move of the day. I laughingly ac-cepted the award, admitting I had won for the latter, and promised to try to get the award later in the week, for something “smarter”.

That night, worn out from travel-ing, we were asleep by 8:30—and dreaming of surf.

Dan and I were excited to greet our longtime friend and surf buddy, Sarah Dean, to camp the next morning. She had endured a laborious flight delay coming out of Hawaii due to engine plane failure, but had now finally arrived! Now, Sarah is famous for getting hurt. The girl rips/charges/she does it all... but she occasionally beats herself up in the process. So upon her arrival, the rest of us felt bet-ter-- knowing she was likely to be the one taking the “injury” cake.

Coffee and a breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs and fried Indian bread with jelly filled us up, after which we grabbed our boards, some snacks for later on the boat, and headed out for our first surf ses-sion that day.

El Toro was the call this time… and we enjoyed a day of trading wave after wave with our core group of 6, hooting each other on.

Dan was stoked to be in the water and experimenting with his new HD GoPro Camera that he had mounted on the nose of his board via an FCS plug. He later realized that some his best and fa-vorite video taken was of us duck-diving through the waves when paddling back out. But, he warns to watch out when duck-diving, because he took the skin off his nose a couple of times before he learned his lesson-- to not bring his head so close to the camera.

That session was one of those when all you can do is sit on your board, drinking in the exotic beauty around you, and wondering why you’ve been blessed with such an experience. Life doesn’t get much better.

No injuries to report this second day… tired, sunburned and worn out though, we hit the beds early, in anticipation of the building swell and our 5:30am wake-up call.

Ding, ding, ding… the breakfast bell awoke us from a delicious, deep sleep, and it was all we could do to pull ourselves out of our comfy beds, and into a cold shower to wake up.

The sun peeked up soon, revealing a well-formed Emily’s. The swell had come up—a little bit! Excitedly, we ate breakfast, and headed to the boat launch, where we each helped the boat guys by lying wood down in front of the boat, and rolling/pushing them to the waters edge. Kind of tribal and a very different surf experience. The other surfers (5 guys) took one boat to go check an outer island spot, and their girl-friends piled into the WSSM boat, for a quick ride over to Snickers.

Leslie (camp chef), was just learning to surf. She was a bit cautious, yet eager to surf with all the girls, but was admittedly in over her head when one big set rolled through (which we couldn’t believe she paddled for- and caught). It took her all the way to the beach! After considerable effort, she simply wasn’t able to make it back to the outside, so she settled for an on-shore view of the action. Rayna and Milica had surfed before, but due to where they live (MT and north-ern CA) they don’t get the chance to do so very often, so Snickers, this day, was a great way to get them back in the water—without having to deal with barrels, or wave hungry dudes.

After 2 hours of fun waves, we all piled back onto the boat and headed over to EL Toro, where we enjoyed more countless waves and laughter. What a fun day!

Evening came, and it was my turn to pass the trophy torch. I gave it to Rayna, who- though she had just had a baby 18 months before, and RARELY surfed, had gone above and beyond – paddling herself into overhead waves, and riding them! Rayna had easily overcome the intimidation that comes with surf-ing with a group of girls she didn’t know, that were better surfers, and she didn’t give up. Way to go Rayna!

The swell continued to rise over-night, and we slept to the sound of rain pounding on the tin roof while waves crashed below.

With not a mosquito in sight, we didn’t utilize the mosquito nets- thankfully, and awoke to the breakfast bell, once again.

This was the day of all days for Dan and me in particular. The group headed to Snickers, but the tide hadn’t quite come up enough yet, causing closeout conditions. Christina and Sarah became disil-lusioned and headed back to camp after about an hour to try out Emily’s and later on- the Point. Dan and I, Doug (surf guide) and

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Christina @ the Point

Sandra @ the Point

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It was like a dream that we never

wanted to end... Wave after wave,

after perfect wave, and only four of us out!

Sarah’s here! Fresh coffee or coconut, anyone?

Photos: SecretSurf007.com

Dan-the-Man, in a boat full of ladies. WSSM surf travel rules!

Milica doing a funky-board dance

Sarah, tossing water at Snickers

Sarah, Sandra and Dan-- surf buddies for life!

Brave soul, Leslie, catching her wave of the day

Eric (boat captain) stayed behind-- where we soon enjoyed one of the most memorable, epic and perfect surf sessions of the trip.

Doug had advised us all to stay, saying the rising tide would fill in nice; dissolving the dumpy, shifty, morning conditions. He is a wise man! Sure enough, about 45min after the girls left, the wave turned on, churning out set, after set, after set, of well overhead, per-fectly glassy, smooth faces-- both lefts and rights! You would catch a wave, paddle a short distance back out, and there came another one, and another one, and another one.

After another 2 hours, we returned to the boat for a quick snack and second application of Ultrasol Sun-creen spray (love that stuff!). Doug asked us if we were tired and want-ed to return to camp for lunch, but it was like a dream we never want-ed to end. With only four of us out, and Gabriel snapping photo after photo on the shore… how could we leave? The waves were perfect, 8-10ft+, and the water warm. The black sand beach stretched out for a mile- without a single person in sight. This was truly paradise, and we never wanted to leave.

6 hours had finally passed since we left camp, and our arms finally wore out, so we paddled back to the boat to drop off the boards. Our plan was to walk the beach back to camp, since this would probably be the only time to do so, since the rest of our time was spent either surfing or relaxing from the surf. The ocean, however, had one more nugget in store. As we all paddled back to the boat, we were about halfway there when a sneaker set rose up in front of us. It began pull-ing up, and up, and up in front of us- each of us looking longingly at it. We were beat- our arms hang-ing by our sides, how could we? Dan couldn’t resist… and with a quick whip of his board, he turned around, letting out a “you’ve got to be kidding me…I can’t let this one go!” He gave two quick paddles and dropped into the biggest set of the day… out of sight. A faint whoohooo echoed from far away, and Doug and I sat up waiting for Dan to reappear, shaking our heads in disbelief. We were almost halfway to the boat already-- This wave had come out of nowhere… AND we couldn’t believe he caught it!

Stoked and smiling from ear to ear, Eric and Doug dropped us close to shore and raced the boat back to the safety of the open ocean before the next gnarly set rolled through. Swimming with the

waves, we reached the shoreline, and began our beach exploration as we made our way back to camp. Seashells littered the beach as far as the eye could see, and sand dol-lars the size of small pancakes were easily found. What a magnificent place Panama is!

The swell held and we all enjoyed some barrels at the Point the next day, amid pouring rain and the most crowded session we had surfed to date while in Panama. After our 5 hour surf session the day before, we were so stoked and worn out, and didn’t want to deal with the “crowd” factor of 10 guys at the Point, so after a couple quick ones, we headed back to Snickers, picking up a new arrival, Bram from the Netherlands, on the way. He unfortunately got TRASHED on an outside set that rattled him, but he stuck with it, and after we returned to camp about an hour later, he enjoyed a much more successful session with Dan that evening, catching Emily’s until the stars

came out. We had worn ourselves out-- and knew we had reached the pinna-cle of our surf trip, it just couldn’t get any better! Panama had become a blur of perfect waves, good friends, early mornings and sunrise sessions,

exquisite yet rustic surroundings, and evenings spent playing guitars and ping pong.

Two days before we left, we got to sit down and chat with the camps co-owners, Steve and Marilyn. Turns out, they started the camp 12 years prior, importing the ba-nana and coconut trees that now supply all the camp’s fruit needs. They also built the bungalows, and hired boat captains, cooks and maids to keep the place running smoothly. Overall, it had been a real undertaking that was now a beauti-ful and successful surf camp.

Swapping surf stories and experi-ences made the evening fly by far too quickly. Steve told us about the famous surfers who had stayed with them. Christina showed her shark bite scar- which led to the discovery that this particular area had been over fished in the 50’s by the Japanese whaling boats, and therefore, sharks no longer existed in the area. Marilyn joined us on our last night for the big group bonfire, chatting about life in Panama, children, and all the work that had gone into making this fabulous place possible. She also answered the question we had about the “star” that shone bright above us each night. Turns out it was actually Neptune. Wow!

Our last day finally arrived, and Dan, Gabriel and I packed up and

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The coconutcutting station

Sandra, Sarah and Christina at El Toro

Back at camp, Jordon teaches Christina how to play the guitar, while Dan and Gabriel look at the HD video footage from Dan’s GoPro camera

Fresh coconut!

Dan exiting his tube at the Point

Gabriel’s self portrait on

the beach at Snickers.Thanks for all the great

photos, dude!

Rayna drops into her second wave at El Toro

The camp “enforcers”

Dan setting up for a floater at Snickers

Our Fluid Surfboards were an excellent choice for these South American waves. Thank guys!

Fluidsurfboards.com

Fresh coffee and a full breakfast greeted us each morning...

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“Wear the Beach” anklet- one of the coolest souvenirs I’ve ever had! You fill it with sand from your favorite beach... and wear it!

wearthebeach.com

The WSSM crew! (L to R) Leslie, Sarah, Christina, Sandra, Dan and Gabriel

Panama City!

Sarah

The Panama Canal

Photos: SecretSurf007.com

headed back to Panama City where Christina and Sarah would be join-ing us later that evening. We left in the early afternoon, ea-ger for our 5 hour bus ride through the countryside during the day, so that we could get a feel for the “real” Panama. It looked a lot like Mexico, brightly colored buildings, small towns where simplicity in living is just regular life for most. Pure poverty is the norm, but they don’t seem to mind and for the most part are a happy and welcoming people.

We spent the night at a nice hotel ($42 US total- no tax, for 3 people) called the Vera Cruz, in the heart of Panama City. It was 70’s decor to the core, but extremely clean and we felt safe there. Across the street we checked out the Fiesta Casino. Initially Dan wasn’t allowed in because he wore a shirt with cutoff sleeves, however (with a sweatshirt on) we did finally go in, only to find guys in slippers, wearing old, dirty stained t-shirts, and women in spa-ghetti strap tank tops. What a trip!

Panama City itself was quite beauti-ful and picturesque. Old buildings that were once quite detailed and ornate line the narrow streets. Far away on the horizon, large ships and barges wait in long lines for their turn to pass through the Panama Canal.

That day we explored an older part of Panama City, also known as the French quarter, gathering souve-nirs, macking on $.75 gourmet hotdogs and snapping photos.

One thing we noticed while in Panama, is that EVERYONE uses US dollars! No matter where we went, from the fruit stands, to the res-taurants, to the airport & bus ter-minals... EVERYONE uses US dollars, and acted as though we were from Mars, when we asked for Panama-nian money for our coin collection. We managed to find some coins here and there, but we could count them on one hand. Nuts!

Christina and Sarah left early in the day to catch their flights home, but the rest of us weren’t due to fly out until the next day—which meant we would have time to check out the Panama Canal! Yeah!

After our morning of adventure in the city, David picked us up at 4pm and took us to the canal, where we got to see one of the great won-ders of the world. Built in 1913,

everything about the Panama Canal oozed with history, making it a very surreal experience.

David explained to us how the locks work, the schedules on which the ships pass through (different directions at different times), all of which was rather interesting. One ship in particular came through right as we entered the 4th level viewing deck. The seamen were yelling and waving at all of us tour-ists, laughing and beckoning to us, celebrating what must have been a milestone in their journey. It was as if they had been out to sea for MONTHS and were excited to return to civilization. What a different life that must be than ours.

Looking back, Panama was so much more than we had anticipated and hoped for. Though we endured sea lice and Portuguese Man-o-war that stung us, intense rain and lighten-ing storms at night, a banged up jaw and loosened teeth for two of us girls, we had enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

On the injury list, my swollen jaw was a battle wound that could have been a lot worse. A nasty fin cut turned into a gnarly looking bruise that lasted for weeks, and in addition, I also nearly knocked out my front teeth. Seriously! Having too much fun and not paying at-tention to an approaching set after exiting a wave was my mistake. I whipped my board around too quickly, placing it between me and the wave-- a real no-no. I got hit so hard, my teeth actually punctured the fiberglass, and were a bit wob-bly for the next day or so. Thank you, God, they’re all good to go now. Sarah, our other casualty, was true to her reputation of injuries, as she also made contact with her board. Upon surfacing after a long hold down at the Point, she caught the tail of her board directly in the mouth! It completely knocked out her lower retainer, but her teeth were saved!

Minor injuries (war wounds?) aside, we had the most fulfilling, wonderful time in Panama and at the Morro Negrito Surf Camp. The food was good, people friendly, landscape inspiring, and the surf will definitely be calling us back for many years to come.

Surf travel to paradise DOES exist… and you too can find it in Panama! u

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