Day 1 (BWI to Jaco)  June 24
We got up at 4am and made it to BWI by 5am to see one of the longest lines we both have ever seen at an airport in our lives. Literally the line went around the corner - then around another corner- then around another. We were behind the ticket counter on the other side of the wall. It took 50 mins to make our way up to the ticket counter. We made it through both checkpoints in BWI but when we made it to Miami i got pulled aside twice. They waved the wand around me all over and sent me through. No problems. When you get to your gate its another random search and i got called again. Same deal- no probs. One odd moment was when a uniformed customs agent brought a dog through. The dog was a small scrawny type of dog. I stayed away. No problems.

We got to our rental car no problem and made our way to Jaco. We were both starving so we stopped at Steve and Lisa's beachside restaurant about 15 miles north of Jaco. I have eaten there before and its good. I had fish and chips and Jen had ceviche and a quesadilla. With our bellies full we made our way to Jaco and checked in at Fuego Del Sol hotel on Playa Hermosa. The room was ok but there was a STRONG odor in the room. It smelled like a urinal. Disinfectant was the culprit. Jen located it hanging off the toilet. It was this bar of gross super strong smelling disinfectant. Tossed that puppy away and the room has been alot better since. Thankfully Jen remembered some Nag Champa.


I put the 7'0" together and paddled out. It was about 3-4ft occasional 6ft peaks and clean, easy and short paddle out. I got about 20 real nice rides very similar to hatteras. The lefts were nice and long on occasion. I tried to pick off those. The water was so freaking warm. About 83 or so I would guess. It was cloudy and overcast with the sun trying to poke thru. I decided to trunk it with no sunscreen. About and hour into the session I thought i was burning but i wasnt - it was me actually warm. My body temp was raised up. It was an odd feeling. I guess cuz it was warm out and the water was so warm my body just warmed up too.

After the session we went into town. Jaco is like 3 times as big as it was my last visit in 96. In 2000 they paved all the roads to Jaco so it has grown alot. We hit the super market then back to the room to settle down for the nite and watch a DVD.

Day 2 (Hermosa)  June 25
Woke up late at 7:30 and put the 6'3" together and paddled out. A little smaller than last nite. But on sets it was 4ft. I caught some nice rides this session on the ole potato chip. Im starting to get used to this tiny ass board. The highlight of the session was a left i caught. It had some size on the drop and then settled into a nice 3 ft wall. I was working the face pumping down the line when it sectioned up and barrelled over my shoulder and head. A nice cover up. I shot out and worked the rest of the wave in glea. Surfed till about 10:30. I knew it was time to come in when I kept blowing my take offs. The lil board isnt as forgiving when fatigue sets in. I showered at the pool and then took a quick dip. The pool here is dank. Very inviting and its water temp has to be upper 80's. Time to get some breakfast at the Jungle.


We drove South of Hermosa after breakfast just tooling around. We checked a bunch of surf breaks I already had known of and then came back to the room for a nap. Unfortunately the waves were not ridable when i woke up at 4pm. They were breaking so close to the beach. New swell is supposed to show tomorrow. I sure hope it does...

Did I mention our room still stinks! It smells like urine. Im pretty sure its the a/c unit. Also - another bummer is theres construction going on all day next door and you can hear it pretty easily. Im gunna have to give Fuego Del Sol a thumbs down. I asked Lance- a guy next door if his room stinks. He replied with a resounding HELL YES. Weak muv, weak.

OK- 2 things: I figured out how to get the room to not smell like urine. Its the a/c. If you dont have it full blast on cold it smells. So- I keep it on till the temp drops - then shut it off. Seems to be working. Also- the tides helped out and the surf was rideable again right at 5pm. (remember it gets dark at 6pm). Got a small session in. A few lefts and a few rights. Jen took some shots. Starting to dig the 6'3".

Day 3 (Hermosa)  June 26
Today I woke up at 6am to find the tide too high to ride out front of our hotel so i slept in another 2 hrs and when i woke there were like 10 guys out front. It was clean and glassy 3-4ft with peak size at 6ft. Got some sweet rides. Really starting to turn the 6'3". After my session Jen and I went to breakfast in Jaco at this nice lil place. Smoothies and fruit plates and omelets. yum.

Afternoon session was further down hermosa at a place they call 'corners'. Its bigger there then in front of my hotel and it breaks further out. Looks a little like Assateaque. Its a mushy on the outside and then it gets hollower on the inside where it can close out. Got some sweet rides and Jen took some pics. The wave is like assateaque so you can take off late on it and get down the face. Not very steep face till you get to the inside section. Rode the 6'3".

Oh yeah- managed to get the Jeep stuck in deep black sand after the session. A couple surfers helped push us out. Last time I was at Hermosa in '96 I got stuck on the beach. Oh yeah- and back then the beach wasn't black sand. Now it is. You can also see some damage from a major storm along the hermosa beach dirt rode.

Instead of doing another session that evening we decided to go view the sunset at this amazing place called Villa Caletas. Its high above Jaco on a mountain 20 minutes north of Jaco. Amazing views. This place is a 5 star place for honey mooners or rich ppl i guess. We got served margaritas there while watching the sunset. Jen had a mango margie that was to die for. I had a normal one that was average. We took some pics from up there and they turned out sweet.

We ate Italian and went back to the room to watch a dvd. My laptop kicks ass.

Day 4 (Jaco to Monteverde)  June 27
Woke up at 6am and it looked weak out front again. Went back to bed till 8am. I drove back to 'corners' and it looked sweet. Paddled out and scored some sick lefts. Working it down the line into the inside section and taking coffin rides in the barrels. It was dead low tide so it was shallow and easy to get out. I pulled my first maneuver on the 6'3". I had a nice left that i was pumping down the line on when i got into the inside section i saw the wave get vertical and i hit the lip! This was my first off the lip ever. I was stoked. After about 30 waves i was beat so headed back to the hotel to pack up for Monteverde. My arms are pretty wrecked and I started to get a slight belly rash.

We hit Jaco again to do the bank thing and get breakfast. We hit this nice lil spot that had ceiling fans and the food was good. I have another dank smoothie, mexican omellote and toast. Jen had a couple eggs and coffee.

We arrived in Monteverde at 3:30. Took us about 3 hrs to get here from Jaco. At the beginning of the dirt road to MV we picked up a nice local guy named Carlos. He was very friendly - spoke only spanish and needed a ride to MV. Its a 35km drive up a nasty rocky dirt rode. He kinda snoozed as we cruised up listening to reggae. We ended up running into him the next day as well. He was super kind. CARLOS!!

The room we have is choice. It has a lil fireplace with a fire ready to go. Theres extra wood and everything. The room is made out of rainforest wood and its real quaint. The weather is nice and cool and cozy.

The weather in Jaco/Hermosa was muggy as balls. Kinda weather that you sweat while your eating if theres no breeze. I try to pick a table that might have some breeze but sometimes its not an option. Monteverde is cool. Maybe upper 60s low 70s. Humidity seems low but since this is a rainforest its gotta be high.

We ate dinner at the restaurant on the premises and it was excellent. We enjoyed a fine bottle of Concha y Tora Chardonney and a fine meal. I had an organic mixed green salad and grilled sea bass with sesame seed, broccoli, and brown rice. Jen had fetuccini with squid in a olive oil white wine sauce. We topped it off with a brownie sundae with fresh fruit. It was stupendous.

Back to our room for a DVD movie. Life is good.

Throughout the night it rained on and off. It was very relaxing and junk.

Day 5 (Monteverde)  June 28
We woke up in beautiful Monteverde and went to Stellas Bakery for breaky. It was dank. Jen had real homemade yogurt with granola and i had 2 eggs scrambled and homemade rustic bread toast with a noice mixed fruit shake. After breaky we hit the Sky Walk. Its a trail with several bridges thru the St Elena cloud forest. That was great. We took a bunch of pics and enjoyed the silence and sweetness of the rainforest.

We went back to the room for a bit and then ventured on for another 2 hr hike. We decided to hit the Monteverde Reserve and do a nice hike. Everything was so beautiful. It was noice. We took more pics. Highlights of the hike were when we viewed 2 emerald toucanets in a socropia tree. They are gorgeous green birds with long beaks like a toucan but smaller than a toucans. We saw some cool catepillars. After the hike we hit the artesian shops near by and then went back to the room for naps.

Dinner at Johnnys was great. We had pesto pizza, arugala salad, and baked mushrooms. Washed it all down with some cabernet. Dessert featured a homemade cheesecake with raspberry coulis. Yummy. So far every meal except one has been epic. We had one meal at an Italian place in Jaco that was so so. All the dinners/lunches/breakfasts have been the best ever i have experienced in costa rica. The food has been excellent.

Back to the room at 9pm to have a fire and play backgammon. Tomorrow we head back to the beach. Mal Pais. Im very stoked. Pray for surf!

Day 6 (Monteverde to Mal Pais)  June 29
Before I tell you about the day I have to tell you about the session I had when we got to Mal Pais. It was a big 7-10 ft with fine shape and low wind. A super long far paddle out but relatively easy one. The main set waves were breaking about 300 yrds out. It was almost 5pm when we pulled up. There was about 30 guys/girls out there spread out. I got out and caught a nice left. Then another. Both were longer than any I had caught in Hermosa - longer than most of the waves I have caught in my life. It wasn't total perfection out there but it was real good. Crumbling peaks that turn into huge walls that just peal to left or to the right.

Then as it got dark i waited for my final wave.

A large set came thru that i let go by cuz i wasnt out far enough. After recovering from that I rested and was ready. In came a left. It was a solid 7ft. I dropped in and started working it on my 6'3". The face was big and mellow. I worked it up and down the face pulling nice fat turns. It just kept on going into the inside where i kept working it. I said to myself "smack the lip eric" so i did. While I was on the wave I was in shock of how long it was.  I was surfing it up and down and on the lip until all the sudden NO MORE OCEAN - I had rode it right onto the beach. If it werent for this guy that yelled at me to watch out- i would of ate shit even worse. I looked up and realized where i was and bailed. I smacked the bottom a lil on the rocks but all was ok. A few minor cuts and bruises thats all. My board was fine. IT WAS THE BEST WAVE OF MY LIFE!!! and definitely the longest. I figure i was up and riding for about 45 seconds atleast.   Thats a long time for a wave. All face and tons of turns. yippee! I was high off that wave for a while. Can't wait till SUNRISE!! That wave absolutely made the whole trip for me. I just kept repeating to Jen- That was the best wave of my life... Ok i admit it- Im rambling... but dude- it was the bizzomb! No pics were taking during this session. I think Jen took one with the digital camera. 

 You just cant take pics of Mal Pais at 7-10ft  - its just too far out.  Plus large waves are in the way of the wave I may be riding.  I remember tripping out at the fact I would be on a wave and not be able to see Jen or anyone on the beach because the wave in front of me was so big i cudnt see over it.

Ok now back to todays events..

We had a good day today travelling from Monteverde. We caught up with the ferry to Paquera an hour and half early so we waited in line and met a few folks. Met a couple dudes from D.C going to Mal Pais for surf. We met a couple from Alabama backpacking and taking buses. We ended up giving them a ride to Montezuma. They were nice. They told us about the Banaroo concert in Tennessee. When we got to Mal Pais as i told ya I paddled out immediately. After the session we checked in at Tropico Latino. Its close to the beach and very tropical. Our cabina has its own private porch and hammock. There are ants and a few spiders but overall its nice. The shower is very sweet. We are going to eat dinner here tonite. I hope its tasty. Back to muggy hot weather on the coast. Big change from MV. I hope this weather doesnt hurt my laptop.

Dinner was excellent here at Tropico Latino. I had mahi mahi in a coconut milk sauce with potato pancake and steamed veggys. Jen had mixed seafood fried rice with steamed veggy. Washed it all down with a couple Imperials. No dessert for us. We just went down to the beach for a while and star gazed. The stars were magnificent.

Day 7 (Mal Pais - Sta Teresa)   June 30
Tropico Latino is such a sweet lil place. I highly recommend it. The cabinas are private and have their own porch with hammock, outdoor chairs and a table. In fact that is where I am now typing this - out on the porch. We have a kick ass fan that we only put on Low for the room. The bed is ok. Plenty of room. The bathroom is kinda nice.

Well, I woke up at 6:30a and checked it out front of the hotel. It was decent but I thought it might be better where i surfed last nite. So i hopped in the Jeep with my 6'3" and went up there. Its a 3 min drive. I could walk it - but ya know. Well there was only 3 guys out - 2 of which were the 2 dudes I met yesterday. It was a touch smaller. I'd call it 4-7ft. The sets were def 7ft minimal. On average most of the waves i caught were about 6ft. Caught about 5 super lefts. Very long. Not quite as long as last nites awesome wave but they were super fun. I think I am going to use the 7'0" tonite because its easier to paddle and alot of guys are riding bigger boards for stability I guess. I think I will be able to get more waves with it because its almost impossible to miss a wave on that thing. The 6'3" you have to be in the right position most of the time. It isnt as forgiving as the 7'0" fun shape.

I surfed until 9:30 and I was exhausted. Took me awhile to get in. Your out there about 300 yards or so. My jeep looks tiny from the lineup. Thats what blows me away about last nites wave- I rode it all the way in to the shore (rocks). So it must of been a 300 or so yard long ride. hehehe. Anyway Jen and I got our breakfast on which was excellent - then just kicked it around the hotel grounds. The pool here is sweet. We went to the beach and laid out and Jen tried to learn how to surf on the white water. It was dead low tide and no surfers were out. Apparently its only rideable at high tide. It was kinda crappy with size so I didnt bother surfing. I took a nap in a hammock and Jen kicked it in a nice lawn chair.

At about 5pm the tide was right for a session. I paddled out with the 2 guys I met and got a bunch of lefts. I didnt catch shit the first half hour which kinda sucked but then I started picking off some waves here and there. All around 6 ft. Every half hour or so a massive cleanup set would roll in. Those faces were 8-10ft. Usually everyone was too far inside to get those. Its definitely a challenge and test to your swimming and surfing skills here. Your so far out - and its big. At dark i came in and i was pretty far down the beach. Jen was kinda worried about me.

Dinner at Franks Place was ok. Super inexpensive and tasty. I had the fish of the house plate which was real good. Dorado I assume, in a creme sauce with shrimp, rice and veggy. Topped it off with an ice cream sandwich for dessert and all washed down with two Imperials all for under $20. We headed back to our place for another beer and then to watch a DVD movie in the room.

Day 8 (Mal Pais - Sta Teresa)   July 1
Today I woke up at 6am and paddled out down the street and caught Mal Pais at 6-8ft again. Soon as I paddled out i locked into a nice 8 ft right. Making the drop and bottom turn on a meaty wave this size can be a lil challenging. I def have biffed about 10 takeoffs - slamming on the face. I am just not used to waves this size. Once you make the bottom turn everything usually is locked in. You can work down the line trying maneuvers or just turns. I had it all to myself till about 7am. Teddy and Charlie paddled out and I said hi to them and we chatted in the lineup. We all picked off several rights and then I paddled in. I was totally exhausted yet again. My arms are sore as shit. For the first time my forearms are actually sore as hell. I have to keep stretching my arms out when im in the lineup.

Cruised back to the room and checked the surf out front. It looked the best yet. So i mustarded up some energy and hit it. Jen was still asleep so I said might as well. It a much harder paddle out - out front here. I dont know why. But i made it out finally after about 20 mins of paddling and duck diving. Once i was out there i rested for about 15 mins and waited for the right wave. One came along and it was a meaty 8ft right. I dropped in on that and made it - surfed it about 200 yards and pulled out. When i made it back out to the lineup again I knew i was only good for 2 more waves or so. Next thing i know another set comes in. I take off on a left. Again it was about 8ft and shapely as hell. I made the bottom turn and sucked back up in the face shooting down the line carving. What a kick ass thrill! I surfed it about 200 yards and biffed on a turn off the lip and slammed.

At that point i was stuck inside and i was getting pounded. I decided i was done and headed in.

Jen and I decided to drive over to Montezuma and hit Sano Bananno. Its a kick ass health food restaurant. I had a awesome smoothie there. It was lots of berries and such and had frozen yogurt soft serve in the middle. YUMMY! I had tofu scrambler and home fries. Jen had a mexican tostada and a coconut smoothie. We hit the waterfall and sweated our asses off hiking to it. We walked around town a bit and decided not to hike Cabo Blanco Reserve.

We headed back to Mal Pais to take siestas and chill in the hammocks. Hopefully the tide will be right to paddle out tonite before dark. My shoulders and arms hurt just thinking about it.

Well the waves got super nice for the evening sesh. I paddled out around 4:30 and surfed till sunset. It was 6-8 again and alot of fun. I pulled into some fun rights and some long ass lefts. It was another exhausting session.

After the sesh we went looking for an Italian Restaurant on the north end of Sta Teresa. We drove for a long time and couldnt find it. The road there was super muddy and wet and made the road to Monteverde seem like the autobahn. We had to pass small streams and junk. Couldnt find it so we went back to the Tropico Latino for dinner.

Day 9 (Mal Pais to Hermosa)  July 2
Slept in till 7am and hit the beach for a session. It was real good out front again so i hit it. I got about 7 real good 7fters and came in after an hour. We got some breaky at the hotel and hit the road for the Puntarenas ferry. Man i hate that ferry. It was hot as hell and i just kept sweating my ass off the whole time. Finally got off that bastard and made our way back to Jaco to check into the Backyard at 2pm.

The room here at the Backyard is super nice. Cable TV! AC! Hermosa was going off right out front of our hotel. 5-7ft with occasional 8ft on sets. This break is fast and hollow. Its mostly short boarders here. Mal Pais was crumbling big slopey faces only barrelling really in the inside sections. Hermosa is a peak setup to a barrel right away. Its a high performance wave.

It looked so good so I paddled out for a session. Jen got a couple pics I hope they show how good it was. I pulled into a solid 7 fter first wave. A nice left that worked down the line a bit. I picked off a hand full or so more and paddled back in. My arms are so shot. At least Hermosa is 1/3 the paddle out. You only need to go about 100 yards or so out. I rode my short board for this session. Its much better for making the speedy sections.

Jen and I enjoyed some cocktails and veggy nachos right on the beach and watched the action in the water. Dudes were killing it. Arials, Snaps off the top, big turns etc. No barrells tho.

Theres so many Americans around here its almost annoying. Mal Pais was so remote. It was nice. The climate in Mal Pais was very very humid. Jaco is nicer, not quite as clammy.

Its also nice to get away from the ants and no a/c at Mal Pais. hehehe

One more dinner in Jaco tonite. We gotta pack up and get ready for our flight tomorrow at 1pm.


What an excellent trip!!! Pura Vida!

Day 10 (Hermosa to San Jose Airport)  July 3
I woke up at 5:45 and was in the water by 6am. It was a touch smaller than last nite - about 4-5ft occasional 6ft. It was a beautiful sunny morning and there was about 15 guys out right in front of the Backyard hotel where we are staying. I bagged a bunch of lefts and a few rights. It was a good session on the 6'3". Highlights were def the lefts i got ripping up and down the face and spraying water over the lip on my turns. After about an hour and a half it was time to come in and pack up.

We packed up the Jeep and checked out of the hotel. Gassed up the Jeep in Jaco and drove back to San Jose to return the Jeep and get to the airport 2 hrs ahead of our flight.

We got pulled over by a police officer for speeding. He just checked my license and passport and let us go. He actually could speak some English. That was close.

We were about 20 mins outside of San Jose when an incident happened. This lady in a small Toyota truck with all these plants in the back pulled out in front of us. I SLAMMED on the breaks and we locked up the wheels and skidded for many many yards. We got about 12 inches from the back of her and didnt hit her. It was so damn close. I laid on the horn a bunch. This was def the closest to having an accident I think I have ever had. It was so damn close. We missed her by a matter of inches. She just kept driving - didnt even acknowledge us. No wave - or nothing. UGGH!! We had such a nice vacay and we were less than a half hour from dropping off the car and that happened. Man.

Got to the airport and paid our departure tax and took off on time. We are on our way home!

Thanks for reading- Pura Vida!

CLICK HERE FOR SURF PICS!