Sea Lioness Trips to Nicaragua Puerto Sandino Surf Resort
Puerto Sandino Surf Resort in Miramar, Nicaragua
- September 6, 2011
- 0 Comments
- By Story/Photos By Courtney and Surf Guru
If you’re like me, you’ve always noticed that other surfers talk about Nicaragua with a distinct twinkle in their eye. Everyone I know who’s ever traveled there has absolutely loved it, gushing to me about beautiful, uncrowded, barreling waves, and a rugged, tropical paradise filled with delicious, cheap food and kind people.
Well, I just finished my first ever surf trip to Nicaragua, and I now know what all the hype is about. It is true what they say about phenomenal waves with very little crowd, the colorful culture and cheap food—and I got to relish in all of this. But my experience was made particularly outstanding thanks to one amazing surf camp--
the Puerto Sandino Surf Resort in Miramar, Nicaragua.
I made the trip to PSSR with one of my favorite friends, Jessica Stern. She is a GREAT surfer and an awesome traveling companion (and also a huge reason why I had such a wonderful trip—thanks Jess)!
We arrived at camp on Tuesday, August 16 for a 9-day visit. PSSR is a walled-in compound right on the beach; a lovely 2-story orange and blue building with clean, comfortable rooms that sleep up to 3 surfers each. The upstairs is an open-aired lounge, kitchen, and dining area complete with hammocks, a big-screen TV, stereo, free flowing coffee, and an Internet station, all overlooking the sea. Camp manager Jeff Carver keeps the place running smoothly and shows all the visiting surfers an amazing time! Additionally, PSSR has a super-cool staff of locals, including some seriously talented chefs who have mastered the art of Nicaraguan cuisine. Every day, we were amazed by the quality of the meals we were served at PSSR (see photos).
On our first day, we were greeted with head-high plus CLEAN barreling waves right out front of the camp! This spot is called Shacks—it’s a powerful reef break that is super-consistent and seldom surfed by anyone other than the people at PSSR.
The waves remained in the chest- to head-high region for the entire trip, with a few days getting overhead at certain spots. There were the heavier days at Shacks and Salinas Grande to the north, and fun days at Pipes just north down the beach from the camp, and Paul’s Deep, the beach break immediately south. Essentially every morning, offshore winds making for clean conditions, which sometimes lasted into the afternoon. Needless to say, we got in TONS of good sessions!
I loved the fact that the camp has its own boat, a 30-foot, open-bow fiberglass vessel that we could take to any break in the area, and we also used to go fishing! One of our most favorite times on the trip was when we took the boat north to surf Puerto Sandino. As the boat approached the break, my mouth literally DROPPED OPEN—I’ve never seen such perfect, reeling lefts. Perfectly clean conditions, and the ideal wave in terms of size, power, and steepness for Jessica and I to get in lots of turns and LONG, long rides. Spectacular.
When not surfing, we had a lot of down-time around camp, spent lounging in the hammocks, reading, internetting, listening to music, watching surf videos, or having great conversations with the other surfers at camp. It was really cool for us to meet other surfers from the U.S. who were all laid-back and lots of fun—the kind of people you would expect to gravitate towards a mellow, fun place like PSSR.
Other times, we ventured outside of camp to go to the little pulperias around town that sold convenience items and various foods, or just to check out the neighborhood, which was filled with fishermen’s shacks, bony dogs, horses, chickens, pigs, and smiling locals. A couple of times, Jeff also took us to nearby city Leon to shop, dine, and check out the colorful culture of a larger Nicaraguan city.
We also did a bunch of surf fishing just outside of camp. Jessica is not only a great surfer but also an accomplished fisherwoman. She taught me a lot and together we caught a bunch of fish—jack, snapper, and grouper to name a few. One day, we had the cooks fry up our catches from the morning for lunch—so fresh and delicious.
Additionally, we spent a lot of time bonding with the camp’s dog Scooby, who gave birth to eight puppies while we were there, and their pet spider monkey Loco. One night, we even got to take the monkey on a beach walk, which was quite the point of interest to the locals and other surfers on the beach!
Our last day was terrific... we started off with a morning surf at one of our favorite spots, Pipes, just a short walk north from camp. The waves were about 4-6 feet and clean. We never shared the break with more than 5 other guys at a time. We had an awesome sesh with tons of great rides, followed by a fantastic lunch at camp. Though the conditions weren’t so great for the afternoon surf, we still had a great time on the beach, taking yoga pictures and exploring the cliffs and a huge network of tidal pools near Pipes. This area of Nicaragua is strikingly beautiful with cacti-covered cliffs that jut out over the vibrantly blue sea, and we absolutely loved it.
I cannot possibly give a higher recommendation for the Puerto Sandino Surf Resort, or for the waves in the Miramar/Puerto Sandino area. PSSR is run very professionally, yet in a warm, welcoming and laid-back manner. The food is top-notch, and the camp is very accommodating to many levels of surfers. The rooms are clean and comfortable; simple, but with all the amenities (like air conditioning) that a surfer needs. The upstairs lounge area is perfectly designed to help surfers relax and enjoy the view. And, it really does not get better than having one of the best breaks in Central America just steps away, with several other incredible spots within walking or boating distance. Additionally, you will get lots of surf pictures taken of you! I really hope you get the chance to experience PSSR like we did--you will not be disappointed and surely have the surf trip of a lifetime.
For more information:
www.puertosandinosurfreport.com
