Panama April '09

I'm three months late on this (thanks Chops for your patience!)  In April four of us headed to Panama for what has turned into an annual surf trip.  Each spring for the last couple years a few of us have gathered and headed south for some international adventure and waveriding.   It has become one of my favorite times without fail - year in year out.  It's typically a last minute trip, done on the cheap, no frills and with limited planning.  Full of great fellowship, relaxation, surfing, a lot of chicken, butchered spanish and surfing. Panama was no different.  

Panama has a lot to offer.  Tons of coast line - Caribbean on one side and the Pacific on the other.  Warm waters, nice swells, friendly locals and its still low on the tourist scale especially when you compare it to its neighbor to the north - Costa Rica.  We saw very few americans while we were there sans the BB owners where we stayed and the owner of Chachos who was from VA Beach!   What Panama doesn't have is surfboards.  We typically just rent them in country to save from flying them and its never been a problem.  Surf shops galore.  Not so in Panama, at least on the pacific side.  However, we did luck out in finding Flor (who taught lessons at the resorts and rented boards in the town of Paolmar).  Major score.  Oh, and she completely killed it in the water.  By far smoked any of us surfing.  Hey - but she LIVES there.  I bet I can beat her in...umm...rush hour driving skills.  She not only had a variety of boards but her little house/shop was right on a killer right point break.  So, while the locals had to park way down the beach in town and walk to the point, us gringos rolled up in our rental corolla and were given parking rights in her side yard.  We walked with big smiles right out to the break.  

We surfed the right point break called Paolmar Point everyday.  It was one of the most predictable and best shaped waves I've ridden.  Consistently chest to head high and a clean right shoulder.  4 days of surfing and I never rode a single left!  So unfair but whose complaining.  Very finicky waves that only work on at very specific times depending on the tides.  So while the point in these pictures is flat at medium tide for about 3 hours every day it goes off.  And everyone comes out of the woodwork to surf it.  

One of my highlights was breaking this guys fin off his board when I sort of dropped in on him. I'll save you all the details but we walked into town together to get the board fixed - he spoke as much english as I spoke spanish.  After he was done being mad we had some good laughs and we went our separate ways (me back out in the water, him not so lucky).  

Here are a few pics.  Sorry none while the point was kicking.  Too busy.