Mira Costa surf team devotes spring break to double session practices, in Nicaragua

There was one downside to the Mira Costa High surf team’s trip to Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua over spring break.

“Every day was head high or bigger with bowling take-offs and sucking barrels,” said surf coach Tracy Geller. “The problem is I’m afraid the kids will think all surf trips are like this.”

Even Dave Hall, whose AST (Adventure Sports Tours) coordinated the trip, acknowledged, “It was the best surf trip we’ve ever had. More tube time was logged on this trip than on any other trip we’ve organized.” But great conditions weren’t the only reason, he acknowledged. The other reason for so much tube time was that the kids all surfed eight  hours a day.

Ten team surfers and four of their parents made the seven-day trip with coach Geller and Hall.

Mornings began with a 5 a.m. training table of fresh fruit, pastries and cereal, followed by a morning surf session.

Then it was time to lunch on shark ceviche, fresh fried snapper and enchiladas.

Then came more surfing, thanks to the daylong offshore winds, followed by more fresh fish for dinner. Dinner was followed by ping pong and early turn ins so the exhausting cycle could start all over the next morning.

Most days the kids surfed the bowling break out front, called Chicken Bowl, or walked down the beach to Launch Ramp.

“At Launch Ramp, water coming off the reef hits the wave from the side, making it perfect for big airs,” Geller said.

In addition to Geller, parents Jerry English, Mike Boyd, Patty Brown and assistant coach Mike Quinn joined their kids on the trip. English photographed the kids from the AST house’s second story balcony, while the other parents took their rightful places in the line-up

The surfing highlight of the trip, Geller said, was a trip by panga to Puerto Sandino’s harbor entrance, where a sand bar offers 200 meters of barreling sections. It was the only day they saw other surfers. But the double overhead waves helped thin out the crowd.

To remind the team of its good fortune, one day was set aside to visit the local grammar school, where the team donated school supplies and baseball gear they had brought with them. None of the local kids surfed, but Geller who minored in Spanish in college, encouraged them to take up the sport.

The team also received a lesson in local history during a visit to Leon, one of Nicaragua’s oldest cities, with churches dating back to the 1600s.

Hall, whose son Austin, was captain of the South Torrance High surf team several years ago, co-founded AST a year ago, after selling his shipping business. The Redondo Beach resident partnered with his father, who has run surf tours to Mexico for over 20 years,  and former printer and Rancho Palos Verdes resident Graham Scott.

In addition to their Puerto Sandino camp, AST has camps at La Libertad and Punta Roca in El Salvador. They offer what Hall described as “door to door solutions,” arranging flights, land transportation, local guides, accommodations and meals for trips to surf spots throughout the world. Weekly fees range from $700 for members of groups to $1,500 for individuals, not including airfare.

For more information about AST visit www.astaventures.com. B

Comments:

comments so far. Comments posted to EasyReaderNews.com may be reprinted in the Easy Reader print edition, which is published each Thursday.