It’s Labor Day weekend 2016 and I’m reminiscing on our recent SMA Nicaragua conference of August 13th-20th. The conference was a real BLAST! We had an eclectic group of veteran and new comer SMA members from the US east and west coasts and an Aussie made the trip as well. We stayed at the beach front Miramar surf camp in Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua. Attendees were Brian Sturgill, Barry Clanton, Jeff Parisi, John Watson, Erik Dworsky, Mark Kan, Thad Martin, Norm Vinn, Rym Partridge, Pat and Kevin Quinlan, Garrett Tallman, Neal Harris, Peter Gregg, Steve and Ethan Shapiro, Daniel Moffatt, and myself Brian McArthur.
Brian Sturgill and I flew in a couple of days early to get a jump on the surf ahead of the impending crowd. We caught a couple of days of head high glassy conditions out front at Punta miramar and then took the boat up to Salinas Grandes for some head high barrels over the sand bars. Sturgill was the standout at Salinas snagging over a dozen right and left barreling peaks in under an hour and took off on any wave that came his way. He was looking in great form after he had been surfing head high rights point breaks the week and a half before in Cabo Mexico. Well played Brian, well played.
The next two days our crew arrived from the airport, each anxous to get some surf straight away with waves peeling litteraly a stone’s throw from our resort’s restaurant.
The Routine
Once everyone settled in our routine went something like this: morning boat trips up to surf Puerto Sandino (Freight Trains) for a couple of hours of surf, back to the boat which then drops you off in front of our resort-catch a few more waves then paddle in and eat breakfast. After properly digesting your pancakes or Nica burrito, you surf one of the breaks out front-Punta miramar, Pipes, or Shacks (chicken bowls) and follow it up with a big lunch. Then it’s nap in the a/c or hammock, read on a rocking chair with one eye and watching the surf with the other, get a massage, relax in the pool while staring at the surf, then surf again in the late afternoon till dark. After surf you brag about and embellish your best waves and surf stories in the pool, devour another amazing dinner, then cheer and heckle the best of the daily surf pictures and wipeouts on the big screen. Finally you listen to a couple of medical surf talks, hoot at the gross pictures and oggle over the surf photos and finally stumble back to your room for some cold A/C and pass out…then do it again the next day.
The Surf
We were fortunate to have head high or better surf every day of our trip. Having surfed this area 4 previous times, including last year’s SMA conference, we lucked into some good waves. Not world class, epic waves like Puerto Sandino can deliver but we did have plenty of really good sessions. And favorable winds for the most part. Puerto Sandino needs lots of sand on the rock shelf underneath to really do it’s thing. When on, it’s 400 yards of barreling fun over a sandy bottom. This year the wave wasn’t as perfect but it had several sections to it. The locals said the sand got washed away by the recent huge swell just a month prior. You could still get rides a couple of hundred yards long which compared to most of the breaks back home was still amazing. And it was mostly just our crew out in the line up. I’ll take that any day. Punta Miramar was a little off from it’s usual form but it still delivered. On smaller days it was glassy with punchy fast breaking barrels and steep takeoffs on the inside. Full man sized stand up barrels broke on the outside on our bigger days. Pipes wasn’t close to it’s usual A-framed long peaks although the lefts were working from good to pretty good. Shacks was a favorite of many of the guys for some close to shore waves with left and rights. There were lots of barrels to be had if you wanted them. Punta Miramar saw most of the action with it being directly out front and was extremely consistent.
Giving Back
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. Our SMA members really pulled through as we were able to give back and help the local community school a little bit. We coordinated with Hector, Ze, and Leandro at our resort and the teachers at the only elementary school in town. We were able to donate much needed reading glasses, dental supplies such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as medical supplies. Steve Shapiro and his son Ethan stepped up our game and brought soccer balls, baseballs and gloves and lots of sports equipment. The cheers and stampeding for the sports gear went through the roof when eyes caught wind of those goods. However these kids, led by their teachers, were so well behaved and treated us to a chorus of their school fight song or something along those lines. Special thanks to Rym Partridge, Steve and Ethan Shapiro, Brian Sturgill, Peter Gregg, Barry Clanton, Jeff Parisi, Erik Dworsky, John Watson for their efforts and for the entire SMA group for pitching in.
The Conference
Yes we actually learn a thing or two on these surf trips. After dinner talks are a staple at SMA conferences. We planned for about two per night because any more than that and the well known droopy eye syndrome develops. All in all we had a stellar lineup. I pitched in and talked about Skin Cancers and Sun Protection in Surfers and then Norm Vinn followed with a thorough History of Surf Medicine. Steve Shapiro talked on Nutrition and Surfing and Daniel Moffat informed us on Future Technologies in Medicine. Erik Dworsky spooked us out on Marine Animal Envenomations then Brian Sturgill showed us gross pictures of Eye Infections, pterygiums and bad things that happen to surfers eyes. Mark Kan showed us how to deliver a baby all while on a surf trip..or on a plane. Intersting pictures Mark. Thad says thank you. Rym showed us how teeth can get eye popping white all while maintaining a healthy mouth. True to form, we lost power a couple of times for a day..although this time due to a disaster of apocolyptic size when the fuel holding tanks blew up and shut down the electricity. We subsequently missed some scheduled talks but appreciate all you guys who were ready to go.
Injury Count
What’s a surf trip without a few stitches? Peter led us off with a nice gash to the knee on our first go out. No one knew anything until he got back to camp and we were eating breakfast. Seeing his nice deep incision I numbed him up with some local anesthetic and threw in a few 4-0 nylon sutures. Yes you should rest it for the day. Yes you can get back in and surf. Here, take these antibiotics just in case amigo. Payment was one free wave, thank you. I like the barter system. Next patient up a few days later was Mark- with a nice deep fin slice to the chin. That looked familiar. I trounce out my trusty suture kit and lidocaine-a few well placed stitches later and he’s as good as new. That’ll be one free wave Mark, thank you very much. Yes you can go surf again. Other injuries included a broken board-Neil’s, and a completely broken environment. A fireball explosion a half mile high startled everyone in the vicinity. No oil was seen in the line up where we were but the story did appear on Surfline.
Miramar
Our hosts at Miramar surf camp were a couple of great guys from Brazil-Leandro and Rafael, and of course Hector from Mexico did an outstanding job for us coordinating boat trips, meals and airport rides. For $700 you got an ocean view room with A/C, 3 tasty meals a day, daily boat trips to puerto sandino, and airport transfers 90 min each way. $550 for the regular rooms. Smoking deal if you ask me. The food was top notch for a surf camp-We had an amazing lobster night, fish and seafood options everyday, a brick oven pizza night, desserts, the works. Pancakes, burritos, eggs, exotic tropical fruit, smoothies, as big a breakfast as you needed. Gotta say the Brazilians can cook. The guys and girls at the bar were friendly and helpful throughout the week, the cleaning ladies took care of our rooms, the boatmen waited on us and were friendly, and Ze the photographer took surf shots and photos of everyone…however his communication at the end left us confused at the photo pricing he had talked about earlier in the week. Still, Ze was extremely friendly and helpful during our week and went out of his way to make sure we had a great time. We appreciate all of staff at Miramar and their superb efforts. They run a great surf camp down there and I’d recommend them to anyone going to Nicaragua.
Extras
Nightly awards were given away for best wave of the day and best wipeout. Lots of cheers and jeers and ribbing. The Surf Survival handbook, courtesy of the SMA’s Bill Jones, and surfwax were prizes for the luck and unlucky ones. The “wave hog” mask was introduced and given out to playfully “shame” those who were intentionally or unintentionally hogging too many waves per session-or back paddling those in the line up. Secret ballots for the wave hog of the day nailed at least Neil and Erik as well as some close runner ups during the week. The wave hog winner or loser was supposed to wear the mask at meals the next day but somehow we lost track of that. Overall, it was just for fun and everyone tended to hoot others into more waves than not and the vibe was friendly and excellent. I’ll be bringing the mask to Tavarua next year just in case…One night during the week we also ventured to the nearby colonial city of Leon to sight see, to buy some souvenirs for family back home and taste some local food.
I asked a few members to share their version of a day at our SMA conference:
Aug 14 – Peter Gregg
Woke up this morning to the sound of scratching surf wax and a buoy reading of 4 foot at 15 seconds with calm surface conditions. For most of us it was the first waves of the trip, so stoke was high as we chomped down a quick breakfast and dashed down the beach to catch a boat ride over to Puerto Sandino. I was fortunate to share a boat ride with a few SMA veterans who had stories to share of memorable sessions at Sandino in years past.
When we pulled up Brian McArthur noted that the wave wasn’t working as well as it usually is, perhaps the low tide, the swell direction or less-than-perfectly formed sand bars. The was a bowly take-off further up at the top of the point followed by several very fast sections. Wave faces were about head high. I was frothing to ride a new 5’6″ mini simmons-egg hybrid asymetrical board that I shaped for the trip, but hadn’t yet seen water. As the crew unloaded I excitedly grabbed the first wave I saw, which looked lined up but ended up walling up too fast in front of me. I caught the lip and got driven down to the bottom where I expected to feel sand bottom but was surprised to feel razor sharp barnacle covered rocks press into my legs and feet. I came to the surface and found a sizable hole in the rail of my new board and a nice slice on my knee. “Nice work buddy,” I thought, “New kid in the SMA, first waves of the trip, new self-shaped weirdo board. With people still unloading from the boat you’re just going to have to surf through this one.”
Despite getting off to a rocky start and less than perfect conditions, it was actually a pretty fun session. There were only SMA members in the line-up, and folks were hooting each other into waves. There were a handful of memorable rides and more than a handful of memorable wipeouts. As I watched my knee cap slowly wisp blood into the saltwater between sets, I decided that, all things considered, I was probably in the safest line-up in the world at that particular moment. I also felt pretty confident that I would receive world-class medical attention as soon as we all got back to Miramar Surf Camp.
Sure enough, Brian McArthur came prepared with sterile needle drivers, antiseptic pads and suture. As guys were chowing down their pancake breakfast and watching the waves out front he shot me up with Lidocaine and stitched me up at the dining room table. Real life surfing medicine.
The rest of the day was pretty mellow. I posted up on a second floor of an open air bungalow and watched a handful of the guys go out for seconds at Miramar point. Most folks took it easy; read books, drank beer, stretched on the ocean-view yoga mats, napped in hammocks or had massages. Everybody seemed to be enjoying a much needed respite from their busy professional lives.
After a hearty Lasagne dinner, Brian M gave a great introductory talk on Skin Cancer and Sun Exposure which fell on a receptive ears. Glad he interspersed a good number of surf photos in there to lighten to mood! Norm followed with an interesting talk on the history of surf medicine, told a few stories about the foundation of the SMA and memorable trips past, and some honest reflection about the future of the group.
All things considered a great start to the week. Looking forward to more, less-eventful warm water barrels!
Aug 15 – Steve Shapiro
Monday. I awoke to the thunderous sound of the waves crashing against the rocks in front of our hotel. I quickly ran down the pathway to gaze upon a perfect six foot left barreling around the corner in light offshore conditions. Ah another day in paradise…. Ok it was only 3-4 foot and not so perfect but I was here at the SMA conference and it was glassy and promising. The guys were all getting up and some coffee was in order. I drank it cold since it was already warm out. Ethan and I slathered up in sunscreen and lip balm with visions of skin cancer in the back of our minds curtesy of Brian McArthur and his lecture last night.
Ethan had decided to stay here in front of Miramar and surf the break here while I decided to give the break of Puerto Sandino one more try. I had only caught three waves there yesterday and I was not confident I would get any more today. We all walked down the beach to the channel and jumped in the water and paddled to the boat waiting for us. I sensed on the ride there that things would be better today. I was right! When we arrived the surface was glassy and the waves seemed to be a little better shape, not the epic lines that Brian McArthur had described but still ok.
The gang piled out of the boat and everyone except Rym Partridge, Brian Sturgill and I started to paddle up to the point. We stayed back by the boat to wait for the waves that would swing wide. I think it was the best choice. I managed to snag twelve waves in our hour and a half long session and my GPS showed I had three waves 200 plus yards long! I was exhausted from the paddling and was the first to get back in the boat. I must say it was just as fun to hoot and holler as the guys charged the waves and epic wipeouts abounded. Fun in its purest form. Eventually enough of us came back to the boat to justify going back to the hotel. The second boat had returned and it was safe for us to leave. I was so hungry and my back was so tired that I just paddled straight in to shore. I ordered breakfast and then went to rinse off and get into dry cloths.
The great thing about Miramar is every seat is a perfect ocean view and the food always tastes better then too. Ethan was back from his session and we swapped stories of waves, wipeouts and what awesome waves we had just missed. Surf stories are the best. Rym was licking his wounds from the beat down his own board had lashed upon him for not taking off properly. He was also ranting about how Neil Harris had stolen his waves. Brain Sturgill was recounting all the waves he should have taken off on, while the rest were interjecting their own version of late take offs and barrels gone bad into the stories being told. Completely satiated and tired I did the only thing possible, I took a nap.
I love vacation! I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to finish up my presentation, which I was giving that night. I worked on it and then would get up to watch the surf for a while, then work on it and watch the surf, repeating this process until Ethan said he wanted to surf so we did. It was four thirty and low tide so we paddled to the outside reef and sat there, just the two of us talking and adjusting to the waves coming in. We caught some waves and some bigger ones caught us, but it was still just great fun along with nice father and son time. It was five thirty and we were the last ones in.
Dinner was at six thirty and Brian had the brilliant idea of putting the pictures for the day up on the big screen for all to see and comment on. We were all vying for the best wave or best wipeout. John Watson won the best wave of the day and Thad Martin was honored with the worst wipeout. In a twist of fate Neil got the wave hog mask for his tussle with Rym, but Rym was the one with photographic evidence of him snaking two people. We all laughed and I remember Mark Kan constantly saying “This doesn’t end well” as we saw him trying to get in the barrel, but instead get pummeled by the lip of the wave in the next picture frame.
Dinner was upon us and it was Taco night. Man were those tacos tasty! The shrimp ones were the best and we downed them voraciously. I was full and semi-comatose but quickly woke up when I realized I had to speak in just a few minutes. Dan Moffett gave an incredible talk on technology and its impact on medicine and the world in general. I hate when the guy before you is so good. I relaxed a bit when I realized everyone was half comatose from the day and I had an ace up my sleeve, cookies. I rambled on and on and on about nutrition and Brain finally gave me the subtle clue that I needed to wrap things up, so I did. The cookies were a success and I was happy to just be a spectator for the rest of the lectures. Ethan and I went back to the room to take a shower and collapse into bed dreaming of the great surf and comradery that would come tomorrow.
Aug 16 – Thad Martin
Tuesday. With the sunlight and chatter from the early risers I was awake at 6am. Tide charts showed a 7:19am low which meant that the boat to Puerto Sandino was leaving around 7:30. That left plenty of time to grab a coffee, put the mandatory meal order in, lather with zinc and titanium oxide lotion (make sure you get behind the ears) and put a fresh coat of wax on the board.
Eight of us scrambled through the small surf out to the waiting panga. None of us were expecting much because all had been diligently tracking our favorite surf app which unanimously called for the smallest surf day of the week. Upon arrival it seemed it was going to be an average session. Wind was light and waves were chest to head high. With no one else in the water our group slowly motivated off the boat and paddled into 3 organized clusters. Deep, middle and shallow.
I chose to follow veterans Dan and Norm out to deep, which is where they had taken up residence the past two days. With a few average waves under my belt I was beginning to think Magic Seaweed’s 2 star rating was spot on. Just then, a mild offshore started to kick in and simultaneously a pulse of swell seemed to appear. Wave after wave rolled through with everyone getting a piece of the action. After a couple hours of sharing waves we all huddled back in the boat with smiles and sore shoulders. It wasn’t an extraordinary session, nonetheless our tribe of 8 certainly felt like we had just lucked into something a little special.
Ravenous, I ate breakfast standing in the pool while watching a couple surfers battling the disjointed wave out front at Punta Miramar. I haven’t quite figured out what drew half our group to opt for this over Sandino, but their loss was our gain.
The wind picked up as the day went on so I decided to watch a movie on the top deck while keeping one eye on Rym who was the solo midday surfer out at Miramar. I was glad I was watching the movie.
We gathered at 4:30pm for the 45 minute van ride into Leon. 16 surfers meandered through the colorful and busy streets until we found the main square where a basilic cathedral built in the early 1700’s stood majestically on one side. School children dressed in uniform played and budding teenage romances blossomed in its shadow. Our group shopped the local chatski stands surrounding the square for gifts to bring home to loved ones. Our night was capped with carnivorous gluttony at a Nicaraguan steak house with high hopes for the 5 star rated day to follow.
Aug 17 – Rym Partridge
Wednesday. As usual our day began with a great breakfast and an efficient boat pickups organized by our leader Brian McArthur. A trip out to Puerto Sandino lefts proved fun even though small. As usual, Mark, Thad and Brian headed up the point chargers.
In the afternoon at higher tide, Rym and Kevin went down to chicken shacks for some small wedge shore breaks. As usual as the waves were, we all had fun this day. Little were we to know of the impending environmental disaster of the fuel tanks blowing up spewing millions of tons of oil and hydrocarbons into our paradisical camp.
Talks that evening by Erik Dworsky and Brian Sturgill were well recieved on Marine envenomations and optical infections. Lobster served for dinner with Rym and Norm bringing their expensive rum to tease the alcoholic tastes of the good doctors. Rym and Norman, as usual were competing for the most horrific disgusting and boring jokes, much to the dismay of the more straight laced doctors like Steve Shapiro and others.
All in all it was “Ruby Tuesday” and we enjoyed the whole day.
Aug 18 – Mark Kan
Thursday. Today was supposed to be the biggest day of the swell. As we woke up we realized it was really hot in the room the power had gone out and there was no air conditioning. Magic Seaweed had predicted 4-7 feet today with offshore winds. Breakfast at camp Miramar was good as usual with nice Nicaraguan burrito, fresh fruit from the Pitaya cactus, and cold watermelon juice. It’s a good thing they have a backup generator.
As we pulled up to Puerto Sandino in the boat we could see huge lines coming across the ocean as well as a huge smoke cloud coming from a refinery fire which seemed unreasonably close.
As the swell was growing a huge fireball explosion occurred over 1000 feet into the air behind us and we could feel the heat radiating into the lineup.
The swell continued to grow in the waves got bigger and bigger. Neil pulled into a barrel and snapped his board. Then he got another and snapped his leash. He ended up on the beach. I got caught inside on a big set and stopped counting after 20 duck dives. It took all my energy just to get back to the boat. One guy even walked back to camp. While inside I had a front row seat to the visiting pro from Brazil getting barrel after barrel standing up tall, all with the go Pro in his mouth.
After we got back to the camp I change the dressings on my wounds which I acquired the day before. A nice cut to my chin from the fin of my surfboard requiring five stitches, and a 4 inch gash in my foot. The duct tape I had placed over these during surfing seem to do the job, but I put a little extra Neosporin on afterwards just in case.
The afternoon was spent mostly relaxing trying to stay cool and stretching out. Having surfed for five days a lot of the guys were slowing down at this point. Everyone except for Rym Partridge who at 70 years old was out surfing all of us.
We called it an early evening because of the power outage and got ready for the next day.
Aug 19 – Erik Dworsky
Friday. Ambien wore off around midnight and I woke up drenched in sweat. No electricity means no AC. Stumbled into the shower to cool down, then back to sleep. Electricity came back around 130 AM. Cranked the AC only to lay awake listening to John Watson snore. Contemplated violence, but fortunately dozed off. Woke up late. Energized with breakfast burrito (my 7th in 7 days) while watching the surf. Punta Miramar is looking good. I watch several guys get shacked in rapid succession. During last night’s session my shoulder started to hurt so this AM I opt to chill until the boat.
At 10:30 one boat of adventure seekers heads to Puerto Sandino (AKA Freight Trains). It’s big, some of the biggest this trip, and the wind is howling offshore. I quickly realize I am under-gunned on my 6’4”. The first guy to catch a wave snaps his board in two. The second guy shatters two of his fins on the rocks. They somehow combine their two remnants into a Franken-board and one of them paddles back out. I content myself to watch some badasses on semi-guns attempt the drop, but invariably get munched. Fortunately, just about everyone is fed up after an hour and we head back for some Punta Miramar.
Of course we are welcomed with a chorus of “you just missed it”, “shoulda stayed here.” I disconsolately eat my “seafood stroganoff” and watch the waves. They are looking a bit mushy so I do some reading and wait for the tide to start back down.
Around 4 PM it’s time for a final session. I bully Brain McArthur into joining me and we paddle out at Miramar. Most guys are posted up at an outer shelf, waiting for the waves big enough to break there. I choose volume over size and surf the inside. The off-shores quit and the ocean glasses-off.
One last oil container goes up, the fireball erupting hundreds of meters into the sky. We are now accustomed to this oddity and most of us barely turn to look. Everyone catches their last few waves in Nica and head in as the sun hits the horizon. The sunset is vibrant, thanks in large part to the raging oil fires. On my last wave I go right, trying to stick it to a land of lefts.
The Brazilians saved the best for last, tonight they fire up the brick oven and crank out pizzas. Mark Kan teaches us how to deliver a baby on a surf trip. Rym shows us his wizardry with dental repairs. Surfboards are dismantled and packed. Looking forward to air-conditioned rest.
Final Thoughts
Puerto Sandino, Nicaragua was a fun, safe and excellent place to hold an SMA conference for the second straight year. Consistent waves, low crowds, exceptional value, good vibe, great stoke and an opportunity to do a little bit of service along the way. Look for more pictures of our trip on our SMA website, facebook page and Instagram account. I’ll be handing off conference duties for next year’s trip to whoever would like to take the reigns. Winter and Summer destinations are available if someone wants to step up to the plate. Conference coordinator gets to stay for free so contact me or Bill Jones if you want to get involved. Member interest has been strong for a trip to Cabo, Punta Mita, Mex, Puerto Rico, Barbados, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Hawaii. Thanks again everyone for the friendships, the entertainment and for pitching in..see you in the surf again soon!