October 7th, 2017

Somewhere in Nicaragua

As a photographer, the Great and Legendary Codo taught me to never shoot into the sun. However, today is a special occasion… After a couple days of clouds, winds, and heavy rains, I will gladly shoot into the sun!!! Ohh, and a couple long open-faced rights at Horseshoes too.

Ok swell wise, it’s difficult. There is a groundswell from the south and also a windswell (typical with hard onshores). As you already know, combo swells are perfect for beach breaks. But a massive amount of cross up is a little much to handle (for the reefs and points too). So, hang tight and let the groundswell die off a touch. Then, we’ll see what’s up!

Buttttt a couple little gems here and there!

Ok, changing gears, literally. Most of the flooding is gone. The deepest parts are probably a foot deep compared to a few feet deep a couple days ago. Most of the water drained through the rivers or is receding into the ground. Welcome to October in Nicaragua!

People are asking me how they can help. My first and most pressing thought is a water filter. All the rain rushed down the mountains and mixed with dirty chemicals or waste. Therefore, the locals’ drinking wells are contaminated. If you are coming down or know somebody who is, send water filters. NSR and I will distribute them to locals who need clean water. Maybe a scientist can give you a more thorough correct explanation but here’s a shot to give you an idea how all the water mixes.

With all the rain, onshore, and storm surge, the ocean was rough. A few layers of sandbags helped wade off the high tides. Thankfully no ocean water enteredCasa Cantamar!!

And the beach accesses did their job (or newly appointed job). As Iguana filled up, the water could not drain. It eventually got to a point where the beach accesses were the lowest area and those became the new rivers mouths. Could there be a fun there in a couple days???

Next stop, the beach club. Thankfully, the beach club, Pili’s Kitchen, and the tiki bar is ok!! No major damages reported by Mago and June. And, the engineers saved the day and kept the surf away! I wonder how the sandbars out front will look in a few days. Seriously- I wonder for the better and worse.

Go ahead and catch a few waves- it’s kind of messy and nobody is coming after you.

I want to give a shout out to Noland from our maintenance team. For both days, he came to work, ready to work, sported his normal smile, and even mixed in a couple corny dad jokes. This guy is smart, well trained, and a life saver. Many people thank me for an epic trip but those behind the scenes help the pieces come together. Noland, gracias por todo lo que hiciste. Gracias por cada chiste y la buena honda. Dios les bendiga hombre.

Marvin is another cornerstone to our property management/maintenance team. Words to describe him: hard worker, always positive, extremely helpful, incredibly bright, always a pleasure to work with, and one of my top five all time favorite Nicaraguans. Dale duro El Chaparrito!!

Maycol is learning from the best and yes I taught him this trick…

But the leaders come down with an iron fist!!! Hahaha. It’s been a long couple days reviewing properties, cleaning, and making minor repairs so we needed to have a little fun! Note to laywers: no persons, animals, or innamate objects were physically or emotionally harmed in this photo.

Alright everybody, I will leave you with a shot of the Santa Marta river (the river that leads directly into Playa *****). Clearly, there’s still more rain and water to drain (sorry I will end all the sentence rhymes soon. Was this the second or third in this report?). For right or wrong, many people credit this wave to this river so only time will tell… As for me, I have my opinions and I’m going to wrap things up in our properties so I can tend to my own. Take care everybody and thanks for checking out our shots.