February 12th, 2018

Somewhere in Nicaragua

So, as a reference, this is a photo of me that was taken last week. Awesome wave, I still remember the details. However, this day wasn’t even perfect Pangas. It was good, but it wasn’t perfect. Pangas gets twice as big as this. But, is this what all of you guys are looking for? Are you guys even looking for waves this big? Feel free to shoot me an email with your thoughts and comments.[email protected]

So, I woke up this morning and went down to the beach. I didn’t expect much, considering it hadn’t really been good over the last few mornings this week…

The thing about this morning though, was that it looked small. The swell forecast had predicted size, like large size, and that’s what I was expecting. Usually, when I see that specific forecast here, I expect it to be a lot bigger based on what I’ve seen corresponding to this in the past. .

For example, I’m looking at this picture, and I know that this morning the waves looked soft. In this photo for example, you can tell that this wave is going to close out. This is not perfect Pangas. When Pangas is perfect, it does not close out. Ever. You can ride it from the top of the point, aka a mile out to sea, all the way into shore and you’re flying at mach 2 the entire time.

That being said, while this is not perfect Pangas, it is overhead, and there’s plenty of space to do a sick maneuver. A boost, a carve, a hack, maybe even a float. If you floated that section you might actually even make it.

I guess that’s what I’m trying to say here.  Just because it’s not perfect doesn’t mean that it’s not good.

I mean, it’s offshore, the water is glassy, the winds are good, the wave is a nice size….

Oh wait…. and maybe there’s a set coming…

Just barely making it over!

Yeah, it gets bigger, but that’s damn near perfect now that I’m looking at it.

I guess you could ask to be on it…. HAH

Surprisingly good left…

So, for whatever reason, I don’t have the next frame. I don’t remember if the guy made it. What do you guys think? If you’re the dude, you know lmao. Feel free to tell us:[email protected]

Yeah… maybe it WAS a little soft. This guy didn’t care. Making it look good out there. Taking advantage of the conditions.

So after all those nice waves, here’s the crazy thing. I didn’t surf it. I look at these photos now, and think to myself, “man, this most likely would have been the session of the day if I had paddled out…but I didn’t.” In retrospect, it probably would have been. But the thing is, I don’t really care. Let me explain…

So here’s the thing…

I’ve had a lot of experience surfing Colorado and Panga Drops, but I have never surfed Popoyo

Popoyo (pictured) is the OG premier wave in this area. It’s an A-frame reef wave which chucks a barrel at takeoff if you can make it. There’s enough space on the wave for multiple turns. This wave is legendary. It’s what put the Nicaragua on the map.

I have been wanting to surf this wave forever. But, this place needs swell, and we just haven’t gotten any. Considering the forecast had said it might be big, I thought this might be my chance.

So I pulled the trigger. I had the day off, except for the report, and I decided to make the trip.

Popoyo is about a 20 – 30 minute drive from Hacienda Iguana. The Rancho Santana headland blocks your view of anything past, so your brain kind of just “forgets” that there’s any other waves. Hacienda Iguana is so beautiful, nice, and comfortable, that you kind of get lazy to leave in order to explore. Nothing wrong with that.

But if you’re willing to do a little exploration, this is what awaits….

So here’s the thing…. I didn’t surf Popoyo today either.

Mag Rock is just before Popoyo. There’s not much there, it’s just the last headland you have to pass before you get to Popoyo.

However, that headland is made out of a special kind of stone. It is unlike other stone in the area in that it’s layered perfectly. See the next picture.

On top of the headland that overlooks that rock is a big wooden house. Mag Rock hostel. You can stay here if you want. There’s a restaurant and a pool here and they do yoga classes and have parties here.

Also, just below there’s a bay, and in it, there are a few waves that are perfect for beginners.

Mag Rock is the best spot to go to if you’re just scoping out the area. You can surf, you can meet people, you can chill, you can hang out, and you can see Popoyo without going all the way over there to get skunked.

That’s where I headed to today. I figured I’d scope it out and if Popoyo wasn’t working I’d be able to surf the spots down by Mag Rock

This is what I saw when I pulled up to the parking lot

Lot of this going on …

But it wasn’t working today … I remember seeing it from the parking lot and seeing it break,

but when I got to down to the beach it had already disappeared.

That’s surfing for you

Feels like full on summer mode down here…. The only way you know that it’s not is that the water is cold ….

Coming from the states, it’s a little trippy if you actually think about it.

Random sidenote: Remember what I said the other day about Valentine’s day vibes in the air? See photo**COUPLES MASSAGE SPECIAL AVAILABLE CONTACT US FOR DETAILS LOL**

So ironically, I took this photo after I got out of the water.  Shot this from inside the hostel.  Only three people out when the set of the day came in and this girl caught one of the waves.  Honestly was probably one of the best waves of her life.  The thing lined up all the way to the beach

So, long story short, I surfed Mag rock, ran out of time, and didn’t get the chance to surf Popoyo partly because it just didn’t really look like it was on. I decided it would be more fun to just hang out at the hostel and play around at the Mag Rock breaks.

I ended up going back to the place I had started out earlier that morning…. and it wasn’t as good. This photo is basically how that surf went lol

But at the end of the day it didn’t matter. Even though I didn’t score the best waves of the day, I still had a really really fun sesh and I caught a few waves! It’s been a long time since I started surfing, but I do remember that there were days when I didn’t even catch one wave. I would be so stoked to catch even just one wave. I caught a bunch of waves today,and even though they weren’t “good” it was still super fun.The takeway here is, don’t get discouraged if you guys sometimes get skunked.  Even the best surfers still get skunked sometimes.  But I guess the whole point is that it doesn’t really matter.  The only way you’re going to score epicly is if you take some risks.  Sometimes the risks pay off, and sometimes they don’t.  That’s half the fun.  I guess the beauty of surfing is that even the “failures” aren’t even that bad.That’s one thing I think we all need to remember as we continue to surf: Sometimes, the best surfs are the ones with zero expectations. Just look at this sunset. God rays. Such a good day.

Anyway, I’ll leave you guys with an interesting conversation that I had with one of the dudes who lent me his powerbank so I could charge my phone at the hostel. He saved my ass. Thanks buddy. Didn’t even know the guy. Life is good.The guy, his name was Nick, he asked me, ” What is this place like in the summer? I’ve only been here in the winter.”” Well,” I said, ” you see all these waves here? When there is swell, every single one of these waves works.”Sage wisdom.But it’s been two years since I was here last. I’ve only ever actually been here one season – and not even a full one.Only time will tell if that year was special, or if that’s just another year on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. Either way, I’m determined to find out.Stay tuned….kevin-huang.cominstagram.com/kevinjhuang_P.S. if there’s any moral to this story, it’s sometimes the best thing to do is to just paddle out.