Potrero Grande aka Ollie's Point: have surfed there since this intrepid tale:
March or April 2010, was probably my fifth trip there with my buddy and we had it all to ourselves great conditions, ~5'+ with some larger sets. A fantastic set up, again no one else there!
After your ride, paddling back out to the point you would pass directly over this boil of bait fish, well after about an hour, as I am on top of the boil of fish, they all 'jump' out of the water, it sounded like a jet engine had gone off with their tails flapping against the water, I remember vividly, what I think was a skip jack 'skipping' across the water for about 50 yards out to sea so fast!
Having grown up surfing in South Florida, a familiar feeling and familiar with the drill "remain calm and keep hands & feet inside the vehicle" So I am pretty mellow inside and looking from side to side and about 15 or 20 feet away from me this crocodile or caiman surfaces. Seems like 7'-8', feels like a juvenile to me, honestly I remained very calm we looked at each other for some period of time, man I remember her eye, felt like a girl too, pretty green with a cat like slit for a pupil, I turn and slowly paddle back to the take off area, she doesn't follow, so good-bye honey. Get to the take off area and say to my buddy "did you f-in see that! I'm paddling back to the boat!"
Well of course he has no choice but to go back boat as well. He didn't want to, great swell, place to ourselves and over the years you've heard they don't attack humans; which I guess is generally true but....
The locals in boat reiterate the notion that "they won't hurt you, their mellow." So back into the water we go, the plan being to paddle around that area.
I catch a couple of waves, trying to ignore the past event, and after one I ride all the way in, I turn to paddle out and in the upwelling of a large swell there is, no kidding, a LARGE (I would say 12') adult looking croc/caiman swimming in the face of the wave towards my buddy. I yell out to him from the beach, but crashing waves, he can't hear me. Unbeknownst to me he sees it and it is swimming directly at him, he senses it is starting a circling like maneuver around him, a wave comes he catches it and rides it to the beach on his stomach.
Manage to paddle back to the boat, shoot the boat into Playa del Coco, I jump out and run into the 'mercado' for a case of beer, back into the boat for the ride home and man that beer tasted good!!!!
All makes sense if you look at the break there is that river flowing from the estuary into the ocean. Certainly had heard about the one that swims out to the break at Witches Rock.
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