Worst surf trip

[manbearpig]

We’ve done best. Now for the bad- no waves, sick, bad situations, etc.

My worst was possibly second trip to Ecuador. I was backpacking with a board and staying where I found accommodation. The waves never really came together during the three weeks. A few very good days but overall it was small; a big contrast to a previous trip a few years prior. To boot I ended up in less than ideal accommodation settings more than a few times and stomach issues. The silver lining was I became reacquainted with an Ecuadorian girl I just so happened to have one class with freshman year at a Rhode Island college we both went to who just so happened to be in a tiny town of about 300 people and was living near me in the states for the year

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

First trip to Costa Rica. Small when we got there, trended to dead flat. Most of the week was under waist high.
Second trip to Costa Rica. Small when we got there, trended to knee high. We drove to Hermosa where it was thigh high. One day was a writeoff but we went fishing, which was good, and a swell hit at the very end so I got some closeouts that didn't throw out nearly as hard as El Porto.
Nicaragua. Heavily crowded, tide-dependent, anti-swell magnet. A well overhead day at a decent Mainland Mex spot is waist-chest if it's incoming tide, a thigh high set every 30 minutes on ongoing tide, and spots often only work on one or the other tide, and it must be the incoming portion.

I'd still consider Colorado if my childhood surfing friends went, or Pavones as a last-minute trip with a solid 180-190 or so.

 

[SrPato]

I guess the worst was about 10 years ago and we were on a camping trip to Plaskett Creek. It rained the entire weekend and the surf was huge and out of control. I forgot my jacket and wore a trash bag over a flannel shirt. I ended up getting a horrible cold which later progressed to walking pneumonia. That was fun. :frown2:

 

[000]

quatros casa
4 day weekend
surfed 0 days

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Santa Cruz
4 weekdays
south "swell" = longboardable at best
Surfed 0 days

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Durban
Good surf but no boards x 4 days
Boards arrive
Then flat/windy

 

[mundus]

My honeymoon in Tortola, stone flat for 2 weeks.

 

[grogan19]

The Lost Coast hiking into the backcountry with camping backpack and shortboard strapped to my back. The steep elevation changes through the canyons on the narrow trail were exacerbated by the board and it turned out to be a heat wave that weekend, temps around 100. The first creek we come to is totally dry and have to hike to the next one to filter and refill our water bottles. I was super dehydrated and nearly delusional by the time we got to the second creek. Camped near a small little beach wedged between the cliffs, surf was knee high at best but I had it all to myself - my two friends who came with me don't surf, and the entire time I was in the water I had the worst case of sharkiness ever, never felt comfortable. Breathtaking coast line though.

 

[Beerbelly]

Day trip from Santa Cruz to surf some mysto spots in Big Sur that pick up any hint of swell. We were really baked and kept driving south getting skunked at every spot. Before we knew it we were paddling out at waist high south jetty Morro bay!

 

[Bob]

No bad trips.
I lived in Utah.

 

[manbearpig]

No bad trips.
I lived in Utah.

Yeah when I really think about it even that Ecuador trip was fun In the end.

But I’m sure the no bad trips mentality is much more appreciated when you live so far from the ocean. Utah is beautiful though, I loved my time spent there.

 

[grapedrink]

In terms of painful, madness inducing skunkage, probably my 2nd trip to the Philippines. Went back the exact spot I went to in my “best surf trip ever” post. During that first trip, a toothless deadbeat junkie with a beaver tail dreadlock (yes- in the singular) living off of a pension, who would use a boogie board donated to the town for the local kids instead of his own, had talked about how that wave went off with nobody out from December through March.

So there I was, returning a year later with the right boards and expecting to get barreled off of my nut for 2 weeks straight. Well, that wasn’t the case :bawling: Basically had rainy onshore conditions in an otherwise painfully boring town. The aforementioned deadbeat had died of a heroin overdose 6 months before, so I didn’t get the chance to kick him in the nuts for his bad intel, and for being an all around jackass to everyone around him. Luckily, I was able to catch a good swell in northwest Luzon at the end of that trip, where I was able to binge on solid surf for about 3 days.

Other trip that comes to mind is a trip to Panama. Barely chest high on arrival with declining swell as each day went on. Huge tidal ranges with narrow windows for the spots to work. Absentee surf camp owner who hired 1 guy to do all of the “work”. Could barely get the “restaurant” to cook anything. Thankfully there was a pretty good restaurant at the hotel next door.

Saw a blip of swell on the horizon on the Caribbean coast. Bailed early on the reservation and hightailed it over. Managed to score a reef break to myself for an afternoon and morning after at a reef break that churned our fun chest-shoulder waves like a machine. Probably caught more waves per hour in those sessions than I ever have.

Other worst overall was a trip to the east coast of El Salvador. There were a few good days, but otherwise the crowds were lame. Las Flores and Punta Mango were packed, with minimal options nearby, unlike the west coast.

Overall I’ve never been 100% skunked. There’s always been at least 1 redeeming session that made the trip worth it. Although I don’t have much of a desire to spend my limited vacation time waiting for waves in crusty bro’d out surf camps (that are now “resorts”) where there is otherwise not much to do if the surf sucks.

 

[manbearpig]

Did you surf cloud 9 in the Philippines?

Never even heard of surf on El Sal’s east coast.

 

[feralseppo]

Probably 1989, drove down Baja past Guerro Negro and out to the tip of the little peninsula where Isla Natividad sits. Took my buddy's station wagon, got stuck in the sand at Bahia Tortugas. A bunch of drunk Mexicans came running over and pushed us out. Hired a fishing boat to take us to Isla Natividad. Totally skunked. Micro surf, super windy, hot. To boot, one of my friends some how got into a scrap with some of the kids on the island and they started hurling rocks at us. A peace treaty was made with some nudie mags. Fun trip anyways because it was Baja.

Another good one was when I was going to San Diego State for a year around the same time. We decided to go surf Baja Malibu and while checking it the federales rousted us. They made us follow them into the hills of Tijuana to some little secluded jail house. They search my friend's truck and find a small, rectangular, clear plastic picture holder that attached to your key chain. They keep questioning us about what it is and to no avail explain that you put a picture in it. After an hour or two and searching the truck they finally let us go. Even gave us the money back that we stashed under the seat.

We pull out back on to the main highway. My friend is driving asks "what do you want to do?" I say, let's get out of here. He says, "Nah. We aren't going to let a little thing like that bother us." We head south don't quite make it to Rosarito when I see another car load of police pull up along side us, my buddy is oblivious and keeps on going. They speed up and signal us to pull over. We pull into Rosarito and they start searching the car. What do they find? The same picture holder and start questioning us about it. At that point, I lost and started yelling at them. They let us go. Only then does my friend say let's go home.

 

[feralseppo]

Other trip that comes to mind is a trip to Panama. Barely chest high on arrival with declining swell as each day went on. Huge tidal ranges with narrow windows for the spots to work. Absentee surf camp owner who hired 1 guy to do all of the “work”. Could barely get the “restaurant” to cook anything. Thankfully there was a pretty good restaurant at the hotel next door.

Sounds like Morro Negrito. My trip there might actually be my worst trip ever. No surf, sh!t food and the boat driver was asleep at the wheel when he drove into the middle of one of the breaks nearly causing the boat to capsize. Lots of damaged boards.

 

[grapedrink]

Did you surf cloud 9 in the Philippines?

No, I was south of there. Probably the most competitive spot in the country, but could be worth a trip. Pretty easy to find far less crowded options though.

Never even heard of surf on El Sal’s east coast.

It’s pretty blown up. There’s now a few high end resorts at the main spot that have a regular rotation of pros. No thanks.

 

[grapedrink]

Other trip that comes to mind is a trip to Panama. Barely chest high on arrival with declining swell as each day went on. Huge tidal ranges with narrow windows for the spots to work. Absentee surf camp owner who hired 1 guy to do all of the “work”. Could barely get the “restaurant” to cook anything. Thankfully there was a pretty good restaurant at the hotel next door.

Sounds like Morro Negrito. My trip there might actually be my worst trip ever. No surf, sh!t food and the boat driver was asleep at the wheel when he drove into the middle of one of the breaks nearly causing the boat to capsize. Lots of damaged boards.

Not Morro Negrito, but I remember reading a blog that was dedicated to slamming that place I wasn’t sure if it was just some whiny little biatch with an axe to grind, but judging by your review and many others, it seems legit. I was at Rio Mar surf camp, closer to the capital.

 

[manbearpig]

Wait is mango and roca considered east coast? I always forget the countries coastline faces pretty south. I’ve surfed roca and a bunch of nearby waves.

 

[Sharkbiscuit]

Wait is mango and roca considered east coast? I always forget the countries coastline faces pretty south. I’ve surfed roca and a bunch of nearby waves.

Mango is in the East; Punta Roca is not. From La Libertad up to Guatemala there is more coastal relief, nearshore mountians, etc. with lots of point/reef setups.

Then between La Libertad and Mango/Flores is a long stretch of straight beach, at least relative the setup density in the West, that is basically off the surf travel radar.

But it's not a Carib/Gulf-facing coast like some of the neighbors to the South have, eg Salsa Brava or Bocas del Toro.

 

[grapedrink]

Wait is mango and roca considered east coast? I always forget the countries coastline faces pretty south. I’ve surfed roca and a bunch of nearby waves.

Ok I see what you are getting at. Yes, the east side of the south facing coast. There was one day where Flores was pumping, other days it was fairly average.