It was our annual boys surf trip. This year we were off to northern Nicaragua. Arriving in Managua at 9 a.m., temperatures were already in the 90s. The dirt roads are not maintained. They’re dusty and avoiding potholes is a
It was our annual boys surf trip. This year we were off to northern Nicaragua.
Arriving in Managua at 9 a.m., temperatures were already in the 90s. The dirt roads are not maintained. They’re dusty and avoiding potholes is a necessity and we spend as much time off the supposed roads as on them.
Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere. Looking through the poverty, I always appreciate the people and the universal language of their smiles.
As a surf traveler-photographer, my interactions with the people are always uniquely special. Most of them have only a meager home, some with only cardboard walls, dirt floors and plastic for their roof.
The people seem curious and anxiously allow me to photograph them. I humbly enjoy our visit and procure some fantastic cultural and surfing shots.
We discover some world-class surf breaks and realize that this is one of surfing’s last frontiers. The far north is still undiscovered and only for the adventurous traveler.
I wander down deserted beaches for miles with only myself and the vultures. The desert-like scenery wears on your heart and once accepted is mixed with a peaceful and special beauty all its own. Once it’s inside it leaves me longing for more.
So many cultural sites as you travel across the countryside. We make our way through herds of cattle on the roads. There are farmers in oxen-drawn carts hauling their day’s work.
People walking and carrying water and gathering food to make it here another day. Life here in Nicaragua is hard.
We boated into a secret location for 10 days. It was there where we rode flawless waves that peeled over 600 yards with rides lasting well over a minute. The pungent smells of the desert sage with the constant offshore breeze and lack of other surfers made this an adventure well never forget.
An adventure like this one isn’t for everyone however. It was a search-and-discover mission and truly an endless-summer experience with great rewards.
• To view more photos by North Shore resident Dave Andrews, visit www.surfariphotography.com
