Assignment: Describe Surfing in THREE Words

“Fun, Not Fun, So Fun!”

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This was my assignment for a group of students who spent a busy March week with us here in Nosara. Group coordinator Jason Roderick, an administrator and school counselor at Providence County Day School in Rhode Island brought 15 lucky students on his annual ‘Spring Break Surf/Yoga Retreat’ at Safari Surf School. This was Roderick’s SEVENTH annual trip!
Jason believes that surfing can offer students a positive alternative stress reliever and explains, “as the PCD Wellness Coordinator, my goal is to offer students the opportunity to experience healthy and organic ways to reduce and manage stress. Furthermore I want kids to push themselves (in a safe environment) to experience a different place and people; to respect the local community and culture, and to learn self-sufficiency, as important tools to be utilized throughout high school, college and the rest of their lives”.
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This year’s Surf/Yoga group was kept busy with surf lessons, zip-lining adventures, daily yoga and meditation sessions, a beach walk clean-up, and a spirited soccer game verse the Safari Surf instructors on the village soccer field. At the end of the day sleep came easily!
Needless to say everyone had a solid time…but, it wouldn’t be school without an assignment, right?
So we decided to come up with one…
Without exception surfing has a profound impact on one’s psyche – it’s fast and beautiful and fluid and dangerous all in one. A good time to register the impact surfing can imprint on someone’s demeanor is to catch them immediately upon exiting the ocean. This is when we asked students to pause and describe surfing in three words. The answers were awesome…here are some responses:
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Whenever I meet a new guest I give them the ‘Safari Surf School Guarantee’:
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Bring Your Own Crowd!

picture1 (Chrysalis Therapeutic Boarding School Group enjoying surf lessons this November)

Safari Surf School recently enjoyed hosting an engaging group of 25 students, parents, and teachers from the Chrysalis Therapeutic Boarding School in Montana for a one week long Surf-Yoga-Service “cultural immersion adventure trip”.
Take a look at this photo. Imagine being the photographer trying to organize this classic image. Imagine producing 25 surfboards, leashes, bars of wax, and sufficient skilled instructors to handle this awesome mob! We were able to organize housing, feeding, and transporting this gang to daily yoga sessions, service activities, recreational treks, and, of course, dinners out on the town. Talk about bringing your own crowd!
The Chrysalis Therapeutic Boarding School is a small private residential boarding school for adolescent girls ages 13-18. The school provides high quality therapeutic services, education, and experiential opportunities to adolescents and their families. Opportunities for creative expression are provided through various classes and workshops, as well as adventure field trips to local and faraway destinations. Executive Director Corey Hickman explained “Our goals for these types of excursions is threefold; cultural immersion, service, and high adventure. We want to teach kids how to have fun in healthy ways. The phrase ‘high on life’ may be overdone, but that’s exactly how we want the girls to feel when they depart. Oh yeah, and we keep them very busy!” I shared with Corey one of my favorite quotes on surfing “There are a million ways to surf, and as long as you’re smiling you’re doing it right.” Corey smiled back and said “so far so good!”.

Chrysalis Group Warm-up(Chrysalis Group Warmup!)

Although surfing was surely a highlight, as mentioned, the kids were busy busy busy with many other activities! Each day included a different community service event. Over the week long trip, the group planted trees with Costas Verdes Reforestation Association, assisted in painting the local elementary school and then enjoyed lunch with the kids, completed the sustainability tour at the Olas Verdes Hotel (the lovely home of Safari Surf), and visited the Nosara Refuge for Wildlife. Of course, we also had to get in some zip lining, a waterfall tour, turtle watching in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, yoga classes (thanks to in-house instructor, Kimber Kinley), and a soccer game with local students (which they won!).

screen-shot-2016-12-06-at-6-50-29-pm (Reforesting the coastal ecosystem with Costas Verdes Conservation Association)

(Painting and lunch at the local elementary school)

From the ‘behind the scenes’ perspective, accommodating this massive group was a welcomed and completely rewarding undertaking. The Safari Team, headed up by general manager Jeffrey Baltodano, worked long hours keeping things rolling smoothly. Chef Maritza and her mother provided fantastic ‘tipico ’ cuisine using all fresh and local authentic ingredients. Kimber Kinley took time from her busy global travel schedule to spend the week teaching surfing, yoga, and helping with every detail. And of course, the entire team of Safari Instructors were masterful at keeping everyone wet and salty! School Director Corey enlisted the capable assistance of Emily Philips, a Nosara devotee and director of her own private boarding school program called ‘Echo Springs’ in Idaho.

picture1 (Emily and Corey with students Lizzie and Lucy)


screen-shot-2016-12-06-at-6-58-14-pm (Safari Surf staff doing what they do BEST!)

Corey told me that the Chrysalis School takes two ‘travel abroad’ trips a year. Over the years they have visited 24 different countries. I told Corey that when you come to Safari Surf School in Nosara we guarantee “you will get hot, dirty, wet, change colors, and be renewed”. On their last day I asked Corey how it all went. Smiling he replied “so far, so good”.
Thanks for coming guys, we had a blast!

Inside Peak- Join Our Family

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JOIN OUR FAMILY

Safari Surf recently had the privilege of welcoming Stan and Olga into our family. They stayed with us for a month, and the idea was that they would trade out breakfast and room at the Safari House in exchange for a couple of promo videos, to be posted on the Safari Surf website, Facebook page, and other social media sites. Stan and Olga are from Germany, where it is very, very cold right now so, they were happy to take a break from the cold in Nosara.  Their “assignment” was to soak up the “Safari Vibe” and translate this to video. Having founded the adventure travel blog website http://www.epiclist.com, they were no strangers to “extreme adrenaline sports”, and were familiar with surfing, but in their time here, they fully embraced the essence of surfing and pura vida, which is captured brilliantly in their video creations. At the end of their 1st published video they encourage us to “join the family”, which is exactly what we are. I feel like we are in the 1970’s again! Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/119782826.

Stay tuned to Safari Surf for more from Stan and Olga. And  muchas gracias for the stoke lift you two!

Stan Olga

Stan and Olga at work

 

Family Vacations at Safari Surf

Traveling to Costa Rica with your family is an enriching experience for everyone. You will be immersed in a culture and adventure that takes place outside of your iPhone! When I fly Northbound from San Jose to Orlando, Florida to visit my daughter, the planes are full of excited Costa Rican families heading to Disney World; but the Southbound flights are full of Americanos headed to paradise for surfing, kayaking, horseback riding, fishing, zip lining, and  yoga. Surfing brings people together and creates a memorable bonding experience for families.  Meal times are generally long, leisurely affairs around a happy table where people actually talk to one another. It is definitely quality time!
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Strong Family Unit

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Bill Curley and family love surfing so much that they bought a vacation home here

 

One Big Happy Family

Whether you come as a single solo-traveler or bring your husband/wife and kiddos along, everyone becomes part of the family. You surf together, zipline, kayak, ride horses……you get to know everyone in town.

Safari welcomes a huge amount of return clients, we call them our alumni.

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Family Horseback Tour

family zipline

Families that Zipline together, stay together!

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Sam & Jeff Chandler – football bonding

Around the Table

Safari Surf guests share breakfast and dinners together every day. The conversation is lively and spirited and the television is turned off!
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Sam’s Birthday Celebration!

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Three Generations of Lewis Girls!

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The Wagner Family dining under the stars

JOIN THE SAFARI FAMILY TODAY!

Sure it sounds like the old cliché, but down here ‘Lo Que Hay’ (it is what it is!).

Come on down to Safari Surf for Spring break, its way better than Ft. Lauderdale!

Guilford college

Student group from Guilford College in North Carolina

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All-Girls Surf Clinic for Local Nosara Families