Our last day and a half in Costa Rica was disappointing, not because of the surf break, but due to the absence of a local legend Uncle Billy, former owner of the Rancho Privado…a surf motel situated inside a protected national park where giant sea turtles come to lay egg’s in the winter season.
Billy, was not concerned so much with the turtles, which were jokingly referred to as the size of ATV’s, but with living his lifestyle and catching a few waves at the Playa Grande surf break peak every day. In order to truly understand the man, one would need to meet him in person…as he could easily be perceived as intimidating and loopy upon first encounter. We first met Uncle Billy, though our good friend J Bird O’Donnell, who is also a frequenter of the Playa Grande surf break, exactly one year ago. And while this 2014 surf vacation had some repeat location visits, like Guiones, Tamarindo and Grande back in 2013, it was not the same without Billy’s presence. So we paid him homage by visiting his surf hotel, now upgraded and under the Rip Jack management, and did things that he would do when he was there, like throwing fruit rinds in the dry forest for the Iguanas to feed on, BS-ing in the common areas and packing up puca shells.
We caught the surf decent with stong off shores just after dropping Frijol Verde off at the airport on Wendsday afternoon for a short session with J Bird. The following morning J Bird turned into a Strange Bird with a no show for plans to surf the Playa Langosta surf break on the low tide, in lieu of that plan and driving back to Grande at 6 AM in the morning I strapped on the GoPro camera and recorded a few slides out front.follow the link below to get a view of the left line and a few turns.
Live Swell Surf Vacation Finale at Playa Grande Costa Rica
We were super grateful to share the experience, create some epic memories with some great friends and get involved in unforgettable dubotchery…hasta la proxima
Live Swell