Yaicha

“Nah, I’m not going to do a surfing lesson. I don’t have that kind of balance.” That was the negative attitude I began with, based on my experience trying to balance on skateboards in the past. They always flew out from under me. Something about that side-to-side balancing on wheels just does not come easily to me.

Andrew, who has surfed before, insisted I would be able to do it. Tina was psyched to try it, and so was Mike. Finally, I decided to take a chance and try it, why not? So what if I fell in the water a lot. Plus, even though I wanted to go on the Medicine Hike and learn about all the plants that have medicinal uses, my feet really really really did not want to do any more hiking any time soon.

When we got to Puerto Viejo we had determined the best day and time to do the surfing lesson would be the next morning, but we had nothing set up in advance. No problem, Dawn knew just who to call, and she set up our lesson with Beto, the local surfing guru from Uruguay with dreadlocks and a completely laid-back vibe. After a brief description of what the lesson included, Mark was in, too, so there were five of us.

We Meet Beto

Mike and Mark decided to check out the nightlife in Puerto Viejo, so they rolled in just a few hours before our lesson began at 8 AM and had the added challenge of a hangover. Beto picked us up in a beat up old Subaru station wagon with surfboards on the roof. “Oh, man, I didn’t know there were five of you or I would have brought my bus, man,” he said. Mark graciously crawled in the back among Beto’s miscellaneous clothes and bags, to bounce along the horrible road from our cabinas to the beach location Beto likes for teaching beginners.

Only one window in the car worked and I was afraid I had broken it when at first I couldn’t get it to roll back up again. Beto drove like someone who hasn’t a worry in the world, including any about safety. We bounced around in the back seat and Mark slid from side to side in the back.

The Surfing Lesson Begins

Once we got our boards out on the beach, Beto began explaining not only what we were going to do, but the mindset we needed to accomplish it. He knows how to communicate both the technique and the attitude required to surf successfully.

We learned how to paddle properly first, then to sit on the board, “so you won’t look like beginners.” Sitting on the surfboard is harder than it looks, but I found after a while that my body learned how to adjust to the waves and stay balanced pretty comfortably. Paddling was quite tiring, since I am not a swimmer and just don’t use the muscles in my arms and shoulders that way. At first I wondered how I would be able to keep this up, but surprisingly after an hour or so I started feeling stronger and was cutting through the waves more powerfully. Maybe I was excited by then about what we were doing.

We Learn “Up!”

For the fact is, all of us in our group stood up and rode waves in to shore in our first and only lesson. Andrew has surfed before, so he doesn’t really count (just joined us for the fun of it and to pick up some pointers). But the other four of us raw beginners had the thrill of jumping up, planting our feet on the board, and balancing back and forth as needed to ride the waves.

It was a great feeling! I struggled at first, though. Beto had taught us the technique of “up” on the sand. We lay down on a line dragged in the sand and went through the motions of paddling, waiting for him to shout “up” and then we were to place our hands under our chest and push ourselves up quickly, landing with our feet on the line and our knees deeply bent with our arms loosely out for balance.

Over and over we practiced until Beto was satisfied. “Up means up,” he explained, “it does not mean think about getting up. It means right now, force yourself up instantly!” Then he solemnly told us that since we all had mastered “up” on the sand, we all were now able to do it on the surfboard. “The sand and the board are the same. If you can do it here, you can do it there. Only your mind can get in your way. You must not think of anything else except ‘up’ and do exactly as you do here on the beach.”

So, when I repeatedly failed to stand up on the board in the water, I thought about what Beto said and I drew on my athletic experience and sent myself back for more practice. I went back to the beach, dragged a new line in the sand, and practiced “up” several more times, convincing my mind and body that this was simple and easy for me to do.

When I went back in the water, on the next wave I got “up” exactly when Beto yelled the word and found myself standing on the surfboard in the water, riding my first-ever wave. And after that feeling, I wanted to do it again and again, and my arms didn’t seem so tired as I paddled back out each time. Sure, I fell off after that sometimes (Beto said I had the best wipeout of the day), but I rode many more waves in and found myself a new sport to work on.

Tina was one of the first of us beginners to stand up, drawing praise from Beto. However, when she messed up, he seemed to take it personally: “Tina, why you do that? Why you not do what I tell you?” Tina was “Tina,” by the way, and the rest of were simply “Bro” for much of the lesson. Yes, Beto likes the ladies and Tina got special attention.

Beto Shares His Wisdom and Vibe

Beto truly has a way with words in his broken English. He gets the point across very effectively. He’d line us up, waiting for the right waves, and then he’d encourage us by saying, “This a really good wave. Don’t f*** it up!” I got the point — he’s passionate about surfing and he wants us to be, too. A good wave is a privilege and should not be wasted.

After the lesson, we loaded the boards back on Beto’s Subaru and then walked to a nearby cafe where we ate and relaxed, basking in our glory. We had surfed! Seems like everyone in town knows Beto, including many of the ladies. There was no shortage of visitors to our table. And while we Americans had various versions of sweet or greasy food, I noticed that Beto had a big green salad with tuna fish.

We hung out with Beto for quite a while, and tipped him very generously, too. He really is an excellent teacher, and when I go back to Puerto Viejo I want another lesson with him, and would highly recommend him as a teacher to anyone travelling there. I’ve got some great video of him talking about what he does and will post it here as soon as I get it edited. Nothing conveys what Beto is like better than seeing and hearing him for yourself, except taking a surfing lesson with him.

Beto shared some of his local culture with us, as well, and so our whole group mellowed into the surfer vibe that Beto lives most of his life in. Tired and happy, I retired to the hammock at Casa Viva and spent most of the afternoon pleasantly napping, listening to the birds and the surf, peacefully reflecting on my good fortune to be “chillaxing” in such a beautiful, fun and friendly place.

If you’re headed to Costa Rica and thinking about trying surfing, or you’re an experienced surfer headed to La Salsa Brava in Puerto Viejo and want tips about the best spots to surf, I urge you to look Beto up. His full name is Alberto Torres, and his Surf School and shop is called Legalize. Ask anyone in Puerto Viejo how to find him and they can tell you. Call him at 506-885-9688 or email him at betolocks@hotmail.com. Tell him Ted sent you!