Just as I was getting really settled in and starting to get into a nice rhythm with the ocean in Santa Teresa, I bumped into Andy, who said the Austrian gang was taking off the next day to Dominical. Not being one to turn down the chance for a road trip in search of new surf spots, I jumped on the gravy train and next morning we started the long journey to the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

The Austrian-Canadian surfing team.. except Michael who was behind the camera.

We set off on the bus to Paqueras, caught the ferry to Puntarenas, pretty much uneventfully. A little huffed and puffed with all the bags, boards and the sizzling sun, but we hopped on the bus to Quepos eventually without much trouble. Once in Quepos though, the last leg of the trip sure was one to write home about. We took the municipal bus, full with other surfers and their backpacks, boards, and all the locals, carrying with them all the raw humanity that the lack of affordable deodorant can expose under this hot weather.

The only thing missing were the chickens and the pigs, though it wouldn't surprise me if they were stuffed in the baggage compartment or tied to the roof ;-)

Dominical is a dope little town. A surfing village, with a nice hippie feel to it. Prices are a bit targeted towards the dollar earning crowd, and I would call it a bit of a step up from Sta Teresa/Malpaís. The wave though.. oops.. lets say its just a bit "heavier".

The first morning I woke up at 6AM eyeing the surf hungrily, but 2 minutes staring at the ocean convinced me the best thing to do would be to hop back in bed. It was near low tide, and the ocean was just dumping close outs after the other. The sound of the house coming down was enough to get my knees shaking, so I decided I'd brave it out later on higher tide and with the comfort of some buddies' company.

So, a bit after high tide, I went out and to make a long story short, I came out empty handed after some seriously gnarly wipeouts. I took it on the head so many times, went over the falls, did the entire rinse cycle a few other times. Its just a faster wave, and you have all of one second to take the drop, ride it as fast as you can and get the hell out before the world comes crashing on top of you. I am just not fast enough yet, so all I could do is take my punishment in stride, taking solace on the fact that at least I am getting stronger with every paddle of desperation.

I think all of us 9 surfers in our travelling gang unanimously decided to try "Dominicalito" today.. a short taxi ride away, as the name implies, should be a smaller more mellow version of the heavier and faster wave here. We'll see how that goes. Hope it works cause otherwise, I'll have to pack up tent and keep looking for spots. No way my board, or body will survive too many sessions like yesterday's.