English
I had another exciting week in San Juan del Sur that began with a ladies surf trip to Playa Maderas. It was my first time surfing at Maderas since arriving in San Juan del Sur, and we had a great time! I also headed back to Remanso a few times to surf with some new friends. Later in the week, my roommate Madison and I explored Playa Hermosa. Although the on-shore winds made for some choppy waves, we still had fun wandering around the beautiful beach where Survivor Nicaragua was filmed.
On top of all the surfing, I met with some local organizations, businesses, and surf enthusiasts at the Alcaldia de San Juan del Sur (municipality of SJdS) on Thursday night to discuss future conservation goals. The representatives at the meeting included Dexter Ramirez the president of the Asociación de Surfistas de San Juan del Sur (ASSUR), Ninoska Maria Paz from the Alcaldia, Mara Jacobsohn and Yarisleidy from an organization called Comunidad Connect, and Candace Batillo from Chica Brava. I learned that ASSUR is the first association of surfers of San Juan del Sur committed to the development of surfing in Nicaragua. The group’s goal is “to raise the level of the sport in Nicaragua while developing tournaments to improve the skills of the surfers who are sent to the national and international competitions.” Mara and Yarisleidy also taught me the objectives of Comunidad Connect, an organization that designs custom volun-tourism programs for travelers. While each group’s goals and objectives vary, I learned that we all share similar environmental aspirations.
I look forward to pooling ideas and resources with these organizations. For starters, I want to design a database that reads like a monthly newsletter where these groups can post events, plans, and goals. My hope for the database is that these organizations can collaborate to meet their environmental objectives, while tourists looking to learn more about the Nicaraguan environment can access the website as well. All in all, I had a great week of waves and new connections! Can’t wait to see, what this week has in store!