Soul Surfer Sessions with Lisbeth Vindas

On May 13th, we began our collaboration with Lisbeth Vindas and Vindas Surf School to bring the program Soul Surfer Sessions to four Jaco Community girls. The program of four sessions is designed to teach the girls the basics of surfing. Additionally, the girls learn surfing etiquette, training exercises, and the importance of discipline in their daily routine.

Each of the girls is sponsored by community businesses. The sponsorship provides a valuable opportunity to them through the best instruction, supervision and implementation. At the end of the four part program, the girls will have experienced success in the completion of the series. Moreover, throughout the lessons they will overcome obstacles, ride waves and see the results of perseverance and discipline.

Surf Exercises and Training

The second Soul Surfer Session took place on May 25th. All the girls arrived on time, some needing to take a local bus to the Calle Madrigales surf spot. Lisbeth set up her surf school “toldo” along with a small table for water and snacks. Additionally, there are foldable chairs for any family members that are present. She then leads the girls through warm up exercises and then a routine to work the reflexes and areas of the body needed for surfing.

Next, everyone picks up their designated board, carrying it over their heads, and enters the ocean’s waves. The exercises help the girls to rise more quickly in the correct stance to stay up and ride to shore. Each girl scores several waves of different lengths and the smiles are contagious.

Tides, Surf Etiquette and the Importance of Discipline

The girls arrived for the third Soul Surfer Session on Thursday June 3rd. Lisbeth determines the schedule based on the tide, surf conditions and of course, the school schedule of the students. The surf in general has been big which is typical for the winter months along the beaches of the Central Pacific Coast. Lisbeth sits the girls down and begins to explain how the high and low tides affect the waves in Jaco.

She also describes a rip current, how to spot one and what to do if you get caught in it. Finally, she enforces the importance of having discipline in your daily routine. As the girls get up to grab their boards, Naomy, our youngest surfer, comes running up the beach, followed by her older brother. She is just in time for the surf session.

Call for Sponsorship

We are proud to see the perseverance of all four girls in the program and how much each one is already improving. By the end of the third lesson, they began to paddle into some of the waves unassisted and were showing more confidence. Moreover, the girls interacted positively with one another and showed a team spirit of camaraderie.

The last session of the Soul Surfer Series will be upcoming this month of June, time and date are still to be determined. We will present the girls with certificate of completion along with a memorable beach bag filled with some gifts. We are still seeking either individual or business sponsors for our final session and closing ceremony.

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor one or more girls please contact Pura Vida Board Gear. Your help will go a long way to build up these young surfers. As a result, you can help put a practice in place that can last a lifetime. We look forward to having more programs like this in the future.

Thank you to our first three session sponsors Encantada Costa Rica, Zamba Global Surf, La Barata CR, and  Room2Board Hostel.

Pura vida!