Rise Up Surf Tours Nicaragua | The Blog

What an amazing month at Rise Up. What can be said other than it was absolutely epic.  We had guests from all over the world, including Sweden, Australia, Norway, Canada, USA and England.  We even had two return guests Alix and Jessica, whom without a doubt are the life of the party. As usual they brought with them such good energy and I think this trip was even better than the last one.

The month started out with some great small waves , which developed in to some of best surf we have seen all season.  We went from perfect sessions at Sandino to endless barrels out front and I know that Aaron had some of the best waves of his life as did we.

Many of our guests were beginner to intermediate surfers so the first week of the month was a good challenge for everyone but we manage to get everyone out there. After that the waves got smaller and conditions continued to be amazing with offshore winds all day. So we pretty much surfed our brains out everyday.

At Rise up we are about surfing but it is so much more, we mix it up with great adventures to the volcano for volcano boarding with Bigfoot , releasing baby sea turtles with The Pure Earth Project, fun adventures in the estuary that always end happy thanks to Stig’s jungle juice. We had a few wild nights in Leon that are a little hard to remember but so much fun.

On our exploration for waves ended up on the central coast and then as far north as Chinandega to visit old friends and surf some of Nicaragua’s other great empty waves.

To saw the least this last month was full of fun day time and night. We had some incredible bonfires and  parties on the beach to the full moon and at some points even took it to the “dance floor” in the rancho. Every day the sunset simply rocked as it was different every day and sometimes simply impossible to put words to describe it. Sunsets and sunrises never get boring.

Sebastian was new to the crew and we could not have asked for a better crew member. He is an incredible water man, great yoga instructor and all time just good person. We can’t thank him enough for his time and energy and look forward to working with him again next year.  Our crazy chef (Stigs)  as usual created incredible food daily and entertained us with his endless travel stories and boundless energy. Stigs has has now departed for some new adventures in Cuba and then to Norway of all places. We wish him the best of luck with everything and look forward to meeting him again next year.

So for now Rise Up is taking a break to work on the plans for the coming year. We have some exciting things in the pipeline and in the coming year will truly be taking Rise Up to a new level in as many ways as possible and hopefully welcoming old and new guests to Nicaragua.

This year was a thousand times better than last year in every year and we are hoping that next year will be the beginning of us operating Rise Up full time and building it in to one of the greatest surf and yoga camps in the region.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of it so far!

No Comments »

Good Morning!

The last week at Rise Up has been one of the most memorable ever! Firstly the weather was without a doubt the worst the year so far! However our group of ladies simply had a blast! They more than made the most of it. All were complete beginners but thanks to the experience and patience of Hugh and Sebastian they all ended up learning to stand and ride waves! Everyday started with a great yoga session followed by a surf and in the evenings we enjoyed a ridisculous amount of cards with some spiced up hot chocolate.  A few of the days we went in to the estuary for afternoon cruises and once went for an epic hike though the mangroves to a completely deserted part of the beach.   We also spent a morning releasing baby sea turtles from hatchery created by the Pure Earth Project and then we spent a crazy day out on the volcano Cerro Negro with Bigfoot Hostel , doing some volcano boarding!

Most of the girls left on Saturday but not without having a big night out in Leon first, so much fun! The lucky two who stayed little longer, where blessed with perfect conditions in both the ocean and with the weather and were able to perfect the skills they had learned. Just want to say a big thanks to Jen, Fergie, Becky, Michelle, Kristin and Anne for joining us.

On Saturday we had a new group arrive! They are three girls from Finland, Australia and France. Day one was waist high perfection in the surf! They all had a blast out there.  The last couple of days the waves have picked up a little and we have been having some fun barrels down the beach and even better totally empty barrels!

This morning we were blessed to have an Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting right in front the camp ! Such a great surprise!  In 45 days we hope that the baby sea turtles will be making there way to a life in the oceans!  We then surfed more amazing uncrowded waves, such a good life.

This afternoon another estuary adventure calls followed by another amazing fresh lobster dinner created by our master Chef, Steve!

Check out the gallery below for a few shots from the last days at Rise Up.

No Comments »

After a month off to spend some time exploring and chilling out, the Rise Up crew are back. We are shocked yet very happy to have a busy October and November ahead. October  has brought Rise Up Surf a huge mixture of conditions. From beautiful off shore days with pumping swell last week to onshore and rain this week. However as usual we have been blessed with some amazing guests.  Joining us from Canada was Steve Pare and his buddies, they had an awesome few days, scoring epic Sandino and spotting a whale shark while out fishing, yup a whale shark! . One of the guys even tried is hand at kite surfing on one of the afternoon onshore days!  We were also joined by Rick and Kathryn who spent a week learning to surf with Hugh, our great instructor and all round awesome guide. They left with smiles all around and of course surfing. They are in good stead for their life ahead on the sunshine coast in Australia.

This week started out with some pretty bad weather, onshore winds and rain. However the girls from North Carolina have not been disheartened at all. From the get go they have been having a blast. The days routine has been starting with yoga instructed by our new guide and yoga teacher Sebastian, followed by surf lessons in less than idea conditions followed by some sort of fun and games.  On day three the girls all were successfully standing up and the adventures have taken them from salsa classes in Leon to estuary trips to releasing baby sea turtles to just coming back from Cerro Negro and the great volcano boarding. Such a great group of girls and the adventure continues!

Check out next weeks blog for an update on this weeks happenings. We are looking forward to some good winds and solid swell.  So stay tuned!

In the meantime check out a few shots from the last week!

No Comments »

April 30th began the arrival of what turned out to an insanely cool and super fun crew from different corners of North America

The first crew was made up of Michelle, Alix, Brad and Jessica (Venice Beach) . Following them was Martin and Janie (Montreal)  and last but not least was Stephanie and Jackie (Toronto). Along with these guys was the Rise Up crew of Steve (AKA – Stigs, our amazing chef!), Hugh (AKA Tarzan and probably one of the best surf instructors and most energetic people I know), Chinto and Phil.

Together we had an amazing two weeks together. Every day we managed to find some fun surf, sometimes close to camp but more often than not we had a combination of surfs everyday starting close to cam  then hoping in the boat to surf waves in the area. These waves are so much fun, punchy , hollow and never crowded!  To say this crew scored fun waves everyday was an understatement. There were even a few sessions at one of the best point breaks in Nicaragua with just us out! Incredible! Stephanie and Jackie spent their time learning to surf and within their first day there were standing and by day 3 out the back catching waves alone. Hugh was always there to make sure they were safe and to give them solid guidance on how to improve during every surf.

In between surfing we found time to head in to the estuary for fishing/ sunset cruises that involved some of our famous rum punch! We also made it out Leon to go volcano boarding with the Bigfoot Family (www.bigfootnicaragua.com), which was so much fun! And since it was a Friday night we had to stick around and sample the Leon nightlife! There are some photos posted on our Fan Page .

We just want to say a big thanks to everyone who was here with us over the past weeks. It was epic!

We are taking a little time now to go on a surf exploration mission as it is the first ” Big” swell of the season and we are hungry for some heavy waves.

We just started a newsletter where we will be sending out monthly specials, check out our home page to sign up!

If you are thinking of coming surfing then we hope that come and find us as we guarantee to make sure you have an amazing!

Thanks

Phil

No Comments »

With Steve back at the helm of the kitchen and Hugh back in the game we had two back to back weeks of learning to surf camps with some amazing people . The Rise Up crew were accompanied by Jennine, Kristen, Jamie and Jessica for two weeks of surfing, exploring the estuary  , volcano boarding and of course some much needed rum punch at sunset!

All the  girls started as complete beginners  and after a day were standing and after a week surfing! It was pretty incredible to watch the amazing leaps and bounds taken. This was thanks to  great knowledge of surfing of Hugh and easy and practical way he teaches, thanks Hugh!

The formal learn to surf season is coming to an end and as the big wave season is approaching! We are ready – Fully Equipped camp, check! trucks, check! Boat, Check! Amazing team, check! Empty waves, check! Come and join us!

From Phil, Gem, Steve, Hugh and Chinto we want to welcome you to Rise Up Anytime!

Check out a little more of the last few weeks here  Learning to Surf

1 Comment »

Rise Up has officially launched the 2011 season.  It feels so good to be back at our beautiful beachfront camp.  This year we are moving forward with big expectations. We have a second beachfront house located on the same beach that will be a place to chill out but also will be our location to offer budget surf tours. Our second house is kitted out to the max and again is for a maximum of only six surfers.  The house comes equipped with a ping pong table, darts, tv and DVDs plus more. The biggest attraction is that it looks over one of the best river mouths in the country!

Our goal is to cater to wide range of budgets, so now we can offer both luxury and budget fully guided tours. We are also diversifying more this year by offering learn to surf packages. These will be available until April 2011,  after which time we will be partnering up with Bigfoot Surf School to cater to beginners year round. As before we have a fully equipped speedboat ready to take us surfing, fishing and exploring anytime. Our boat is equipped with  a cover and will always have the fishing rods ready to go!

Last year Rise Up and Green Pathways played a part in Sea Turtle conservation in the Isla Juan Venado Reserve. This year we are taking it to another level with the aim of fully funding the project!  A new and exciting part this year will be volunteer projects for people who want to play and hand in conservation and get to know the real Nica culture and of course surf!

Last year we had Steve spend some time with us as the chef , this year he is back to stay and will be there to create amazing food everyday! Hugh also worked with us a little last year and this year he will be guiding and teaching people to surf in between getting ridiculously barrelede.  Chinto is back in full form with his barrel riding skills still unmatched by any local I have ever seen, actually by anyone I have ever seen!

We want to thank everyone who joined us last year, there were only a few but you are all amazing people and we are so happy to have shared those times together. This year we want to welcome all of you to come and join us. If you are looking for uncrowded waves on an incredibly beautiful beach with some good people then Rise Up is the place for you!

See you soon!

No Comments »

We just got out of the water from another fun session with just us in the water! Waves are small but Nicaragua is incredible right now!

Just wanted to let everyone know that the  New Rise Up will feature a fully functioning camp with luxury accommodation as well as basic accommodation. The camp is located right in front of the waves with a view straight in to the barrel of the river mouth. We will be able to accommodate up to two groups of  up four people as we will be joined by two of  our good friends who are going join to the team as guides.

Our lancha is fully equipped with a  cover to take us surfing and fishing anytime. At the camp we have a ping pong table, numerous hammocks and internet, plus much more!

In the New Year we will be sending out photos and videos so you can check it out.

For early season bookings in February and March we are offering a 25 % discount on our Surf Tour Packages and offering a special Learn To Surf all inclusive package for $750 US.

Have a great Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope to see you guys soon!

Phillip, Gemma and Chinto

No Comments »

This year marked our first year in operation and it was a great start. We surfed some amazing waves and spent time with a great group of inspirational people. They few people we had were so much fun and we want to thank you all for that. The coming year we are stepping things up a little more, we are going to running Surf Tours from February and will have the surf camp open full time for people looking to only spend a few nights. We are finalizing all the details now and we will update you soon.

In the meantime have a great Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

No Comments »

Further to our last update on how we aim to help sea turtle conservation.

Yesterday I had a meeting the head of the community and I was saddened to find out that there is without a doubt no funding available for conservation efforts on our side of the nature reserve. Thus the protection of endangered sea turtles and wildlife in this precious mangrove is at a stand still with little hope of the powers that be changing in the near future.

The leader of the community and I went on to discuss the details of what needs to be done and what supplies and personal are necessary to start Sea Turtle Conservation program in time for the next nesting season. This is a protection program along twelve kilometers of “Protected Beach” where Olive Ridley (Pslama) and Leatherback (Tora) sea turtles come to lay their eggs. I explained that our dream and ambition is to help make this project a reality. We are three weeks away from the beginning of the nesting season so action needs to be taken now.

Rise Up is taking the step by contributing as much funding as we can to this project but we need some outside support. The funding for the next three months basically breaks down like this:

1. Wages and food $ 30 US  per day =  $ 2700 US (  6 people per day for seven days a week)
2. Construction and Maintenance of the hatchery = $250 US
3. Equipment = $ 200 US

• Torches – preferably waterproof with red lights
• Batteries
• Rain Coats
• Buckets
• Gloves
• Pencils/ pens
• Waterproof containers for data sheets
• Radio

4. Park guard/police = $ 600

This comes to a grand total of $3750 US. This is to give guaranteed protection to an entire generation of Sea Turtles.

As you can see this list only involves six people to patrol and collect eggs in a twelve kilometer stretch of beach. The contribution of volunteers to this type of project can be invaluable. Thus we are in the process of working out the details of a volunteer program for the next six months to help with Sea Turtle Conservation and in the future other projects such as reforestation. Obviously we first need to find the funding to get the sea turtle project off the ground.

A key part of our funding is through people taking trips with us. For every person that books a trip with us we will donate $100 US to this project. When they are here you can visit the project and see exactly where your money is going.

We guarantee to be present at every stage of the project using our knowledge of sea turtle conservation and working in Nicaragua to ensure that a positive job does happen.

Please get in touch to find out more information or to book a trip and help conservation in Nicaragua.

30 Comments »

Rise Up is joining forces with the University Of Leon, The Department of Marine and Natural Resources and the local government to conserve endangered sea turtles along the Pacific coast in our area. By doing a tour with us you directly support t this cause. More info to come!

No Comments »