learning for cheap

[Concussed]

I was thinking about doing a spring break trip this year with some friends since we're getting old and creepy and miss 18yr old girls. I'd also like to learn to surf. I was thinking the left coast of mexico would be good and cheap in Marchish, right around when cabin fever will set in in Wyo.

I have never surfed, am a piss poor snowboarder, and can handle my own on a wakeboard. Where is a good place to learn for relatively little money? How many days will it take to get at least fun....ie can stand up and actually handle a break or two? Do any of you want to come with and teach for free beer? etc. Totally noob q's but figure I should use this site for more than skiing! thx



cheers!

[Ottime]

Sayulita is pretty popular. Soft rolling surf for the most part. Should be pretty good.

Costa Rica is always fun, IMO. Mal Pais made me pretty happy a decade or so ago. And at the time, I lived like a king on $10-$15/day.

[Concussed]

I read that in a thread below - unfortunately one buddy is going there in Dec so we may need to go somewhere else in Mar. also i know flights can be cheap from den to mexico via frontier, while if i fly anywhere from jackson i'll pay a small fortune. slc to cr is around $600 which i guess is pretty good...

if costa rica is really better than mexico we may have to do that though. are lessons readily available in both places?

Thanks!

[durangotang]

i went surfing in sayulita a couple years back and it was so much fun. they have a really good surf school there as well if you're interested....

[Crystal_Mt_Dreamin]

As suggested, Sayulita is good for n00bs looking to get into the sport. Not sure how it is with 18 year old girls though (willing to find out, LOL).

[hop]

Let's just say that there are two types of "Sayulita fish taco". Both types are easy to find, cheap to prepare, and generally quite good.

[Concussed]

Thanks for the advice. Flights are pricey as shit. 431 to costa rica in March from slc and 509 to puerta vallarta. Over 900 from Jackson and over 600 from Idaho falls.

Y'all must be loaded!

[hop]

Thanks for the advice. Flights are pricey as shit. 431 to costa rica in March from slc and 509 to puerta vallarta. Over 900 from Jackson and over 600 from Idaho falls.

Y'all must be loaded!

I did stay in one of the most expensive suites in Sayulita for 3 of my 6 weeks there*... maybe that had something to do with the dual taco situation.
















*for free (and come to think about it, I didn't pay for my flight either)

[Concussed]

free place in pv is a possibility for us, but free flights? magic.

[hop]

PV would be an annoying trek to Sayulita if you wanted to do it every day.

[Ottime]

In Costa the beach, and 100 ft past the high tide line is public property and free to camp on. Although, I do not recall any fish tacos after spending a week camping and surfing.

And surf lessons generally do not offer much. A lot of time from the instructor telling you to "just enjoy it" from what I've seen. If you have one person in your pack who knows how to surf, you should be fine.

Stay near sandy bottoms, avoid rocks. The rest is just practice, IMO. The more time you put to it, the better.

[hop]

The best surf lesson I ever got was from Lori Petty in "Point Break".

"Both feet have to land on the board at the same time!"

[Concussed]

In Costa the beach, and 100 ft past the high tide line is public property and free to camp on. Although, I do not recall any fish tacos after spending a week camping and surfing.

And surf lessons generally do not offer much. A lot of time from the instructor telling you to "just enjoy it" from what I've seen. If you have one person in your pack who knows how to surf, you should be fine.

Stay near sandy bottoms, avoid rocks. The rest is just practice, IMO. The more time you put to it, the better.

The beach, beer, and surfing is the priority - none of us have ever surfed and want to learn. Fish tacos would just be a nice little bonus.

[BS720]

I don't want to piss in your proverbial Cheerios, but think hard before you attempt the afore mentioned stunt. I just got back from Baja with my younger brother, and it was a slap of reality, to say the least. Our first day of surfing, he took a board to the face, and split his nose and lip open. We were 4 hours from a city big enough to have medical care. On the way to repair his lip, the shift lever of my van sheared off in my hand. This may not be an issue if you have a brand new car, or if you have someone who can fix you up. I am fortunate to have enough medical experience to be able to deal with minor medical emergencies on my own. But, the episode forced me to realize that being so far from civilization with a beginner is a very bad idea. Shit happens when you are learning to surf. This isn't Hawaii, San Diego or LA. Your Kaiser insurance card doesn't work down here. I have not experienced firsthand PV or the surrounding breaks, so others may be able to tell you if I'm being overly cautious. My brother had just completed his first two triathlons, to give you an idea of his fitness level. That doesn't begin to compensate for a rip, submerged rock/reef, or other hazards you may not see.

My advice is that, as crowded as it is, get some experience Stateside, then go down. That first lesson with an instructor will take you back to square one, and will cover a few of the things that a regular surfer does everyday, without thinking about it.

My 2 cents.