San Blas, Panama

[Natedogg]

Any beta for islands in San Blas? Surfing or other?

[Bigdump]

wannasurf.com

[peterslovo]

nate, my buddy dave was in panama last year - i'll check with him

[Natedogg]

Hey guys, thanks for the info, but I got back from the trip about 2 weeks ago.

[peterslovo]

Hey guys, thanks for the info, but I got back from the trip about 2 weeks ago.

oops, we did talk about this on sat, didn't we nate? i blame it on drugs for the clouded memory!

[yonskion]

San Blas Mexico is great surf http://www.stonerssurfcamp.com/
Mexican "Pipeline"...San Blas, Nayarit is great. Cheap, safe and friendly. Rambo II was filmed in San Blas

[supermodel159]

Hey guys, thanks for the info, but I got back from the trip about 2 weeks ago.

TR please.

[Natedogg]

Not sure I want to attract attention to this place!

Maybe I can conjur up some images...

[Natedogg]

Here are a few pics... stealing them out of my Facebook album since my photos are on my home computer.

Flew into Panama City and had a day and a half to mess around. Kind of a dirty, crazy city, and there were less people who spoke English than you would think (seeing how much of a presense the US had there over the past 100 years). High school spanish came through... kinda.

Flew out to Kuna Yala (~25 min plane ride from Panama City) early AM... Panama City early AM:


Really cool flying over the mountains in central Panama and coming down to the coast in clouds and mist...


Parents friends picked us up at the Corazon de Jesus airstrip and ferried us out to their boat. Immediately some Kuna came out to sell us molas:


We left Nargana pretty quickly to sail out to the Holandes Islands. On the way, we caught a feeeesh! Only one of the trip. No idea what it is:


Got to the Holandes (pix on other computer), did some snorkeling, and then to BBQ island for the cruisers pot-luck gathering. Great sunset:




Pretty much just island hopped for the next week. Mountains of Kuna Yala:


Most of the islands are picture-perfect (although there is a SHIT TON of garbage washed up on every beach):




Pulled into Rio Sidra to be tourons and buy molas and get a tour of the primitive village:


Some inter-island ballers:


Mom buying some mola purses:


Dugout canoes:


Back on 'the road' for more sailing and snorkeling:








Reprasentin my TGR homies:


Wanted to get some star trails and night shots, but it rained most nights and the wind was blowing ~25 the ENTIRE time. The last night I finally said screw it and motored in to try to get some shots:


Motoring back to Nargana for dinner before the early flight out the next morning--road sodas, Panama style:


Roaming the streets of Nargana looking for food... and cerveza:


Wicked cute little shits:


Flying out, over the western Coco Banderas:


Coming back into Panama City we saw ships waiting to go through the canal... looked like a scene from a CGI movie:


Spent a day and a half at the Gamboa Rain Forest Resort on Lake Gatun... did a little kayaking, pool lounging, star gazing:


As far as surf in the San Blas/Kuna Yala... I'm not much of a surfer, but the breaks didn't seem very good. Swells were between six and eighteen while we were there (eighteen outside the reefs), and you could hear the roar of the breakers on the reef, but from where I was, it seemed pretty choppy. I did hear someone on the morning cruiser net asking around for beta on some of the breaks in the area--sounded like he knew the area well and had surfed it, but was looking for anything--even two feet--to ride. Snorkeling around, the coral looked pretty gnarly.

[supermodel159]

As far as surf in the San Blas/Kuna Yala... I'm not much of a surfer, but the breaks didn't seem very good. Swells were between six and eighteen while we were there (eighteen outside the reefs), and you could hear the roar of the breakers on the reef, but from where I was, it seemed pretty choppy. I did hear someone on the morning cruiser net asking around for beta on some of the breaks in the area--sounded like he knew the area well and had surfed it, but was looking for anything--even two feet--to ride. Snorkeling around, the coral looked pretty gnarly.

18ft??????

[Natedogg]

That's what the VHF weather was saying. I didn't see it since I was inside the reefs, but depending on period and type of break, that don't mean shit. The breakers I saw might have been five to ten, but massive and jumbled up shit.

[supermodel159]

Either way, looks like you had fun!