Surfing Nica

Lessons from daily surf in Nicaragua

My husband and I left five days early before my Waves of Creativity retreat and flew to Liberia, Costa Rica, taking a series of buses to the border of Nicaragua. We crossed in a rainstorm and arrived in the small coastal town of San Juan del Sur around dinnertime. This set the scene for the next several days of surf, sun, hiking, and play before it was time to get back to work.

Surfing daily in San Juan del Sur was such an empowering practice. There’s something about showing up to the water each morning, paddling out, and trying again and again that reminds me of meditation. You might catch a wave for just ten seconds before wiping out, and then you’re back at it, paddling, waiting, and trying again. The practice isn’t in “getting it”—it’s in the persistence, the presence, and the willingness to fall and rise over and over.

I found myself reflecting on this rhythm while riding waves all day. Each wave, each fall, each moment I balanced just enough to glide forward, became a metaphor for life: the progress isn’t in perfection, it’s in the trying. By the end of the day, even if the longest ride was fleeting, I felt a quiet strength and joy that only comes from showing up fully, again and again, for something new and challenging. Surfing, like creativity and meditation, is a practice of presence—and there’s magic in simply being willing to ride.