Each Saturday, Coconut Harrys Surf and Music hosts Board Swap Saturdays at Playa Guiones, Nosara. People can bring boards they just have laying around the house or they could just try something different.
‘Try stuff before you buy stuff’ is the theme. Frequently, we are learning that people have boards laying around that for someone else might be a real treasure and expand their quiver. So instead of dropping a bunch of money on something you might not like, you may as well at least try out the sizes and shapes and get a feel for it. Or just find somebody you can trade direct to. 
For this Board Swap Saturday, Rich takes out of Robert August mini longboard version of the famous What I Ride model and a Storm Equipment Surfboards finless custom finless board. The surf is a little better than we had expected on this day, but it’s by no means epic.
This is an April day with fun Surf and I’m riding an 8‘4“ Robert August What I Ride model so it’s a mini longboard.  there’s no center fin and two side bites are working well turning & it even noserides on this board, believe it or not. On these waves I’m trying to learn how to generate speed and complete 360s. wave one was fun, but wave two was definitely more fun after linking up a couple of those turn sections between sections on semi clean but bumpy day. I’m extremely grateful to be living in Nosara & learning all this different equipment and riding waves whether standing up, on knees, or body surfing.  see you guys out in the water or maybe at Coconut Harry’s Surf & Music Shop.  Thanks Eq Surf for video & After Surf Band for music
I’m grateful for so many things about life in Nosara… Surf of course #1, then followed by people & the community in general, then perhaps variety of weather, waves & types of people with season adjustments, & there’s more. But music wasn’t in top choices here until November 1st 2023. That’s when I started playing at Alt Fin Co at Outpost in Playa Guiones K section across from Surf Simply & near Beach Dog Cafe & El Campo.
Since then I’m reconnecting with many friendships, clients gathered over the years & just overall enjoying myself and the challenge of it all. My favorite jam sessions are the freestyle ones where someone just names a subject & off we go… However, on this night I was super nervous because my first time playing publicly with Garret “G Love” Dutton who has been a long time friend since about 2010 when he did his first Nosara Benefit show at that time for the Surfing Nosara Foundation to help local schools. Erik Antonson is to thank for starting all of this and to this date we’re all friends & I’m hoping we can get Nosara Acoustic Roots Festival back up & rolling.
Ideally we get G Love, Jack Johnson, Donovan Frankenreiter, Ben Harper type folks together for an ideal kind of festival. Nosara is a model town for the world to see and in protecting it and its people other places may benefit, too.
My music history is 2 years of piano 10 to 12, then picking up a guitar at 22 years old & mainly being self taught with a bit of time in contemporary church bands before moving to Nosara full time in 2009. My most interesting setup up till 2009 was playing upright bass in a bluegrass band called Tin Penny in St. Augustine, Florida. This style of music really caught my attention & formulated my style for future years.
When when Nosara happened, I pretty much dropped music except for Kaiya’s Del Mar Academy talent show in 2011 or so & a couple times at Il Basílico, Harbor Reef (RIP), and here or there with a friend like Josh, Tacu, or Darrin E on percussion.
So mainly it was me fingerpicking in the jungle in between letting my kids beat me up in karate, boxing, Muay Thai, or BJJ & UFC TUF episodes & Gracie Jiu Jitsu lessons as part of their homeschool.
But the kids are old now & I’m pumped to be back into music. Was terrifying getting out in front of people because when you stink in music super visible. At same time, I’m not trying to make any money or be famous. I just want to make interesting music that flows and generally has pretty strong bass lines.
Here’s a peek at the Harmony Hotel’s Recording Studio with Alejandro Hidalgo & special guest Deblois Milledge. Deblois freestyles to Rich’s Django inspired riff & creates a new song call ‘Rodeo’ first attempt. Alejandro holds percussion & also guest appears in The Alejandros alongside Editor EQ Ale who edited this video plus contributed much of the music & sound production.
These past few weeks have been an adventure… The Nosara Podcast surf team (current lineup is ‘Shortboard’ Esteban, ‘Longboard’ Andy, Mike ‘Boo Boo’ Beazley, & EQ.Surf.Tv Ale) made their way up for special surf trip. EQ Surf Ale is making a real surf movie from the footage so stay tuned for this. I’m making a TWINicaragua 2nd episode from EQ Surf’s footage at the Boom, then after the NP surf team takes off there’s some more footage from local photographers like Ricki, Saul, German & Gabriel & then I head down to Playa Colorado at Hacienda Iguana.
The Boom is advanced level wave which breaks right by the shore. There’s expert level surfers there like Carlos Zuniga from Chancletas who is featured prominently in this TWIN episode. There’s a solid wipeout section, me struggling with shortboard at Boom, some detailed area footage of my favorite spot, Playa Nahualapa. Introduction to Troy Walker if you don’t know him already, a private skatepark on beach at Boom, & many fun waves with Shortboard Esteban & LB Andy. The locals there are extremely dialed in & a pleasure to watch navigate this expert level wave. I’m grateful for their hospitality & guidance. It 100% is NOT a wave for everyone & I recommend beginner & most intermediate level surfers visit other, safer areas. Or at minimum hire a true local to help you understand why this isn’t your standard beach break & definitely not Playa Guiones 🙂
For the Hacienda Iguana Playa Colorado section: It’s been 12 or 13 years since I’ve been there & I wanted to see what’s changed & such plus check out a Nosara client’s massive property he’s asking me to review, obviously surf, plus try to play golf.
Some super fun waves at Colorado’s & went golfing with new friend Cesar from StopNGoSurf. Overall pleasantly surprised although my favorite area is up north. The people are awesome for & it’s not just one neighborhood. Feels like Nosara 2005 or so & there’s actually community there.
Hopefully it goes family oriented or at least more of a nature type spot and not just hardcore, aggressive vibe. My first spot in Costa Rica was a place called Playa Junquillal, which was awesome, until it wasn’t. Thankfully up there places like Amaru & Grace’s GLO Cafe exist as well as the hardcore places.
There’s many impoverished people who want and deserve a better life. plus there’s a huge environmental opportunity if they start planting now & getting wildlife back to the area. Hopefully incoming people choose to be part of the solution as best they can.
Some people up there are scared of growth, & rightfully so. What I’ve learned over 2 decades in Latin America though is people are already going to go to great spots with good surf… There’s no stopping this.
There 100% is chance of making it better by at minimum getting people involved in empowering the local populace with education & opportunities, plus a focus on nature & wildlife.
So thank goodness for people like Drew Reinhart, she shared projects like Casa Armonía (https://www.mujeresquemueven.org/casa-armonia), & it is inspiring. A little bit of $ goes a long way up there, a $100 donation buys 2 bags of concrete for their facility where they help women with education, life skills, self preservation & care, physical & mental training for their safety & a better future. Check out their site to see something great launching.
Here’s just a tiny sample of screen shot photos from the upcoming movie. Music is going to be from our band After Surf, which is one of the opening acts for the G Love Benefit Show happening November 16th… Stay tuned for movie.
