The monochromatic sky stretched wide before me. It was spread with blotches of gray like a
watercolor left out in the rain. The sunrise was obscured yet there was light enough to discern the rhythmic rise and fall of the swell. I slipped into the water of the Golfo Dulce and its warmth enveloped me. I reveled in the taste of salt on my lips and the delicious sensation of floating. Then the familiar klaxon in my head startled me out of my reverie. A moderate sized wave with spewing foam was heading my way and the refrain, “Dive, dive, dive” reverberated in my consciousness. I plunged under the wave and felt the surge of joy being in the water again.
It had been a long 2 months. During that time, there were several mornings when our furry, four-legged alarm clock, Soozi, standing by the side of the bed would wake us and we could hear the roar of the surf. M and I would lie in bed and hear the siren song. Our fear wasn’t being dashed against the rocks, it was the “multa” in the equivalent of $245 USD. If both of us were caught that’s practically a whopping $500. We love to surf but not that much. Reading the news stories of the arrest of Noe Mar McGonagle, the 2015 ISA World Champion and Costa Rican native son (born and raised on our surf break) for defying the quarantine along with photos of him on the sand, board under his arm surrounded by a 3 man police escort also dampened our enthusiasm. Mr. McGonagle later posed an apology video encouraging surfers to stay at home. It was this incident that inspired a group of surfers to organize.
The road is to cyclists as the beach is to surfers. This argument stated by a group called Peaceful Surf Paddle. The Ministerio de Salud was allowing cyclists and runners to practice their sport by using a public road, then why not allow surfers to practice their non-contact sport and cross the beach. We understand that the government wants to keep the beaches closed to discourage people from gathering. Surfers do not congregate on the beach; the beach is merely a conduit into the water. An online petition signed by nearly 1,000 people and a suggested list of protocols was presented to the Ministry in late April. The effort met success when it was announced in early May that surfers could return to the water (with restrictions.) From Monday to Friday, 5 am to 8 am, surfers can enter the water at a limited number of beaches.
Hey, we’ll take it. M and I have always been morning surfers. With the alarm going off at 4 am, we wake up Soozi now! We are in the car at 5 am adhering to vehicle restriction rules though the police presence has practically disappeared here. Even at that early hour, there are quite a few people in the water. There is an influx of surfistas from the northern coast where their breaks located within national parks are still closed. Though locals are a little annoyed that our personal playground is being invaded, we try to be magnanimous. The out-of-towners are being dollars to the local economy and after all, there are enough waves out there for everyone.
Comments