As you know from my past post, I have been involved with Yoniswell since the pandemic. It took 9 months between us all (me, Jordan at Yoniswell, and Kimberly at Turismo Restaurativo) to plan this retreat. It was our first one in El Salvador after three successful ones in Nicaragua. This retreat was from February 18th - 24th El Zonte, La Libertad.
It was programmed to facilitate beginners learning to surf. We partnered with local teachers from Surfing Your Fears, Alex & Nettee. They were incredibly professional, helpful, kind, and insightful. I want to go back just for myself to learn more from them! They're intimate knowledge of the break and the area was invaluable.
El Salvador is a great place to travel to surf. It's fairly easy, with a direct flight from LA to El Sal, then 1 hour drive to the coast. The country is undergoing socioeconomic changes that are making it safer and easier to go to. The country also accepts USD so no exchanges necessary to deal with.
We stayed at Palo Verde Hotel, the first STOKE certified sustainable hotel in El Salvador. We surfed El Zonte point every day. It's a right point break with warm water, friendly locals, and super fun waves.
Besides surfing, we ate pupusas until we couldn't! We danced cumbia, we did yoga to help our tired muscles and then we ate again (and again and again) the amazing food at Nantal, the 5 star restaurant at Palo Verde Hotel. ARIKO sponsored the retreat and we gifted everyone a hat and a bandana to remember their stoke and take it home with them. I was not only a leader on the retreat but also a brand sponsor, a personal dream of mine come to fruition.
Jordan, me, and Christina. We've been on so may retreats together!
For me, seeing beginners get in the water and learn as adults has a special meaning since I was one myself. I may never be as good as someone who grew up surfing but I'm proof it can be done and you can be a proficient surfer with enough practice, dedication, and time. As my own surf coach and mentor says, "it's just time in the water."
