Moving Day...

Hey Everyone,

Hopefully you've noticed that our new and improved website is up and running! Well now it's time for the blog to move to the website as well. All of our blogging content has been moved over and unpacked onto the new site so if your looking for something from days (or years) past it will all be there. As well as all of our new posts. The new address for the Blog is witchsrocksurfcamp.com/blog/ and you can add us to your RSS feed by adding http://witchsrocksurfcamp.com/feed/ . If you are signed up for the Witch's Rock blog through our Blogspot address, you will no longer be receiving any of our new content from this point on and all of our old content will soon disappear. So come check out the new site and we'll see you all at Witch's Rock Surf Camp!

Pura Vida!

New WRSC website goes live

Hello world,

if you are reading this blog post, that means you're on the new Witch's Rock Surf Camp website. Congratulations, you've made it this far!

We took the elements that we liked from the previous website and combined them with new elements that we wanted to improve things. These items include:

• simple horizontal navigation along the top of the page (no more difficult drop-down menus)
• lots of big photos showing you what things really look like down here in lovely Tamarindo, Costa Rica
• text that is easy to read
• other cool shit

Basically we've tried to deliver you a clean website that gives you as much information about what we do and why we do it. Yes, the website still hast some bugs. Yes, the website still doesn't show up in some countries because the DNS changes haven't yet been picked up by some internet providers. Yes, there are still things we wanted to include with the new website but didn't do because we've been trying to get this done for months. But I think you'll find that we're well on our way.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Yana, James, Elaine, Happy, Shawna, and everyone else at WRSC who worked together to get things done. As I sit here in Peru, waiting for tomorrow's flight back to Tamarindo, I skim through the new website and only get more and more anxious to get home!

pura vida

Joe

what to pack for a surf trip to a developing country

Here at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, we are prepping for our fourth trip to Peru and we have been getting a lot of questions about what is needed for a surf trip to a developing country like Peru. I thought that I might share my short list of what prep work you need and what to bring should you ever go surfing off the beaten path.

Here is my recommended list:

• Check with the CDC to see what vaccines are recommend for the country you are traveling to. If you are going to more than one country, make sure you have all vaccines that you need to enter all the countries. For example, if I want to come back to Costa Rica after visiting Peru, I have to have my Yellow Fever shot, along with the proper documentation.

• Make sure all of your regular vaccines (tetanus and the like) are up to date.

• First aid kit including (but not limited to):
• Band aids - No brainer
• Hydrogen peroxide – good for cleaning cuts and your ears! Bring it or get it in country
• Imodium, Kaopectatee II, Imodium A-D or some other loperamide based drug – you know why.
• Ibuprofen cause even a little pain is not fun

• If you take any regular medications, be aware that they are not always available in foreign countries so make sure you bring enough to last.

• Duct tape – cause you only need it when you don’t have it and it fixes EVERYTHING

• Copy of your passport – when you arrive, try to get a copy made with the page with the entry stamp.

• If you are ever unsure about the water, drink bottled. If bottled might not be available all the time, bring iodine tablets.

• If you decide that you can't part with your own here is a list if airlines and surfboard policies but always double check with your airline. For a few extra tips on how to pack a board, check out this video.

• Bring the basic surf necessities – wax for the right temps, ding repair kit, a leash plus a spare

• Above all, pack light and pack cheap. You don’t want to have to carry a heavy bag full of expensive things only to have it stolen.

Hope this list is helpful for all of you surf adventurers. Have a great trip and have fun!

What to bring for a surf trip

Here at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, we get a lot of questions about what is needed for a surf trip to the Central and South America. Right now I am prepping for my second trip to South America: Peru!

Here is my short list of recommendations:

• Check with the CDC to see what vaccines are recommend for the country you are traveling to. If you are going to more than one country, make sure you have all vaccines that you need to enter each country. For example, if I want to come back to Costa Rica after visiting Peru, I have to have my Yellow Fever shot, along with the proper documentation.
• Make sure all of your regular vaccines are up to date.
• First aid kit including:
• Band aids - No brainer
• Hydrogen peroxide – good for cleaning cuts and your ears! Bring it or get it in country
• Imodium, Kaopectatee II, Imodium A-D or some other loperamide based drug – you know why.
• Duct tape – cause you only need it when you don’t have it
• Copy of your passport – when you arrive, try to get a copy made of the page with the entry stamp.

• Ibuprofen cause even a little pain is not fun
• If you are ever unsure about the water, drink bottled. If bottled might not be available all the time, bring iodine tablets.
• If you take any regular medications, be aware that they are not always available in foreign countries so make sure you bring enough to last.
• If you are bringing a surfboard, check with your airline to make sure they allow surfboards and to see if there are any size restrictions. It is also helpful to check the cost of bringing boards. To learn how to pack a board, check out this video: http://www.dailystoke.com/2010/09/how-to-pack-your-surfboard-travel-bag/
• Bring the basic surf necessities – correct wax, ding repair kit, leash (if needed)
• Above all, pack light and pack cheap. You don’t want to have to carry a heavy bag full of expensive things only to have it stolen.

Hope this list is helpful for all of you surf adventurers. Have a great trip and have fun!

Crazy Kids! Coral Reef & Witch's Halloween

Scary Good

The Horror....The Horror!

October has been full of tricks and treats so far, delivering some ideal conditions for the handful of locals and visitors surfing the uncrowded breaks in perfect weather. If you are lucky enough to be here for Halloween, we're going to have a frighteningly good time. Bring the kids to our House of Horror!

It's Alive! Alive!!!!!

Surfboards are coming to life in our new workshop. Come in to the lab, and see what's on the slab! http://www.joewalshproject.com/

A Few for Peru...

There are a couple of spots left for our trip to the land of long lefts, don't be left out for our Trip to Peru November 6-13th.

Tamarindo Real Estate: an Expert Overview by Courtney Borquet

Since I have lived in Tamarindo for almost ten years, people are frequently sending me emails and asking me questions about the local real estate market. I am not an expert in this field, but fortunately I am good friends with one. Remax Tamarindo Manager/Sales Associate Courtney Borquet has been working in Tamarindo real estate for about as long as I've been working in the Tamarindo surfing industry. She is a true expert in this field. Courtney is providing us with local real estate information through a series of blogs starting with this one. She can be found using the contact information below. I hope you find this information useful!

pura vida,

Joe Walsh

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMARINDO REAL ESTATE BLOG SERIES PART 1:

Costa Rica is a perfect vacation destination for many international travelers. Tropical waters, consistent swell, and a variety of surf breaks have been bringing visitors to Guanacaste for decades. Some of these vacationers have decided to purchase property in the area and make Costa Rica their primary or secondary home.

The country saw a significant increase in real estate investment from the late 1990s until 2009, when the economic environment changed. Last year the volume of real estate transactions decreased, but some lucky people were able to purchase properties at prices that have not been seen in years. There are still some fantastic deals available.

Most of the properties that were purchased by foreign investors were paid for in cash. This helped the real estate market by preventing a flood of forecloses. The interest rates and tighter lending policies in Costa Rica are the reason we continue to see people preferring all cash purchases. Some sellers have become more creative, and are willing to offer short-term owner financing with thirty or forty percent of the purchase price down.

Costa Rican residents are savvy about the opportunities available now in their country and many of the recent purchases have been made by nationals. North Americans are continuing to purchase vacation properties to escape the cold northern winters, live near the beach, or retire where their dollars can go further. The lower US dollar has also helped the prices become even more affordable for Canadians and European buyers over the last couple years. The diverse backgrounds of the buyers can be seen in most of the beach towns in the country.

As we prepare for high season, we see a number of opportunities for buyers in the market. There are a few select properties that are still deeply discounted below comparables because of sellers who require a quick sale for personal reasons. You can find lots, condos, and homes within a wide range of prices. Lots just a short walk to the beach can be found north of Tamarindo for USS45,000. Beautiful ocean view condos are now priced as low as $190,000. Fantastic ocean view lots with views of the Tamarindo surf breaks can be had for $150,000…

If you have been looking to purchasing a vacation property in spectacular Costa Rica, this could be the perfect time for you.

Courtney Borquet
Manager and Sales Associate
Remax Ocean Surf
011-506-2-653-0073
mobile: 011-506-8369-5107
CRGAR, NAR
SERVING THE GOLD COAST FOR TEN YEARS!

Telefona La Casa

PHONE HOME

When you're travelling in a foreign country, little things can mean a lot: like being able to use your laptop to stay in touch and being able to make a simple call back home without some sketchy payphone charging you a mortgage payment to call your mom.

That's why WRSC offers FREE Wi-Fi throughout the Hotel and Restaurant and FREE PHONE CALLS to the US with any purchase in the Surf Shop (and yes, a pack of gum counts).

So if you called in sick to escape down to Costa Rica, or if your boss thinks you're "working from home" we got all the connections to cover you! It can be like you never left... but explaining your tan to your boss Is something you may want to think about ahead of time.

Colder than a "Witch's Tit": a mixed drink recipe brought to you by the new intern

And Intern…

So I finally managed to parlay my dream of coming down here to Witch’s for more than a 10 day stay (usually followed by two weeks or 2years of dying to come back). So to celebrate my good fortune I thought that I might do you all a kindness in-tern…

Whether you just got back from your surf vacation and you can't figure out how to readjust to your daily grind or you’re just hanging on by your finger nails until you can get back down to Witch’s, we all gotta’ cope somehow and drinking has always been my favorite. So here’s to you! The following is the recipe (semi-secret up to this point) for the Famous and sometimes infamous Witch’s Titt! So Crank up the heat in your house (85 to 95 should work) and boil up some water to get that humidity index up over 90% then follow the instructions below and I swear you can almost feel the ocean breeze…

------"mine!"------

What You’ll Need For 2-3 drinks:

4oz Rum (White or spiced it’s up to you, we use blanco)

1oz Triple Sec

5oz Orange Juice (I’m pretty sure they don’t sell Dos Pinos North of Mexico… Sorry!)

A thick circular slice of Pineapple (Fresh is best but canned/juiced will work if you must)

A couple of splashes of Grenadine, Handful of ice, and a Blender

What to do with what you got:

Add Rum, Triple Sec, Orange Juice, and Pineapple (take the skin off and cut into chunks) into the blender over a handful of Ice.

Kick that Blender into High gear and keep it going ‘till the Ice and the Pineapple has fully broken up.

Pour into a couple of tropical glasses(or a plastic cup, whateves’) .

Splash with some Grenadine and garnish with a straw and anything that grows close to the Equator!

Feeling any breezes yet?

Pura Vida!

Please check in with me from time to time ‘cause I could get lost and someone might have to come looking for me.

The Happy-est Intern

Surfing Etiquette: What To Do When You Ding Someone Else's Surfboard

Ironically, just last week I posted the "How To Fix A Ding On The Rail Of Your Surfboard" video, and then today I got run over by someone surfing in the water and now I have a nice big ding in the rail of my board. It was just tragic. There were plenty of waves, I had only been out for about 45 minutes and I was going to make it one of those 3+ hour surf-until-sunset afternoons. That was until I was paddling out and this guy I didn't know falls on a wave in front of me and almost takes my head off. I ducked out of the way, but my board received a huge gash in the rail. What a bummer!

The worst part was the guy's attitude about the whole thing. He was like "oh well that's your problem" while I was more like "buddy, you need to throw down some cash to help pay to fix this board." He was a tourist and probably just passing through town. He definitely didn't seem to believe in karma. Maybe he didn't know what the "rule" was. Is there a rule? Well, if there isn't, it could goes something like this:

SURFING ETIQUETTE: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DING SOMEONE ELSE'S SURFBOARD

Its your fault, you must pay for the repair.

- you ran someone over because you were out of control

- your leash broke and the board subsequently ran somebody over and damaged their board

- you ditched your board when a big set came and it hit the person behind you

- you ran over someone's surfboard in the parking lot

Both of us are to blame, we should share the cost of the repair.

- If we're both surfing and we run into each other, oops.

- If I was caught inside but trying to get out of the way and you accidentally ran me over (or vice versa), oops.

You get the idea. Accidents do happen. Don't just paddle away and tell the other person to go screw themselves. That is bad karma. The surfing world is very small, and chances are that we share some of the same friends. Help pay to fix the surfboard and consider it an investment in your surfing karma future. Most dings normally only cost around $30-$40, a little more if they are on the nose or tail, or if fins are involved.