Wanderlust. Passion. Breath. Living La Dolce Vita! Mexico!
That’s what I have to say about my recent surf and yoga ‘safari’ with Las Olas Surf (https://lasolas.surf/), where the slogan is “we make girls out of women”! 🏄♀️ 😊
Ocean Dreams
I have been following Las Olas Surf 🌊 for more than a decade. Seriously, I don’t know where I first read about them and the surf school, but more than likely it was in a blog post like this one, and I was internally prompted/guided to sign up for their email newsletters. I’ve always been an ocean and beach person by nature. Though I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains in NY state, far from the sea, I had the divine blessing of living on a natural glacier lake (Canada Lake) and enjoyed water sports like water skiing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, and sailing in the summer. Once I got a taste of the warm Caribbean waters, well, you all know that story….I never looked back!
And paddle boarding and surfing have been something on my dream board forever! While I’ve been able to paddle board here on St. Croix island in the USVI on occasion, it’s not something I can easily do on a regular basis. And as for surfing, well, we don’t have reliable surf waves here to really get comfy or practice. Die-hard surfers catch the rare swells that come in with storms, but those waves are most often reef breaks and not fun for beginner surfers. Years ago, I traveled to Costa Rica and took some surfing lessons. It was ok until it was NOT. The classes were big relative to the instructors, and so were the waves! I ended up with my ears full of sand and a FEAR of wiping out in the white water that haunted me. I tried again in Puerto Rico some years ago, only to be washed up on the shore after going through what literally felt like a washing machine. Oh well, I thought, my surfing days are over.
Wanderlust Whispers and a Decisive Click
That is, until the Las Olas newsletter popped up again and again and again, and this time, I said YES! It was time for me to just go for it. And something about the fact that the instructors and the students in the surfing classes were all women made me feel more comfortable. I didn’t have to worry about competing with or performing for anyone except myself. That’s the Las Olas tribe vibe – “we make girls out of women.” Sounded like just like the type of natural medicine for the soul this adventurer at heart needed.
Signing Up and Taking the Plunge
And so it was with some trepidation and a ton of courage that I finally signed up to just GO ALREADY on a 5-day surf/yoga ‘safari’ with Las Olas in Mexico! The waiver alone, gave me room for pause, ‘being eaten by sharks, breaking my neck falling off the board, drowning etc.’ were all on me stated the legalese. Oh well, too late, I had already handed over my credit card and booked the flights. There was no turning back now! My family and friends (many of whom I had tried to convince to come along with me over the years) said their prayers and shook their heads. They wished me luck and hopefully some good old-fashioned F.U.N!
Wiping Out with a Smile: Triumph Over Fear
I am happy to report that those wishes and prayers came true. I had so much F.U.N….my face hurt (along with the rest of my body- LOL) from smiling at the end of the day, let alone from the twice-daily yoga and surf sessions. It didn’t matter to me whether I caught a wave, wiped out gracefully or not, or what I looked like at the end of the day. All that mattered was that I WAS THERE….showing up for ME and ME ALONE! I was so proud of myself for just getting on the plane and going. Something I have always loved doing and have been delinquent at for a while now.
A Tribe of Soul Sisters: United by Adventure
Come to find out, many of the other women who joined me on this adventure had similar fears of their own and were basically beginner surfers, coming from all parts of the world and also having followed Las Olas for years. They had, for their own somewhat inexplicable reasons (like me), decided to throw caution (and their family members and ‘responsibilities’) to the wind 😆 and go for it! What an interesting and diverse group of solo women travelers we turned out to be. United by a sense of adventure and a live-in-the-moment energy, we arrived in Mexico not knowing what to expect in general and/or of ourselves.
Beyond Expectations: An Unforgettable Surf and Yoga Safari
Whatever expectations any of us may have had were far exceeded. The trip was AMAZING! And we were all in agreement that we would be back! So awesome. And radically life-changing for just a few days of fun in the sun, sand, and sea! Las Olas organizes everything for you, from airport transport, accommodation, food and beverages, to twice-daily surf and yoga classes – they even include a massage! It really was incredible. The surf spots we had sessions in included beach breaks in the Riviera Nayarit region as well as one reef break we had to take a boat trip to later in the week.
Students were scattered between different villas and hotels in the area, but converged for daily breakfast by the sea, yoga classes, and surf sessions. Lunch was on your own with several local restaurants to choose from, and we all shared dinner at a restaurant in town each evening.
Resounding reviews included – wishing we had another day or two to ease in and out of the travel, and a packed 7 am-7 pm schedule, and that we would all definitely consider coming back for a round 2 or 3 or more! In fact, a few of the students on my surf ‘safari’ were attending for their second or third time and planned to keep on going on.
The villas were breathtakingly beautiful and the food was delicious. I only wanted more and more and more of everything. And that is the gist of what I gleaned from my fellow travelers. We were all so tired at the end of the day that we barely had the energy to talk, let alone walk back to our villas, climb the stairs (mine was 110 stairs up from ground level!-https://www.villaamor.com.mx/) and fall into bed. It really was like a dream! 😴 🌟
Surfing is not something that you can ‘document’ easily on social media etc. unless you have someone filming you from afar. I am grateful for a few pics that I have from a local photographer, Camilla Fuchs (https://camillafuchsphotography.com/), who documents surf lessons for the school and also did a private evening session with me. I am so grateful for being able to capture snippets here and there to share with everyone.
A Stellar Experience: Five – Star Rating for Las Olas Surf
Overall, my experience with Las Olas Surf was stellar….five stars….⭐️ – the surf and yoga instruction was top-notch and everything in between was just over the top awesome. I would go back in a blink (minus the 24-hour through 3 time zones travel) tomorrow! And I am more than sure that I WILL BE BACK LOS OLAS! And next time, I plan to be in tip-top shape! Surfing is not for ‘little girls’….though I did see a bunch of kids riding bigger waves than I was- LOL! 😜
More Than Surfing: Rediscovering the Woman and Girl Within
If anything, I would argue that Los Olas surf/yoga safari reminded me of both the woman and the girl in me today and every day – we are one – and sometimes we forget that in the hustle and bustle of adulthood. Sometimes you just need to do something different and a little bit daring to get out of your comfort zone. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to jump on a plane, take up an extreme sport, or even leave your home to prove something to yourself or to the Universe.
And having said that, sometimes that IS just what you need! To be able to say ‘YES, I can, and YES I will, and YES I do, and YES I AM! 🏄♀️ Having F.U.N!
Gracias Las Olas. ¡Muchas Gracias. Hasta la próxima vez!
¡Salud! And Cheers Dears!
See you on the next wave,
Stacia
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