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Surfing
Panama
Santa
Catalina, Veraguas
Santa
Catalina is rumored to have the best surfing
on the Pacific Coast of the Americas.
A few surfing competitions are held here
every year, but the destination caters
mainly to a daring group of hard core
surfers eager to risk their lives.
I
could hear waves as we arrived by bus
from Sona. A small hangout up the
hill from the beach had a restaurant,
rooms for rent, and a handful of dark-skinned
surfers browsing surf magazines and tending
wounds from nasty spills against sharp
coral below the break.
Conversation
at the dinner table revealed that Santa
Catalina deserved its prestigious reputation.
Surfers from the USA, South Africa and
New Zealand agreed that this break "is
one of the biggest and most consistent
breaks there is, dude."
Credits: Gary Savedra -
Photo: Philippe Demarsan / Surfos
That
afternoon, surfers came in as the wind
had picked up. A crowd had gathered below
and I went down to the shore only moments
before a huge wave broke right over the
top of a fishing boat attempting to reach
the shore.
Equipment
and parts were strewn near the half-sunken
boat. I could see a man struggling
to stay near the boat as another huge
wave crested and crashed.
Minutes
later another boat entered the water in
an attempt to rescue the fisherman but
that boat too was easily toppled.
Men on shore attempted to drag the second
boat in with ropes while the first boat
lay at the mercy of the sea.
Eventually
a truck was hitched to chains and hooked
to the remains of the hull, which was
severely damaged but still intact.
In a village where fishing is the livelihood
for many families, losing a boat can be
a tragic disaster.
As
the afternoon sun began to sink, my friend
Sammy stood up and threw me a nod.
I knew it was my turn to brave the surf.
The tide was down and the air was calm
- perfect conditions for a rookie.
I consider myself an average swimmer,
but both times I had tried surfing before
I had failed to remain standing for more
than a few seconds.
I
did notice immediately that the waves
were slow breaking and consistent and
that there was less risk of being tumbled
and turned after the break. These
waves pushed, however, which made
it difficult to paddle out past the break.
Eventually
I did make it out past the break and hauled
in a couple of waves. I was getting
tired when Sammy turned in to the beach.
The sun had set and it was time to kick
back in a hammock swinging in the hot
sea breeze, sipping cerveza.
Related
Articles
Las
Lajas - Las Lajas in the most popular
beach destination in the Province of Chiriqui,
Panama.
Volcan
Baru - Volcan Baru is the highest
peak in Panama offering incredible ocean
views and spectacular cloud forest.
Santa
Catalina - Santa Catalina has the
best break in Panama for surfing.
Related
Links
www.panamasurftours.com
Panama's
best site for surfing info and surfing
tours.
www.thepanamanews.com
Panama's
bilingual newspaper.
www.AMSOC.org
The
American Society of Panama has helpful
information about upcoming events in Panama
and other info about life in Panama.
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