Today I paddled a 12 mike section of the Northeast coast of Puerto Rico . Started the morning with a few friends meeting at the parking lot in Las Croabas next to the Phosphorescent Bay as the sun was just beginning to rise over Palamino island to the East.
The plan today was to join some friends and first check out some waves and after a couple hours of playing in the waves, paddle back to Luquillo. I dropped my car at the kiosks in Luquillo and Joesph followed me and drove us and our boards to the launch in Fajardo.
A beautiful way to start the day to say the least, Glassy, calm, and the sun rising as we began.
When we arrived to the surf, we had it all to ourselves with a pretty fun, long ride enjoyed by all.
Chris was riding his new board like a short board. He has a really nice , flowing style. The pictures don;t really show how fun the wave was, but it is probably better that way. My photography skills are average at best. A work in progress.
The background of where we surfed was gorgeous, Desolate beaches, El Yunque rain forrest, green hills, lots of small island and cays and the Fajardo Lighthouse in the distance. At the end of our surf, a local guy, Sam, and his girlfriend showed up.He seemed to be pretty tolerant of 5 paddleboarders at his spot and we left about 15 minutes later. Try not to piss off any locals is a good rule of thumb.
I tried to recruit someone to paddle back to my car with me , got no takers and had a nice 2 1/2 hour solo paddle back to my car. On the way back I passed 7 Seas beach, La Selva, La Pared and came to shore just east of Luquillo beach. With the combo of a really shallow, dry reef, low tide and a decent sized swell,I walked my board around about a mile stretch of beautiful beach and then paddled the last mile to my car.
Roasted pig with arroz con gandules for lunch, and a stop in the town of Palmer to visit my friend Neon Dave at his home and art gallery.
No exageration, El Yunque Gallery and Neon is one of the coolest and unique places and individuals in all of Puerto Rico. Neon,now Vid Son Doz,and I go back as friends for over 20 years and always reminisce about the old days. His living quarters, art work, gardens, eclectic surfboard collection and outlook on life always bring a smile and good laugh, To sum it up, another fun paddle, fun waves, all shared with good friends.
Ben , thanks for the camera. Tanya and Lincoln thanks for the computer support and friendship. Joesph, thanks for the ride. Chris ,thanks for showing me a fun wave, Neon Dave, thanks for opening your home to me whenever I stop by unannounced. Puerto Rico is beautiful.
Stay tuned for more!
