Nica: The Boom (Part 2)

So, The Boom gave me the best of my sessions in Nica, with four stand-outs.  Along with the break itself, I profiled the first in Part 1, my first session in Nicaragua. 

The Best of It

A mid-week morning, the tribe scattered to different breaks, with the majority going to the Island Point, which I'll describe in a separate post.  I had come down with a cold, which now was in my chest, while Bret and Julie both had minor health issues as well, so the three of us elected to stay back and hit the local beach instead.  

This morning dawned similar to day one: tinged a hazy orange by the emerging sun.  As we rounded the curve in the road and the surf came into view, it was sufficiently compelling to beckon us immediately: around shoulder high, slightly off-shore, with a good pulse of energy and lots of peaks.  Very much like the first morning, with a bit more size.  Rather than heading down to The Boom, proper, we got in right away.  For maybe 30-40 minutes, we rode in playful and plentiful waves.  But each of us was feeling a desire for more: more speed; more energy and power; greater consequences. 

I suggested to Brett that we consider heading down to The Boom, in front of the palapa. He agreed, and suggested that we swim it, rather than walk.  Julie concurred. For the next 20-30 minutes, we gradually worked our way south, limiting our waves to rights that would carry us on and kicking lazily between waves.

Bret - HH GoPro

The extra power of The Boom made all the difference.  The waves were hollow and fast - but not too fast to bodysurf, and substantially larger.  Occasional sets, most often single waves, would arrive with with real punch.  Immediately, I was scoring steep slides and golden-tinged tubes.  The adrenaline got pumped, countering the enervating warmth of the water.  One right, enclosed by a clear, crystalline curtain in front and the reflected golden-orange glow of the rising sun infusing the back of the wave stands out in my mind's eye.

After one of these rides, maybe 15-20 minutes after we got to The Boom, a large, one-wave set caught me inside.  I dug deep and made in under and through without problem, but, coming up, I realized that, with my cough and chest congestion, I was struggling to regain my breath.  As I stroked out to the lineup, I realized that, if it had been a two or three wave set, I might have been in trouble.  As perfect as the waves were - and these were the best, for me, of the entire trip - I realized I ought to go in.  We'd been in the water for over an hour and a half, but it was not without a lot of regret that I started looking for my final wave.  

After one more good right, and then a "shoreboat" to carry me ashore, I turned to watch Bret and Julie.  Julie caught a screaming left, clinging to the steep wall in full layout, chased but not caught by  the tube.  Within seconds, then, there was Brett, dropping in on a long, well-formed, sloping right shoulder, working it to well inside.  Two of the best rides that I observed all week.  

Just Like Home

One morning, later in the week, the entire tribe gathered at North Boom for the morning session.  We were spread out over maybe 200 yards, with moderate peaks pretty much everywhere.  

Meredith - Photo by Bill Schildge

Our camp is set on a point that separates the Boom area from another, long beach to the north; the road runs along the south side of camp, down to the beach.  However, there's still a 150 yard stretch of beach to the right (north) of the road before the point juts out.  Most of the time, we head to the south of where the road comes out, and that's where everyone was spread out this morning.  I kept looking north, though, to stretch in front of a large white house that sits beachfront, to the south of and below our camp.  The waves looked eerily like San Clemente - State Park - at it's best during winter swells coming out of the northwest.  Mostly peeling rights coming off the point, with steep, fast faces.  Pitching enough to get tubed but not too fast to preclude a long, sustained ride.  

I know how to ride those waves!  I swam up to test those rights and found myself solidly in a comfort zone of familiarity.  The waves were easy to catch with a quick 1-2 flutter kick, before setting an edge and racing to keep in front of the curl.  For close to an hour, I worked those waves, all to myself.  Yes, a lot like SCSP on an excellent day ... but without the horde of surfers that would have been all over it in Southern California!

All In Good Fun

The fourth memorable session in the Boom area was also Boom North.  This time, what made it so memorable was not only that it was the morning of our last full day, but that we were joined by the Chinandega lifeguards to whom we'd brought swim fins.  A pod of 9 guards joined the 12 of us, plus our surf guides, for a party session.  

 

Jody - Photo Bill Schildge

 As I think about it, and considering the length that this post has already reached, it strikes me that the full description of this session may better come with a post focused on the guards.  The fact is that the friendships forged between our contingent and these guards are a lasting highlight of this trip, and this last session at the Boom was integral to it.  So, I'll conclude I've taxed the readers' endurance sufficiently and leave further treatment to another posting.