By Ariana Crespo Voz de Guanacaste – The group Nosara Ticas Surf celebrated its second anniversary this March. Adilia Zúñiga had the idea to form the club in 2012, to give Nosara women more opportunities to enjoy sports via surf culture.
The group trains every Sunday at Playa Guioines at 4 p.m. They are first taught the basics of how to use the board in white water. When they are ready, they head out to look for waves.
The boards used for the club belong to Zúñiga and are stored at the Guiones Surf Shop. When the young women start to feel safe in the water and reach an intermediary level, they graduate from the group and leave the board for new members.
Zúñiga, 29 years old, said that eight years ago, learning to surf was very difficult because she didn’t have a board, and at that time surfing was considered a man’s sport. Her husband is the one who taught her to surf and is also the person who has helped her with the club since the beginning.
“We women have to surf; it’s essential that we invest time in something positive, that we are strong and independent,” said Zúñiga.
The group’s activities involve a lot more than one surf class per week. They receive yoga classes and have picnics and are hoping to take dance classes and share with other cultures to learn languages and other ways of life.
Zúñiga thinks the club is also a good investment of time for professional reasons, as two of the young women now work in surf shops.
Little by Little, Nosara women have become interested in the surfing club and are joining with the desire to learn and help. Local women have become more involved with the group. For Zúñiga it’s motivating, as many used to be too shy to even wear a bathing suit and carry the boards. Now, the group includes women from ages 6 to 30.
“It’s much more than a surf club, and I am going to keep working. It can change the way Nosara women think, learning a sport, committing themselves and opening more opportunities.”
The club is free and only for Ticas, since the idea is for local women to enrich their culture and learn a sport. To help, you can donate time, share surf knowledge or offer some other kind of class such as yoga, language, dance, etc. Look for the group on Facebook as Nosara Ticas Surf Club.
Article by Voz de Guanacaste reprinted with permission.
