The Next Canadian Kelly Slater

I took a trip to Panama that revolved around surfing. Two and a half months - surf everyday. That was my goal. Progression. Surfing takes a lot of time to understand. Also, my girlfriend at the time was coming to meet me at the end of the trip and she was a way better surfer than me. I needed to become the Canadian Kelly Slater by the time she got there. After the first few weeks in Panama, I had heard whispers of a surf break located way off of the beaten path that had just made it into a surf magazine and was now getting worldwide attention. I heard it was massive... but easy to ride. Sounded like the perfect training grounds. So off I went. 

Getting there was an adventure in itself. The small town located closest to the break was a two hour hitchhike from the highway, and once you got there the wave itself was a literal mile off shore. You had to paddle for thirty minutes straight into the ocean to get there, but once you did, it was totally worth it. It was big and super fast to ride once you got on it, but definitely intimidating. Terrifying watching a wall of water charge full speed at you from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Straight from Davy Jones himself. It beat me and threw me around the first few days, but once I figured it out, it was a spot that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was beautiful, sitting out in the middle of the Ocean, calm and serene, waiting for the next set of waves to come and just staring at the shoreline that was dense jungle, watching thunderstorms roll through in the distance. I could write another two paragraphs about this spot alone, but in short, I took risks and put myself way out of my comfort zone to try and accomplish something that I considered to be incredibly difficult. In the end, all of that discomfort paid off tenfold. It usually does.