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I first read about Pavones in “Searching for Captain Zero.” Writer, Allan Weisbecker , makes a surf road trip to Costa Rica to find a lost childhood friend. He ended the trip at this epic wave described as the world’s second longest (behind Chicama, Peru). I made my first trip to Costa Rica last May and when a real swell hit, I packed up my rental car and motored 12 hours down the coast from the North to Pavones. The wave lived up to every description of it. Sure, it’s crowded, but that’s to be expected of any epic wave with land access. There will be drop-ins but for the most part everyone including the locals respect the line-up. It’s entirely possible to grab waves out at Pavones and probably grab some of the best waves of your life. Considering how close it is the U.S. and how cheap it is to get there, it’s definitely worth a trip to surf. The area of Southern Costa Rica surrounding Pavones is pristine and stunning. The locals are friendly and the small town at Pavones has a chill laid back vibe. Check out our guide to getting to and surfing Pavones below (more photos and video)

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Surfline posted their portfolio series featuring Chris Burkard, a young and upcoming surf photographer from Pismo Beach California. Surf photography has progressed a lot in the past 30 years, meet one of the photographers pushing the limits and art of surf photography now. While much of his shots and portfolio focus on California, it’s understandable because he’s only 21 and has only been shooting for 3 years! Hard to believe with his images.

See Other Amazing Posts on SurfThereNow:

Clark Little’s Stunning Images of Waves

Diver Fights and Kills 12 ft. Tiger Shark (Photos)

Your Risk of Dying of a Shark Attack

Incredible HD Footage of Surfer in the Barrel

February may mean springtime, flat swell, and winds in the U.S., but in Brazil it’s the beginning of the dry season and the time of year surfers can ride the tidal bore the Amazon, the Pororocoa. Measuring up to 12 ft, the Pororoca is easily the longest wave in the world; it only breaks twice a year in February and March.

Since 1999, local surfers have held an annual championship in São Domingos do Capim. In 2003 Brazilian, Picuruta Salazar, won the event with a record ride of 12.5 kilometers and 37 minutes! It may also be one of the world’s most dangerous.

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Here are a couple of short video clips I posted on Youtube from two boat trips I did to Indonesia. The first in 2005 to the island Panaitan in Western Java. Panaitan was where Timmy Turner’s movie “Second Thoughts” was filmed. The island has some epic waves and was a week long trip with a short motoring from port. The second clip is from a boat trip I did in May of 2006 to Northern Sumatra. It was a two week trip and we surfed epic spots throughout different islands. The spots are all considered “secret spots.” The surf up there was unreal although access is a little difficult requiring a long motoring to the breaks and a trip of at least two weeks. Subscribe to the Surftherenow videos on Youtube for more!

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I’ve taken more than a few friends out to teach them surf. What I’ve learned is that there are good places to start and bad places. I took my brother out to surf at Ocean Beach San Francisco on what I thought was a small day, only to watch him go over the falls on a solid overhead wave while paddling out . He got washed back to the beach and called it a day. I learned to surf at Cowell’s Beach in Santa Cruz and stood up on the first wave I paddled for and rode it to the beach. Here’s a list of places to bring your friends or head to yourself.

Cowell’s Beach, Santa Cruz

I can’t imagine a better wave to learn on. Although the water’s generally cold, there always seems to be some swell in the water at Cowell’s The crowd is generally all beginners on foam boards, so it’s pretty safe and you don’t have to worry about hassling locals. The wave breaks on the outside and just rolls slowly over 100 yards to the beach. Most surfers are just going straight anyway, but the wave is has the perfect speed and steepness. If you’re there for a weekend, Santa Cruz is a very cool town and offers beautiful rugged Northern California beaches and Redwoods forests for exploration. Rent a surfboard and beach cruiser and hang in the chillest Northern California city.

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Billabong’s posted their 2008 XXL Ride of the Year Nominees. In case you hadn’t heard, Billabong sponsors the XXL contest and gives awards (and cash) for Biggest Wave, Ride of the Year, Monster Paddles, and Monster Tube. They’ve got all the video submissions on their website. The Ride of the Year winner gets $50,000. Don’t quit your day job yet.

Winter is quickly fading and the South Pacific is already heating up. March had a good run of South Swells in California, those head high swells here with twice as big in Central America. Here’s a list of warm water spots to head to this summer.

Bali. Indonesia is on the top of everyone’s list. Bali’s become the new Hawaii and for good reason. From April through September it gets consistent swell and has dozens of world class waves all within driving distance of Kuta Beach. Uluwatu, Padang Padang, and Airports are a few of the epic waves on Bali. When the swell’s flat there’s plenty of diving and nightlife on the island. The Balinese people are incredible. Bali is the jumping off point for trips to G-Land, Lombok, and the Ments. Flights start around $900 and accommodations in Kuta start around $20/night for AC rooms.

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Got $4.3 million burning a hole in your pocket? Tied of cramped quarters on your last boat trip? Well, the Royal Pelagic is for sale and she will get you to Cortes Bank for the next 50 ft. swell in style. In fact, she can get you to Indonesia and back on one tank of fuel. She comes equipped with two 21 ft. tenders, six luxury cabins, three wave-runners, home theater, and enough luxuries to keep your girlfriend from getting bored on a surftrip. The Royal Pelagic may not be the prettiest yacht in the world, but I doubt you’ll be worried about that when you’re scoring empty desert breaks by yourself without worrying about crazed banditos ashore. She’s in need of a new owner and a new name. Unfortunately,the individuals most likely to afford this aren’t the surfers best able to put it to full use. It’s a cruel world.

Here’s the full size photo from the header.

Hint: Northern Sumatra

Check out my friend’s blog focused on travel to Indo, boat trips, land camps, etc. Ian’s been over to Indo 4 times and to Hawaii twice as many times. He a surf forecasting wizard. He can tell you when to go, what you need to know about arranging flights, etc., best areas to score waves, and best travel/charter companies to go with. In general, a great resource for Indo.

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