Rails & Tails
a m a n a P c i f i c a P By Sandra Olson Photos courtesy of Pietro Ciotti | Hotel Santa Catalina
Back in 2019, while scoping out Surfer Paradise Surf Camp as one of several possible destinations for our upcoming WSSM Surf Retreat for the following year (boy were WE in for a global surprise and delay that next year), Dan and I knew we wanted to explore even further south, to check out some of the other remote areas on the Pacific coast that would hopefully have waves that were comparable to the magic we’d experienced in the Morro Negrito area, further up the coast in the Gulf of Chiriqui. Before taking a group there, we needed to know what accommodations, if any, were available, and what waves were on offer and the skill level needed to surf them. How did transportation work, and was it even available? Everything in Panama is really spread out, so it takes forever to get anywhere. But that’s also part of it’s magic. Surfers traveling through our WSSM Surf House in Puerto Rico, had told us that if we liked the Chiriqui area, then we should also check out Cambutal, Playa Venao, and Santa Catalina, all located on the Pacific coastline further south. Leaving the camera crew behind, the two of us struck out on our own, determined to finally explore these new surf breaks and beach towns. It was going to be a whirlwind of a 10 day exploratory surf trip, but the time had come, to search for more in Pacific Panama.
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