Summertime Exodus

Summertime in Santa Cruz is a mixed blessing for local surfers. As the water warms up, the days get longer, and skin turns from a pasty shade of white to golden tan, the swells become few and far between, tourists clog the road, and clueless newbies choke the lineups. Sure, there’s always the potential for a Southern Hemisphere swell event to light up the numerous point breaks around town, but generally speaking, during a Santa Cruz summer, surfboards usually get shelved in favor of fishing poles, golf clubs, skateboards, and beach chairs.

With that being said, what does a stir-crazy local shredder do to break up the monotony? While some remain perfectly content with taking a much needed timeout from the ocean after continuous months of pounding winter swells, others feel compelled to skip town in order to find greener, more wave-rich pastures. 

Typically, I spend a few weeks looking for warm-water tubes in tropical locales such as Mexico and Costa Rica every summer, but this year I drained my annual travel budget early by flying down to Nicaragua with my lady. Luckily, I still had enough funds to spend three days sampling a plethora of stunning, and refreshing, swimming holes along the Yuba River in the Sierra foothills.

Upon returning home, I decided to ask a handful of my intrepid surf pals about their own summertime travel escapades. For Tommy Wellman, this took the form of an annual sojourn to Sumbawa, where he owns a slice of Indonesian heaven. Deva Kane and his partner also made the long journey to Indonesia, but opted for the convenience and reliability of the Bali experience. Austin Smith-Ford and Erin Erkul immersed themselves in the Pura Vida lifestyle in Costa Rica, while Darshan Gooch and his family kept things closer to home with a week-long road trip in the pristine, wave-rich wilderness of Big Sur.

Here’s what they had to say about their respective summertime escapes! Enjoy! 

Tommy Wellman 

As a teacher, I get these two months to do whatever a teacher desires. Some do summer school summer camps, family trips, or summer jobs. I’ve done it all, but now that my boys are old enough to be left to fend for themselves, I decided to take off!  This summer I had roundtrip tickets for Bali, Indonesia. I don’t plan, nor do I book any accommodations besides calling my rental guy to meet me at the airport with the van I rent for 2 months, which costs a measly five hundred bucks.  

After I loaded up my van, I set off for my Sumbawa journey. This is a journey I have done over 50-plus times. I drove to Padangbai in Bali in order to catch the ferry, arriving after sunset to get my ticket and grab some food while I waited for the ferry. 

Then, there was a 4-5 hour boat ride to Lombok. From there I began my drive through Lombok. I left before sunrise, as if you don’t start early, you run into “Call to Prayer”, where people fill the streets—making the 2 hour crossing become 4 hours. Finally, it was just another short ferry ride to Sumbawa. This year, I made the crossing to Sumbawa from Bali in 10 hours, which is very good timing considering it took me 22 hours on the way back.

I spent 3 weeks in Kertasari, Sumbawa. I have land here that I bought in 2009 on the beach in front of the consistent left that is now being called “Dirty Hippies,” which I call Korn Bowls. The local’s original name from the break was Jurong Sate (Cliff Kabob). I bought land back when a broken road led to this little bay called El Moro Pantai at a time when, if you were lucky, you wouldn’t see another human for days.

On the day I arrived, I pulled up to Korn Bowls at 7AM to see the bay with twenty-five surfers on the right (Northern Rights), ten on the middle peak, and thirty on the left (Dirty Hippies/Korn Bowls). I was blown away at the popularity of the spot that I’d come to love and keep a secret for so long. I told myself that soon, when I spend my retirement years there, I’ll have to be welcoming, thankful, and full of true Aloha, as this wave had been there for thousands upon thousands of years and I’m not the one that found it, nor do I have any right to say who can enjoy it themselves. That’s important to me—to maintain total respect for the locals and all those who are there to enjoy the surf.

During my three weeks on Sumbawa I enjoyed snorkeling, hiking to waterfalls, eating great food such as fresh fish, local Indonesian local curries, and Ayam Taliwang (the best spicy chicken in town). I surfed daily, made bonfires on the beach at night or had dinner with everyone at Kertasari Lodge. It was an amazing and relaxing time. All I can hope for is that in the future, some Santa Cruz folk will move down to be my neighbors, instead of the rest of the world trying to take the place over.

Austin Smith Ford

I try to avoid summers in Santa Cruz like the plague. It’s always flat, foggy, and crowded with tourists. Plus, now with the Murray Street bridge being closed both ways, my daily commute from Seabright to Pleasure Point has turned into an absolute nightmare, to say the least.

Most years I either spend a few months in Mexico, Indonesia, or a combination of both. However, this year my girlfriend Erin and I wanted to try something different, so we decided to check out Costa Rica .I had been there one time over 15 years ago, but only to the more southern region of Playa Hermosa. We decided to go further north and spend some time in the Guanacaste region, mainly because we had heard good things, but also because a friend of ours had recently moved there and told us to come for a visit.

I knew the wave quality wasn’t going to compare to Mex and Indo, so I had my expectations set pretty low for surfing. But after spending some time in the area, I found that you can pretty much surf a super fun wave almost every day. Lots of variety with reefs, beach breaks, and even a couple slabs. On top of that, we have explored some amazing waterfalls, vistas, hikes, ziplines, and hidden beaches. We’ve ridden horses, gone down waterslides through the jungle, and, of course, enjoyed a few cold beers while watching amazing sunsets. The people in Costa Rica are also amazingly friendly. Everyone always seems to have a smile on their face, and it really is one of the happiest countries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Pura Vida!

One thing that I have really liked about Costa Rica is how clean the whole country is. Unlike Mexico, Costa Ricans take a lot of pride in keeping trash and other garbage off the beaches and countryside. They have a lot of protected areas that can’t be built on in order to preserve native plants and animals from being killed. You can also drink the tap water, which is something I’ve never seen in any other Central American country. Likely because of this, we haven’t had any stomach issues in over a month of being here.

However, one thing that is rough in Costa Rica are the roads. I’ve never been on so many dirt roads and paved roads filled with terrible potholes. After about two weeks of rough riding, the front wheel of our rental car came flying off while driving down the highway full speed. Fortunately we were both unhurt and didn’t cause an accident. Things like that are all part of the journey, but that was the first time something that crazy has happened to me while driving. Scary!

This week, we are heading north and crossing the border into Nicaragua. The Costa Rican portion of the trip is coming to an end, but the adventure is just getting started!! See you some time in September, Santa Cruz!

Darshan Gooch

There can be endless reasons to change the scenery but none are necessarily required. Sometimes it can be a simple case of wonder that will lead us into motion, or perhaps just a need to break the patterns of structure or routine in our lives.

Most commonly I feel the call to get out amongst nature and restore our sense of connection with the natural world. It could be pursuing an opportunity to ride a certain wave, or explore a new location you’ve never been to before. 

Curiosity has brought me to some interesting places, some less explored where stillness speaks loudly and nature can reveal her beauty to you. Oftentimes I am drawn to share a certain magical place with my wife and kids, other times it’s too big of an ask or not the right adventure for the audience. Other times it might be too many hours or days in transit to keep everyone interested, but there is always another experience awaiting for those willing to pursue it.

It’s also interesting how all roads can lead us back to ourselves. Leaving home can be so rewarding, but home can also be in our heart. I love how returning home or back to ourselves can come with new perspectives and appreciation for what we have already have. 

Deva Kane

Living in Santa Cruz as a surfer is pretty incredible, but it’s not without its frustrations. Our coastline is famous for its right-hand point breaks, with consistent waves rolling in from October to April. Sure, you can usually find something to surf year-round, but summer often brings long stretches of flat, windy days that can drive us surfers a little stir-crazy. That’s why, when summer hits, many of us either get lucky with a swell or pack our bags to chase waves somewhere else in the world.

By the time July rolled around this year, the ocean had gone quiet. I decided it was time to take some time off, book a flight, and get back to a place I’d been missing for years… Bali, Indonesia. 

The decision was easy. Indonesia is a playground of world-class waves, and Bali is the heart of it all. I hadn’t been in three years, and was overdue. I’ve surfed all over the world, but nowhere caters to traveling surfers like Bali. The island offers waves for every skill level, incredible food, gyms, massage places, yoga studios, vibrant nightlife—basically everything that pairs perfectly with the surf lifestyle. It’s even an ideal spot to bring your girlfriend along, since there’s plenty to do other than surfing. And with the cost of living much lower than in California, your dollar stretches a lot further.

Of course, Bali isn’t perfect. It’s easy to get sick—“Bali Belly” is practically a rite of passage for travelers. And on this trip, I witnessed something far worse: corruption that puts profit over people. In the surf town of Bingin, the government came in and destroyed countless homes, restaurants, and businesses owned by locals, all to clear prime real estate for a luxury resort. Watching livelihoods be demolished for tourism development was heartbreaking.

That being said, the Balinese people themselves are some of the warmest, kindest individuals you’ll ever meet. The island is majority Hindu, and their belief in doing good and helping others shines through in daily life. Visiting temples, watching traditional performances, exploring the culture–it all adds to the experience. Beyond surfing, Bali can be a food tour, a party scene, a sightseeing adventure, or a wellness retreat, with some of the best gyms, yoga studios, and recovery spas in the world. You can even hop to nearby islands for more waves or just relax on pristine beaches.

My favorite memory from this trip came when the swell jumped and I scored a usually crowded break with only a handful of other surfers. The waves were firing and the sun was setting, with just five of us out w trading off perfect barreling waves while cheering on each-other’s waves. For a moment, it felt like time stopped. If I could teleport back to that evening, I would in a heartbeat.