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INTERVIEW : JEAN-LOUIS BERNARD !!!
Jean-Louis, GONG Ambassador, shares with us what he experienced during his SUP trip in Costa Rica with his girlfriend Céline.
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Jean-Louis Bernard, I was born in Casablanca, Morocco… I am 50 and a few years, I don’t count anymore, it gives me the blues. I work for Child Welfare. I started surfing when I was about 13 in Morocco. I used to do a lot more snorkeling before I became passionate about surfing. Since 2006, I also practice SUP.
You chose Costa Rica for your SUP trip. Why did you choose this destination ?
It’s a childhood dream. I had read about a surf trip with Americans in Surfing, an American magazine and I was stuck on it without realising it. One year ago, with my girlfriend Céline, we started to organize our trip to Costa Rica.
How did you prepare for this trip?
We chose the Pacific Coast for its potential waves. Currently, it’s the dry season. And for the rest, since I’m lazy, it’s Celine who did the research for the tickets. We chose a direct flight, the less you handle the Board, the better. We left Montpellier, direction Madrid in my van for a few days trip in Spain. A Spanish airline has a direct flight to San José.
Through social networks, we got in touch with “Tout Costa Rica”, a solidarity network. They put us in contact with locals for the 4×4 rental and the 2 nights hotel in San José. For the accommodation, we went through an internet platform and we were welcomed at the Casa Héliconia in Uvita.
What equipment did you bring?
I took the 9’0 NFA XL 140 liters, my GONG Carbon PRO 8 paddle, Célines Carbon Mix 30% Paddle and 2 GONG 9′ and 8′ Leashes.
A typical day of a surf trip in Costa Rica, what does it look like?
The sun rises very early here, so you wake up to the sounds of nature waking up. Breakfast of champions and we leave before it gets too hot, and depending on the tides. We are based on Uvita, so we gravitate between Dominical, Dominicalito, Bahia Ballena, Pinuela.
What kind of spots and waves do you find there?
There’s everything, sand and reef, or a mix of both like in Dominicalito.
Have you been confronted with a certain form of localism?
So far, not at all. The tico surfers are curious to see me in SUP, because at the moment I’m the only one. There aren’t many people in the water, and all nationalities can be found : Russians, Germans, English, Americans, Quebequois …
The local meal after session?
A good Imperial, Costa Rican beer, fried fish, banana pancakes, rice, red beans, and all the local fruits: pineapple, mango, papaya, bananas …
Why would you recommend Costa Rica as a destination for a surf trip?
Beyond surfing, it is what nature offers us that we like in Costa Rica. It is full of animal noises, in the morning we photo hunt hummingbirds, toucans, birds of many colors. In the distance you can hear howler monkeys. The flowers, the colors of the houses, even their trucks are beautiful.
We are welcomed at Ruth and Marco’s home, a Costa Rican family full of smiles and kindness. You can feel the real people, and it feels good!
Here we take our time. This is also the philosophy of our trip. We chose to land in Uvita instead of being itinerant. We’re already thinking about coming back to explore a new region… But always with a Board!
SUPer : Jean-Louis, GONG ambassador, on GONG SUP 9’0 NFA FSP 2X.
Photographer : Céline
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Leash Perf 7mm Knee
Surfboards and SUPs leash ranging from 8’9 to 12’0 suitable for waves of smal...
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1 comment
Wow, it sounds great ?