Stingray lessons in Nicaragua
(All photos are on 35 mm film.)
After the protests/civil conflict in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicaragua was only receiving three flights every two days — basically a flight and a half per day for the entire country. And on one of those flights, my brother and I arrived in September 2021.
Two days later, a very close friend joined us with one goal: to surf. And surf we did.
There’s honestly too much to tell, so the easiest way to share this is to make a little outline and talk about things one by one:
Accommodation
Food
Transport
Surf spots
The story of how I almost died
1. Accommodation
We got lucky. Through a contact, we got the number of a Spanish guy from Galicia who owned a small farm there, and he let us stay for as long as we needed. Outdoor shower, a porch, right next to the beach. It was just across from Rancho Santana, in this area.
2. Food
Breakfast was at home: a massive smoothie with local fruit — papaya, bananas… everything was incredible.
Lunch and dinner were always outside, because at that time you could eat like a king for $7 (we’d get a plate and a half per person).
Our favorite places were La Loma del Sabor (completely homemade food) and a restaurant called Ávilas.
3. Transport
Here you either use a motorbike or a car. Roads are… basically optional. We managed to get a Toyota that saved our lives, except when crossing rivers. Sometimes the water would reach the battery and we had to swap it out on the spot (yes, this happened more than once).
4. Surf Spots
Wow. What a place. In two weeks, we surfed around 10 different spots, with two to three sessions a day, never repeating the same spot twice in a row.
Top 3:
Playa Santana: the main photo of this blog. Shifting peaks, easy paddle-out, a super versatile beach, and the closest one to home. Sand bottom.
Popoyo: the most famous break in the area. A strong left that can handle big swell. We enjoyed it most on moderate days with only a few people out. Sand bottom.
Lances Left: unbelievable. The best wave I’ve ever surfed in terms of quality. I’m still annoyed I didn’t have the level back then that I have now. A very long left with lots of perfect sections — the kind of wave where you kick out before it even ends, legs burning from how long you’ve been standing. Rock bottom.
5. And here’s how I almost died
On our third-to-last day, we went to surf Lances Left. To get there you have to leave from a tiny town called Astillero. Think one bar near the beach and a cluster of shacks — that’s it.
The walk to the wave is an adventure in itself: 45 minutes plus a river crossing depending on the tide and the rainy season (which we were right in the middle of). The surf spot is a rocky bay, which is why the wave is so good. To get in or out, you need to walk over shallow rock plates (kind of like slabs) for about 20–30 meters.
I had the great luck that on the way out, I stepped on something gelatinous that moved — and it stung my foot. I assumed it was something like the weever fish we get in northern Spain, so I thought it was a great idea to suck out the venom like my dad used to do for me when I was little.
Maybe it worked. Probably not.
We decided to head back to Astillero because there wasn’t much else we could do there. At first I only felt burning in my foot, but as we walked, the pain started climbing up my leg. I began to worry for real. The pain kept rising, I started getting dizzy… then suddenly, I just couldn’t take another step.
I collapsed — half passed out — and that was it for me. Carlos and Juan had to run to the town to get help. While Carlos asked around about what it could be, Juan rode a motorbike onto the beach to come pick me up.
They took me, barely conscious, to the only bar.
There, they told us it was a stingray.
They placed a candle and hot stones on my foot because stingray venom is “cold.”
Then the town shaman arrived, and with some improvised ointment, he “cured” me.
I have no idea if what he did actually worked, but the venom finally started fading, and I even managed to eat normally afterward.
So that’s the story in a nutshell: a stingray got me in Nicaragua, and the village shaman saved me.
As a destination, I highly recommend it. Tourism has exploded since then, but I’m sure it’s still worth it. We were there at a truly unique time, and I’ll carry that story with me forever.