The night before Josh and I were going to head down to Papara, we hit happy hour at the marina bar. As we started chatting with some other young cruisers, we discussed our plan to drive down to Papara in the morning for a surf. We quickly filled up the car with three more surfers who wanted to come! Josh and I were joined by Matt and Annie from Cavalo and Nick, Josh's buddy on a different boat.

After one too many beers, I crashed for the night to get some rest before our long day of surfing.

We got a later start than we'd planned, but it was no big deal, as the swell was supposed to pick up throughout the day. We loaded the boards, some inside the rented SUV, others strapped on the roof. With no racks on the vehicle, we got creative and used some towels, a longboard, and a melange of straps and rope. It got the job done. Next, grabbeb a few beers at the magasin, snagged some baguettes, we were good to roll.

As we arrived at Papara, we were very underwhelmed by the size of the surf. The forecast had not delivered - the swell was going to arrive a day later it appeared. No worries though, I was just stoked to get some laid back surf in compared to the intensity of the surrounding reefs.

I paddled out by myself, as the others wanted to wait to see how the swell developed. I caught a bunch of decent waves and felt really good all day. It was such a different experience going right on a mellow wave versus trying to hold on for dear life dropping in to the hollow lefts at Taapuna. The waves were definitely small, lacking power, but they were fun, and I got a good workout surfing for about 4 hours total.

Josh eventually paddled out on his skim board, of all things, and shredded a couple little rights. Matty was on the longboard, getting some nice rides as well. Nick had to repair a crack in the tail of his board, so he joined a bit later, but eventually we were all out there riding. Annie, playing the role of Team Mom, dutifully sunbathed/watched our stuff ashore.

Honestly, like I said, the swell was really weak. Ideally, next time I go (hopefully Friday with Rob!) it will be macking. Still, it was a really fun session and I'm glad we made the trek down there. The scenery at Papara is incredibly beautiful, with sheer cliffs, valleys, palms and breadfuit everywhere. Warm water, sun shining all day...it was truly a slice of paradise. All in all, a simply beautiful spot, mellow wave, and a great day. Fingers crossed for some better surf next time!