El Salvador, Nicaragua, info please help !!

[gringo666]

Hey I'm headin' to central america to surf for a year (panama, CR, nica, el sal) I was wondering if anyone has been to el salvador lately and how it was getting around and if they had any bad experiences (robbed at gunpoint etc..) heard a lot of talk about tons of crime down there I'm tryin' to avoid anywhere sketchy.

My next question is about Nicaragua, do you need a boach to get at the surf in Popoyo/Gigante area ? or can you just walk to the beach and paddle out ?

That's all I got for now thanks in advance for any help and info you can offer!