Surfing Waves

Hello all (i'm new to the forum),
I'm planning to take my landlocked dad on a surf trip next july. I have done a lot of research around panama. If anyone had gone please give me insight into the least crowed places to surf, and if surf camps are woth it etc. ANY INFO WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!! Also have been looking into Morro Negrito, if anyone has been there please let me know what is was like. Infor on other places in central america would also be great!
Thanks a lot
danny

Panama is a great place, the surf camp is bogus unfortunatly. They bill it as uncrowded, but pack it full they will take 30 people to weak sand bar waves if the swell is low. The base island is super sheltered. So if the swell is not pumping, you will get one shot each day to the outer island which is not much bigger and quality of the wave is WAY WAY overstated by the owner of the camp. Overall the camp is not worth it, rent a car talk to the locals, super helpful, super friendly, cheap nice hotels, good safe food. I cant say it enough do not waste your surf vacation at this bogus camp. They will waste at least 2 days of your 7, charge you top dollar ( IN THAT REGION) for horrible food, dirt tasting water, and sheltered crappy surf. I'm sure that place can be good but explore and don't get locked in to one program, keep your options open. good luck.

After reading parrysurf's addition consider what has been put on other forums by this lad before accepting every down grading comment he has added... could be true, I dont know

• http://magicseaweed.com/surftalk/viewtopic.php?t=6792
• http://magicseaweed.com/surftalk/viewtopic.php?p=82276&highlight=#82276

Have a look around and make your own informed decision...

Dannyj/Parrysurf..........whatever you want to call yourself.

You had a s**t time at Morro Negrito!!

Why do you feel the need to go to every surf forum and post the fact!!

I'm sure plenty of people have had a great time there.

YOU made the choice , you paid the money, you didnt get the waves you were hoping for so you asked the owner for a refund!!!!

You didnt get a refund, tough s**t. Stop wasting everyones time and learn to take responsibilities for your own actions!!

Get a life you loser

This is meant just to be an assement of my trip there in about 2000, so things could have changed.
I must start off by noting that I got lucky I think, we actually got some waves, a few days of double-to-double and half overhead waves. However, after traveling all over central american and panama, I must admit that the waves at Morro Negrito are far from world class. They can be fun and even pretty good, but each wave has a major flaw.
P-Land: can be good but is very tide sensitve and has big rocks that portrude into the wave so it can only be ridden in sections.
Left-overs: This is the wrap wave, it is much smaller than the outside (P-land) but it is very fun, but also drains out fast on low tide.
The Point: We got big swell and this place was not even close to working. It breaks right onto the rocks and is not a very good wave.
Sandbar: This is a super-fun wave, it breaks way out at river mouth and can be surfed for a long time. Not that critical and not super high performance. The problem here is that the current is so strong that you have to paddle constantly, thus if you are not in great shape you will get tired quick.
Emily's: Fun wave also, but super inconsistent, and very tide-sensitve.

I have been to many surf camps and this one rates as my least favorite for several reasons. Keep in mind I got decent waves here, but they are not the type of waves you travel for. For my money if I am going to fly 6 hours and stay overnight at a hotel then take a bus for 4 hours and then take an hour long panga ride, I better end up in Indo. Secondly the staff is fairly unhelpful. I don't eat fish and I asked the cook to make be some alternative food, but she was so lazy that she just made fish with rice and vegetables, and served me a big plate of rice and vegetables. At every other place I have been they have accomadated me by making substitute food. Thirdly, I got very sick there, the water pressure went out and I think I got something from the water, that could happen anywhere, but the beds were either cots or some had mattresses. I was very sick and unconformtable and when I asked them to bring me a more comfortable bed they did nothing, and I had to go move a bed myself when I had been vomitting for 12 hours straight. Fourthly, the guides knew nothing about the waves they took us to, after a few days my crew was more on it than the guides who did not understand tides and swell, they were just guys that worked for tips and had nothing else better. Lastly, I felt that the boats and drivers made the trip more dangerous than simple adequate precaution would have made it. The boats had no first aid kits, and somebody on my trip actually cut themselves open pretty good, no sateline phones or radios to get help if something went wrong, and the boat drivers fished while we surfed, thus if somebody got hurt there was nobody to come help. This is a long post and these are simply my subjective impressions that I hope will help anybody make an informed decision. Overall, this camp was pretty bad, the service and waves were lackluster. However, this camp is not expensive and the island and surrounding are absolutely beautiful. I guess I want better waves and more luxery, but that is how I prefer to travel.

The place sucks. Go to El Sal. CR even Panama but don't sign up with Morro Negrito's bogus set up. Check wanna surf.com read the comments about the breaks in Morro Negrito, the good comments are written by newbies, kooks or Steve and his cohorts. Any negative comment is by someone who got ripped off by his false advertising. What a rip. Rent a car, do your own thing, the people are helpful.