There are some things in in this world that open up your life to a whirlwind of experiences, places, emotions and people that you might not have imagined to stumble upon with at some point in your life. This is what surfing did and still does for me.
Surfing brings an entirely new experience to your life, you start to explore different locations, broadening your perspective, meeting new and different people, sometimes even going out of your comfort zone and feeding that need for freedom that most of us already have. In my case, I started to discover what my own country had to offer.
As a Guatemalan, I was already aware that we had Mayan cities, beautiful lakes, black sand beaches, tropical rainforests, and our very well known city of Antigua. I have even been lucky enough as to visit a lot of these places myself, but I knew very little about surfing in Guatemala. I had always admired places like Hawaii and the Maldives, Bali and Costa Rica. All those places that seemed like such heavenly spots, whether you surfed or not.
There came a point when I started to ask myself as I discovered more and more about our own local spots and places, why people didn’t know about this wonderful world we have to offer, I only could come up with one answer: Because it has not been shown. Little by little I have been getting to know some of the places that have left me feeling in love, from beach breaks to point breaks, from sunrise to sunset, from fancy beach houses to lonely hostels and surf camps, the experience is quite unique and fulfilling.
If you like warm weather, good waves, fun people, starry nights, a few mosquitoes here and there, bumpy car rides or long bus rides, the taste of salt and the feel of sand between your little toes, whether you surf or paddleboard, then you’ll fit right in.
This why I want to share it, for the world to see a lighter side of the unknown; a glimpse of Guatemala and its surfing community through my eyes, through my work, through my photos. There are a lot of experiences that await for all of those who seek to find them. From my world to yours.
A lot of people plan their trips and think about El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, some of them might even ask: “Why Guatemala?”
My answer to that, is another question: why not?
For more from Paola Núñez Linares, be sure to see her portfolio for Kheper Photo. And don’t forget to Like her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram.
