.By The Inertia
As you may or may not be aware, the Republic of Nicaragua has been in a protracted state of chaos over the last week or so. Proposed reforms to the country’s pension plan were met with civil unrest, the likes of which have resulted in at least 24 deaths. President Daniel Ortega has since withdrawn his reform proposal, but students behind the protests say they will not be satisfied until Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo are ousted.
What does this have to do with surfing, you ask? Well, surf tourism to Nicaragua has boomed in the last several decades putting zones like Popoyo, Playa Colorado, and San Juan del Sur on the proverbial map.
Travel warnings issued by the U.S. State Department in recent days, and the decision to pull staff from the country have prospective travelers terrified, making popular zones total ghost towns.
“It’s usually packed,” said Kevin Zinger, Co-Owner and C.E.O. of SRH Productionsand Suburban Noize Records, in a text with a photo of the beach at Playa Colorado virtually empty. He and a group of friends were staying at a house on a surf trip that was cut short when news broke of the ensuing violence. Zinger said the four friends he was with had all gone home over the weekend, but that he stayed behind because there wasn’t room for his whole group in the car headed to the airport. He was hoping to head home in the next few days.
“It’s crazy man, a lot of Americans are spooked,” Zinger told The Inertia. “None of the ex-pats that live down here full time are leaving, but, yeah, it’s totally empty.”
Zinger said that while most of the violence and protesting has been taking place in Managua, the nation’s capital, there has been reported looting in towns like Rivas and Tola that are in close proximity to Playa Colorado.
When I asked him what the feeling on the ground is, he said from his vantage point most locals were for the protests. “I think most are in favor, because, you know they want the president to step down.”
When we spoke, the surf was slowly on the decline, but in the days prior, said Zinger, it was absolutely pumping.
“If there’s one positive thing about being in Central America during a revolution,” he said, “it’s scoring empty barrels.”