We arrived in Rincon late on a Thursday afternoon in February 2002. It was the weekend of the Bud Contest event at Domes and the raggae concert which followed. That was the weekend that Surfrider got its act together and saved Tres Palmas (The Surfer’s Path did an article on this incredible event. October 2002, I think).

We checked in at the Vista Resort in Las Puntas. This resort is one of the cleanest, most luxe places I have ever stayed at. We drove down the 413 right past the tree that separates the road which goes to the lighthouse and continued on down the road looking for a beach. We had no clue where we were going. We finally turned at the Marina and pulled up to Little Malibu. It was waist to chest but high tide and 5 sponges killed that as a first session in PR. We opted to trace our way back up the point. A block or two up we stopped at another beach. Way outside six foot waves broke on a distant reef. I said to my friends why don’t we go surf that? They were like " No, that looks a little hairy". I found out later that the distant reef was Tres Palmas and those waves were more like 10ft plus. We finally arrived at a beach with lots of surfers hanging out -a complete scene. A yellow street sign hung on a phone pole near the road. The sign had a cartoon rasta surfer with his board under arm and said simply "Marias". The surf was just perfect. 3-5 ft with bigger sets and lots of people out. Many waves still went un-ridden. I had my leash on and was paddling out in like 2 minutes. The crowd was mellow and the vibe was friendly. The whole scene- the color of the water, the shape of the waves in the offshore breeze reminded me of Turtle Bay on Oahu. I surfed till it hurt- literally. The next morning Friday I was so excited to be in the tropics that I forgot to put on my underwear. After a three hour session at dogmans in nothing but boardshorts I could barely walk. The rash was excruciating. Then on Saturday I tried airing over a inside section at Marias. I landed awkward and hyperextended my big toe all the way back. It swelled up like a pear. I also severely sprained my knee. I sat on the beach for the next day or so taking pictures and icing my foot. I surfed a few more days that week. We had conditions from tons of swell to no swell all around Rincon and Aguadilla. I would describe the waves of Puerto Rico with one word "fast". You two stroke into this swell and fall over the ledge and all of a sudden your flying across the face at incredible speeds. I’ve already been back to PR and I will go back many more times. I probably should have went thirteen years ago when I was in high school, it might have changed my life.

Puerto Rico is a special place. People have a lot of differing opinions about PR. My friend said "it’s almost like surfing Miami, except the surf is a lot better". In other words its an easy trip. The best idea is to go to PR yourself. You can find a lonely beach, sit under a Coconut Palm, look out at the clear blue sky, the translucent water and breathe in the clean Carribean air. Then and only then you can form your own opinion about PR. You don’t have to learn about a long dead salsa musician or try to speak Spanish. But the more you put into learning about a place, its culture and its people the more you will get out. You bring home with you a piece of that place.