Back to Back Hurricanes Bring Swell & Destruction to Nicaragua
Words | Darby Moore
Photo: @donde_x
When it comes to searching out swell in the Sunshine State, hurricane season is a necessary evil. As the fall months approach, surfers set their sights on swell forecasts and storm projections. With crossed fingers and bated breath, we hold out hope for storm activity that will kick up swell, without making destructive landfall. In true 2020 fashion, this hurricane season showed unprecedented strength.
This past month, northern Nicaragua was struck by not one, but two Category 4 hurricanes. As if that wasn’t enough, these storms struck within 15 miles of each other in a matter of 13 days. For some perspective, there hasn’t been comparable storm activity seen in the last 170 years of storm data. First, Hurricane Eta slammed the northern coast of the country, shortly followed by Hurricane Iota. Both storms were projected to have the potential for “catastrophic” wind damage and life-threatening flooding.
And Surf Station team riders Noah Brownell, Chip and Crockett McGraw were there to witness it all.
Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota Hit Nicaragua
After completing Coronavirus testing required for travel for the Nicaraguan government, Brownell and the McGraws set out from Miami to Popoyo in search of warmth and waves. What they were met with was the landfall of Hurricane Eta just a day after their arrival.
“We drove through Managua to Colorados because we couldn’t really get past the rivers that had broken through,” Brownell said. A lot of things were isolated because of the roads.”
“The first storm wiped out the road and rivers in our area,” Gregory shared. “Everyone in low areas got hit pretty hard, the flooding lasted for about a week.”
The country’s network of dirt roads were flooded for days on end, confining Brownell indoors while the sea continued to roil after Eta’s landfall.
“During the hurricane, it was onshore with bad, rainy weather so we couldn’t surf for the first six days,” Brownell shared. “Watching the whole community get destroyed was gnarly.”
St. Augustine Locals Offer Hurricane Relief
As the effects of Hurricane Eta subsided, Brownell was struck by the cooperation of locals and Nicaraguan transplants alike that lifted up the community following the storm. Heather and Brian McMandon, former St. Augustine residents and current owners of SurfNSR in Nicaragua, jumped into action by fundraising for hurricane relief. The duo worked alongside with Missions of Grace, a grassroots nonprofit organization focused on disaster relief, to raise over $100,000 for the Nicaraguan community. Fellow St. Augustine locals Andy, Kai, and Sydney Delorenzo, frequent visitors to the country, pitched in to give water to locals in need, while Chip McGraw donated clothing and supplies.
The importance of this community support was even more vital with the passing of the second storm of the month, Hurricane Iota.
“Then the second storm hit when all of the rivers were full and the roads were still washed away,” Gregory shared. “We had massive flooding, mudslides, and the second storm hit way harder and was gone in a few days, but everyone lost everything.”
For Gregory, this was the worst storm activity that he had witnessed in all of his years on the island. He watched as aid workers struggled to reach communities in need that were cut off by washed out bridges, downed trees, and impassable flooded roads. Gregory continues to work with the local community, by raising funds via a GoFundMe page created with Two Brothers Surf Resort, ensuring that the funds are distributed to those most in need.
For Brownell, the experience of the trip to Nicaragua became bittersweet. As the storms passed, destruction followed, but so did waves. As the roadways improved, Brownell and the McGraws started to search and score waves at the popular break Colorados, making their way to world class beach break “The Boom”. Following a six hour drive to the break world renowned for its kegging barrels, the group was met with another experience to remember at Chancletas Beach Resort.
“We were treated like kings and queens with a one minute walk to a heavy, barreling wave,” Brownell said. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”
The Surf Station Team Returns to St. Augustine
While Brownell couldn’t hide his obvious elation over trading 4-6 foot offshore waves with his travel buddies, this excitement was tempered by the effects he had seen from the storm. After four long weeks of travel and two hurricanes later, Brownell sat on his Florida-bound flight and began to reflect on the experience. He jotted down this thoughts, and shared with our crew the feelings that consumed him on that last leg home:
Nicaragua will forever have a special place in my heart. The past month in this amazing country was awesome, sad, and heartwarming. The waves we had were so much fun when it wasn’t raining, most days were 4-6 foot with perfect offshore winds. Most surfers would say that the reason they want to go Nicaragua is for pumping surf offshore winds all day everyday and that’s a huge part of the reason I went on this trip, but that’s not it to me. There is something about traveling to a third world country that I can never get enough of. The smells, the scenery, the culture, the people you meet, and the things you learn are all reasons I go back to Nicaragua and other third world countries. On this last trip, I witnessed not one, but two hurricanes within two weeks that destroyed most of the country. Local families lost everything, from houses to food to fresh water and even family members. It was so heartwarming to see how Two Brothers Surf Resort, NSR, and La Jolla de Guasacate helped the community by kickstarting GoFundMe accounts and posting all over social media to get the word out about what’s happening in the country and about how much people lost in the storms. The St. Augustine community also came together to help Nicaragua and their world-class beach breaks. The memories that I made on this trip are priceless, and I owe a huge thank you to Chip and Monica McGraw for letting me a part of their family for the month.
Brownell’s reflections reinforce what any experienced surfer already knows, that epic hurricane swell can be paired with devastating aftermath. It’s a reminder that mother nature is boss, and that it’s our responsibility as beneficiaries of the ocean’s waves to aid those in need when a storm strikes. Fundraising efforts for impacted Nicaraguan communities will undoubtedly continue, as Gregory explains.
“If you want to help the country, come down and support the local businesses in 2021 when the airlines return to normal,” Gregory said. “If you’re not able to make it, we have a GoFundMe on our main account @twobrotherssurf. We make sure the funding goes to people in the most need in our area.”
