*Saturday, July 26th, Arrival to Panama*
*Sunday, July 27th, Departure to Playa Venao*
*Sunday, Aug 3rd, Return to Panama City*
Welcome to Volume III of the Rainbow Surf Retreat at Beach Break Surf Camp. This retreat is for LGBTQ surfers of all skill levels who want to unwind in a beautiful tropical setting and make meaningful connections with other LGBTQ folks doing the sport we all love. The retreat is hosted by Rich Overgaard from Canada (Instagram: @rovergaard) and Steven Redant from Spain (Instagram: @stevenredant) who connected through the @Surfergays Instagram account.
Rich and Steven’s goal is to create an inclusive, fun, chill, and social experience where LGBTQ surfers can turn their digital connections into real friendships and experience solidarity as we paddle out and catch waves together.
Hosted at Beach Break Surf Camp, it’s the perfect place for us to get to know each other and surf as much as we want. Playa Venao is perfectly positioned for the ultimate surf vacation, with year-round swell, waves suitable for all skill levels, and an uncrowded lineup.
The surf camp package includes things like board rentals, daily breakfasts, up to 2 hours of surf instruction per day, plus video analysis, open board rentals, and a photo and video package of your surfing to take home with you. There will also be lots of time to relax in the beachfront pool, go on nature walks, and lounge in the hammocks. For more experienced surfers, there will also be opportunities to catch waves at nearby, more challenging breaks. Read more below to see everything that’s included!
Spend an entire week getting to know Ricardo here at Beach Break Surf Camp. Daily surfing right out our front door at one of Panama’s most renown and consistent beach breaks, plus 2 day trips to other local breaks.
Early Registration: 1st five to sign up!
Early Registration: 1st five to sign up!
5 nights option:
6 nights option:
7 nights option:
Add-on Non Surfer/ BJJ Guest: $470 per person
(all taxes and fees included)
(all taxes and fees included)
Add-on Non Surfer/ BJJ Guest: $640 per person
(all taxes and fees included)
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Rich Overgaard lives in Vancouver, Canada and first built his skills as a surfer on an LGBTQ-friendly surf safari in Costa Rica back in 2015. Now, he tries to get away once or twice per year to the warm waters of Mexico and Central America to chill on a beach and catch waves.
At 44, Rich loves a longboard and is working on walking up and down his board as he cruises long beach break waves. Rich travelled to Playa Venao and spent a week at Beach Break Surf Camp in 2018, where the idea of a week-long retreat for LGBTQ surfers first began to gain traction.
His experience with the staff, social life, and beautiful setting made it the right place to try this out for the first time. Rich is also the founder of @Surfergays on Instagram, which he created in January 2020 to help connect and show love for all the LGBTQ surfers out there.
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Steven Redant was an international DJ from the gay circuit who lives in the Canary Islands, Spain. He gets to surf most days and started when his midlife crisis hit (it was surfing or a Porsche!). He also organizes surf retreats in Morocco, Sri Lanka, and the Canary Islands.
Surfing has now taken over his life and he’s passionate about sharing that love of the sport with others. He’s now training to be a longboard instructor (at 49 years old!). If Steven is not on his island paradise, you can find him in Costa Rica or Brazil, most of the winter.
He says himself that surfing has saved his life, and is happy to share his joy with the rest of the world. Steven is the founder of @longboardzaddy on Instagram.
It was Rich who reached out to organize a surf retreat for “our” people in Play Venao, and Steven was delighted to work on this project. He loves to share the knowledge he has and see people smile and progress in the water. He’s also a mediation leader.
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5 nights option:
Spaces are limited!
Your deposit is non-refundable. Your deposit is transferable to another person for the same retreat subject to approval. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it does not meet minimum registration. It is highly unlikely this will happen, but if it does, your payment is refunded in full. We reserve the right to determine if you are a good fit for this trip (if not, your deposit will be refunded in full).
You must have a valid passport to travel to Panama. Please check your passport expiration date and make sure it is valid for at least 3 months after the end date of your retreat. Currently, there are no COVID testing or vaccination requirements to enter Beach Break Surf Camp or Panama. See more detailed info here: https://pa.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/ We will keep you posted if this changes prior to your retreat. However, registrants are personally responsible for complying to local laws, at their own expense.
The purchase of travel insurance is required for this trip.You are free to select your own policy provider. We have a relationship with Kayleigh at We Shell Travel. You can contact Kayleigh at kayleighshelltravel@gmail.com for a quote and are not obligated to use Kayleigh's services, but will be required to provide proof of insurance before our retreat. Most policies protect you against potential trip delays or cancellations due to airline issues, family emergencies, illness, injury, etc. The travel insurance will also demonstrate to the host country that you are able to pay for any emergency services which may be necessary during your stay. We strongly encourage you to speak with a travel insurance agent to discuss your specific coverage needs, and to clear up any questions you may have relative to travel insurance coverage, including questions about COVID-19. Please make sure you purchase a plan that includes coverage for COVID-19 related trip cancellations and trip interruptions as not all do.
No experience is necessary for this course. Just come with a focused and open mind to learn the techniques that could keep you safe during a big wipeout.
If flying from Canada or USA, search first for round trip tickets to major hubs that fly direct to Panama City (Houston, Miami, Newark, Denver). Then search for flights from that major hub, round trip to Panama. You may find that buying two separate round trip tickets will be far cheaper than the airline coordinating your layover flight to Panama!
When you arrive to PTY, please grab a simple airport taxi from the kiosk located after leaving customs. A one person trip is $30. We are also happy to help set up transportation through the hotel for the same $30 charge if you'd like. Once you arrive at The Executive, you can check into your hotel room, get settled and if the timing works, join the group for dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Again, we’ve got you covered! We've arranged for a coach bus to take our group from Panama City to Beach Break Surf Camp. The ride is 5 hours from city-to-sea, but it's worth it! We will stop 2x for bathroom/snack breaks along the way. The same coach bus will take the group back to The Executive Hotel after the retreat.
You bet we can! Gluten free/dairy free. Vegan, Vegetarian, Grain free. Just let us know. We’ve got you covered. If you or your family have allergies, please make sure you let us know!
