Rio Mar

So by now, if you have been following our trip to Panama, you are probably noticing a reoccurring trend in the beaches that we visited….they are practically deserted!!  Now if you like a crowded beach that is hustling and bustling this is not the place for you.  Rio Mar was the last break that we visited before the swell completely diminished and there was no more surf (just in time for the end of our trip).

When we arrived at the beach, we parked on a dirt road with a path that lead in between the construction site of a future luxury condominium and some local houses with some chickens running around the yards.  As we got closer to the beach there was a few families and children playing in a small river that lead into the beach.  The first thing I thought when I saw them…”why aren’t they playing in the ocean?”  Personal preference I guess…

Again, there was no one on the beach except for one surfer right out front of the condos.  No problem…we weren’t going there!

Now, you might remember me mentioning that the tides in Panama can be extreme so it will be no surprise that if you lost track of time and weren’t paying attention, you might get caught in this little cove and have a difficult time getting back out.  So as we walked to this surf spot, Fortunato told us a story about how this almost happened to him… “So, awhile ago you could drive out to this spot and surf, you didn’t have to park on the road.  A friend and I were out here surfing and he wanted to come in and take a nap in the car because he was tired.  So I kept surfing and I came in when the tide started to come up and I noticed that my friend was GONE with the KEYS!!  Can you imagine that!?!? I thought…today is going to be the day that I loose my car to the sea.  So I looked over and I see my friend walking back and he’s carrying something and all I can think is ‘Where did you go?’  He says, ‘Man, your battery was dead!!’  Crazy!”  I don’t think he’ll be driving down that close to the beach anymore!!

We walked about a quarter mile down the beach and around a point that had an isolated cove on the other side and a very nice break that was perfect for Luke and Fortunato.  The guys paddled out and me and my little sand eater settled in under a shaded cliff and watched the guys.

The saddest part about this little slice of paradise is that it probably will not be like this for very long because it is in the middle of being developed.  Huge condos are going up all around and soon it will be a luxury vacation spot.  It makes me think about the people that I saw playing in the river in front of the beach…what will happen to the place that they enjoy with their friends and families?