Perhaps there exists deep in our DNA some line of code that translates to a desire for travel. Whether people have a reason for it or not, the urge seems undeniable. Perhaps humans seek travel because of some internal heartstring that pulls and points in a direction we’ve never explored before. This pulse courses through the body, fluttering against us with a quiet yet insistent urge to get up and go. Somewhere. Anywhere. As if the nomadic lifestyle were intrinsically part of the human make-up, the pads of our feet seek new earth to trod like the bottom of our boards crave different waters to float. The spirit of adventure awakens at times in everyone, and while some must make responsibilities the forefront of

K O D Y K E R B O X & N O A G I N E L L A

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Kody Kerbox entering some serious consequences if he doesn’t complete his ride. Photo: Mike Latronic58 /SPMagazine / VOL 6Nº3 2O14

their days, others skitter across the surface with the tantalizing thought of a new place, a new journey, a new story to weave. This story begins with two Hawaiian watermen who have made travel both their agenda and their job. Coming from the picturesque water wonderland we call Hawaii, one might find it difficult to another part of the world as or more appealing. The Aloha State promotes a beautiful way of life many would envy. While our adventurers feel blessed to call Hawaii home, they are eager to fly across land and sea to reach unfamiliar landscapes. The wanderlust has set in. Therein lies the true definition of adventure. Traveling for the first time together to Panama, Maui paddler Kody Kerbox and Oahu SUP surfer Noa Ginella take on the tropically desirable destination that is Bocas del Toro. Panama, similar to Hawaii, inspires a sense of spontaneity in any traveler, and these two paddlers are eager for the conquest. For two weeks, this Central American country becomes Kody and Noa’s exotic reality and the watermen are bright-eyed with the prospect of scoring waves. “The mission is to check out the waves, the epic scenery and everything Bocas del Toro has to offer,” says Kody. Flying into the island archipelago is breathtaking. Bocas del Toro is a string of lush tropical islands sitting in azure water on the Caribbean side of Panama. The town of Bocas, on the island of Colon, is vibrant and full of young backpacker types from Europe, South America, Canada and the United States. “It’s always cool to see and explore a new place,” Noa enthuses, and there is good reason why travelers seek to explore Bocas. Restaurants with delicious food are plentiful and cheap; the fish is fresh and the meat is local. The island people are friendly – an ethnic mix of Spanish, Indian and Creole – and many speak English, making it easy for a group of island hoppers to get around. Colorful water taxis zip in and around the island chain and are the standard mode of transportation. It’s a waterman’s paradise. Kody and Noa arrive and check in at the Pukalani Hostal on the main island of Colon. Brightly painted and surrounded by tall palm trees, the property is situated right on the beach, boasting an oceanfront pool and a boat dock that is protected from the surf. The family-run hotel is the perfect introduction to the island. With a private dock, Kody and Noa have a choice of transportation throughout Bocas del Toro’s nine main islands – it’s boat taxi, land taxi or paddleboard from here on out. There are several surf spots on the central island of Colon in Bocas, as well as excellent touring opportunities to explore the nearby islands. Easily accessible by boat taxi, the superior surf breaks, fabulous diving and other water sporting activities are major enticements for ocean enthusiasts, and our Hawaiian boys are more than eager to jump in the clear waters. On their first morning in Bocas, the swell is large, the surf is pumping. Mother Nature sets the agenda. This is obviously a day to take advantage of the quality surf. The boards are quickly unpacked and a water taxi summoned. It’s time to do some adventuring. The boys surf Paunch, on the island of Colon, on this first day. This wave is a good left, with a shifty right when it drops smaller. Kody is stoked to ride the

Some heavy Panama lip service about to curtain. Kody Kerbox. photo: Mike Latronic

Ricardo Chiari, Kody Kerbox, and Noa Ginella exploration on land to a secret beach near the Banana Canal. photo: Taylor Ivison

Travel and water time bring quiet reflection. Noa Ginella. photo: Taylor Ivison

Boat taxis to otherwise unreachable surfbreaks. photo: Richie Arosemena

The definition of “pitching” at Silverbacks. photo: Mike Latronic

photo: Tyler Rock

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small rights, two to three feet, and the pair is happy to return to the break the following day for some fine-tuning. On the second day, the surfers have the opportunity to compete in the 2014 ASP National Surf Circuit at Paunch, where Kody, Noa and local competitors are met with pumping four to six-foot waves. Though it is overcast, the lefts are glassy and well shaped. Kody surfs well and wins the Stand Up Paddle division, while Noa places second and Panamanian Ricardo Chiari third. The Pukalani Hostal owner’s son, Juampi Caraballo, takes first in the Men’s Open division and a few other locals take top honors. After the contest is over, an expression session ensues and the boys score plenty of uncrowded waves under clouded skies. Kody and Noa surf Paunch for the following two days, profiting with sunny three to four-foot left perfection. Howler monkeys scream in the lush jungle that backdrops the break, delivering the perfect setting for a tropical surf sesh. Ricardo Chiari, a native to Panama City and pioneer stand-up paddler of Panama, shows Noa and Kody around the islands when the surf drops. Ricardo visits the Caribbean side and Bocas del Toro frequently to surf, and considers these islands a respite from the main city. The

Panamanian athlete is eager to show the boys the secret spots of Bocas, so it’s decided that the three will paddle to the island of Solarte that following day. In the fresh morning light, Noa and Kody pump up their inflatable touring boards, excited for the day ahead. Wading into the warmth of the sea that fronts Pukalani Hostal, Ricardo, Noa and Kody paddle out toward Isla Solarte, approximately three miles from Colon. Known for incredible snorkeling and scuba diving, Solarte is rich in sea life with lettuce coral, lionfish, moray eels and more. Our Hawaiian boys are in heaven. There is a very unique, open ocean-type swell in between the island of Colon and Solarte, almost as if it belongs in the Molokai Channel, but glassier and smoother than Hawaiian waters. Kody lucks out and rides a gem for almost 100 yards, a sight that stokes out everyone. Later in the day, the paddlers arrive at the lee side of Solarte and encounter their own slice of stoke – sheet glass perfection. Mangroves grow along the shoreline in crystal clear water and the ocean teems with life. A silent world passes beneath their paddles, and Kody and Noa watch fish from above while slicing through the glassy

Surfing the lefts at Paunch, you realize you’re no longer in Kawela Bay. Noa Ginella. All photos: Taylor Ivison

Sometimes when you get away from your local envi-ronment your DNA sets in and this is what a water-man is all about. Get out there and explore.

Discovering places like Panama you often feel the soul of the sun watching over you.

HOWLER MONKEYS SCREAM IN THE LUSH

JUNGLE THAT BACKDROPS THE BREAK

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surface. The trio runs into some local children fishing from a dugout, and the kids and Kody exchange paddles for a brief but memorable moment. With a smile and a shaka, the paddlers continue on, soaking up the Panamanian sunrays. Because the water is so inviting, the surfers jump off their boards to refresh and explore Solarte below the surface. Chummy fish crowd the boys, hoping for a handout. The seagrass and coral are alive with color and other creatures slither and swim past. Back on the SUP boards, the group journeys back to Pukalani Hostal. Kody, Noa and Ricardo enjoy riding six-inch waves all the way to shore. The vibe is undeniably pure joy. Another sun sets and the following morning, Ricardo takes Noa and Kody to Bluffs. A thumping beach break with left and right barrels, Bluffs is just up the road from Paunch, on the main island of Colon. The sandy, unpaved route to the beach winds its way through lush tropical forests and then courses along the very edge of the ocean. At times, the car has to wait for the waves to stop before it can even cross and continue. The road is characteristically Bocas – wild, tropical and laid-back. Kody and Noa decide to ride shortboards, since the paddle out through the shore break at Bluffs is a difficult one and tends to be a board breaker. But Ricardo manages to get out on a SUP board for some wave sliding, while the other two demonstrate versatility by ripping up the beach break on smaller boards.

Back at home base, the owner of Pukalani, Juan Caraballo, talks story with the group, sharing island wisdom from a local perspective. Juan mentions the abandoned canal of Bocas, known as Changuinola Canal, which was dug by the banana companies and used to get the fruit from Bocas del Toro to the mainland. The canal bypasses the breaking waves and treacherous reefs, and at one time provided a safe passage to the mainland for islanders. Abandoned for years now, the canal has become a protected nature zone, bursting with greens of every shade. Kody and Noa are excited to explore the tropical area and Juan and his son, Jaumpi, decide to join the expedition too. This place is primordial, almost like stepping back in time. Antiquated and overgrown, the group paddles through water lilies, past shingled homes and beneath bridges to discover a secret beach, which is just a short walk over land from the canal. There is not a single tourist boat in sight. Seclusion sets in. The Panamanian adventure continues for two weeks. Hours in the water add up to days that bleed together, with sun and stoke the common thread. Bocas restaurants and a few bars pepper the evenings and Kody and Noa get accustomed to a lifestyle that parallels the tropics of Hawaii. New faces and unprecedented waves keep things fresh and exciting and discovery remains the forefront. By far the highlight of the trip is Silverbacks. Because what’s a surf trip without the most epic wave of the entire trip? A sucking right slab that breaks off the island of Bastimentos, this place is accessible only

A

SILENT WORLD PASSES BENEATH

THEIR PADDLES

Juan Carabello, Noa Ginella, Juampi Carabello, Kody Kerbox, and Ricardo Chiari crossing back over to flatwater paddling. Digging into Panama’s environment. All Photos: Taylor Ivison

Several beauties of traveling, for one, its a good way to cross train while on the road, secondly, you get to see regions of the world you never knew existed and three, you meet new people and the memories both physical and remain.

Self portrait. Noa Ginella.

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by boat. Silverbacks represents more than just the wave of the trip for these athletes. Chartering new terrain, Kody, going front side, rides the first wave ever caught on a SUP board at Silverbacks. Six to eight feet with occasional ten-foot plus bombs rolling through, the group is in awe. “We heard rumors that it could be going off and also heard it was a rare wave,” Kody enthusiastically explains. “To score this insane slab wave the way we did was awesome.” The second day surfing Silverbacks is sunny, offshore and more makeable. Noa, riding goofy foot, is able to get more waves that day and both boys ride boards under 7’6. The shifty wave is for experts only, as it comes out of deep water and hits a ledge, throwing more powerful swells than those of the same size in Hawaii. The local surfers say these waves get more than twice as big while still holding the same shape. Also making history during this trip, Ricardo Chiari becomes the first Panamanian to ride Silverbacks on a SUP board. It’s only a matter of time before slab hunters discover this place and charge the break at maximum size. Aside from surfing, Bocas del Toro has a fantastic array of activities, most of them within minutes of one other. Nightlife, paddle tour adventures, diving and hiking are all easily accessible and premier. With nine different main islands to explore, visitors can stay busy throughout their entire stay. “The town is really amazing, it’s different from anything I’ve ever seen,” Kody says about the main town on the island of Colon. “It’s got its own personality and feel to it.” Panama and Bocas del Toro combine to make an amazing experience – good food, great waves and awesome touring, but the best part might just be the people. The aloha spirit is alive and well in Bocas del Toro, and locals share it bountifully. “Everyone we encountered was really nice, there is great hospitality here in Panama,” Noa says.

Ah those fun days where you can pull in and the consequences turn to laughter and fun. Noa Ginella playing at Paunch. All photos: Taylor Ivison

Walking the wilderness road. Cody Kerbox.

Kody must be feeling like he’s surfing the waves along the Hana Highway.

“Okay Noa, you go left and I’ll go right”. Easy read on the sign language.

Practice word, “Schralp.”

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Many thanks to Juan Caraballo and his family for sharing the secrets of Bocas del Toro with the surfers, and for providing everyone with wonderful accommodations. Thanks to Ricardo Chiari for offering knowledge of the islands and of stand-up paddling. And thank you to Cristy Kelso in Panama City for showing the boys around the landmarks of the city and helping with travel logistics. The trip was a success by all standards, measured in incredible waves and local experiences had by all. Bocas del Toro is a beautiful place to find oneself, and Kody and Noa will surely share their memories with friends and family back home in Hawaii. Panama fulfilled the travel impulse, but it’s inevitable that where one journey ends, the desire for a new one ignites. As long as there are waves to be surfed and new scenery to savor, there will be surfers and travelers seeking new experiences, and for the simple sake of adventure.

PERHAPS THERE EXISTS DEEP IN OUR DNA

SOME LINE OF CODE

THAT TRANSLATES TO A

DESIRE

Paddling past a Panama slab, you look out on the horizon and the visions and memories are forever niched into you mind, your soul, your DNA. photo: Richie Arosemena

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