Britt Merrick, owner and CEO of Channel Islands Surfboards, joined us for a rollicking weekend of events to celebrate Nosara’s surf community and The Gilded Iguana’s long relationship with Channel Islands Surfboards. Originally founded in Santa Barbara, California in 1969 by his parents Al and Terry Merrick, Channel Islands has evolved into a legendary brand whose boards are preferred by some of the best surfers in the world. We’ve been working with Britt and Channel Islands for many years and are proud to offer our guests access to these world-renowned boards and exclusive events like the one we just held with Britt himself.
Here’s a recap for those who couldn’t make it in person!
After getting out on the waves at Guiones, Britt came out to our surf shop Iguana Outfitters to kick off the weekend’s events with a boisterous meet-and-greet. A range of Channel Islands boards were on display and for sale while Britt signed autographs and met local fans.
We also took to social media and asked our Gilded Iguana followers to submit questions for Britt. Here’s a selection of our favorites:
Q: Have you surfed at Playa Guiones yet?
Britt: Yeah, today’s my first day here and I’ve surfed it twice! I had a great time. It’s fun, it’s beautiful, I’m stoked on it!
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Costa Rica?
Britt: My favorite thing about Costa Rica is the people. Everyone here is so welcoming, so awesome, so much fun. Everyone is super positive. Pura vida!
Q: Where is your favorite surf spot?
Britt: My favorite surf spot is actually at home at Rincon Point. I was born and raised there. I’ve been around the world a few times and I’ve rarely ever surfed a wave like Rincon. It’s a long right point, super high-performing, different sections, and it’s home! I love it. There’s no place I’d rather be.
Q: What is one piece of advice for local surfers?
Britt: My advice for local surfers, you have such a beautiful place here and the people are so incredible, I would say be full of gratitude. Enjoy what you have. Enjoy where you are. Continue to represent that pura vida lifestyle. I think the key is to be thankful for where you’re at, so enjoy it!
Q: How do surfers get sponsored?
Britt: Getting sponsored in the surf world can be a challenge. The most important thing is to build relationships. If you know people that already surf for a brand, develop relationships with them, find out who runs the brand, who’s behind it all and let them know who you are. The most important thing is to be respectful and have gratitude and then perform well. When a brand sponsors you, you’re representing that brand so you want to present yourself as someone who could represent that brand well in the way that brand wants to be represented. Develop good relationships and be authentic!
Q: If you could only have one board, which would it be?
Britt: If I could only have one board, right now, I think it would be the Happy Everyday. I’ve ridden the Happy Everyday on so many waves over the last couple of years. It works really well as a thruster; it works really well as a quad. It’s great with a squash tail, it’s great with a swallow tail. It’s just a super versatile board and so I think the Happy Everyday would be what would make me… happy every day!
Saturday was full of surfing, surfing and of course, more surfing!
Saturday morning bright and early, we held an Invitational Surf Competition for local surfers to come out and compete alongside Channel Islands-sponsored surfers in front of Britt and his team. We co-hosted the competition at North Playa Guiones along with Channel Islands Surfboards, Vissla, and Punto Surf.
Our team of local judges scored the heats with impressive results.
The winners of the men’s competition were Thomas King, Axel Castro, Jose Barrantes, and Alvara Avila.
The winners of the women’s competition were three coaches from our neighbors at Surf Simply: Amyia, Jessie and Teale!
Congratulations to all!
There’s no better way to end a perfect day than at our restaurant.
Finally, we held a Channel Islands Movie Night at The Gilded Iguana. The movie features the story of Channel Islands Surfboards, their range of boards, and the Santa Barbara factory where they’re made. This glimpse behind the scenes was a fun and unique way to bring the community together. And to top it all off, we finished the evening with some live music at our restaurant which got everyone up and dancing. If you missed out this time, you can join us at our restaurant for dinner and live music every Saturday night.
Playa Guiones has been a fixture in the surfing community for decades. Our wide-open beaches and perfect waves attract surfers from all over the world. The Gilded Iguana, Costa Rica’s original surf hotel, has always operated to provide a place for surfing nomads to stay, and a place for our community to hang out. There’s nothing like surfing to bring people together.
You can experience the joy of riding a Channel Islands surfboard with us in a couple of different ways. First off, by joining our Surf Club your membership will give you access to all Channel Island boards as well as the opportunity to take a lesson from our local experts to ensure you make the most of these top-notch boards. You can join today! Or you can rent a Channel Islands board by the day, just stop into the Surf Club and we’ll hook you up. Be sure to ask about our board of the month, the Channel Islands Hoglet board, available to rent or for members of the Surf Club to use. And lastly–if you know you’re ready–Iguana Outfitters is stocked up with brand new Channel Islands surfboards for sale, just waiting for their new homes. Stop by to see our available collection. Stay tuned to The Gilded Iguana for future events, and thanks to Britt Merrick for making this such a great weekend!
