{"id":35213,"date":"2018-06-05T06:44:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T12:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/?p=35213"},"modified":"2021-07-12T12:17:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T18:17:51","slug":"behind-the-desk-with-johan-rojas-acuna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/behind-the-desk-with-johan-rojas-acuna\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Desk with Johan Rojas Acuna"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you come to Witch\u2019s Rock Surf Camp, we want you to have life-changing experiences, make new friends, and make the most of your time in Tamarindo.<\/p>\n

We know our service plays a big role in that. In a series of posts, we\u2019ll introduce some of the individuals who make up the best staff in the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Today, we chat with Johan Rojas Acuna, a surf instructor who has the best desk in the world\u2014the ocean. Johan started with the camp about 15 years ago and is currently the surf captain for the surf programs.<\/p>\n

How did you get involved with WRSC?<\/b><\/p>\n

It started with meeting Joe in the water, surfing the river mouth. I left home at 15 and had worked as a boat captain in Drake Bay, on the Osa Peninsula, for about 6 years. Down there surfing is not too strong. Tourists come more to fish and visit national parks.<\/p>\n

When I was 21 I had saved some cash and was thinking about going somewhere else where people talk more about surfing, and I could focus more on surfing. While surfing in Santa Teresa, some people started telling me, \u201cYou should go to Tamarindo because Tamarindo has a lot of surfing spots. It\u2019s close to Witch\u2019s Rock and Ollie\u2019s Point.\u201d<\/p>\n

I moved and got a job on a sailboat. I was 22 years old.<\/p>\n

One day I was surfing and hanging out with this blonde guy with long hair, Joe. He told me he had a business, but we didn\u2019t talk much about it. Then one day I was trying to get a ride back to Tamarindo from the airport in Liberia. It was around 9 a.m. and I needed to be back for a 1 p.m. tour on the sailboat.<\/p>\n

I saw Joe at the airport and I asked him if he was going back. He was headed to Coco Beach, but he invited me to a party at his house later that evening with his family. It was only the second time I had met him, but we hung out that night and had a good time. He asked me to come to his office the next day and he offered me a job fixing boards and teaching people to surf.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Did you know how to fix surfboards or teach people?<\/b><\/p>\n

No. I was a captain, so I knew a lot about the ocean, working boats, tying knots. I knew a few words in English but I did not speak it that well.<\/p>\n

But Joe said that he needed someone\u2014a local guy\u2014to work in the surf camp. I thought, \u201cwhat a job!\u201d I had no idea that this was exactly what I had been looking for. It was like getting into a school. I could learn English, learn to fix boards, focus on surfing, hang out with surfers, and get paid to do it!<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how I moved to the camp. I have been so happy.<\/p>\n

What do you like most about teaching?<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh wow, I never thought people would listen to what I know about surfing\u2014what I learned on the street or I learned by traveling or I learned just be doing it for 20 years.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a surfer and you\u2019re passionate about surfing, you want to share the experience. I remember how hard it was to learn to surf. I remember how happy I was the first time I stood on a board.<\/p>\n

When I teach someone and see them get their first wave, then I know I want to keep doing this. They paddle or run up to me to give me a hug or high five. They cheer and smile like crazy! It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a child or a guy who is 65 years old. Everyone has a good time.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite part of your job?<\/b><\/p>\n

Aside from seeing someone catch their first wave, I really love the time when we\u2019re not surfing. We\u2019re just spending time in the water.<\/p>\n

We might be discussing the theory of timing or turning, talking about a wipeout, or just hanging out.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just amazing.<\/p>\n

How do you deal with people who have fears about surfing?<\/b><\/p>\n

First, I always try to remain very calm.<\/p>\n

We talk about their fear and we go in the ocean little by little\u2014starting off in the whitewash and only moving further once they are comfortable.<\/p>\n

It is good to always encourage the guests to push themselves, to face their fears, and to overcome them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What is the most important thing for a new guest to know?<\/b><\/p>\n

Safety is number one. Guests should always listen to the safety instructions.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s also why we a recommend that new surfers sign up for a professional lesson\u2014not from a partner or a friend\u2014for their first time out.<\/p>\n

Other than that, guests should just try to stay active in their everyday lives, and, most importantly, learn to swim!<\/p>\n

Which break is your favorite to surf?<\/b><\/p>\n

I personally love Playa Marbella\u2014for the barrels, the black sand, and the beautiful setting with palm trees.<\/p>\n

Why should people visit Witch\u2019s Rock?<\/b><\/p>\n

They should come first to get out of the cold winter, second to learn to surf, and third to learn the true meaning of \u201cpura vida.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

You will find Johan and his fellow coaches helping surfers progress \"\"their skills or ripping it up at breaks up and down the Guanacaste coast.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you come to Witch\u2019s Rock Surf Camp, we want you to have life-changing experiences, make new friends, and make the most of your time in Tamarindo. We know our service plays a big role in that. In a series of posts, we\u2019ll introduce some of the individuals who make up the best staff in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":35217,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrsc-employees","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/164.68.121.224\/wrsc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}