How I Recovered From a Surfing Injury
My Worst Break-In Experience
I apologize for the morbid series I’ve been posting about my things getting stolen in Costa Rica. I’ve discussed theft on the beach, from my truck and SUV rental, and this one tops the list. By now, you must be asking yourself, is there much crime in Costa Rica? These events can take place in any country. The purpose of these articles is to have the reader understand that it is important to stay vigilant when traveling or living in Costa Rica. There is no malice towards the country or its citizens. It is just what happened to me.
The Case of the Missing Boards
I was living in Hatillo in a fairly nice house at the back end of a short road with Tico neighbors on both sides. There was a stream behind the house and a large empty jungle covered hill beyond that that only some cows trespassed. I knew everyone on my street, and was only concerned with a neighbor the next block over who would blast bad reggaeton music on most nights, seemingly directly towards my house. I knew there was a drug dealer living there who would turn up the music while fighting with his girlfriend or partying.
I had my friend and his family visiting from Florida for the week and we had been enjoying a good run of swell and clear weather. After a dawn patrol session we planned a trip to the waterfall in Uvita to rinse off. The clouds started to darken so we drove back to the house to make some lunch. At first nothing appeared out of place, but my friend could not find his cell phone. That was when my heart jumped and I ran outside to see if our boards were still there. They were gone.
These two boards were both one of a kind. The first was made by a friend from New Hampshire who had moved down the year before. He had only shaped about a dozen surfboards and his logo was unique. The second one was a DHD shortboard custom made for WCT surfer Nat Young (signed by the shaper). It had custom blue FCS fin boxes and his signature fins. After we decided they were stolen I called the police.
Two hours later the police arrived. There had been heavy downpours all afternoon, mirroring our mood. They asked to describe the boards and if I had any ideas of who would take them. I told them about the noisy neighbor and they said they would ask around. Then they left, and we brooded while deciding if we should pay our neighbor a visit as well. We both felt okay knowing that not more things went missing and that everyone was safe. Two police investigators came back the next day and told me that the officers did not find anything. Legally they cannot enter any premises without a warrant, even though my friend’s phone was pinging from that house. They suggested that I drive to Quepos to the OIJ office and file a report, which I did the next day. My friend left the day after, luckily he had purchased travel insurance so was able to file a claim for the stolen phone and board.
The Investigation Continues
So here is where things get interesting. I went over to my neighbor’s house to investigate. As I got close to his front porch he came out to tell me to leave. I looked at his surfboard laying on the ground and saw that my friend’s fins were in his surfboard! They were not even sold in Costa Rica so he could not have bought them. So I started shouting at him to give back the surfboards and he basically told me to F— off and he would call the police if I stepped foot on his property. When I saw his older brother grab a plumbing wrench I backed off and headed back to my house.
When I reached the end of my driveway I was stopped by another neighbor. He confided that he saw a SUV pull up to the thief’s house during the rainstorm (right after the cops left) and put what looked like two surfboards into the back of the SUV and drive off. He had written down the license plate number and gave that to me to pass along to the OIJ investigators. They said they would look into it.
Meanwhile I had put up flyers with photos of the stolen boards and had offered a reward for their return. I knew that some of my friends knew the thieves and the owner of the SUV, but they would not rat them out. I think because they were Tico and I was a gringo. It felt shitty since I’ve known some of them for over 20 years. I spent the next few days scouring the lineup in Dominical and Playa Hermosa to see if anyone was riding either of our boards.
The week after the theft I was driving home from the beach and I stopped to pick up my landlord’s teenage nephew and his friend to give them a lift home. They climbed in the truck bed and when I looked back to see they were in, I was shocked. The other teen was wearing my surf trunks! It was the younger brother of whom I thought was the thief. So I pulled over, had him jump out, and walked over to check the side pocket of his bathing suit. Mine was missing the velcro, and when I lifted the flap it was missing it, too.
When I called him out on it, he said that he found the surf trunks lying in the field in between our houses. I asked where the other pair he stole was, along with my friend’s phone and the surfboards. He denied knowing anything, but said he would get the other bathing suit from the house. The nephew said something to me in a low voice, but I thought he was just asking me to call his uncle.
I drove the younger brother back to his house and he ran to the backyard where he was living in a small thatch rancho. He brought out the other surf trunks, which surprised me, but had nothing else, and when I tried to go into the backyard the older brother came out and threatened me again. The kick to my gut came when the nephew said later that he was trying to tell me that the kid had my friend’s I-phone in his side pocket. I was two inches away from getting it back.
Weeks had passed and since the police could not go on to the property of the owner of the SUV, I had given up hope of getting the boards back. One time I drove to the top of the hill in Lagunas to the front entrance of his property, but did not have the will to confront him. Punching him in the face would be worth it in the moment, but not in the long term. I would be arrested and be kicked out of the country. I had travel insurance, too, and was able to file a claim, but it still felt uncomfortable every time I had to leave the house. Even though the windows had bars, anyone could still kick in the door and steal everything I had, and possibly no one would see or hear it.
No Happy Ending
But things did change. Mysteriously the rancho the kid lived in behind the thief’s home had burned down. He had moved there six months ago from San Jose, but had to move back to the city. I never saw him again. The older brother I saw a few more times since his mother had dated another friend of mine, and each time I saw him he was coked out. Then one day my friend told me the guy had moved to Palmar Norte to work on a banana plantation and had later died in a motorbike crash.
Reflecting on this experience, I need to express how lucky I am to have the things I own, and that I am blessed to have a large supportive group of family and friends. Too often I take this for granted. I sometimes envy my friends with bigger houses, nice boats, and newer surfboards. But the reality is there are so many people on this planet who have so little and they never will get the same opportunities in life that I have been given.
In conclusion – stay vigilant whenever you are traveling. Crime in Costa Rica isn’t bad, but it happens. Don’t leave anything valuable on the beach, in your vehicle, or outside your lodging. Get travel insurance! But if you forget and something is stolen, remember that it was just a material item which can be replaced and that you are fortunate to live well enough to go on vacation or reside in a foreign country.
If you want more travel advice or help planning a trip, visit CRsurf.com
