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An artist of life at home in the waves of the world

A story about the pure passion for surfboards and how to ask for nothing but get everything.

Portrait: Surfer and surfboard manufacturer in Nicaragua

A misfortune leads us to fortune: Johannes’s surfboard has been damaged while surfing. Damn. We know what that means: no more surfing, nada. There is only one who can help us: Cristobal Desforges (42) is a surfboard repairer and has lived in Nicaragua for 16 years. At the first encounter with Cristobal Johannes and I are immediately inspired: he has this sparkle in his eyes while doing his work that we are looking for. We casually make an appointment. We would like to learn where this real joy for his occupation comes from.
One week later we enter a garage in the small village known as Guasacate in Nicaragua – around 100 km south of the capital Managua. There are some cabinas, a mini market, a café, some chickens running wild and dogs sleeping under palm trees along the damp roadside. The ocean in immediate vicinity. The repair shop in front of a mangrove riverbed has the size of a spacious garage that is full of boards and tools – a colorful potpourri of boards from all over the world in a variety of versions, shapes and colors. Already from the entrance I can see the sun-illuminated dust from sanding the boards. In the middle of the orderly chaos, Cristobal is standing with a dust mask, in shorts, t-shirt and Crocs, which are covered with drips of paint. A lush wolf tattoo on his arm, a fiercely accurate short haircut and deep blue eyes characterize him at first glance. The shelves and walls are decorated with brushes, spray cans and surfboards that are placed horizontally and diagonally. It's dirty, there are used materials on the floor and from an old little retro-radio, which is placed right next to an animal skull on a small table, the music of Beth Gibbons is playing. You can see: there is work done properly here, but it is cozy and charming at the same time. Some boards, a few of them even broken into two parts, are stacked on top of each other because there is no more space. Here Cristobal is located in his oasis of well-being. Here he is among friends, because that's how he treats every surfboard – with love, respect and patience. He takes off his dust mask because he has just sprayed paint on a surfboard that lies carefully and safely on his workbench. The conversation starts with his morning routine: he usually starts the day at 6 o'clock, prepares the breakfast that he brings to his girlfriend's bedside. I am impressed. She also enters the room and I ask if this is true and she nods with a smile. "Look, I'm just going to tell you the truth here," Cristobal says, slightly embarrassed, yet self-confident. He calls the morning time with his girlfriend named Odile "talking-time", making plans for the day ahead. Then he checks the waves to see if they are suitable for a surf session after work.

 

“We always tried to play with nothing in the ocean.”

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The early years
Cristobal starts surfing at the age of 12. In France, in a small village called Royan, in the Charente-Maritime department, his family lives not far from the sea, so he can always romp around in the ocean with his two brothers in summer. At that time they only have swimming boards, no surfboards yet. Later the bodyboards are added and the boys try to balance standing on the bodyboards. "We spent all our time in the ocean and always played with the waves. At that time, there were not many possibilities. We didn't have much and always tried to play with nothing in the ocean," Cristobal explains. This environment lays the foundation for his later passion – surfing. As Cristobal gets older, he buys a swimsuit so that he can play in the cold ocean even in winter right away. Finally, he gets his first surfboard: "Hawaiian Juice" is the brand name, and his eyes shine when he talks about it.
At the age of 16, in the year 1996, he travels abroad alone for the first time to Taghazout in Morocco, which is considered an eldorado for surfers. There he surfs obsessively every day for 3 weeks. The trigger for everything that comes after. He returns to France and announces to his mother that he wants to drop out of school, to only travel and surf. Of course, she is against it. But nothing can stop him – he only has surfing in mind. So he drops out of school at the age of 16. However, this venture turns out to be a bad time, because he feels completely lost: no duties, no idea about anything he could do except surfing. So his mother was right, as he admits in retrospect. As a teenager, he doesn't know what he can do, what he's good at. The only thing he realizes is that somehow he has to make money with something so that he can travel out into the world to the exotic waves. This year, he floats in the air without a plan. After a year, he decides to finish school and then leave again at the age of 18. But back in France, he learns how to repair surfboards. Attracted by the smell of paint and his curiosity, he spends a lot of time watching a friend repair and restore surfboards. It is a playful approach to experiment with the material. His motto: learning by doing. He then goes to Mexico for three months for a summer holiday job – the wild and gigantic waves and surfing opportunities enchant him. Then comes the key moment that he never forgets: 19-year-old Cristobal stares at his return ticket to France and in his head the questions are tumbling about what to do. But he has long had the answer ready: he tears up the ticket and stays in Mexico. When I ask him how his parents reacted, he casually replies that they didn't care. He hasn't seen his father since he was 14 years old. His parents lived apart and his mother is in love again. But she trusts her son and knows that he's going to do his thing.

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“When I'm in the ocean, I'm not afraid of anything. When I'm near the sea, I know how to survive. I know where to get food from and I know what to do.”

Living in Mexiko
Cristobal stays in Mexico for five years. There he does various things and is creative to survive: fishing, making and selling homemade jewelry and pipes from natural materials, working as a waiter, cleaning, etc. He lives an "ocean life", as he himself calls it, and is proud of it because in this way he can spend as much time as possible in the water. He demands absolutely nothing from life. He buys an old VW van and lives in it: eating, surfing, eating, sleeping – his daily routine, that's it, no concrete goals. "Nothing. I lived a life with nothing," is how he describes his life there. During this time, he learns to get by with very little, as he does not need much to live and survive. However, he feels the need to be productive somehow because life seems too easy. There are days when he can't really enjoy the waves because he doesn't need to do anything to get this as a reward. The source from which he usually recharges his batteries no longer gives him the desired satisfaction. The feeling of being permanently in the waves has spoiled him too much, so that he no longer feels and appreciates the initial pleasures of surfing. I think about what has been said: do you have to do the things you love less often so that the passion remains something special?
This feeling of wanting to be productive and making enough money tempts him to move to California. Surely the possibilities there are better, he thinks. He talks to a friend about his rising doubts: he doesn't speak English, nor does he know anyone there. So his friend advises him why not go to Tamarindo (Costa Rica)? There are many surf schools and shops where he could work with boards. Cristobal has only 300 Dollars at that time, no reserves and puts everything on one card. So he goes to Costa Rica. The fear is with him as a constant companion, but also the firm confidence that it will somehow work out. If necessary, he could even sleep outside. I am impressed. Is it youthful recklessness, naivety or the great thirst for adventure that simply masks the doubts? Where does this tireless self-confidence come from? Cristobal answers my question very clearly: "I think it's because of the ocean and the whole chase after the waves. When I'm in the water, I'm not afraid of anything. When I'm near the sea, I know how to survive. I know where to get food from and I know what to do. In the city I am lost and thrown up. But at the sea I know exactly where I am and what to do."

Pura Vida in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, people on the street usually greet each other with "Pura Vida", which translates to "the pure life". It is a reminder to always appreciate life in its perfection and beauty and to enjoy the moment – to always live in the present.
Cristobal is therefore stranded in Costa Rica and after a few days he already has three jobs. He is allowed to give surf lessons and repair surfboards in a shop, which he enjoys very much, because he can always combine his work with his passion. He stays in Costa Rica for a total of seven months. But over time, the waves become too small for him, he gets bored. He is looking for something new, and is ready for new territory. Then suddenly comes the inspiration: to travel to Indonesia to the wave tunnels (in surfer's language: "barrels") to surf there. But the plan changes: He has to extend his visa for Costa Rica, so he crosses the border into Nicaragua. During this time, he discovers the beach of Popoyo purely by chance. It is the year 2003 and Cristobal is 25 years young. An acquaintance advises him to keep an eye out for Popoyo, as the waves there are supposed to be very good. The first thing he remembers when he gets off the bus: The Outer Reef, a gigantic peak and beautiful, powerful waves. As he talks about it, his eyes sparkle and he looks into the distance – as if he could see this image in his mind's eye at that moment. In any case, I can literally hear the breaking of the waves. He knows nothing at all about Nicaragua, stays for five days. Every day he surfs. He is alone, hardly anyone is around. For him, this time is strange, but also magical – it marks his turning point. Cristobal loses interest in traveling to Indonesia because he has discovered something much more beautiful: surfing in Popoyo.

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Excursus: Facts about surfing in Nicaragua

So far, the former Spanish colony is still in its infancy when it comes to surfing, if you compare it to other places in Central America, like Costa Rica. However, this has some advantages: fewer tourists, clean and empty beaches. In the southwest of the country near the border with Costa Rica, lies the largest inland lake of the country: Lake Nicaragua. With an area of more than 8,000 square kilometers, it is the third largest lake in Latin America. Due to this condition, the wind blows constantly – almost all year round. As a result, the southern Pacific side of Nicaragua almost always receives the offshore wind that is so popular with surfers: this wind blows from land towards the sea, counteracts the waves and causes them to pile up. As a result, the waves break steeper and much cleaner – the perfect wave for surfers. Several beaches in the department of Rivas in the municipalities of Tola and San Juan del Sur have even gained international fame for these qualities. Popoyo Beach in Tola is the most famous surfing spot in Nicaragua. The country is therefore a year-round surfing destination. The best waves are caused by tropical storms, which usually occur during the rainy season (May to November). Many spots in southern Nicaragua are best at high tide, while others further north are better at low tide. In the south, the offshore winds often allow surfing from sunrise to sunset. More information can be found here.

While we are conducting the interview, young people come barefoot into the garage, in shorts and with no t-shirt: they are ambitious and tattooed surfers – mostly with demolished boards under their arms – who go with their wishes to the person they trust. It is a warm and friendly welcome – no strangers, but rather like good old friends. You chat about this and that, make jokes and you report about surf sessions, how a certain wave was breaking. Laughter and handshakes. Adios muchachos.
Cristobal therefore stays in Popoyo, repairing tourist surfboards from time to time. He is the only one who masters these skills here. He procures the material in Costa Rica, brings it across the border to Popoyo – so suddenly 8 years pass without realizing that he has actually settled there and has built something up.

“If you don't commit fully to one thing from the beginning on, I think you could lose some of what that thing could actually give you.”

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What his great realization is: to dedicate himself to a project from the beginning on, knowing well that it may not last forever. "If you don't commit fully to one thing from the beginning on, I think you could lose some of what that thing could actually give you," he says in retrospect, even if this project only lasts a few months or weeks. Slightly melancholic, he explains to me that he has not created a basis. It was only after almost a decade in Nicaragua that he realized that he had settled there. It takes time for him to decide to stay in Nicaragua and build something solid there. Cristobal buys a plot of land and builds a house.
I don't quite agree with him. He doesn't need to be melancholic, or even regret anything. I am of the opinion that his whole path that brought him to Popoyo is an elementary process: he needs this "unconscious" unfolding – this polarity, so that he can be all the more aware of what he really wants today. Nicaraguan officials give him papers so he can pay taxes, run his small business, and stay in the country legally. In the early years, he initially takes care only of the surfboard rental and repairs battered surfboards under the name "Popoyo Ding Repair". He remembers that at the beginning it was a very small business – at that time there were spartan times, there was no great need. Almost every three months he has to travel to Costa Rica to get material, as the raw materials are not available in Nicaragua itself – he has been doing this for 10 years now. His passports are full of stamp entries due to the crossing of borders.

PURE LINES
PURE LINES is created in 2016 when he gains access to completely new material. Cristobal has his own small manufactory and creates and designs his own handmade surfboards. The name has different meanings for Cristobal: When working with surfboards, you have to deal a lot with the design of the edges. A board is ultimately defined by lines. He explains in great detail and clearly how to proceed with the lines and makes calm and fluid wave-like hand movements: the cleaner the lines, the more beautiful the boards. Furthermore he loves to ride a uniform line in the waves even when surfing. Most surfers nowadays do a lot of fast turns driven by the energy of the wave again and again. But Cristobal himself is not an aggressive surfer. He likes to surf pure waves from start to finish – in the flow, with the same energy. In addition, he likes the word "pure" very much. It sounds honest, clean and real. While he talks about it, his eyes sparkle again, he seems almost slightly ashamed of his remarks and lowers his gaze downwards and smiles. He can hardly find words for the pure feeling.

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“I have saved so many surf trips for people whose boards I was allowed to repair. So much thanks, appreciation and the smiles of the people – that fills my heart. That's the best.”

Sustainability is not an issue at first. With PURE LINES he wants to change the image of surfboard repair in people's minds. Most importantly, access to such repairs used to be difficult and it was easier for people to simply throw away their broken boards instead of finding a suitable repairer and investing money. It is simply a lazy convenience to just buy a new board. "I wanted to change the image of a carefree weed-smoking guy who doesn't care that his surfboard is broken and doesn't worry about restoration," explains Cristobal, who is convinced that it's a valuable thing. He feels good if he can help nature as well as people a little and help to create a sustainable awareness. But what he realizes through his work and he grins all over his face: "I have saved so many surf trips for people whose boards I was allowed to repair. So much thanks, appreciation and the smiles of the people – that fills my heart. That's the best." Cristobal is at first the only surfboard repairer and shaper in the area around Popoyo. In a nearby village called El Limón Dos there is meanwhile another repairer, but for at least 2 years, Cristobal is initially the only one who masters his craft. Without really being aware of it, he has thus created a unique selling point. Through his work, Cristobal gains access to a variety of surfboards over time and is in his element: "I can touch boards, have access to various boards from all over the world – Australia, Japan, South Africa, the States, France etc.. I can talk to different people about boards all the time and swim with the boards in the sea. I feel like a dog in his territory. It's great. I feel like I really want to help people and I like that," he raves.

Finding the great love
Odile and Cristobal meet for the first time in 2012. She is a customer, wants to rent a surfboard. As he tells the story, his face becomes very soft and looks like a little raving and innocent boy. However, both are taken at that time. They meet every now and then purely by chance – even after years. However, nothing is being forced. Cristobal is too shy to approach her. It's a back and forth between coincidental encounters, until Odile seizes the chance to sit next to him one day at a sunset party – the end of the beginning: they kiss. Voilà!
As I listen to his stories, I think I understand his secret recipe: He doesn't seem to enforce anything in his life, even when happiness lurks right at the tip of his nose. He just lets things come to him, has no claims, no expectations. He simply walks with the flow of life and it seems as if everything automatically comes to him right then: when he doesn't want anything. Like a magnet, he attracts what his heart is really longing for: opportunities, jobs, people, surfboards, (surfing) possibilities, ideas and love simply come without being asked for. However, all this happens on an unconscious level. Is this due to the basic sense of trust? This year 2021, he and Odile will get married. Odile is half Nicaraguan, half French – a natural beauty who also indulges in surfing. She takes care of the small surf shop while Cristobal tinkers around in his workshop. You can feel their shared vibe.

Basic sense of trust, Covid and poverty
Covid is also leaving its mark on Nicaragua. Some tourists are stuck in the country during the lockdown and as a consequence borrow boards for over a month. Cristobal reduces the prices for this. Of course, he does not make a lot of revenue, but the business continues to run. The only concern: uncertainty. You don't know for how long the crisis will last and for how long you can fall back on your savings. The couple drives back one gear, concentrating only on the bare necessities, but always in confidence.
I learn that 2017 was the economically strongest year for Nicaragua. Tourism is flourishing. Economic growth does not stop even in remote villages. Many "Nicas" – as the locals here in Nicaragua are called – for example, ride bicycles. However, in the same year, the political crisis affects the country and its people – even more than the recent pandemic. Protests follow against a planned social reform and the suppression of freedom of expression. The uprisings are violently beaten down, hundreds of people die. Shops in larger cities such as Granada, León and San Juan close and many Americans leave the country immediately. Odile is worried about the pandemic, but Cristobal always encourages her. "We can do it. We are gonna make it. Don't worry," he tells Odile again and again. If he can lend one or two boards in one day, that's already a good day and he's grateful. "Don't focus too much on the media, on the bad. Focus on yourself, on the good. The people we love are doing well. That's all that matters. We are safe," he encourages his girlfriend. He refers to the community in Nicaragua where everyone supports each other. He is confident and feels safe as the locals know how to survive. Cristobal is annoyed by some Americans who think they know better and have ambitions to help the Nicas. He knows that the local population is not dependent on outside help. They know how to build houses, prepare pork or chicken, harvest beans as well as cook, go fishing and all that. In contrast to wealthy foreigners who do not have these skills and would simply be stuck. Cristobal has his own view of the term "poor" and we philosophize about its actual meaning. He comes to the conclusion: as long as there is a roof over your head and enough food is available, you cannot be poor as a result. In highly developed countries, he has seen much more poverty in the form of stress, depression, dissatisfaction, lack of time and loneliness. In his opinion, it is a one-sided view of people who travel to so-called "third world countries" and label them as poor simply because there are not enough resources. The people of Nicaragua just don't want more, they are satisfied. It's that simple. "If you talk about materials, you can say this country is poor. But if you talk about life, the people here are not poor at all: They eat enough, they have time for each other. There is a lot of love in the family, because the families are big here," he explains. Although there are significantly fewer tourists in Nicaragua than in the neighboring and economically richer Costa Rica, there are still a few people who emigrate here, especially Americans. I am curious and ask. Because it seems like you really can't do much here in Popoyo except surfing. "There are many expats who quit their jobs and move here to gain distance and relax. After a month, however, they are frustrated. They come here with false expectations. If you want to have a simple life, you have to adapt to simple circumstances. It's as simple as that," Cristobal explains.

“After 30 years of surfing, I am open to the non-surfing world. [...] If you limit yourself too much to surfing, you lose sight of other beautiful things that you are missing out on.”

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The ocean always in sight
Cristobal makes no plans. Again and again he claps against his sandpaper during the narration to shake off the dust. He doesn't have THE one vision of his life. All he knows is that he wants to live in a place where there is little tourism. It seems as if he doesn't care about the country as long as the ocean is there, which shows him the way like a north star. Even if he cannot be in the sea, it is extremely important to him to at least have it in sight. The sea is his inner compass and as long as he is within its reach, he will not get lost: ocean, surfing opportunities, curiosity and the joy of life seem to be his drivers. "I can do without surfing. It's fun for me, gives me freedom and it's like meditation because you're fully present – in the flow. But it's not the most important thing for me. After 30 years of surfing, I am open to the non-surfing world. But I can't live without the ocean. If you limit yourself too much to surfing, you lose sight of other beautiful things that you are missing out on," explains Cristobal. He has no regrets in life. However, he says that if he were a teenager again in another life, he wouldn't be so afraid of getting older. Because as a teenager, he always thought that at the age of 40 you were already very old – as if life was already over. But Cristobal is looking forward to getting older – you are so much wiser, more experienced, more relaxed and much more confident in yourself and life. I'm glad he says that, because I know very few who cultivate this mindset. He loves to get older. He appreciates many things more and in general he is much more patient. "I love getting older, everything is just so smooth," he says, and I buy every word. He would like to give this perspective to his children later on the way: not to be afraid of getting older. There is a pleasant break and he conscientiously sands the edges of a shimmering blue surfboard while I enjoy watching him. It occurs to me that one should also abrade one's dried up and outdated thought patterns.

Dreams and what really matters in life
Cristobal still has many dreams in his heart: in addition to traveling, which he would like to combine with repairing and creating (shaping) surfboards, he wants to have children – as many as possible. I am touched, because when he talks about it, he has tears of joy in his eyes. I am sure that he will achieve his dreams. He shrugs his shoulders as if the fulfillment of his dreams were secondary. It's more about just doing your thing and letting your passion drive you in life. According to the motto: what must be, must be.

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“When you listen to loved ones on their deathbed, you believe what they say, because these people don't lie.”

In a way, Cristobal is a quiet and peaceful rebel within society, rebelling against institutionalized norms and not following the classic path one usually expects: school, study, work, house, marriage, etc. However, he does not condemn people who take this path, because everyone has the choice to shape their own lives. He only observes that many are not truly happy in treacherous prosperity: too much work and excessive dissatisfaction. He tells me that his father worked for years: no vacation, only saving and hardly any togetherness with his mother. When he is diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 56, he dies within six months. His mother's new partner also worked tirelessly all his life. When he finally retires, he falls ill with cancer and dies as well. On his deathbed, he told Cristobal that he had done everything right. If he had the chance again, he would also work less and follow the joy more. "If you listen to loved ones on their deathbed, you believe what they say, because these people don't lie," says Cristobal rather soberly than sadly, because he lives his life the way he wants.
In his family, Cristobal is always labeled as the black sheep, supposedly useless for society. So far, he has not allowed himself to be shaped by society. He has no fixed address, no bank account and no driver's license in France or Nicaragua. "I am a tourist of this world. Society doesn't want anyone like me," he laughs. He has been criticized many times for his lifestyle. However, he doesn't care, because everyone is so different and has a different truth. He lives his. Cristobal is of the opinion that as long as you do not deceive others, everyone can do what they want. He feels anything but "useless" – he gives something back to society in his own way. My last question is what passion means to him. Cristobal does not find the right words at first. He thinks, starts, stammers something, then breaks off again. I wonder if you may not be able to put passion into words. However, he goes on to say concisely that it is a feeling that must be pursued. You just do it without forcing anything. This is not about money. It is an activity that simply satisfies and fulfills you. It is important to protect your passion – it is untouchable, it is pure.


Text: Katharina Hahn
Photos and English translation: Johannes Hahn (Website, Instagram)
Publication: 14.09.2021

More Infos about Cristobal Desforges: Pure Lines

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