Holly Beck Building a School in Nicaragua

Howdy,


My partners at Waves of Hope have been working for over a year to secure the proper permits to build a high school for students in Nicaragua. We finally have them! Now it's time to raise the money to give the opportunity of an education to a community that desperately needs it. See attached .pdf for more info or click here for the video version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZneuwRFKg

 If you are interested in helping either with donations, time, or putting a group together to come down and build the school with us, please let me know!

The waves have been awesome of course. See attached photo from a session a few days ago. For the full sequence, click here: http://hollybeckadventures.com/2012/10/07/backside-tube-sequence/

We have begun improving our lot up on the ridge, starting with clearing weeds, planting trees, and installing a living fence: http://hipehabitat.com/2012/09/15/the-new-living-fence-on-our-lot-in-tierra-del-sueno/

We also started construction on our storage shed/garage/workshop building called a bodega down here.
check out the beginnings of the project here: http://hipehabitat.com/2012/10/07/teak-post-and-concrete-block-bodega/

We're off to El Salvador for a couple of retreats next week, then back to Nicaragua for prime time retreat season. I added an option for guys in Feb. Check out info and dates athttp://www.surfwithamigas.com/schedule

Cheers!
hb

"Hola Amigos!" from Holly Beck

Hola Amigos!


It's been a while! I am enjoying summer vacation in Nicaragua - no new retreats til October, yay! I've been getting a lot more waves myself without having to put energy into helping girls improve their surfing skills. Stoked!

My Rusty boards have been working amazingly well and I put together a little video analysis of my top 3 boards with some cool surf footage mixed in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9AyOgK0x6k

I've been working over the last two years with a non-profit called Waves of Hope which is run by a couple friends of mine. We've been trying to promote education in the local communities and to lobby the government to green-light the construction of a high school. Currently the only educational opportunity for kids in the area after grade 6 is attending school only on Sundays. We've made a lot of progress. You can check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZneuwRFKg

I recently got engaged! Yay! You can see a bit of what our life is like here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xIry9ENE8

Finally, we're also working with Waves of Hope on a sea turtle conservation project. Baby turtles are the cutest things ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2Dixa907c

Thanks for the support!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!
: )
hb

An Update from Holly Beck

Hola Amigos,


It's officially rainy season in Nicaragua which means greener fields, bigger waves, and awesome evening thunderstorms. Kim and I snuck down to Central Nica for a strategic strike on a new swell. We totally scored.

I posted a silly little video on how much I love tube rides (who doesn't?): 

Holly Beck Partners with Ally Original Art Campaign

Holly Beck Partners with Ally Original Art Campaign 

photo by Nikki Brooks

Holly Beck will be one of several luminaries participating in a new online art contest series called Ally Originals. Ally Originals is a new campaign from Creative Allies based around celebrating innovative, inspiring and original personalities that are making an impact in the world. The curators have led lives of passion and creativity and are renowned in their industries for their unique style and influence. 


Beck has chosen water, waves and fluidity as the themes for the first Ally Originals design contest. She is an ambassador for the non-profit Waves of Hope and has chosen the charity to receive proceeds from the sales. Waves of Hope follows a mission to bring travellers, surfers and the local communities together through engagement and community service.


www.creativeallies.com
www.hollybeckadventures.com
www.facebook.com/HollyBeckAdventures

http://www.bodyglove.com

An Update from Holly Beck!

The words of Holly Beck herself...

Hello Amigos and Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I sent out an update and there's almost too
much info to cover... The waves in Nica have been super fun as usual. I did a bit of filming both with my GoPro and during the retreats, and put together a little video with a few waves and fun.

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BslOmOtXp6c

I had an incredibly rewarding week of 17 high school kids from High Tech High in San Diego who came down for 10 days to participate in all the normal retreat activities but also helped to build a new classroom onto the local school. They surfed in the morning, then learned to mix cement, dug trenches, and painted, then participated in fun activities in the afternoon. I made a fun video about the experience here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxAaDF9-1EE

The following week I had a group of 10 for a Suave Dulce surf yoga retreat where we finished up the painting on the school and scored the bay about as good as it gets. Check out the video below and stay tuned to the end to see some clips of me surfing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-eIx1Dcnmc

I've been on a mission building schools lately. I just got back yesterday from El Salvador where I was helping to complete the High School project that we started in September with Surf For Life. I haven't gotten to editing the footage from that experience yet, but hopefully will soon!

Thanks for the support! Hope to see you in Nica sometime!
: )
Holly

Holly Becks Simple Life in Nicaragua

The words of Holly Beck... "I’ve been in the States for two weeks and I’m getting desperate to be back home. After a year of living homeless, bouncing around from one available cabana to the next, sleeping in a tent, the back of our truck, friend’s houses, my parent’s house, it was so good to finally have a place to call home. Somewhere to unpack, put books on a shelf, cook whatever we wanted for dinner, sit on the porch quietly, watch seeds sprout."

The Words of Holly Beck

Buenos dias amigos!

It's been a crazy past week. I've been in El Salvador with a non-profit called Surf For Life, working to build a high school in the town of El Cuco. In between three hour surf sessions with Jay Nelson, Danny Hess, and a crew of San Fran Ocean Beach chargers, we spent hours in the hot sun shoveling and working with cement. Good times. More photos and videos coming soon, but check out the video below for a little taste of the action.

Building a High School in El Salvador with Surf For Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6z745dgq1k

The week before I was in Nicaragua scoring fun little waves within walking distance. Longboarding at the Bay in Nicaragua
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4hlvlmwv8o

The eco-friendly cabana we're building is close to finished. For a look at what it takes to source palm fronds for a thatched roof in Nica, see below...
Building our cabana - palm fronds for the thatch roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD9GwXU9-8Q

The non-profit that I work with in Nica is going strong, working to improve the lives of local community members. One part of the project is an afternoon kid's club that builds confidence, teamwork, and is also a lot of fun.
Slip and Sliding out of Trouble with Waves of Hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgbSS7KjlEY

See you around,
: )
Holly

Holly Beck August Update

Another great update from Holly Beck. We dare you to find someone in the surfing world who is doing anything as exciting and unique as Holly. Body Glove is so stoked to have her part of our family.
Hola Amigos,

It's been a very exciting and busy month! I started building an eco-friendly cabana at El Coco Loco resort to temporarily solve my homelessness issues. Check out the following blog post and videos for the beginnings of the process:

Building a home in Nicaragua blog post:
http://hipehabitat.com/2011/08/08/building-a-cabana-in-nicaragua-eucalyptus-posts/

Shopping for Eucalyptus posts in Nicaragua:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmlSkfVdym8


I finished up two more successful Suave Dulce retreats. See below for highlight videos (the first is more silliness and lifestyle, the second is more surfing):

Suave Dulce Learn to Surf, Yoga, Adventure Highlights :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Grdtf5j6Y


Suave Dulce Surf Coaching Session Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UEi5sDCEnE


In between it all I scored some waves myself captured with my GoPro
camera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZhk-szuBOk


In September i'll be in El Salvador helping Surf for Life to build a high school. More fundraising is needed and for $5 donated you'll be entered into a drawing to win a custom Danny Hess surfboard! All the info is available here: http://www.surfforlife.org/

I hope your summer is going well!

Holly

Explore. Connect. Inspire.
http://www.hipehabitat.com
http://www.surfwithhollybeck.com
http://www.hollybeckadventures.com
http://www.facebook.com/hollybeckadventures

Holly Beck Building Her House in Nicaragua

Holly Beck has been moving back and forth from El Coco Loco's Cabana's to a tent in Nicaragua. Looking to set up more of a permanent residence she is designing her own cabana at El Coco Loco. For more information on how she is making her cabana visit her blog.

Here are the first sketches of her cabana.

Setting up eucalyptus posts.

What her cabana will look like when completed!

Drop Zone: Fiji Available on iTunes August 15th!

Redondo Beach, CA – July 26, 2011 – Starting August 15th, 2011 the second installment of Body Glove’s award winning Drop Zone series, Drop Zone: Fiji will be available for purchase on iTunes.

Drop Zone: Fiji produced by Body Glove, PADI, Air Pacific, Sport Diver Magazine and TransworldSURF and featuring Holly Beck, Cheyne Magnusson, Alex Gray, Maria del Mar and WCT surfer Bede Durbidge, aired in over 100,000 homes on FuelTV will be available for download on your desktop, laptop, iPad and smart phone.

“Our purpose is simple,” said Body Glove’s VP of Marketing, Scott Daley, “we want to show a whole new generation the awesomeness of surfing and diving. Releasing the Drop Zone: Fiji on iTunes opens this film up to the world and showcases what amazing athletes we have and the incredible hospitality of the Fijian people.”

This award winning film follows four world-class surfers-turned-divers on an adventure through the waters surrounding the island of Fiji. The crew heads out in search of pristine dive locations and chases down some of the most epic surf on the planet. They head to Tavarua to surf the world famous Cloudbreak and SCUBA dive with bull sharks, vibrant fish, and friendly turtles. The lush environment provides rich entertainment and spawns an unlikely new duo. Through this remarkable journey, the crew gets to know the true Fijian culture by interacting with the islanders as well as the environment they have truly come to recognize the value of.

For more information on Drop Zone: Fiji or Drop Zone: Tahiti go to the Drop Zone Series Fan Page. You can find additional information on Body Glove athletes and products at www.bodyglove.com.

An Update from Holly Beck

Holly Beck just got back to Nicaragua after a month in the US. She is all healed up from her Volcano surfing fall and surfing again :)

Starting July 2nd, she is putting on two back to back women's surf and yoga retreats. Suave Dulce has officially partnered with the non-profit Waves of Hope to assist them in helping out the local community. Check out the video about the partnership on the Suave Dulce website: http://www.surfwithhollybeck.com

or access the youtube version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNud3U_s7iQ

Holly along with boyfriend Kim launched a new project called Hip-E Habitat. It is a resource for information on sustainable living and green building. Aside from providing information on things like building with bamboo, organic gardening, solar power and grey water systems, it will also chronicle their experiences as they build a home on an ocean view ridge top in Northern Nicaragua.

Check it out! http://www.hipehabitat.com

An Update from Holly Beck!

The words of Holly Beck herself...

Surfing with Stitches: It took me about two months to recover from that volcano boarding injury. I ended up breaking my 4th metatarsal and severely spraining my ankle. I hopped everywhere for two weeks, then finally found some crutches in town, then got a walking boot from a nurse that operates a non-profit in Nicaragua. On my third day back in the water I was teaching a surf lesson and got nailed in the back of the head by my student's longboard which hit me so hard it split my scalp open and I needed 6 stitches to close it back up. 4 days later I simply couldn't sit on the beach any longer. I strapped on an ankle brace, covered my stitches in a swimcap, and paddled out for a few blissful waves first on the same longboard that hit me in the head, then my boyfriend's 5'8 Dwart. A friend filmed the session which can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3AyV5ManyA

Ecuador Surf Clips: One of the plus sides to being injured is having plenty of time to get computer work done. Internet access in Nicaragua is nearly impossible, but that means fewer distractions from video editing. See these two clips from my recent Sector 9 girls' trip to Ecuador.
Holly Ecuador Montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8weMFBLNL_Y
Holly Loves Hollow Waves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_0aS703BU&feature=related

Suave Dulce - Surf with Holly Beck: My friend Morgan Hoesterey came on a retreat and put together this little highlight video. It's awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHG_6lDNl4o

check out her sites:

http://www.hollybeckadventures.com
http://www.surfwithhollybeck.com
http://www.facebook.com/hollybeckadventures

Drop Zone: Fiji Premiering at Redondo Union High!

Body Glove’s Drop Zone: Fiji Premiering in Redondo Beach
Proceeds Benefiting The Jimmy Miller Foundation

Redondo Beach, CA – May 3, 2011 – Body Glove is proud to bring Drop Zone: Fiji to the South Bay. The official hometown premiere of the award winning series will play at Redondo Union High School on Friday, May 13, 2011 at 6:30pm. The Redondo Ohana O’ Kekai Club is donating the proceeds from ticket sales to The Jimmy Miller Foundation.

Drop Zone: Fiji follows four world-class surfers; Alex Gray, Holly Beck, Cheyne Magnusson, Bede Durbidge and Maria del Mar, as they travel the south pacific to visit pristine dive locations, surf some of the most epic waves on the planet and swim with bull sharks. One of the film’s stars, Alex Gray, will be on hand to introduce the movie and answer questions afterwards.

Body Glove will be giving away signed posters, hats, t-shirts and more. See photos and slides from professional surf photographer Bryce Lowe-White and hear from Alex Gray and his experiences with The Jimmy Miller Foundation.

Tickets are available for pre-sale at Dive N’ Surf in Redondo Beach or purchase them at the door on Friday, May 13, 2011.

For more information go to the Drop Zone Series page on Facebook or visit http://www.bodyglove.com/. For daily updates on Body Glove athletes, events and products go to www.facebook.com/bodyglove.

Holly Beck April Update

Body Glove's Holly Beck lives a radical life. Here is the latest from our favorite globe crossing surfer girl.

April's update isn't quite as cheery as usual. On Thursday of the first week of two back to back ladies surf and yoga retreats I was sliding down Central America's most active cinder cone volcano on a piece of wood at 76km/hr when i bounced, caught my heel, and did two flying rolls, coming to a stop at the bottom with a very messed up left foot and ankle. It was an opportunity to check out the medical care in Nicaragua (clean but not very thorough). They told me my ankle wasn't broken, so I wrapped it up and hopped on one leg through the second retreat - still paddling out (but not standing up), horseback riding, and cheering for the ladies. Now that the ankle swelling has gone down, I'm pretty sure the ankle is not the only problem and I probably have at least one broken bone in my foot.

I had a GoPro camera mounted to the nose of my volcano board and actually captured the whole wipeout on film. See attached frame grabs and this link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXOLTb2w9Ig

I'm out of the water for a few weeks, but I did have some time to put together a few little videos to remember the times when I was able to surf. Here's an ode to my favorite Rusty Surfboard, the Dwart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8xgg7biEEM

Here's a video about my learn to surf philosophy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEUpG2nLRY

More content coming soon (since unfortunately im gonna have too much time on my hands in the next few weeks) Send healing vibes!
: )
Holly

Body Glove Stand Up Paddleboards Are Here

We are stoked to announce the launch of the Body Glove Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Collection. The Body Glove SUP is the perfect way to enjoy the ocean, waves, river or lake in a new and fun way. If you don't believe us check out the Video of Holly Beck and Chandler Parr in Hawaii.

March Update from Holly Beck

As we have said many times Holly Beck lives a very exciting life. She stopped by Body Glove headquarters and gave us a little update between trips.

Woo hoo! Just got back from an incredible trip with the Sector 9 girl's team to Ecuador and the Galapagos. We spent 10 days Sector9ing, surfing, playing with baby seals, snorkeling with hammerhead sharks, kicking soccer balls, making friends, and pulling into beach break tubes. I got so much good GoPro footage and photos and videos that it's gonna take me a while to get through it all.

I'm off to Thailand for 12 days tomorrow morning, so here's just a small sample of what's to come.....

Sneak peek at swimming with baby seals


Team Sector 9 at a Skatepark in Guayaquil. Video by Sumbawa Surf Shop

Hitching a ride from a plane on my Sector 9 Skateboard:

Testing out my GoPro Tail Cam and Body Glove Wetsuit in Redondo Beach

Catching up with Holly Beck

Latest post from Holly Beck

Hello friends!

I just finished up an intensely exciting and action packed two month adventure that included stops in Hawaii, Portland, an Oregon to LA coastal road trip, the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica, Bocas Del Toro Panama, and finally a few weeks in Nicaragua. I'm now back in LA for a week trying to process, recover, and prepare for the next leg of adventures which begins on Feb 19 with a Sector 9 trip to Ecuador, followed by Thailand and then Nicaragua.
Unfortunately my computer, external hard drive, camera, wallet filled with cash, and passport were stolen in Costa Rica. No bueno! I'm still replacing things and catching up after not having a computer for the last month.

My women's surf and yoga retreats are really taking off! I recently hosted a group of 10 ladies from all over the world along with a yoga teacher and photographer (see attached photo). I have a few retreats coming up the last week of March, first week of April, and again later in May. Check out my website for details: www.surfwithhollybeck.com/schedule

Now that I have a computer again i've been busy updating my blog and youtube with photos and videos from my recent adventures. Check out my blog for new posts and videos! http://www.hollybeckadventures.com


Thanks for your friendship and support!
Holly

Explore. Connect. Inspire.
http://www.hollybeckadventures.com
http://www.surfwithhollybeck.com
http://www.facebook.com/hollybeckadventures

Holly Beck Launches New Blog

Holly Beck lives an amazing life and she has launched a new blog to chronicle it better than her last blog. Bookmark it and come back often as she will keep you up to date with surfing in the South Bay, China trips, beer tasting, rock concerts, shark diving, The Drop Zone, beer tasting, Mexican food, yoga, modeling and more.

Check it out at http://hollybeckadventures.com/

Freediving Sharks Cove on the North Shore

The Body Glove crew had a nice relaxing last day on the North Shore of Oahu. The team went free diving at Sharks Cove. Check out some of the photos below.

Holly Beck and Kailee getting ready for a Body Glove Fins, Mask and Snorkel photo shoot.

In front of the camera.

Team rider Anthony Walsh swam out through an underwater cave.

Anthony Walsh getting his underwater foam hand shot!

Jenna Meistrell freediving with the hand.

and getting the shot!

Holly Beck and Chandler Parr Stand Up Paddle

Body Glove girls Holly Beck and Chandler Parr took Body Glove's new stand up paddle boards for a test drive. It was a bit of a rocky start but the girls got a hang of it and caught some waves.

Photos by Mike Balzer