A friend of mine sent me this slide show and short story about a world renowned surfer photographer who was born in Panama and grew up with some the first guys who surfed here.  You will enjoy it if you click on the link and turn up your speakers.  See the story and slide show here.

Vision of Blue
The slide show says it all…  I had four fleeting minutes to condense a hell of a lot of heaven into something legal you could all swallow…and feel what it was like to run with the Panamaniacs back in the day.  Of course most of us finally joined the human herd, which meant no more borrowing cop cars, or going to jail twice in one most interesting evening.  Actually, there was even some beautiful passing scenery, like perfect hissing tubes here and there among the carnage.  All kidding aside, most of us are very lucky to be alive…some of our best are exploring and tearing up other worlds as I write…lets hope the waves are not too “hot” where they have gone!

Seriously, though…I truly love Panama and all of us that came together in the beginning.  There were bad times when bullets and bombs took both Panamanian and American lives…but even then, the few Panamanian and American surfers were and have always been brothers and sisters, and a little international incident never interrupted our tube concentration.  Ruben and Thomas Miro were the very first surfers in panama along with Richard Icaza, then came the first Americans, Scott and Ricky Williams, Kenny Myers and a few others.  As they say, THOSE were the days!  It is with a smile that I share this with you and dedicate this short, but deep love story to all my wonderful, life-loving Panamanian amigos and amigas and fellow American surfers who were as lucky as I was to be born and raised there.
Please enjoy my slide show of home…

“Release the Kraken” …

Steve Bissell lll