Guanacaste
One swell, two siblings

Some trips you plan for months. Others arrive with a forecast and a phone call. This one came through my uncle, Agustin Muñoz — and turned into a few of the most beautiful days I've spent behind the lens.

The invitation

A new swell was lighting up the charts when Heinz Otto, a close friend of Agustin Muñoz, and his wife, Nova Everson, invited us north to Guanacaste to stay at their home, spend a few days with the family and shoot their kids, Cienna Jo and Carden Jagger.

Carden Jagger had injured his arm just before the trip, so he couldn't paddle out — but he was part of every moment: the house, the drives, the meals and the laughs on the beach. In the water, the lens belonged to Cienna Jo.

Traveling with Agustin Muñoz

Agustin Muñoz is one of the most respected water photographers in the country — and he's also my uncle. He's the reason I ever got in the ocean with a camera. Discovering this passion through him is one of the most beautiful gifts anyone has ever given me, and sharing a trip like this side by side, in and out of the water, is something I'm deeply grateful for.

Short drives, endless variety

What makes Guanacaste special is how much it gives you in so little distance. We were never more than thirty minutes to an hour away from the next break — and every single one felt like a different world. Different backdrops, different light, different colors in the water.

Reading the ocean

One of the things that impressed me most was Heinz Otto's connection with the sea. He knows every corner of that coast — the beaches, the breaks, the way the swell moves. Every time he said "let's go," we arrived to find the spot firing: clean waves, the right tide, perfect conditions, as if he had read the ocean's mind.

That instinct turned a good trip into a great one. We made the most of every session, every tide and every hour of light. Watching someone understand the ocean like that is a lesson in itself — you don't just chase waves, you learn to listen to them.

The waves

Three breaks, three completely different worlds: Little Hawaii, Playa Flamingo and Playa Grande. Each one had its own magic — and Cienna Jo read every one of them. My job was simply to stay in the water, follow the light and wait for the moment before it breaks.

The crew

Thank you

Great waves make great photos, but it's the people who make a trip. Thank you, Heinz Otto and Nova Everson, for opening your home and making these days possible. Thank you, Cienna Jo and Carden Jagger, for the stoke and the good vibes. And thank you, Agustin Muñoz, for the invitation — and for everything that started long before this trip. Guanacaste, we'll be back.

Words & photos by Matías Almada