6th Annual Robert August Surf & Turf
Returns to Costa Rica, April 6-10

Por Ellen Zoe Golden

Long board Legends Robert August, Wing nut hit WAVES AND GOLF BALLS for $20,000 target to benefit kids of their adopted second country Superstar Event Kicks Off April 1 with Costa Rica’s Federacion de Surf Training Session /Practice Contest at Playa Tamarindo.

Robert August, star of the 1960s quintessential surfing movie “Endless Summer” will bring his land and sea fundraising extravaganza to Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica in order to generate excitement, foster competition and in the process benefit the children of his adopted Central American home highlighted with him in sequels “Endless Summer II,” “Step Into Liquid” and the recently released new film, “Robert August: A Tribute To A Legend.” The 2006 Robert August 6th Annual Surf & Turf will officially take place April 6 through 10, and is hosted once again by Tamarindo’s Vista Villas Hotel. The event will feature August who self mocking proclaims himself “the Sean Connery of Surfing,” as well as Robert “Wing nut” Weaver, plus former United States Surf Champion long boarder Mark Martinson. They will party, play golf, surf, sign autographs, and hang out with registered Surf & Turf competitors who travel from as far away as Japan, Australia, the United States and San Jose, Costa Rica.

Overall, nearly 100 people are expected to participate this year in various surf and golf contests at the RA Surf & Turf. Highlights of the program include a 4 Man Best Ball format golf tournament and a surf contest that will combine points for a Grand Prize. A boat trip to the world renowned Ollie’s Point is planned. In addition, fiestas and activities range from a Welcome Party and Fish Fry, autograph signing sessions, Salsa dance contest, bikini contest, fashion show featuring local shops, raffle prizes, silent auction, to a pre game event hosted by Costa Rica’s Federacion de Surf on April 1 on Playa Tamarindo.

In total, the RA 6th Annual Surf & Turf hopes to raise over $20,000 for its earmarked local Costa Rican charities including: The Orphanage of Santa Cruz, Costa Rica (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia or PANI); Villareal Grammer School Costa Rica; and the Tamarindo Lifeguards. In 2005, the Robert August Surf Company’s fundraising effort collectively raised $23,000 for these beneficiaries via proceeds from the contests, along with silent auctions, raffles and donations.

The April 1 RA Surf & Turf warm-up event will be a surf competition training session guided by August (along with Tico National Surf Team Trainer Scott Kadowaky) followed by a practice heat contest featuring members of the Junior Team who stayed with August last October in Huntington during the 2005 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championships (WJSC). (August even marched in Costa Rican uniform with the kids along the pier during open ceremonies.) Some of these youngsters will travel from Jaco, Quepos, Esterillos and elsewhere to meet or reunite with the legend in Tamarindo. Money raised at this particular RA Surf & Turf activity will help will fund the new Costa Rican Junior National Team’s visit to the 2006 Quiksilver ISA WJSC in Maresias, Brazil this May.

For years, Tamarindo has been the adopted home of surfing master August, as well as his friend and business partner Wing nut. In between the water sessions, he and his attendant gang which at any given time could include his son Sam, who now runs the Robert August Surf Company and Endless Fun Productions have been spotted hitting little white balls at the Guanacaste province golf courses. Strangely, across the global wave riding community there’s always been a connection between surfing and golfing, but it was only six years ago that August decided to make the link between the two sports, turning an annual Costa Rican celebration into an opportunity to provide funds for area kids. “Hey, when the tide’s wrong, or there are no waves, golfing is a fantastic release,” August said. “Even when you’ve got a beautiful swell going in Tamarindo or Avellanas in the afternoon, you can still get on the course in the morning and in the water in the afternoon. It’s just perfect for a surfer, and I love sharing that with all my friends.

So why is Robert August so important to Tamarindo and its community? “No. 1, because Robert’s such a fun-loving, classy guy,” said Jeff Ruzicka, Tamarindo Vista Villas hotel manager. “No. 2, because he’s one of the original Rat Pack that made Tamarindo a surf destination. And, No. 3, he always brings the good looking babes!”

The sponsors for the 2006 Robert August 6th Annual Surf & Turf (with more to come) are: Best Western Tamarindo Vista Villas, Hacienda Pinilla Golf & Beach Resort, Cala Luna Hotel & Villas, TaylorMade, SurfTech USA, Century21 Coastal Estates, Spanners Co., Duke’s Huntington Beach, Reactor Watches, Billabong USA, O’Neill, Essence Day Spa, High Tide Surf Shop, The Lazy Wave, Lola’s On the Beach. Sueno del Mar, Blue Dolphin Sailing, Hotel Pasatiemp,; Iguana Surf, Devoe Family Automotive, Dr. Cindee, Bevy Media Corp, and the Robert August Surf Shop of Tamarindo.

Watch for the entire 2006 Robert August 6th Annual Surf & Turf, filmed by Endless Fun Productions, to be released as on video next year in surf shop near you.

Check out these websites:
www.robertaugust.com
www.endlessfun.com
www.vistavillas.com
www.calaluna.com