 Always talk to strangers
Bennison came to Costa Rica in 2002. After a language course in Guatemala, she was eager to try out her Spanish. She was both nervous and excited to travel on her own. Her only companion was her trusty, waaaay overstuffed backpack, which held everything she thought she needed for the weeks ahead. She took her first leap of faith by talking to a stranger on the bus. They chatted and Anna told her all about the fun things to see and do in Costa Rica. It ended up being priceless information. Anna invited Bennison to join her amigos for dinner. Benny says, “What great fortune! Only a few hours into the country and I already had friends!” This gave Bennison the confidence to keep adventuring on. Bennison went on to discover hidden beaches, excellent Costa Rica cuisine, and many new friends.
Create a sacred space
One thing that helped her feel safe in each hotel she stayed in was to make a small alter. She carried a small set of Tibetan prayer flags and hung them in hopes of spreading good chi above her bunk bed in hostel dorm rooms. Bennison says, “It was the way I centered after each long bus ride. I’d unfold my favorite cloth, and inside would be a photo of my family, a lock of hair from my grandma, and a few precious mementos. I’d go thru that ritual and it kind of made a protected space.”
Sometimes, you just have to treat yourself
Bennison traveled to Arenal Volcano and was amazed when she saw the red-hot lava flowing down the sides! “I went to Tabacon Hot Springs and bathed in water heated by the underground lava fields. Even though I was on a budget, I treated myself to a ‘jungle massage’ and a volcanic clay body treatment. As the monkeys played above us, I thought that it couldn’t get any better than this. My mom says that I have to take care of number one, meaning myself. At first it seems selfish, but who else was going to give me this incredible opportunity!”
 Bennison discovers surfing
In her final days in Costa Rica, Bennison took a surf lesson. She says, “To tell you the truth, it was terrible! I definetly did not stand up, much less ride away off into the sunset as I had envisioned. My surf instructor was some dude without a clue how to explain things. He was sloppy and unprofessional and eager to make a quick buck. ….but maybe I shouldn’t place the blame on him. Maybe I should thank him for making me that much more determined to learn how to surf.”
Back to same old same old
Bennison’s friends threw her a ‘Welcome Home’ party. She was their only friend who had a passport. When Bennison went back to New Mexico, she realized she had changed somehow. She couldn’t put her finger on it. “Maybe I was more peaceful or maybe more grown up or with more experiences. Travel changes you for the better. Always. I missed Costa Rica so much that I painted my bedroom wall jungle green.” She went back to work and began saving for her next adventure. She found herself in familiar routines, traffic each day, and in a job that wasn’t going anywhere. Then one day, she decided to go for it and she bought a ticket back to Costa Rica. Bennison says, “When I was booking my ticket, I thought, heck, why not go exploring for a couple months? Here goes nothing! I booked my ticket for three whole months.”
Back to the land of Pura Vida
Bennison says, “When I arrived back in Costa Rica, it was more beautiful than I remembered. The jungles and rainforests were ultra green, the people were friendly, and my Spanish came right back. I still had my trusty backpack, but this time it was overstuffed but also had stuff strapped to the sides. I wanted to find a cool pueblo to get settled into for my three months. I first went to Manual Antonio. I had heard of their amazing national park where the monkeys would practically eat out of your hand. The town was neat, but I was eager to head on to the twin towns of Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. I had the idea that maybe I could find work, a cool community, and maybe try surfing again.”
Surfing is good for the soul
Bennison took a bus along an extremely bumpy and dusty road to Mal Pais. The town was, upon first inspection, pretty funky and colorful. She found a room at a friendly Costa Rican’s house. Mamacita took care of all the surfers like they were her own kids. One day, Bennison was on the beach watching the surfers when she saw a friend named Pia walking with a red surfboard and a sign for $100. Pia was leaving the next day and Bennison jumped on the opportunity. “Buying that surfboard from Pia changed my life.”
 Hula Hooping
After surfing one day, Bennison saw a woman hula hooping barefoot in the sand. She was so graceful and it looked like a lot of fun. Again, Bennison decided to talk to strangers. The woman said that she personalized her hoops with noisemakers and glitter tape. She gave Bennison a sparkly hula-hoop and taught her some tricks. Bennison says, “I walked away from the beach with my surfboard in one hand and a hula hoop in the other. This is going to be a fun year.”
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Bennison started out catching white water waves on her longboard. She went out every morning and ever sunset. Slowly but surely, she began to ride waves longer and longer until one day, she rode one all the way to the shore. She attempted turning left and right, worked on her surf stance, and got her pop-up smoother. “It seemed like the same people were out at sunset with me every day. At first, I was self-conscious of falling and generally making a fool out of myself in front of my new amigos. Then I realized that they too fell all the time. They did embarrassing belly flops, they came up for air with snot hanging out their nose, and they did the same things that I did, but they weren’t as embarrassed as me. I thought they would judge me, but that was just self-doubt.”
Bennison says, “My whole world changed when I started teaching.This was the first time I actually looked forward to going to work. The progress of my students and my ability to steer them in the right direction excited me. My own surfing improved because I gained a deeper understanding .”
Bennison loves to surf. It keeps her healthy and happy. It makes her smile and that’s what’s important. She takes her bumps and bruises as battle wounds. She celebrates the little victories and comes home stoked after a fun morning session. Bennison found that she improved quicker and had more fun if she surfed with women. Along with 12 girlfriends, she formed the Surf Girl Nation [Find us on Facebook]. They supported each other in and out of the water and empowered each other to live strong and healthy lives. The girls ranged in abilities and that was the best part. Everyone can learn something from anyone.
 Bennison began to travel to find other beautiful beaches where there were waves. In all she has surfed in Baja Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, Indonesia, and Peru. Bennison, one time, took a chance. She entered a surf contest. She had just been surfing a famous wave named Chicama, the world’s longest left-hand breaking wave. Phenomial! She thought, why not? She wore a thick wetsuit and booties. She had no idea of the competition, but knew that her own negativity was what she had to conquer. Bennison says, “I decided to use the contest as an experiment. Can I be fully present-minded? Enjoy the next 20 minutes? Do the best I can? And absolutely cherish my one wild and precious life? The answer is yes. I surfed well and earned first place. At the awards ceremony, they gave me a hand-carved wooden trophy of their surf god. I even made the sports section of the daily newspaper. They called me ‘Bernie’ and that makes it even better.”
One of Bennison’s most memorable surf sessions was with her boyfriend Alvaro in Bali, Indonesia. The water was crystal clear and the waves were reeling and perfect. Alvaro looked nervous and she thought it was because they had to enter and exit out of a big cave. It was like a fantasy, like nothing she had seen before. Then, Alvaro got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. She said yes yes yes yes, and then dreamily they went surfing off into the sunset together.
Bennison’s wish is for more women to empower themselves thru surfing, to be there in the water with them, and to surf better herself.
In 2009, Bennison and her husband purchased their dream property in Santa Teresa Costa Rica. Bennison’s intentions for the next six months is to expand her current business to include Stand-Up Paddleboarding. The ‘almost beachfront’ location has one of the best female-friendly breaks in the area. Many women come from all over the world to surf the waves directly out front.
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