Boards in hand, heading out to learn a lot more than how to surf.

Late March. Four high school friends made their way to Nosara, Costa Rica - and yes, I was one of them. Four days of surfing and yoga. Minimal surfing experience between us. Every one of us said yes anyway.

That’s where the story starts.

They Came Ready

This wasn’t a “wing it and see” adventure. For ten weeks before boarding their flights, this crew trained - building the strength, endurance, and body awareness that surf demands.

I designed and led their strength and conditioning program myself. Specific exercises, structured progressions, and a training plan built specifically for what the ocean would ask of them. We also brought in the owners of Power Yoga Collective – Pound Ridge to lead the yoga component - because that’s how I build VITAL programs. I seek out the best experts in each discipline, so every member of the team is learning from someone who truly knows their craft.

A nutrition workshop rounded out the prep. By the time they landed in Costa Rica, they weren’t hoping they could do it. They were ready.

That preparation is the VITAL model. Confidence doesn’t start on the beach - it starts in the weeks before you get there.

A Custom Adventure, Built by This Crew

I want to be clear about something: VITAL Waves & Wellness wasn’t pulled from a catalog. Julie came to me with a vision - a surf adventure. I suggested adding yoga, and we built it together. That’s one of the things I love most about this work. The adventure finds the people, and with custom VITAL Adventures we design exactly what it takes to get there.

The Coach, the Crew, and the Costa Rican Surf

Our Nosara-based coach Oscar Vargas is a Level 2 ISA certified surf coach with 18 years of experience on these breaks. Every morning he read the tides and timed our starts accordingly. We’d meet at his truck, carry our boards to the beach, and gather in the sand where Oscar mapped out the day’s focus - layered, clear, coached progression. No overwhelm. Just building one skill at a time.

Two sessions a day. Time in between for real recovery: fresh breakfast at our hotel, rest, swimming, yoga, sauna, cold plunge, and oceanic breathwork with Mitchell Bennett to train our nervous systems for the moments things get hard in the water. The Nomadic delivered on every front - beach-proximity luxury, warm service, and the kind of clean, fresh Costa Rican food that genuinely fuels you. Nosara’s food is good for the body and the soul.

The group gave Oscar and the Nativos team a perfect score - 5 out of 5 across expertise, coaching style, and surf progression. The hotel, food, and logistics matched that across the board.

Every morning started here. Oscar mapping out the plan in the sand before we ever touched the water.

The Crew

Here’s what makes this story worth telling.

The crew all went to Worthington High School in Ohio - not exactly a surf town. They recently all turned 60. One was working with two new knees. One was managing a past injury. And me? I was in the water with them nursing a surprise ankle injury from the week before, praying for a speedy recovery. Showing up anyway - that’s kind of the whole point. Surfing was new territory.

All three got up. Multiple times. On their own.

Beth said it best: “I’ve confirmed that if I decide and commit, I can still execute challenging physical activities at 60, and it’s fun.” Claire wrote: “I can do this - it may not be pretty, but doable.” Julie: “Objective met.”

Those aren’t small statements. Those are the words of women who stretched themselves into something they didn’t know they still had - and found out it was right there, waiting.

What They Carried Home

When we asked what their biggest personal takeaway was, the answers pointed somewhere beyond surfing:

“I’d like to see more of the world.”

“This journey was particularly rewarding in community.”

“Start thinking of another goal.”

That last one. That’s the shift. Not “I survived.” Not “that was fun.” But what’s next? That’s what doing a hard thing in good company does. It opens a door you didn’t know was still open.

What they did in Costa Rica wasn’t a one-time thing. It’s evidence, the kind you carry with you. They showed themselves what’s still possible, still available, still theirs. That’s what living vitally means. Not someday. Right now, at exactly the age you are.

I am proud of this crew from Worthington High School. They showed me what living vital looks like - and it just keeps getting better when you lean into living healthy.

What’s Next

Naturally, as Chief Explorer of VITAL, I always ask my adventure teams what they want to do next. This crew didn’t hesitate: Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The Dolomites. Patagonia. They finished one VITAL Adventure and immediately started dreaming of the next one.

If you’re reading this and feeling something stir - that’s worth paying attention to.

x Libby x

The next VITAL Adventure is Alaska, August 2026. The 90-day training program starts June 1st. If you want to join us hiking and on the water on the Kenai Peninsula, learn more here → vitalventures.live/alaska-2026.

VITAL Waves & Wellness: Four High School Friends. New to Surfing. All In.