Surfing and Skateboarding in Panama

First Stoke talks with Mirlo of the Flow Board Shop about the emerging surf and skateboarding scene in Panama.

What is the Flow Board Shop all about?

The Flow Boardshop, started as an idea, as a way to provide the local community of board sports’ lovers the best products they can find, especially surf and skate.

Panama is quickly becoming a top destination for surf trips. What are the best aspects of surfing in Panama?

That is correct. We have teams, pros, and tours in general coming down here, by themselves or with our assistance. Panama has uncrowded spots, it’s cheap, and the people are friendly.

Why has the rest of the world taken so long to discover the surf in Panama?

Every now and then you will find shots of Panama on surf videos, but I guess that being so far away from the industry in the US has given us that underrated level.

Who are some of the top guys that ride for your shop and what are they up to?

In surfing we have Diego Salgado, who is constantly surfing around Latin America and competing in the ALAS. He was just in Hawaii two months ago. We also have Jorge Martinez, a long time ripper and tattoo lover, Malena Toral, Piler, Chicho and Tania W., who are Bocas del Toro locals. These kids get to surf this world class wave almost everyday. And for skateboarding, well, we simply have one of the best teams in town. From long time rippers to up and coming burly riders; Edgar Chang, Luis Aponte, and Pedro Beitia to name a few. Go to SkateboardingPanama.com to check the local skate scene. For surfing you can go to www.ptysurf.com.

The press in North America focuses heavily the local guys. What is happening within the surf scene in Panama?

Well, the local scene down here is pretty tight. We have a surf association which puts on contests year round, and there is always something going on.

I heard that the RVCA guys came into town recently for some events. How did that go?

Yes, the RVCA surf team was down here. We contacted Pat Towersey, RVCA`s team manager, and worked things out. It went pretty well, 10 days in total, and Matt Archbold was down here with his son Ford Archbold, Russel Smith, Daniel Jones, Steve Sherman, and Chat Towersey. Luckily, there was a swell, and we had some huge waves in Bocas del Toro. Pat O`Connell was also down here a couple of days ago. As I told you, lots of pros visit Panama, but they often decide to go undercover…

A lot of people don’t realize that Panama has a thriving skateboarding scene in addition to top notch surfing. Who are the local guys that are about to blow up?

I have been in and out of the Panama skate scene for the last 20 years. There are guys that have been around for a while such as the Chang brothers, Edgar and Tomas. The new generation includes Luis Aponte, Edgar Maldonado, Pedro Beitia, and Pavo Loco to name a few of the many great skaters.

What are the skaters in Panama mostly focused on? Skating street, ramps, etc.

Panama is all about street skating. There isn’t much of a ramp culture down here.

What’s next for Flow Board Shop? How do you see yourselves growing in the next few years?

Well, Flow has been growing steadily for the last 4 years. There are lots of good things coming including events, brands, and further expansion but I am not able to tell you right away. But it will be good as we have a tight group of people that all either surf or skate, know what I mean? We are not just in it for the business, but we also love what we do, from the purchasing point, to doing sales, to taking care of our teams and hanging all together. We are the Flow Family, a big one I should mention….

Any final words?

Thanks man for the chance to talk a little bit about what Panama is about. Take care you all, and come to Panama. You will love it and the cervezas are nice!

For more on the Flow Board Shop, check out their FirstStoke.com Profile