Orange county surfer heading to costa rica to experience his dream journey

Hey guys my name is Derek. Before i get into talking about this amazing surfing journey to Costa Rica I'll be departing on tomorrow I'd like to tell what really got me into surfing and why it's stuck with me for so long, 8 years to be exact. See the image up top> That's my brother Jaycob with all the tattoos and he is currently serving an 8 year prison sentence. He was my only sibling up until a year ago when i was blessed to have another brother come into my life, this is Colton.

I want to be a good role model for Colton, someone for him to look up to because I never really had one to look up to myself. It's been very hard not having Jaycob around but it inspires me to be there and stay out of trouble for Colton.

The main reason i first started surfing is because i saw how much trouble my brother Jaycob was getting into on the streets. I thought to myself how can I stay away from the streets and make the best for my future? I went and got a wetsuit and surfboard with money i saved from doing chores in middle school and I hit the water for the first time. I was instantly hooked, I must say it was the best decision of my life to get that surfboard. There was no trouble in the water, no violence and no anger because most of us were all a big family. It felt great having people to look up to again, people that were pushing me to charge on big waves and motivate me to get better and aim towards my goals of one day ripping it up. Here's a shot of me as a beginner.

So 4 months ago a very good friend of mine proposed taking a trip to Costa Rica. At first I felt a little skeptical about the trip. But then my friend started showing me pictures of the waves and his property down there and I immediately told him I was in. I went home ordered my ticket got my passport forms filled out and packed my bags. I had 4 months before my plane was ready to depart. I was surfing and training every single day so I would could be ready to surf some of the best waves in the world without any trouble. Here's a few recent shots of my surfing.

I've made a good amount of progress in preparation for my trip and surfing journey. So i will be leaving tomorrow and be making a minimum of one post a week to keep everybody updated. Ill be posting surf footage, picture,s and progression of my free surfing. Ill end with this. Your motivation can overcome limits and expectations.