One purpose...
to be self-sustaining What is Balsa House ?
Rasty had a dream to have his own balsa tree plantation, being self-sustainable and much more eco-friendly. But also having his hand from planting the seed to the board creation!
Seeing the tree grow to surf it as a board in the ocean!
A dream for many surfers who want to be one with the sea and nature!
Besides being more eco-friendly than any other type of board, the balsa surfboards have a unique and wonderful aesthetic – they are more than boards, they are pieces of art!
The balsa tree used for the construction of surfboards has a life span of 5 to 8 years, so we cut it a little before it dies to dry it and build the blank, the structure of the future board. The chemical part remains in the resin and fiberglass. But afterwards, it is a board for life, that will never break and be thrown away, remaining as pollutant waste.
It's like surfing WITH nature, ON a tree!
a dream come true...
from the seed
In 2013, Rasty realized his dream: to harvest and have his own balsa tree plantation. He planted more than 2000 seeds on 4 hectares on a piece of land in the rainforest of San Jose (15 kilometers from Montañita, 2 hours walk to the top of the mountain). Now there are more than 1500 balsa trees, between 6 and 10 meters high and 80 cm thick.
Friends, families, guests of the Balsa Surf Camp participated in the planting, putting their seed with the idea of having their future board with their own balsa tree.
Rasty has realized his dream of being self-sustainable, creating the boards from the seed. With a lot of love for nature, taking care of the tree from the beginning of its life until surfing it as a board in the ocean!
→ Are you interested in all that process? You can ask Rasty to visit his workshop with him there, explaining to you step by step how surfboards are made!
(extra price if you don't hire an all-inclusive surf package)
What is Balsa House ?
EN 
ES 
FR