Making waves for the Bahia Ballena- Uvita Community

Ann has made many friends on her travels throughout Central America, including Travis Bays, a co-founder of Bodhi Surf + Yoga, a certified B Corporation in Bahia Ballena-Uvita, Costa Rica. When reviewing the organization’s website and traveler reviews, Ann perceived that Bodhi’s level of community commitment and impact wasn’t translating fully to their visitors and followers. She encouraged Travis to think about what they could do differently.

Travis and his colleagues adjusted their website and programming but wanted to do more. Then, a ripple of an idea became a wave; if Bodhi wanted to generate greater visitor/follower awareness and engagement with Bahia Ballena, they should do what they do best, surf! 

On June 20, 2021, in celebration of International Surf Day, The First Annual Bodhi Surf + Yoga Surf-A-Thon raised more than US$5,600 for the Stanford + SOMOS English Language and Environmental Leadership program (SELAL), an experiential learning program dedicated to equipping youth living in the area with education and training to better access local employment in sync with the area’s sustainable development priorities. 

The Bodhi team almost doubled their original goal and raised enough funds to support nearly ten students in the SELAL program.