The Locals of Playa Colorados
By Chris Dodds As the winds blow offshore at Playa Colorados, as it does some 330 days a year, the waves march in from the depths and begin to take shape along the sandbars. Their tops feather and spray off as their bodies continue their growth until they reach that
A Trip with SeaTrees and Wildcoast
By Chris Dodds In honor of Earth Day, I want to share the story of a recent trip to Southern Baja with our newest impact partners, SeaTrees and WILDCOAST. It all began over one week in February when I was serendipitously connected with people from both organizations, which I had
Surfing Is Hard...but Learning Doesn't Have to Suck
By Chris Dodds I remember my first wave like it was yesterday… It was a hot summer day at Arpoador Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was 10 years old and my mom had enrolled me and my cousin in a surf school that offered group lessons on the
Daughters of the Sea with Suri Barrera
By Chris Dodds It wasn't that long ago that El Salvador was a destination reserved for the most intrepid of surfers. In the 1970s the first wave of surf explorers rejoiced for their discovery of famous right-hand point breaks, like Punta Roca and Punta Mango, but the development
Into the Jungle with Mayköl Espinoza
For the past 3 years, Thermal has partnered with Mayköl Espinoza as our go-to guide for the Osa Peninsula, in Costa Rica. For those who don’t know, the Osa is home to the 2nd highest biodiversity index in the world, after the Amazon Rainforest. It is also home to
How Did We Find Pablo?
Years before Thermal was born, I made a friendship in Mexico that would go on to change the course of our lives. At the time I was the photographer and creative director for a small-batch mezcal brand, Maguey Melate, and traveled all around the state of Oaxaca to visit farms
Waves of Inspiration
Let’s be real, whether it's in your everyday life or seen on your Instagram feed, there’s a lot of heaviness in the world. Even if you are far from danger, it can be hard to handle and you don’t need to be an expert to
Guide Spotlight: Tereva David, Tahiti.
Out in the vast blue expanse of the South Pacific are the islands of Polynesia, home to a culture that is just as much a part of the ocean as they are to any piece of land. There are over 1,000 islands, spread across an area that is more