Schedule

From the old quarter of Panama City to the Panama Canal and surfing, catching, and cooking in between, you will have a rewarding and educational surf trip. Enjoy free time in the afternoons to relax on the beach, surf on your own, get a massage, or go for a hike. Your logistics are taken care of so you can focus on the fun and the learning.  

Day 0
6/29

Arrive to Panama City to your beautifully renovated hotel in the historic Casco Viejo, Panama's old quarter. Enjoy a welcome drink and dinner as you meet other Fish in your School. Some guests will be arriving the following morning, so nothing formal is planned for this evening. 

Day 1
6/30

Visit the famous Panama City fish market, where fresh catch is always available. Try fresh ceviche, along with your lunch, and learn how to make it from the experts.  Stroll Panama City’s historic old quarter and drop in on the sloths and rays at the Smithsonian Research Center. Enjoy dinner in one Panama City’s most respected restaurants.

Day 2
7/1

Drive to Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, famous for its beaches and its remoteness, stopping for lunch on the way with a view of the ocean. Arrive to one of Panama’s most environmentally friendly resorts, located on one of its best surfing beaches. Check in and stroll the hillsides to look for Howler Monkeys, or stroll the beach and jump in the water. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant featuring the freshest ingredients. 

Day 3
7/2

Wake up to the sound of the waves breaking at your doorstep. Start your morning with a healthy breakfast of fruit and eggs from the on-site farm. Get in the water for your first surf lesson, followed by a relaxing yoga session. After lunch of locally grown vegetables and greens, enjoy free time to practice your surfing, go for a swim, hike to a waterfall, go for a horseback ride, or get a rejuvenating massage.  (Horseback riding and massage not included in trip price.)

Day 4
7/3

Head out early in the morning to learn to fish from a local pro. You’ll try a variety of techniques including local artisanal fishing with nets. Enjoy your fresh catch as sushi or ceviche! Rally into yoga and your surf lesson in the afternoon, and as the sun sets into the warm waters of the Pacific bathe in its rays as you catch wave after wave. 

Day 5
7/4

 Happy 4th of July! Celebrate your nation's independence from abroad this year.  After your daily surf lesson and yoga practice, take your cooking skills to a new level, learning how to cook fresh caught fish from a rural family, on the remote Isla Cañas. This will be an unforgettable and authentic cross-cultural experience. Enjoy free-time in the afternoon and a guided nature hike at the end of the day with a local nonprofit supporting reforestation.

Day 6
7/5

Health and waves continue in the morning with free time in the afternoon. Maybe today you'll take a swim in the tranquil waters of an adjacent beach. Then join a local chef to cook fresh fish right on the beach, for an unforgettable open fire cooking experience and a truly amazing farewell dinner.

Day 7
7/6

After an early morning  surfing lesson, head back to Panama City, stopping for lunch on the way. Arrive in time to see giant ships passing through the narrow Panama Canal for a truly impressive feat of human ingenuity. Then check into your hotel and end your evening with a farewell meal at a delightful restaurant in the old quarter. 

Guidance Councelors

Ben Sargent

Ben is well known for his seafood obsession. He judged Iron Chef America and a contested in Chopped and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. He’s flaunted his skills on The Martha Stewart Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, NPR’s Found Recipes, and Kathie Lee and Hoda. 

He also hosted Cooking Channel’s Hook, Line and Dinner for four seasons taking viewers on a road trip adventure to uncover the secrets and stories of expert fishermen across the USA. He is currently the host of Back Yard Goldmine on DIY Network where he builds funky, beautiful Airbnb rentals for people across America.

Ben is the also the creator of the Brooklyn Fishing Derby. His alter ego, Doctor Klaw of the Underground Lobster Pound, has reached cult status. He has been profiled in The New York Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, and Huffington Post, among other major media outlets.

When he’s not skiing or running his self-built AirBnB in Vermont, or surfing and fishing in New York, or building and flipping homes and cooking all over the world, Ben trains real estate agents on how to shoot fun and compelling videos for their listings. 

Roman Yavich

Roman is an expert in responsible and community-based tourism. He dove head first into the field when he received the Fulbright Grant to research tourism impacts in Nicaragua in 2006. He parleyed the project into co-founding Comunidad Connect a successful social enterprise based in Nicaragua. Roman helped develop the business model that funds rural health and youth development projects through educational and service tourism.

Roman has presented his work in tourism at the University of Colorado, Syracuse University, State University of New York, and Vassar College. His research is published in the The Hemispheric Review.

Roman has lived for extended periods in Chile, Argentina, Nicaragua, and Panama. He has been surfing Playa Venao for over seven years and worked for two years as the Director of Development and Communications for the Azuero Earth Project, a nonprofit devoted to reforestation and sustainable land use in the Azuero Peninsula. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Masters in Environmental Science.

Location

Playa Venao

Fish School takes places in a magical corner of Panama that offers abundant fishing and surfing, and has some amazing chefs to boot. Accommodations will be in a unique eco-lodge, located right on the beach. The part hotel part reforestation project prides itself on providing top level service and top level care for the surrounding environment. The beach-side cabañas have A/C and hot water, but have a rustic feel that compliments their surroundings. We call it rustic luxury. In Panama City, the first and last night of the trip, you will stay in a hotel located in a beautifully restored colonial building in the historic city center called Casco Viejo.