Dominical Locals: Debbie Zec  - Dominical Surf School 

AUTHOR: GREG GORDON

When I visit Dominical, one of my favorite people to see in town or the water is Debbie Zec. I have known her since she was nine years old, and in that time, I’ve seen her grow into an outstanding woman and member of the Costa Ballena community. To know her better, though, you also have to know her parents. I first met her mother, Zeidy, back in 1999.

She is a firecracker of energy and determination who cares deeply about the environment. She would lead the town meetings, especially calling attention to the pollution in our rivers and oceans. She was the first to start replanting the mangroves along the Rio Baru, and also built and managed the recycling center in Dominical.

At these events, Debbie and her younger sister Daniela (Mango y Salsa), always tagged along, helping to collect trash at the beach, recycle bottles, or plant trees. As Debbie grew older, she started leading her own cleanups and, more recently, conducted meetings in Dominical to stop the destruction of the Rio Baru. She mirrors the tenacity of her mother to protect the natural beauty of the area.

Her father, Nick, is very laid back. I often see him hanging out in the shade by the beach, or with his pets out on the porch of his house, which also serves as the office for Dominical Surf School. Besides a friendly smile, he is also a multi-faceted businessman.

He rents properties in town occasionally sells real estate and manages the shop – renting boards and fixing them. Debbie also picked up these entrepreneurial skills since she has curated one of the best surf camps in the country, bringing in hundreds of surf travelers from as far away as Russia!

In the water, Debbie always has a smile on her face. She is a very fluid surfer on a longboard and also can do some sharp snaps on a shortboard. Debbie is truly one of the wonderful locals that make Costa Ballena such a great community to live in.