The initial heats by board riders from the Costa Rica National Surfing Team at the World Surfing Games were nearly flawless on Day 1 of 8 of this international competition.

The 2015 Nicaragua Unica Original ISA World Surfing Games presented by Lafise and Claro were declared officially open by ISA President Fernando Aguerre on Sunday, May 31. The Opening Ceremony circled the center of Rivas, Nicaragua and concluded near the beautiful town square.

In attendance were 27 International Delegations that traveled to Nicaragua from all over the world. Local dignitaries, contest officials and thousands of enthusiastic spectators were witnesses to the start of this ISA World Championship.

The start of the celebration began with the Parade of Nations. Each team marched through the heart of the Rivas’ colorfully vibrant town. The teams made their way to the main stage to participate in the Sands of the World Ceremony symbolizing the peaceful gathering of nations through the love of surfing. Round One of the Main Event began the next day.

The National Surfing Team of Costa Rica completed Day One as follows:

• Anthony Fillingim finished first in Heat #6 with a high score of 15.33, well ahead of his competitors from Panama and Nicaragua.
• Noe Mar McGonagle finished first in Heat #10 with a score of 9.69, comfortably ahead of his competitors from Panama, Israel, and Brazil.
• Carlos Muñoz, as expected, obliterated his competitors in Heat #14 with a score of 13.33, leaving behind surfers from Panama, Israel, and Portugal.
• Jason Torres finished third in Heat #18 with a score of 7.34 in a competition that featured the dominant Yage Araujo from Brazil, who somehow managed to gracefully ride sets that had degraded to sloppy conditions.

Surfers Lisbeth Vindas and Leilani McGonagle will debut on Day 2 of the ISA World Surfing Games. If they score high on their respective heats, medals will be virtually guaranteed for Costa Rica.