OUR STORY
The brainchild of Founder Ashley Blaylock, Chica Brava was birthed in 2003 after the Houston native first visited the pristine beaches of Nicaragua. Although initially drawn to the waves of the uncharted town of San Juan del Sur, she soon recognized the potential of changing lives through surfing.
At the time, she was 23 years old and enrolled in law school but was overcome by a greater passion to open a surf camp exclusively for women. After becoming an attorney in 2005, Ashley moved to San Juan del Sur where she divided her time between selling real estate and surfing in preparation for her business venture.
As one of the few female surfers in the area, Ashley soon gained a reputation as, “Chica Brava” (brave girl), which would later become the company’s namesake. By the spring of 2008, Ashley officially opened the doors to Chica Brava and has since empowered hundreds of women at this life-changing surf retreat.
Today Ashley’s dream is carried on by a solid mix of locals and inspiring women from all over the world who keep Chica Brava headquarters afloat. Dedicated to empowering women, many of the loyal staff arrived to San Juan del Sur on their own surf adventure and discovered Chica Brava—a place they can call home and share their passion for surfing with other women on a similar journey. Be it one week as a guest, six months as an instructor, or two years as a manager, all the women who come searching for something always find what they’re looking for at Chica Brava.
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ASHLEY BLAYLOCK
As the founder of Chica Brava, Ashley Blaylock was born and raised in Houston where she grew up in a family of eight children. After several visits to San Juan del Sur, Ashley traded in her secure career as a Texas attorney to open an all-girls surf retreat—the first of its kind in Nicaragua.
Today she is the proud owner of Chica Brava where she shares her passion for surfing with women from around the world. When not managing Chica Brava out of her Managua office, the busy mom can be found dedicating time to her family or escaping to San Juan del Sur for a weekend surf session.
Ashley is a six-time National Surf Champion in the women’s division and was ranked 4th over all in Central America for 2007. Her passion for surfing has taken her to the Mentawai Islands, Bali, Spain, Mexico, Hawaii, California,and across Central America. Residing full time in Nicaragua, Ashley remains a licensed attorney in the State of Texas. In promotion of her work, she has been featured on Fox News and Great Day Houston, as well as in dozens of international publications including The Houston Chronicle, Cosmo, and Forbes.