[Jhoward]

Recently, a surf tour guide in El Salvador has been threatening the lives of his customers for "doing him wrong".  These events have been reported to the American Embassy.  So please, be careful and really check out exactly the people who hire themselves as guides.  His name is WALTER TORRES and is a very unstable individual....and has actually been identified here on this site in the past for his unusual behavior. 

[onefinookas]

oh sh!t

[SeaCliff]

Wow...that's nuts. Any other people have any experiences with this person, good or bad?

[needmorewax]

Well that's great.   
 
I'm heading there in a few weeks, can someone reccommend a guide in La Libertad area who won't "threaten our lives" -  at least not until the trip is mostly over?
 
thanks.
 
 

[snaggletooth]

You don't necessarily need a guide. If you are staying in La Libertad, Jimmy Rotherham's dad owns the place right on the bay there (walk to the point) - i can't remember his first name, but you'd be fine there and can walk to the point. you can take the bus to the other points. or, i recommend alex's place, essencia nativa, in el zonte. you are right on a point there. very reasonable accomodations.
 
i am one of the people who had an issue with the guide above, and i haven't been back since. while he once was a great guide (at least for my first surf trip there), something's gone very wrong with him. my second experience back there was terrible, and unless something changes with his situation, i don't know that i will go back. i think it's very sad that it has devolved to this point and it's effecting other people, not just me.

[needmorewax]

Thanks Snaggle, you mean Bob Rotherham's place, Punta Roca something or other.  We looked at that - but i think we're going to stay at a place closer to Playa El Tunco near Sunzal, maybe Tortuga.   
 
i checked the essencia nativa, and it looks real good - thanks for that.
 
   
 

[snaggletooth]

Thanks Snaggle, you mean Bob Rotherham's place, Punta Roca something or other.  We looked at that - but i think we're going to stay at a place closer to Playa El Tunco near Sunzal, maybe Tortuga.   
 
i checked the essencia nativa, and it looks real good - thanks for that.
 
   
 

cool. you should be fine in Sunzal. some guys we surf with in LB even have property there. only caution i would have about sunzal is there's a left that people say is somewhat localized just down the beach - a little beach break. i've never surfed it, but given how nice most people are down there, i think the common courtesy is to leave that spot alone. there are tons of points to check out. punta roca is obviously the big name spot, but the water quality is less desirable there and it's probably the more competitive wave. you might find yourself surfing other points with fewer people out.
 
have fun. i'm jealous - i'd like to go back, but really don't want to risk it. don't say you know me down there        

[needmorewax]

cool. you should be fine in Sunzal. some guys we surf with in LB even have property there. only caution i would have about sunzal is there's a left that people say is somewhat localized just down the beach - a little beach break. i've never surfed it, but given how nice most people are down there, i think the common courtesy is to leave that spot alone. there are tons of points to check out. punta roca is obviously the big name spot, but the water quality is less desirable there and it's probably the more competitive wave. you might find yourself surfing other points with fewer people out.
 
have fun. i'm jealous - i'd like to go back, but really don't want to risk it. don't say you know me down there        

Thanks again.  Yeah, we can't wait.  Oh, re: the localized spot, as a regular foot who surfs LB, the last thing i'll be doing is surfing a beach break left so that won't be an issue.   I'll do my best to avoid this Walter character.

[theusername]

oh man...

in all fairness i know walter pretty well. i've been down to el salvador with family for the last three years, and he has never seemed unstable or violent.

alex, the guy who runs essencia nativa in el zonte (the place snaggle mentions) is actually one of walter's friends. it's one of walter's go-to stops that he takes people to, and it is a great place. alex and the crew that hangs out there are really nice.

i totally respect that people have had their own experiences, but mine has been totally different. three years in a row, walter has been generous, cool, and easygoing. the first time it was me and my brother and we had an amazing time. the second time we went back he hosted my brother (at no charge) for an extra week, lent my brother his truck, and a cell phone, and kept in touch with my bro while working another gig. this last year we may have known our way around well-enough to get on otherwise, but we wouldn't really think about going down there without having walter involved. he set us up with a great gig, and made all the travel and arrangements hassle free. what he has charged us has always been reasonable or even a great bargain.

each year i've thought about traveling elsewhere i've opted to go back to el salvador because i've had such a great time.

like i wrote earlier, everybody has had their own experiences, which i'm not questioning, but that's been mine.

[Jhoward]

that is the thing.....walter comes off really friendly when you frist meet him....then snaps....that is the scary part. as stated in snaggletooth's experience, the first time was great then the second trip he became psycho.  he plays the stable card well.....but for unknown reasons he can snap and get very angry and violent to the point he is telling people they can not return to el salvador and tells them he can hire people that would kill them.   i now know 3 people that have not come back to el salvador because of his threats. 
i am in the process of getting a restraining order so i can secure my safety at the beach.  he has been processed at the american embassy for making threats against americans.
good luck with maintaining a safe relationship with this guy.....i for one would not risk it.   

[snaggletooth]

yeah - i was really sad to hear about this. i was thinking just a couple days ago before this was posted, maybe he just sort of snapped with me, and otherwise things are fine, because it's true, he's a great guy when he's normal. super, super generous. but it sounds like it's happened to more people than me. very sad.

[SeaCliff]

Sadly, it's stuff like this that makes me soo reluctant to explore more places to surf...

[Shreddy Krueger]

wow.  was gonna stay with torres last oct, but he was a bit too expensive.  now glad i didn;t!

[ChopChaser]

Sounds like mistaken identity, could there be more than one walter? Perhaps a case of mild pyschosis or full blown schizo has developed late in his life?


Central America is like P.R. most are cool people, but all it takes is one macho loco to ruin your trip.

[SeaCliff]

Sounds like mistaken identity, could there be more than one walter? Perhaps a case of mild pyschosis or full blown schizo has developed late in his life?


Central America is like P.R. most are cool people, but all it takes is one macho loco to ruin your trip.

It's off of my field of expertise....but the description does seem to nicely match well described psychiatric illnesses. At the very least, paranoid delusional disorder comes to mind. One way or another....I'd be extremely careful around this individual. The description is of someone who is unstable and clearly has made threats, and there is no way to know when threats turn to actions.