The village of Gigante lies on the southwestern Pacific coast of Nicaragua. It is an exceptionally scenic and very isolated village inhabited by a few dozen families. Fishing remains the community’s main source of income, and most families make between $4 and $7 a day, depending on fishing yield.

A sleepy and beautiful village, it is quickly becoming a destination for foreign surfers who want to surf empty, world-class waves. The waters surrounding Gigante are teeming with beachbreaks, point breaks, and outer reef breaks. In other words, there is exceptional surf potential in the area. Surfers are also attracted to Gigante because of its seemingly timeless feel. The lack of paved roads, reliable electricity, commercial development, and the absence of other foreigners attracts surfers who wish to ‘get off the beaten track’.

Ironically, these qualities are adding to the growing presence of surf tourism in this small town. There are already two upscale foreign-owned surf hotels in Gigante that cater to international surfers. There are also several land development projects in the immediate area that have are rapidly changing the cultural, physical, political, and economic landscape of the region.

Gigante has yet to develop into a full-blown surf destination, but it is creeping in that direction. Project WOO decided to launch a program in Gigante precisely because it sits in the crosshairs of growing surf tourism and land development. We are organizing with the locals as they are becoming flooded by outside influences, to ensure that they have greater control over the growth of their community.

For more information about the community of Gigante and its people, please click on the diagnostic document provided below. This document was created by Project WOO and the Gigante community members during the ‘Community Diagnostics’ phase of our project:

View the diagnostic document