Adventures Under the Sun works with a multicultural staff of professionals in outdoor education, environmental education, travel, and sports that love the environment and adventure. The trip leaders are young bilingual adults with CPR, First Aid, and ICT certification. 

Mélida Barbee
Founder and Director

Mélida Barbee was born in Guatemala in 1972. In 1973 her family moved to Costa Rica where she has established her permanent residency and citizenship. Meli attended Country Day School in San José and graduated from UC, Santa Barbara with a BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis on tropical regions. Mélida worked as an international adventure guide for over 10 years. She lead international students and adults on surf safaris, mountain biking, cycling, sea kayaking, rafting, and trekking adventures, primarily in Costa Rica and the USA. Over the years, Mélida recognized the need for outdoor programs that inspire greater outdoor appreciation, environmental awareness and conservation for Costa Rican young adults. Soon her passion for the outdoors, lust for adventure and work with national conservation efforts inspired the creation of Adventures Under the Sun. 

With years of experience as a professional athlete in Costa Rica, Meli integrated physical activities as a key element to all AUSun programs. She trains and competes heavily in triathlon, marathons, ultra-marathons and adventures races, including the well re-known ECO CHALLENGE Fiji in 2002. The physical challenges and the training it has taken to accomplish these have had a big impact on Meli's personal life, her values in life, and her health and life style. She hopes to influence younger generations to become more physically active in the technologically and media influenced world we live in today.

Maren Barbee
Assistant Director, Trip Leader and Surf Instructor

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Maren graduated with a BA in Environmental Systems: Ecology and Policy from UC San Diego. Throughout her college career and after, she focused on public outreach through different city environmental offices, as well as environmental education through the National Wildlife Refuge System. During her years in San Diego Maren learned how to surf at Black’s Beach, and after graduating took 6 months to travel extensively through Australia, New Zealand and other countries of the South Pacific to surf and work on various organic farms. In June 2005, she moved back to Costa Rica and began leading trips for Adventures Under the Sun and teaching surf lessons for our Sessions Surf Camps. For two years, Maren chose to test other waters, and directed the non-profit, Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center, in which she dedicated all her energy to incredible rural community outreach programs and activities in the region. She is now back on board with AUSun.

Lucy Mena
General Assistant

Lucy was born and raised in AUSun’s home town, Escazú, and she is fluent in English, French and Spanish. She is currently studying to become a French teacher, and has been General Assistant for Adventures Under the Sun for one year. Although Lucy pretty much helps out with everything in the office, she also coordinates the language and cultural immersion experiences that take place in the Escazú region.

Hallie Thompson and Mathieu de Champsavin
Sessions Under the Sun Head Coordinators and Surf Instructors

Hallie and Mathieu joined us this year as the head coordinators for all our Sessions Under the Sun summer surf camps. Hallie is from Sacramento and graduated from UC San Diego where she also worked as a full time life guard on beaches in the area. Hallie traveled to France and completed a Masters at the University of Nante, France in Coastal Management. There she met and married, Mathieu, one of the most skilled and talented sailors of Nante. Mathieu dedicates his life to the outdoors and is a professional fisherman and sailor. When not on a boat, he is usually out surfing, windsurfing or kite boarding along the amazing coastal beaches of Nante. Both Mathieu and Hallie have surfed all over Europe, and have now progressed to exploring more breaks in the Americas. They are both fluent in English, French and Spanish, and will be proud parents of their first child by next summer. Congratulations guys!! 

Edgar “Mané” Badilla 
Trip Leader and Surf Instructor

Mané is another “escazuseño”. His family has owned a well known printing shop in the town for years, and it{s often possible to walk in and find Mane running things when he is not on tour. Mane has been a tour guide for several of the leading tourism agencies in Costa Rica. He is perfectly bilingual, and is a certified naturalist guide. He is currently studying Physical Education at the University of Costa Rica. He is extremely passionate about showing people his country, and loves the outdoors and adventure. 

Diego Campos
Trip Leader, Surf Instructor and Sessions Regional Coordinator

Diego comes from the home town of the locally renowned “Saprissa” soccer league, Tibas. His passion for soccer competes with his desire to share Costa Rica with students. Diego is a fantastic trip leader and always manages to connect with everyone on a trip. Diego is also a certified naturalist guide. He has a fantastic disposition and helps us out as Regional Coordinator during our Summer Surf Camps. 

Bo Hammer
Surf Instructor

Bo is a local surfer from Seaside, Oregon that first visited Costa Rica as an Exchange student for 3 months in 2004. Although Bo lived in Zapote in the Central Valley he managed to travel enough around Costa Rica to become acquainted with all the fun surf breaks. Bo returned to Costa Rica to work as a Surf Instructor for Sessions two years ago. When he is back in Oregon he is a life guard and art teacher at a local elementary school. Bo’s patient disposition is perfect for teaching surfers. He is passionate about art, music, and of course, the ocean.

Rick Nichols
Surf Instructor

Rick Nichols is one of our newest and very talented young surf instructors. Although he is from Florida he has traveled to Costa Rica about 8 times and knows many of its breaks as good as any local. Other hobbies of his include wakeboarding, fishing, swimming, and tubing. “There are many favorite things about Costa Rica for me; the mountains, the beaches, the people, and the over-all the scenery that makes Costa Rica what it is. But if I had to pick a favorite I would say my last trip has been my most favorite thing about Costa Rica. Being a veteran ( as I like to call it) of Costa Rica and still being able to go back and see and do things I have never experienced before with a group of people that are one in a million doing what I know and love best. As for surfing, I have surfed almost all of the beaches in Florida, a couple of different breaks in California, and last but not least infinite breaks in Costa Rica. Hands down, Costa Rica is my favorite. The singular thing that motivates me the most in life is knowing that life is short, and each day I wake up is one more day to make something positive out of it.”

Naima Montejo
Surf Instructor

Naima is our lead local surf instructor on the Carribean coast. Both her parents are Costa Ricans, though she comes from Spanish decent. She was raised on the Caribbean coast and carries that smooth Caribbean way with her wherever she goes, even while she surfs. Naima started surfing when she was 13 and today competes in the National Circuit. She has a beautiful four year old daughter called Eva Mar, who is currently learning to surf as well.

Marcia Carranza
Trip Leader

Marcia is our head trip leader for all our OSA Expeditions. Although she is also from AUSun’s home town, Escazú, Marcia has been working and living in OSA for over five years now. While not leading trips for us in the region, she has worked as head of operations for one of the leading tent camps in the region, and is now the head guide for the renowned Lapa Rios Lodge. She recently got married and both she and her husband, Jairo, live in Rincon de Osa. 

Luis Diego Zuñiga
Surf Instructor and R&D Intern

Luis Diego, otherwise known as Luigi, has recently joined the Adventures Under the Sun staff as a Surf Instructor and R&D Intern. Luigi is also from Escazú, and is currently graduating from the ULatina in San José with a degree in Business Administration of Hotel and Restaurants. Luigi helps us out with much of our research and development for Sessions as well as AUSun trips. He spends half his time in the office and half his time in the field. Luigi loves the outdoors and thus is another passionate surfer and skate boarder. He has extensive experience surfing all over the country like any local would. Luigi is a patient teacher and great communicator. 

Gregory Braibant 
Surf Instructor

Greg has been a surf instructor for Sessions for three years now. His talents and passion for surf trips to isolated locations has been elemental to the success of our programs. He loads up his old land rover, “Antonio”, with all the group gear, his board and his guitar, and camps out in the boonies for a full month teaching kids how to surf and keep the oceans clean. Greg was born in Brussels, Belgium, but has lived in Costa Rica all his life and surfed all its beaches. He is tri-lingual (French, Spanish and English) and loves being in the outdoors. He studied Tourism and is a certified guide. Recently, he has decided to take a greater step towards environmental conservation and is going into Environmental Engineering.

Xavier Fernández
Webmaster

Without Xavier, we would be lost in cyberspace. Xavier is the owner of Sistemas Edenia Internacional, a web hosting and design company. He is an old friend of AUSun’s and virtually manages everything about our site and emails. Xavier is another incredibly passionate outdoorsman and spokesman for the environment. More often than not, you catch him out on a run or hike, instead of in the office!