“I had the pleasure to go to Pinnacles on Telo island for a ten day surf trip recently and wanted to talk about my surf guide, Derek Thomas, for a moment. Derek met us in the airport on the way in and immediately made us feel at home and at ease with our trip. Derek was as excited as we were about the ten days ahead and the surf we would experience around the Telo islands. I was blown away by how much he knew about the area, the surf breaks, and the people.

I would say we all became friends after just a day between the early morning surfs to the evening pool sessions we practically spent all day together. Every excursion went off without a hitch as Derek was always on time, knowledgeable, and well organized. Derek’s talent was not just about surfing, as he entertained us on the boat and in the bar after dinner with great jam sessions on his guitar. I can say that this was the best surf trip I have been on thanks to Derek and the rest of the crew at Pinnacles. I’m looking forward to returning as soon as possible.” -
Stuart and Jeanie Schlesinger- Northern California/ Nicaragua
Gaëlle Mesnard - Operation Manager Ocean Divine Safari Yacht- Maldives

”Being a guide on an exclusive yacht charter having multiple groups with high expectation on the same boat can be very challenging and demanding. Everything from organizing daily activities and guest relations to safety briefings, assessing client surf levels bringing them to the various surf breaks and most of all doing it all with a smile and sincerity that says you care about the guests experience.

Derek Thomas was the main point of contact for our clients from airport pick up to drop off. He held the position of Surf Guide on Ocean Divine for the Summer months of 2017. Some adjectives to describe his demeanor are friendly, generous, educated, spiritual and organized. Derek also performed music a few nights a week for the guests on our top deck lounge. Singing and playing with his acoustic guitar and harmonica he added something to the experience that was very special, relaxing and fun.”
Derek Thomas provided surf guide and overall “guest relations” duties during my time at Pinnacles in Indonesia . His service was faultless. He provided excellent information on all the breaks we surfed, especially when it was first time out. And then surprised us with some excellent chilled live music as we kicked back at the bar in the resort in the evening. A very talented and spiritual surfer and musician. It was a pleasure to spend time with Derek. He would be a valuable asset to any surf resort or surf charter boat.

Best wishes,

John Finlay
CEO World Surfaris
We met Derek Thomas on our surf holiday aboard yacht charter “Ocean Divine” in the Maldives during the summer of 2017. He introduced himself as our surf guide, live performer and go to guy for anything we needed. By the time we left he had quickly become a lifelong family friend. Just a few months later we invited him to our home in Nosara, Costa Rica for Christmas. Board, guitar in hand, we had another memorable surf trip with the family! Derek has an undeniable love for people, the water and music. Always professional and upbeat he is definitely stoked to share his knowledge and expertise. He had a knack of keeping us comfortable in new surf breaks and was quick to help when asked. Fun to watch him rip but also quick to let you drop in when a great wave came your way. After epic surf sessions, Derek would often play his guitar and harmonica for us. Equally as talented, Derek knew how to keep the good and fun vibes going!! If you need the absolute best surf guide, look no further! You’ll be lucky to have him!!
Eddie & Jen Delaney- Austin Texas/Costa Rica
“Derek’s music seems to step out from some strange musical time machine where the past and the future meld into a beautiful strange blend of sonic molecules.”
— -Malcolm Burn producer (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan)

- “Being a yoga and wellness facilitator myself, I acknowledge tremendous value in Derek’s conscious breath workshops. Derek holds the space for others to dive deeper into these doorways of consciousness, if given this opportunity I highly encourage you to give it a go” Kim Rangimarie Tasker- Certified Vinyasa teacher/ Manager & Yoga director at Mark & Dave’s.
David DeBrito- General Manager -Pegasus Resorts

”It gives me great pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to Derek Thomas who was employed as Lead Surf Guide, Yoga Instructor and Live Entertainer at both Pegasus properties Pinnacles on Telo & Telo Island Lodge located in North Sumatra, Indonesia, as well as our private remote Sumbawa location . Derek’s multi faceted skill set added extra value to our guests’ experiences. During his 8 months assignment with us, I found him to be very knowledgable and accomplished in all operations related to Pegasus Resorts and guest relations.

Derek understands the needs of the luxury market and is well prepared before the requests are being made by our guests. He carries a proactive, respectful and sincere work ethic in all his dealings. l would not hesitate having him out for another season and look forward to working with him again.

I wish Derek every success. For any further information feel free to contact me directly. I can be reached via email at - DavidDeBrito@hotmail.com
“In particular among the crew on Ocean Divine, our surf guide Derek Thomas is the standout. He is knowledgable about the breaks and conditions, a pleasure to be with, and a natural with the locals. He is also a gifted muscian and provided us with much appreciated music under the stars on several evenings.”

Cathleen and Greg Pecchia
Corona del Mar, California
“I have been interested in and practiced different pranayama techniques for about 10 years. What I experienced with Derek and his breath workshop was really an eye opener into how much deeper into practice I can delve. He holds a solid space to feel comfortable and completely let go into breath! I’d recommend anyone to join him on a breath journey and encourage bringing the techniques he teaches into your day to day.” Chris Harrison-

- “There are not words enough to express my gratitude to Derek Thomas for having brought his Conscious Breath Workshop to our sanctuary and Shala at Yoga In Nicaragua. What a surreal and incredible experience! I am still buzzing. Truly magical!” - Zivile Skiles- owner Yoga in Nicaragua-
“Tara and I wanted to reach out and thank you for an amazing trip at “Pinnacles on Telos”. Words can’t describe how happy and pleased we were with your incredible services and hospitality. You made us so comfortable that we were able to put away the hustle and bustle of work and leave it all behind.

You put us on solid waves everyday, giving us important line up information and pushing us to charge knowing we were safe to do so. To be able to surf 17 of 24 sessions by ourselves is unheard of!!! I appreciate your knowledge of the breaks and reefs as you put us in perfect position every time and we could not be happier about our wave count during the trip.


We also really enjoyed your early evening performances on guitar as well as the sunset cruises which really set the tone for a great evening. You truly are a very talented musician, singer and songwriter!!!
Tara and I still can’t get over the amazing romantic dinner for two that you did for us under the stars. To have you play your finger style guitar for us as we wined and dined next to a bonfire while staying on a private island in paradise will be something we will remember for the rest of our lives. My wife Tara couldn’t of been anymore happier as she honestly said that was one of the best days she ever had. Talk about Stoke!!!

Again, we can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us........ A Truly Epic Surfing Honeymoon!”

Tom and Tara Addison- Florida
“I have had the good fortune of catching Derek as a surf guide at two very prestigious locations, Pinnacles on Telo and Ocean Divine. As is easy with Derek’s nature, we have now become close friends and have continued discussing and sharing of great music and books. As a surfer Derek is highly experienced and truly “rips” ,as a guide he has always been very knowledgeable of the locations we have visited and highly attuned to where the best waves will be located in terms of tides, directions of winds and crowds.

My surfing personally has improved thanks to Derek’s attention and guidance. His musical talent that is available most evenings brings the perfect end to your day. I have to thank Derek personally on the spiritual guidance and advice he has given me, he is soulful human.”
Alex Illing- Porto, Portugal

LAVIDA LAGUNA- LAGUNA’s PREMIER WATER ACTIVITIES COMPANY

Doug Oyen- Chief Adventure Officer for La Vida Laguna

”Derek Thomas has been our lead guide for La Vida Laguna these past five years and whenever he returns to town. Derek brings over 25 years of ocean activity experience to our team as well as an instructor/coach certification from internationally recognized NSSIA. He has an infectious energy and uncanny way of making our clients feel comfortable, focusing on both their safety and enjoyment. His passion for surfing, decades of experience and ability to connect with our high end clientel both young and old set him apart from our other surf instructors.

In addition to his instructional expertise, Derek has a keen understanding of our business and regularly offers valuable insight to increase our professionalism guest safety.”
Just dropping you a note from both of us to thank you for an unforgettable holiday. From the moment you collected us at the airport and set the tone with your music on the boat it was bound to be a fabulous 10 days. I’m sure you thought we were a pretty challenging group when we arrived but in your subtle way you managed to put us all in our boxes!

You were so much more than an amazing surf guide. We really loved your music and you playing for us was a real treat and totally unexpected. Thanks Derek, your attention to detail and way of making everything hassle free was really appreciated. A holiday to remember in the right way. Please stay in touch and you are welcome to stay with us if you’re ever in Cape Town.
Good luck with your music and best wishes.”
Martine and Nick Critics- South Africa/ England

- “ Your intuitive & direct guiding, use of essential oils aromatic plants and curated music were part of a holistic experience that for me personally was much deeper and more profound than I had anticipated. Thank you Derek for guiding me and holding the space with such focus. I highly enjoyed the experience.” Kevin Malone- Strength & Conditioning Specialist

LAVIDA LAGUNA- LAGUNA’s PREMIER WATER ACTIVITIES COMPANY

Doug Oyen- Chief Adventure Officer for La Vida Laguna

”Derek Thomas has been our lead guide for La Vida Laguna these past five years and whenever he returns to town. Derek brings over 25 years of ocean activity experience to our team as well as an instructor/coach certification from internationally recognized NSSIA. He has an infectious energy and uncanny way of making our clients feel comfortable, focusing on both their safety and enjoyment. His passion for surfing, decades of experience and ability to connect with our high end clientel both young and old set him apart from our other surf instructors.

In addition to his instructional expertise, Derek has a keen understanding of our business and regularly offers valuable insight to increase our professionalism guest safety.”
“Derek Thomas is a master of mood, creating songs that connect strongly on an emotional level, songs that make a home for themselves inside us so that soon they feel like our own.”
— -Michael's Music Log
“Top 10 Americana Albums of 2014. “ Best Of LA Americana Music 2012”
— -Turnstyled Junkpiled
“ We spent ten days at Pinnacles, having organized a trip there for a couple of mates and our families. Derek acted as our host on the island concerning himself with every detail of our surfing experience. He worked so hard for us in aspects of our trip too numerous to mention and he did it with soul and grace. It was an expensive holiday by our standards and it more than met our high expectations. I know I speak on behalf of all of us that this was in a large part thanks to Derek. A beautiful guy and as a bonus he is a very good musician. We loved listening to him playing guitar and singing. Couldn’t recommend him more highly.”

Andrew and Penny Knight- Cape Town South Africa
During a recent surf holiday experience up in the Telo Islands, Indonesia I had the pleasure to meet & be treated to the unparalleled services of Derek Thomas. I found Derek to be a relational professional, having confidence in his knowledge of the ocean & how to provide our group with exactly what our needs were.
Nathan Hodge- former WSA tour surfer
“The man is on top of the song-writing scene and we for sure gonna keep tabs on Mr Thomas. The vibe and the feeling is there, it’s Americana greatness with a soul-surf touch. Don’t miss his awesome tune Honey Whiskey.”

-Kentucky Seven music blog
“Derek Thomas’ thoughtful, evocative lyrics and smoky vocals are at the forefront of the music. A gifted singer-songwriter who promises to make his mark not only in California, but also on the music scene as a whole.”
-Rockwrite.blogspot

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