Surfing in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is becoming a very popular surfing destination. So what does Costa Rica have to offer? Costa Rica is a very small country but is able to include rainforest, mountains, volcanoes and many dry climates. The Pacific coast is dryer than the Caribbean side, which is lower and more humid. There is surf on both sides but the Pacific side has more breaks.
Having myself being to Costa Rica many times I still love this very little country with its friendly people and it's rustic charm.
Besides surfing in Costa Rica there are many things to see. The Arenal volcano is a must and rainforests in the southern part of the Pacific side or on the northern Caribbean side are well worth a visit.
If you are going on a serious surfari in Costa Rica you will need a 4-wheel drive car. The roads are extremely rugged and get muddy when raining.



The North Pacific Coast

So where do you go and what do you do? There are many surf breaks to choose from. Starting of in the far north on the Pacific side you have the beautiful and dry Santa Rosa National Park that features the now famous Witches Rock and Ollie's point (both featured in the Endless Summer II). Getting to these breaks is a bit of an adventure. You can either hire a boat from Tamarindo or go by car, although, if you can afford it, the boat is recommended. If you want to attempt to go by car I recommend you have a 4-wheel drive, since roads are bad all year round. Bring lots of mosquito repellent. At Witches Rock you will find Playa Naranjo where there are many perfect beach breaks coming in from all directions. Personally, I have had many great waves at Witches Rock. There is a campsite on the beach but you must provide your own food and water. Going further down the to the Nicoya Peninsula, you will find many popular breaks like Playa Grande, Tamarindo, Avellanas and Playa Negra and then on to Mal Pais.



Tamarindo has a lot of charm and has probably the most social action of all surfing places in Costa Rica, except for Jaco further down the coast that has more of a nightclub scene. Tamarindo is kind of the main base for surfing on the peninsula. Although surfing in Tamarindo is more of a longboard wave you can find many nearby spots that will satisfy most shortboarders. What is very sad about Tamarindo is that every year this little fishing village is getting more and more commercialized as greater numbers discover this great place. If you are fortunate enough you will maybe encounter a turtle when waiting in the lineup (If you really want to see the baby turtle there are night tours to Playa Grande). To get to Tamarindo you can either take the $50 airplane from San Jose (if you have a shortboard) or you can take the painful 6-hour bus ride. Naturally the smoothest option is to hire a care and take the ferry across to the peninsula. Since the end of 1999 there is a new company called Fantasy Tours that operate a bus service between towns in Costa Rica.These buses are very comfortable with AC and can take longboards. The fare is around $19 between towns. In San Jose you can get one from the Hampton Inn, near the airport.



The Central Pacific Coast

The first major break in this area is Boca Barranca. It is a very long left breaking wave and is where the annual Rabbit Kekai Longboard Competition is held. Going further down the coast you will find Jaco and it's nearby breaks. Here you have Playa Escondido and Playa Hermosa. Hermosa has one of the most powerful waves on the coast.

Going further down you find Domincal. Domincal has become a very popular destination for shortboarders, because of the very powerful andheavy waves that hit Dominical. Before surfing came to Dominical it was only a very small village. Now days you find many surfshops and surfbars to hangout at and you will probably bump into one of San Clemente Mike's establishments. Domincal is not really a place for beginners, if the surf is at its normal force you most definitely will get smashed by the waves. There is probably twice the amount of snapped boards hanging in the bars than surfers in the water.
Domincal's vegetation is a lot denser and has rainforest in the hills behind it. You will immediately feel the difference in humidity if you are coming from the North or San Jose. I really do recommend visiting the nearby beaches and the National Marine Park, which are very beautiful.
A visit to the nearby Hacienda Baru is also a cool experience if you never been climbing trees or hiking in the rainforest before. If you are coming from San Jose you can take the very nice bus to San Isidro and then you switch for the local bus to Dominical.



The South Pacific Coast

The drive down the coast from Dominical is very picturesque and tropical. You immediately start to see fewer tourists and more greenery. Heading down to Pavones is a classic Costa Rica drive; you drive through forests, plantations, dodgy ferries and bridges. Getting down to Pavones you feel like you have arrived to a deserted town. When I was there it was hard to find good accommodations and they had only got electricity a year ago. Pavones has had some bad history when it comes to drugdealing (a lot was imported by plane from South America). I think this now has improved as the government is taking action. Pavones has the longest left in Costa Rica. When the swell goes in the right direction, you can connect to different sections, for an 800 meters long ride. There are some fast and solid left breaking waves. When waves reach 4 feet high it becomes fun to ride. Pavones is a very tricky break as it requires the right direction of a swell and the right sizes so don't expect it to be perfect when you arrive.

I really recommend driving down further south until the road ends. There you will find a family that will charge you $10 a night for a whole house (although this can be very different now). This is where the forest meets the Panamanian border and you have beaches entirely for yourself. When Pavones isn't working this is where you will find surf.
The surroundings are exceptionally picturesque and I really recommend hiring a boat over to the peninsula de Osa. De Osa is the only indigenous forest left in Costa Rica on the pacific side. This is the place if you want to find macaws in the wild. On your way over you might be lucky to spot some whales and dolphins.

The Caribbean Side

The Caribbean side of Costa Rica has a totally different climate. Here you will find wet dense rainforest similar to the Amazon as well as malaria. I have not personally surfed on the Caribbean side but there are many good spots that get large surf. It is quite different from the Pacific, more exotic and closer to the tropics. Nearby storms and coral reefs produce strong perfect waves. It is always best to surf along with people that know the area. Besides amazing waves, the Caribbean offers great food, best music for your soul, and happy people ready to enjoy the party. I have heard that there exist many sharks here, so beware!!




Costa Rica is easy and enjoyable to travel around; being an unusually stable country for the region, but there still exists a large amount of corruption as any South American country. As a tourist you normally won't notice this, as Costa Rica's main income is tourism. The Tico's (Costa Ricans) are very friendly and are very happy if you try to speak some Spanish with them.

The right time to go is between December and April, which is the dry season when you have fine and dry weather. The most rain is between September and October.

Many surfers coming to Costa Rica compare it to what California and Hawaii use to be a long time ago. With uncrowded, great waves, beautiful surroundings and being in the tropics I guarantee that Costa Rica will give you an unforgettable adventure.

Pura Vida

Michael