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Surfing in Costa Rica

When it comes to surfing, there are very few places as good as Costa Rica. Ever since Endless Summer II included Costa Rica as a popular worldwide surfing destination in 1994, surfers have been coming here from all around the world just to catch the waves. Another advantage with Costa Rica is that it's so small that you can easily travel from one side of the coast to the other within a few hours. Costa Rica really is a dream destination for surfers and in this article I am going to discuss some of the best places to surf and some places to avoid. Let's get started with the best places to surf in Costa Rica:- 

 

1. Jaco, Puntarenas- This used to be the best place to surf in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, recent concerns regarding the quality of water and the growing sleaziness of the town have reduced its popularity drastically.

 

2. Mal Pais/Santa Teresa, Nicoya- This is quite a popular surfing destination in Costa Rica. Even though there is no real nightlife and not even a proper town nearby, the waves do one hell of a job of attracting surfers.

 

3. Tamarindo, Guanacaste- This is quite a decent sized beach resort with an excellent party vibe, it is a wonderful place for inexperienced surfers and is quite close to various surfing highlights as well.

 

4. Witch's Rock, Santa Rosa National Park- This is a must visit for any hardcore surfer in Costa Rica. You can hire a boat to take you this rock and for some extra money you can even go all the way to Ollie's Point. You will have to pay a park entrance fee though. This isn't the cheapest surfing destination in Costa Rica, so if you go there, you better make it worth it.

 

5. Dominical, Puntarenas- This is another popular surfing spot in Costa Rica with quite consistent waves. The town is all for surfing as well but don't expect things to get too wild here.

 

6. Pavones, Osa Peninsula- This is believed to be one of the best surfing destinations because of its never ending waves. You can expect waves to last for as long as 3 minutes and take you a distance of more than 7 miles. Now isn't that amazing?

 

7. Salsa Brava- This is the best surfing spot in Puerto Viejo. This spot is believed to have the heaviest waves in the country.

Now, let's discuss a few things to stay away from:-

 

1. River Estuaries- Stay away from these areas as the water tends to have a lot of pesticides in it.

 

2. Turtle Habitats- Stay away from beaches where turtles are hatching. Turtle eggs are a preferred snack among sharks.

 

3. Rip-Tides- If you get caught in a rip-tide let it pull you out even though this may seem quite terrifying. Once you feel you can easily slip free from its pull just swim parallel to the shoreline for about 300 feet and then swim back in.

 

Watch out for any warning notices when hitting the waves.

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