Costa Rica Surfing – Riding High!
This surf trip is set up around seventeen surf spots in a 7 km stretch of beaches each with different wind, tide, swell angle, and lighting.
Our surf trip accommodations feature a five-star pad overlooking the most consistent and perfect waves in the hemisphere: Playa Negra is an area that works on all tides and is still good even with onshore wind. Every other wave in the Guanacaste region is fickle and dependent on particular tide and wind conditions.
The surfing in Costa Rica is top notch with a wide variety of breaks and swells to ride. And with year round consistent surf, this Central American country is considered by many as one of the top surfing destinations in the world. Here the waters are warm all year long and with over 700 miles of coastline and literally hundreds of breaks, surfing in Costa Rica is truly something special!
Home to quite a few international surfing tournaments and some of the friendliest people in the world, surfing in Costa Rica can be a memorable experience for many. Affordable prices and easy access to most breaks adds to the appeal of surfing in Costa Rica. If you don’t know how to surf, don’t worry there are plenty of great surf camps here that can show you the ropes and make you an expert in no time at all.
Best Surfing in Costa Rica
The best place to go surfing in Costa Rica has to be Witches Rock & Ollie’s Point located near Playa Naranjo inside the Parque Nacional Santa Rosa. A legendary place to come surfing; the waves here are rated as the finest in the country. Another good destination for surfers is Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas province. Situated near the beach town of Jaco, another popular surf spot, Playa Hermosa has consistent waves and a strong break, making it an expert surfer zone.
To catch one of the longest left breaks on the Pacific side of Central America head to Pavones in the Golfo Dulce area. The Salsa Brava in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is the biggest break in Costa Rica and is meant for expert surfers only. Sharp and fast, the waves here are very dangerous and should not be attempted unless you are a pro.
Popular Costa Rica Surf Spots
Mal Pais and Santa Theresa are two very popular surf spots on the Nicoya Peninsula. Home to a number of surf camps as well, the waves here are excellent with plenty of affordable accommodations. The Malpais Surf Camp and Resort, Frank’s Place and the Hotel Flor Blanca are a few of the well-known places to stay in this area.
In Guanacaste province and on the Nicoya Peninsula as well, both Playa Grande and Playa Negra offer some superb surfing. Playa Grande is a more quiet surf zone, while Playa Negra has some exciting waves. Made famous when the movie Endless Summer II was filmed here, the breaks at Playa Negra are fast and hollow.
Both Dominical and Matapalo are quiet surf zones and are ideal for the more serious surfer who wants nothing more than to just surf. Dominical lies along the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, while Matapalo sits on the Osa Peninsula close to the Corcovado National Park.
Costa Rica boasts two coasts, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Caribbean Coast have its center for surfing called Puerto Viejo. It has an atmosphere of a laid-back and less commercial compared to its Pacific side. It is said that Puerto Viejo is the home of Costa Rica’s greatest surf break named Salsa Brava. If you wanted to look for sharp reef breaks, it is recommended if you take a boat to go to Isla Uvita, an island that is believed to have great reef breaks. There are lots of lodging choices in Puerto Viaje but most people rent for villas and small lodges heading south of the town where most surfer has being catered with a very high style of hospitality. As for the Pacific Ocean, it has Northern and Southern side. The northern side, a popular place called Tamarindo that is known as a surf set because of its consistency and huge variety of breaks.
Another place you can visit when you want to visit Costa Rica to surf is a Surf Camp. It is a camp where perfect breaks are present just right for surfing practices and also for surfing newbies. They offer a very affordable accommodation inclusive with the use of their facilities that most people who visit Costa Rica love. With so many places in this whole world where you can enjoy surfing, never miss the opportunity to visit Costa Rica for it is known as home of the world’s most magnificent breaks; a very ideal place for surf enthusiasts like you.