Surfing Waves

Hello!

Planning a trip to Costa Rica soon and am looking for sound advice on where to go. I am new to surfing and would like to stay in an area that offers a novice surfing environment coupled with a place to rent boards since i do not have one (yet!) I will be flying into San Jose and will be commuting from there.

Any ideas??

Thanks in advance!

How long will you be traveling in Costa Rica? If you are staying short term (1 week) then I suggest staying somewhere close to San Jose, such as Jaco or Playa Hermosa. You can find places to stay in both locations and surf shops where you can rent a board. In Jaco, try Carton Surfboards for surfboard rentals. There are tons of places to stay. I don't like Jaco, myself.

I prefer the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica for surf. In particular, I like Playa Grande. I surf there alot. It's quite, relaxing and the waves are good.

Most places in Costa Rica are great for novice surfers. The waves do get big, but usually its chest to shoulder high most of the time and good shape.

Playa Grande is close to Tamarindo, which has tons of surf shops and places to stay.

Whatz up?!?! I have been traveling to Costa Rica for many years and have fallen in love with the waves, country, and people. I have been in northern Costa Rica (Tamarindo and Playa Grande) but I prefer the central pacific. We love it so much my fiance and I recently purchased a new 2 bedroom 2 bath condo in Playa Jaco. This is a great town with all your basic needs (food, restaurants, car rental, etc...) There are many types of breaks for beginners up to experts. Jaco is a good place to start for beginners with some world class breaks within a short driving distance. The world class break of Playa Hermosa is just 5 minutes away from our condo.
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Pura Vida

Thanks so very much for your advice.

I am considering Jaco although we may want to set up somehwere less crowded. I friend recomended Santa Teresa / Malpais. She said it is a 3 - 4 hour drive from San Jose and offers beginner waves couple with ammeneties and less crowd. Have you guys been? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

A

Hi Adam,
I'm in Costa Rica at the moment - working in Turrialba at the moment though so am seriously suffering from lack of waves! I spent a week in Santa Teresa and Malpais in January and it was awesome - I'd highly recommend it, waves were waist to shoulder high and very consistent - bit of a challenge paddling out as my board is too big to duck dive, but it's totally worth the big paddle once you get out back! If you do go, I stayed at Tranquillo backpackers, which was full of surfers and had a nice vibe. I had a couple of lessons with a guy called Sebastian from Kina Surf about 2 km up the road in Santa Teresa, it's a surf shop run by a lovely Kiwi lady, pop in and see them and they'll sort you out with advice, a board, lessons etc.

When are you headed out - i finish work in May so will be spending the next few months checking out some more beaches and could send some more advice then - hope you have an awesome trip!
Amy

Hey Adam.
I typed out a response for ya and then my internet crashed and I lost it. And I am lazy, so I won't type it all again. But, Basically I said this: MalPais is all foreigners and a hard paddle out for the breaking waves; Nosara is all foreigners, better waves than MalPais/Santa Teresa and a little easier paddle, but no nightlife and the restaurants are lacking; Samara has easy waves and is a cool place to hang; Jaco Beach is great for the beginner surf (at the south end) and has everything you need, but the town is kinda slimy; Domincal has great waves but also massive rips, I wouldn't recommend for beginners. For me, for your first trip as a beginner, I would say chack out Jaco, at least for some of your trip. There are lots of cool beaches within 15 minutes of jaco that are beautiful and fairly secluded and low key.

If you want/need more info, you can PM or email if you would like.
Good luck with your trip.

I would recommend Playa Grande. You have waves of varying difficulties and the paddle is not difficult at all at the beginner waves. Very mellow town without seediness...

i'll be staying in the north end of jaco near the best western hotel. heard that was a nice place to surf. how is the south end bette?
i don't really mind staying at the north end because taxi rides are on 1-2 dollars.