Surfing Waves

Hi! My company shuts down the week between Christmas & New Year's Day. This year, my boy and I want to head out on some sort of surf adventure trip. Criteria?

*I'm a super-beginner, so nothing that will eat me for breakfast
*Somewhere somewhat warm at that time of year.
*Somewhere not Hawaii. Love the place, get there every year, need something different.
*Somewhere that won't take 100 years to get to from California. I want to spend as much time in the water as I can.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

mexico. Either mainland, or cabo. If you wanna go a bit further, FOR SURE go to Costa Rica.

If you go to Costa Rica, you can get there from LA for about $450 and the flight is about 4.5 hours (i think )
Around christmas the temp is about 30-35 degrees Celsius for a high on the beaches. Can get hotter.
Waves are usually a little smaller then, but you can still find killer barrels at lotsa spots. Lots of beginner breaks, too.
Only problem is that at x-mas it can get crowded as the whole country shuts down and goes to the beach for the week, and it is the most expensive time of the year to come here. Hotels are at the peak season for the week and they usually book up fast.
But, having said that, I still think it is the best place in the world (but I am a bit biased )
Check out Kitesurfer's pics of his trip here in June

Groovy, thanks. I'm leaning towards Costa Rica and will probably have a zillion questions eventually.

When you say crowds, how nutty does it get? I live in Southern California, and I'm used to pretty crowded beaches/waves. Any comparison?

Also, can I get by with hola, gracias, de nada, y una cerveza, por favor, and the rest in English? Should I pick up some Spanish lessons beforehand, or will I be able to get around ok without them?

Depends on where you go whether you can get by with english. MalPais, Jaco, Manual Antonio, Tamarindo, yes just english is fine.
Beaches get crowded at x-mas, nothing like soCal on a normal day though.
Let me know what your questions are, hopefully I can answer them.

Hey TangentGirl,

Costa Rica is the place to surf if you are looking for a fun, friendly environment to learn how to surf. The people are awesome and English is spoken in most areas of the country.

Flights and accommodations prices go up significantly during the holiday season. So, look around for deals, but don´t wait until the last minute because you won´t be able to turn up and find a place during Christmas as all available rooms are usually rented.

If you are a complete beginner Witch´s Rock Surf Camp in Tamarindo, Costa Rica has the best learn to surf program around. I know because I have developed the surf school program in conjuction with the International Surfing Association and theCosta Rican Surfing Federation. Our hands-on surf instruction is great for anyone that wants to improve their surfing ability in a safe comfortable environment.

Witch´s Rock Surf Camp is located 45 minutes from Liberia (LIR) Airport and our all-inclusive surf packages include beachfront accommodations, daily breakfast, surf lessons, surfboard rentals and airport shuttle service (complimentary on Saturdays only).