Costa Rica Surfing Guide

[d360]

Here's a primer on the various Costa Rica Surfing spots. If I've missed anything please add on..

Playa Dominical is becoming a popular location as word spreads. Really good with a lot of heavy waves,a nasty undertow that can hold you under for a long time. This is the location for tubes.

Playa Hermosa is much bigger and heavier. Most excellent and can be one of the best spots in Costa Rica but you can break your board here in an instant!

Playa Tamarindo - Tamarindo always seems to get the most news and is a hangout for the groupies. Its always crowded, drugs are on the rise, The beach faces north, and because the North waves generally appear more in the winter, that's the best time to come.

Caribbean Coast - Salsa Brava is located near Puerto Viejo de Talamaca on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Brava in Spanish means angry! The bottom is reef and the breaks are truly a killer. This beach is truly dangerous... so don't even think about it unless you are top rated.

Pavones - South Pacific this is what put Costa Rica on the map. A long stretch of land just north of Panama on the Pacific side... hard to reach but worth it IF the Souths are coming. If they are, these are the longest and fastest waves anywhere, and they are fast! The only way to know if the South swells are up (or coming) is the Internet.

Playa Jacó - in the Central Pacific less than 2 hours from San Jose so many so you get locals down for the day. It is a reasonably good break and great if you just don't have time to go elsewhere.

Playa Nosara - Waves go left and right and lots of swell. not much else.

[wanderer]

Matapalo in the south of Costa Rica is an up-and-coming surfing spot. The waves are not always regular, but if you can find some, it's a good place to beat the crowds when surfing in Costa Rica.