Surftrip: Costa Rica?

The first thing you see when you arrive in Costa Rica: green, green, green! You will be overwhelmed by how much of the landscape you drive through is green. Palm trees, forests, fields, grass, ... - leading up to the beaches, where you can also find trees!

Needless to say, it will make you feel alive and aware that we need to care for our planet more, also in order to be able to continue to surf properly!

We have tested 3 surfing beaches in Costa Rica for you: Playa Grande, Playa Negra and Tamarindo and here's our verdict!

But first, some more general information:

- the water temperature in Costa Rica is quite warm all year round (around 27 degrees C), so mostly you only need a swimsuit or short wetsuit in order to feel comfortable!

- you can surf on Costa Rica's Caribbean and Pacific coast, however the Pacific coast is said to be a bit better for surfing - there are famous surfing spots, including Playa Negra, Witches rock, Hermosa beach, ...

- not all the surf shops rent our fancy shortboards and so if you are very picky about your board, we'd recommend that you bring it!

Playa Grande: This beach is located in the Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas. The park is a nesting ground for the Leatherback Turtle, which is why visits are not allowed during the night. Otherwise, the entry is free and one can enjoy the beach or the waves without any complicated procedure. One surf school and surfboard rental shop we'd definitely recommend is 'Los Frijoles Locos' (https://playagrandesurfshop.com/)! During typical holidays they can be busy, so don't forget to call in early in case you want lessons! Lessons are offered with Costa Rican, American, ... surf teachers. The beach is usually quite and during our surf there were not many other surfers in the water! The beachbreak allows for safe surfing, but offers good waves noneetheless. You can have long rides on both left- and righthanders and the teachers will offer you good advice and any help you might need!

Prices for the lessons: 40$/person for 90 minutes, including the board

Prices for rentals: 2-hour rental = 8$ - 4-hour rental = 12$ - they also rent out bikes, sunchairs, SUPs, ..

Playa Negra: This beach, located further South down the country's West Coast, can be reached after some driving on a dirtroad. It's called Playa Negra due to its black sand (not shown on the picture...). The beach offers 2 surfspots: 1 reefbreak for advanced surfers which offers world-class waves and 1 beachbreak which is also suitable for beginners and intermediate surfers! We didn't surf the reefbreak, but we can say that the beachbreak offered good waves! One little problem is that people can swim and walk around in the water close to the shore, and so you often have to get off the wave because someone is in the way... This is usually not the case in Playa Grande, and if so, only rarely! There is a shop renting out boards right on the beach, and there is also a nice restaurant where you can enjoy some food or cervezas (beer;) after the surf!

Tamarindo: This beach is located just South of Playa Grande! The 2 are separated through a river - don't attempt to cross is walking or swimming, there are crocodiles in it! Rather use one of the local peoples' boats and give them a small tip ;) In Tamarindo there are lots of shops where you can rent surfboards, and usually for quite cheap a price! They might not offer the fanciest surfboards, but with the amount of people in the water, it can be safer to go for a softboard! We had a lot of fun surfing in Tamarindo, even if it was packed! The waves were of a small size, but it was perfect to try out some longboarding! Even more excitingly, there was a big beach party for New Years Eve, which made it possible to enjoy the music while surfing! Also, if you are interested in our pretty wet-/swimsuits: the left one is from Billabong Capsule Collection (2/2mm) and the right one is from Josea Surfwear, an amazing brand creating surfwear from fishing nets (https://www.josea-surfwear.com/)!

Thank you so much for your attention, and see you soon! Also feel free to share some surf pictures you took in Costa Rica or elsewhere around the globe!

Stay Stoked and Pura Vida (meaning simple life or pure life;)!