Wondering where to surf in Costa Rica? From mellow beach breaks to heavy reef and river-mouth waves, here’s how to choose the right coast.
Dean Bushby – Adaptive Surfer
Years ago, Dean Bushby, a computer network engineer from Leeds, United Kingdom, fell off a motorcycle he was riding in Thailand. Loss of his leg was the consequence. Over the next five years during the healing process, the former rugby enthusiast was unable to do much...
What Makes a Good Surf Spot?
What makes a good surf spot? Any non-surfer might think it’s ridiculous how surfers group together fighting for the same waves despite having the entire coastline to choose from. With seemingly endless miles of breaking waves, why do surfers choose to sit within such...
The River Mouth Factor: April’s Water Changes, Currents, and the Best Way to Stay Out of Trouble
A beach with a river mouth (or estuary/“estero”) is two places at once: calm holiday postcard on the sand, and moving machinery in the water. In April, that machinery tends to get a fresh set of gears. A few early rains upstream, a slightly different tide cycle, a...
The Last Great Offshore: March’s Wind Windows and How to Surf Them Like a Local
March mornings in Costa Rica have a particular sound: a quiet hiss of groomed foam, a few early scooters, and that first zip of wax being peeled like a promise. People call it “dry season” and leave it at that, but surfers know March as something more specific—a month...
The Importance of Swell Angle
Surfers love to create unrealistic expectations about waves we've yet to catch. Every few weeks in Costa Rica, surfers are hyping about the newest purple blob that appears on the swell charts. "Have you seen the next swell? It's gonna be the biggest of the year!"...
The Importance of Swell Period
As it relates to surfing, we call the distance between 2 consecutive waves the swell Period, and it is measured in seconds. So let’s imagine for a moment you are out in the water, waiting on your board as a set of waves begins to pulse through. None of the waves have...
Sands of Change
In the early seventies, my brother and I arrived in Tamarindo with single fin, 7 foot, down-railers and homemade bungee cord leashes. When your tail “side slipped” out from under you on a late drop, your board stretched out to the breaking point on the rubber...
Surf Adventure: The Road and Swell Point South
Surf Adventure Surf Trek with CHE: When the Road and Swell Point South. I woke at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and finally rose at 3 a.m. with one of several alarms that I set in five-minute intervals. Before a surf adventure, I find sleep to be sparse and nearly impossible...
ConnectOcean: Swim Safe Costa Rica
[vc_row css=".vc_custom_1672232565287{background-color: #ffffff !important;}"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Costa Rica, a picturesque realm nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, unfolds over 800 miles of bewitching coastline. The allure of...
Manuel Antonio: The Surf Spot
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] Manuel Antonio: Costa Rica’s Jungle Postcard With a Secret—It Surfs Brilliantly Manuel Antonio National Park gets the fame for sloths in sea-almond trees, macaws flashing scarlet over jade coves, and jungle trails that...
SKIMBOARDING: Acrobatics of the Fearless
[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] Skimboarding in Costa Rica: shorebreak art, fearless flight, pura vida funFrom Guanacaste’s honey-gold coves to the black-sand crescents of the Central Pacific, skimboarding is the Costa Rican sweet spot where adventure,...