COSTA RICA SURFING

THE WHALES OF PLAYA BALLENA

Particularly if you’re experienced, you’ll like this easily reached, but usually, uncrowded beach. It is a great spot for a Costa Rica vacation. Want to see it on a map? Click (for lots of great maps)

You can either drive down the coast from Jaco or get there from San Jose, about a four hour trip.

Because there are so many Costa Rica beaches and things to do around here, I recommend renting a car but if you're on a budget, there’s good, cheap bus service. And I have all the schedules, click to see

Dominical is famous for its consistent waves (maybe the most consistent in all the country) and very powerful break. You’ll find great surfing all the time but the swells and rip tides are too strong for swimming.

Though the days are always warm, the nights always deliciously cool, and the surf always great, this beach is never overcrowded except between Christmas to New Years and Easter Week (Santa Semana). These are traditional Costa Rican vacation times and, like you, Ticos and Ticas love the beach!

If you want to swim, go south a few miles to Playa Hermosa (there are several Costa Rica beaches with the same name so don’t confuse this with the others north of here). You'll have good surfing and swimming along with lots of peace and quiet.

Driving along the coast here is really, really beautiful and the Costanera Highway is first-class for a few miles so I have some advice.

Take it to Ballena Marine National Park and surf at Playa Ballena. You won’t have a lot of people surfing with you but you may not be alone.

Costa Rica Surfing with Humpbacks

There are also other great surfing beaches along here making for memorable Costa Rica vacations.

Try pretty Playa Uvita.

Or go to nearly Playa Ventanas with its cave-lined shores (ventanas means windows) that you can explore at low-tide.

Visit Three Sisters During the Day

Watch Nature's Spectacle at Night

If you don't visit the Sisters, snorkel along the shoreline (best during low tide, beachcomb (sometimes excellent) or---and this is the best part---catch one of Nature's true spectacles: watch Olive Ridley and Hawksbill turtles lay their eggs from May to November.

But a word: the turtles come ashore at night. You might easily be alone with them so don’t use an unshielded flashlight (better yet, don’t use any flashlight), don't take a picture with a flash camera, don't make noise, and don't get too close.

They're not very smart and I'm counting on you to be the intelligent one visiting the beach at night.

OK, surfer, if you still haven't already figured it out for yourself, let me make this clear: this is one gorgeous Costa Rica surfing stretch of beaches.

Come and enjoy on your Costa Rica vacation.

Leave it cleaner than you found it.

And Pura Vida!

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