SURF IN COSTA RICA: CENTRAL PACIFIC COAST

Want to surf in Costa Rica and party at night?

I thought you might. You’ll have fun at Jaco on the fabulous central Pacific Coast.

It's one of the favorite Costa Rica party cities.

But before I tell you about Jaco, here are a couple of great surfing beaches a little north of there.

The first, Punta Caldera, is about a 30 minute drive north of Jaco and you’ll enjoy its unspoiled and spectacular scenery, left breaks and A-frame type right wedges.

The locals say the best time to surf is high tide.

And, if you’re experienced, you might head south about four miles to. . .

Playa Tivives. This is a beautiful surfing beach, with very large swells and wonderful right and left breaks. It’s easily accessible but not heavily used and you’ll love its pretty mile-and-half long brown beach.

A river drains into the bay and you’ll sometimes find almost perfect tubular left waves there but beware: there are dangerous crocodiles in the river.

Jaco: Party 'Til You Drop

OK, party animal.

Enough talk about crocodiles and pretty vistas.You've had fun with the surf in Costa Rica but now where's the party?

You guessed it. Jaco.

One of the favorite destinations for many Costa Rica vacations.

Jaco is a famous spot for surfing.

It’s only about two hours from San Jose, easy to reach, and has great night-life but...

for now

Avoid swimming or surfing RIGHT IN FRONT OF Jaco Beach because it has a long history of contamination.

Unfortunately, you may not see beach signs warning of the dangers (probably due to local business pressure) but the water here (we're talking close to shore---not farther out) is simply not good at the moment.

They're not many, but you should avoid a few Costa Rica contaminated beaches.

My advice? Go to Jaco to play at night but, until the problem with the water is fixed, surf a nearby beach instead.

Like . . .

Tivives (a bit north) or

Playa Hermosa, just a ten minute drive south of Jaco. Don’t confuse this Playa Hermosa with another of the same name on the Gold Coast (and a Blue Flag beach). Or another having the same name but on the southern Puntarenas coast below Dominical, also a very, very popular surfing spot in Costa Rica.

This five-mile long beach below Jaco is one of the favorite Costa Rica surfing beaches for professional surfers.

And, it's excellent water. One of many beautiful Costa Rica beaches right along here.

However, unlike Jaco which has good waves for beginning and experienced surfers, Costa Rica surfing at Hermosa is really suited for experts with waves reaching 13 feet and very strong currents. How good is the surfing here? Well, every August the International Quicksilver Surf Championships are held here.

Then, hundreds of the world’s best surfers travel Costa Rica to descend on this beach during the day and party at Jaco during the night.

Pretty good surf, I'd say.

Want this black-sand beach almost to yourself? Come any other month and, by the way, the best surfing months are between April and the end of November.

So, if your Costa Rica vacation plan includes a surf in Costa Rica and party-time adventure, check out these beaches.

Pura Vida!

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