The warm water waves of Costa Rica are far less crowded than the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii and Australia, yet have all of the exciting action a surfer could want.
The southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is full of top Costa Rica surfing spots.
The popular Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, is home to the most powerful wave in the country – Salsa Brava, a thick Hawaiian-style barrel wave that builds in deep water and pours over a shallow coral reef lining the coast. It is called the “heaviest wave” in the country, and is for expert surfers only.
Puerto Viejo is an ideal location for laid-back surfers and travelers looking for a more relaxed Costa Rica travel experience, rather than the highly commercialized Pacific Coast. Playa Cocles and Puerto Viejo hosted the 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit competition, the Lime Coral Caribbean Classic II, in January of this year. Around the areas of Puerto Viejo, Playa Cocles, Cahuita and Manzanillo, there are waves for all levels.
Beginner and intermediate surfers will enjoy the sandy-bottom beaches of both Playa Cocles and Playa Negra.
There is a lifeguard at Playa Cocles and right in front is where most surfers gather. “This beach break offers a more consistent break, with lefts and rights breaking close to the beach. This wave tends to jack up with a big swell due to the steep beach entry … beware of currents. Best conditions in the early morning before the winds blow it out. However, you can surf here all day as the wind often improves the lack of form,” according to Surf Costa Rica.
Playa Negra in Cahuita is also good for surfing, and is lesser known, so is uncrowded. Playa Negra “offers a great beach break with waves year-round. Best conditions in the early morning with swell from the south or east at almost any tide,” according to Surf Costa Rica.
Playa Grande, between Punta Uva and Manzanillo, is frequented by local surfers, as is Manzanillo Beach.
When visiting, be sure not to go surfing alone, and always check with local surfers about riptides, strong currents and reefs.
Le Caméléon, a Costa Rica boutique hotel at Playa Cocles, can arrange board rentals and surfing classes for you with their in-house concierge and tours service. The upscale hotel is chicly designed in exuberant tropical gardens. Their beach club, La Sula Sea Lounge, is located just across the street from the hotel right on Playa Cocles. You will be minutes from all of the surfing action at Playa Cocles.
An Enchanting Hotel of Costa Rica, Le Caméléon also can arrange snorkeling and diving trips, sea kayaking tours, mountain biking, and cultural visits to indigenous communities, among many other activities in the southern Caribbean region.
Article by Shannon Farley
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