Surfing Costa Rica’s Pacific coast

The Pacific coast of Costa Rica is fast becoming one of the
hippest spots on the backpack merry-go-round. It’s a surfer’s
paradise in Central America’s most laid-back holiday spot. Areas
such as the Nicoya peninsula and Dominical further
to the south are

the real hotspots where the beaches are sublime
and trees and rocks tumble down to meet the fine, white sand -
Costa Rica has a reputation for its magnificent flora and fauna
and there’s nothing to be disappointed about on that score here.
Pelicans and frigate birds wheel overhead as the booming calls
of howler monkeys resound from the nearby rainforests. For those
not satisfied by the ocean alone there are also numerous hikes
in the region and due to Costa Rica’s relatively small size you
are never far away from the eco-tourism centres further inland.

Sticking out like a spare limb into the temperate waters of the
Pacific, Nicoya has a myriad of unspoiled beaches where
the breakers roll in consistently offering great surfing for all
levels of ability whether you’re a pale rookie paddling out for
the first time or a sun-gnarled veteran. It is this variety that
makes the area perfect for one of the world’s fastest growing
sports and the region has had a fantastic reputation in the
worldwide surfing community. A few years ago villages such as
Santa Teresa were no more than a few fishing huts
clustered together but with the boom of tourism in the area
numerous services are now provided by locals offering the dusty
streets a ramshackle charm – a perfect setting for the laid-back
surfers and the ever-growing community of young visitors. For
those just wishing to hang out then there a numerous beach
restaurants and beer shacks where laid back tunes and chilled
cerveza set the tone for the after hours entertainment.

Further to the South lies Dominical, probably Costa
Rica’s most famous surfing grounds. It’s slightly less isolated
than the Nicoya region offering easy access to the surrounding
national parks and also the nation’s capital, San José.
The area is famed for its “surf camps” where surfing,
accommodation food and activities are all included in the
package and is a great way for beginners to get into the sport
and even for experienced surfers who get the chance for tips
from local instructors. The region has begun to develop but by
no means to the extent that we are used to in big European
resorts, eco-lodges are the typical accommodation here and the
focus is on preserving an area of immense natural beauty.
Whether surfing Dominical’s famous breaks or just
chilling on the beach you’ll find the area is as close to
paradise as you’re likely to get in Costa Rica. It’s also worth
noting that it’s not just surfing that’s on the activities list
on Costa Rica’s pacific coast, the whole area is a huge aquatic
playground; waters teeming with fish and other life mean great
scuba diving and yes, you guessed it, great fishing with many
local boats taking tourists out on the hunt for tuna, wahoo,
marlin and other big game.

There are even language schools opening to cater for the influx
of young travellers (an excellent example of this is
http://www.babylon-idiomas.com/ with a great presence in
mainland Spain and Latin America) – no longer solely the domain
of evening classes in your home country, learning a second
language these days is all about cultural immersion. The message
is “why not learn Spanish whilst you’re learning to surf or
dive?” and with much of Central and South America now more open
to tourism there’s no better time to learn the skills to make
yourself understood whilst enjoying the more obvious pursuits
open to travellers.