Surfing
With hundreds of beaches along the coast, surfers have long flocked to Costa Rica’s waves, staking out breaks before the destinations had paved roads or supermarkets. In fact many of Costa Rica’s more popular beaches have been surfing destinations for decades. With so much good surf, it’s hard to mention every worthy break, but the destinations listed below are some of the most accessible and popular surfing spots in Costa Rica. Get a personal perspective about surfing in Costa Rica with our Costa Rica Surf Guide.
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Playa Grande Guanacaste
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Seperated from Tamarindo by the Matapalo River is Grande Beach (Playa Grande), an uninspiring crop of pebble-rock seashore with the exception of numerous tide pools that are exposed at low tides. Located within Marino Las Baulas National Park, Grande Beach is the site of the arribadas of the leatherback turtle. In the past thousands of turtles barraged the coast to bury their eggs but the Leatherback population has drastically declined and in 2008 only 32 turtles arrived during the nesting season.
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Playa Hermosa
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Playa Hermosa on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica is situated about 3 miles (5km) south of Jaco and is one of the best surf destinations in the country. There are two Playa Hermosa's the other is in Guanacaste and is not a surfing beach.
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Playa Avellana
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Referred to by locals as "little Hawaii," Playa Avellana packs extraordinary offshore waves that can reach up to eighteen feet, making it an ideal destination for experienced surfers from around the world. Additionally, this secluded white sand beach invites tranquility and peace. It is a great spot to sit by the beachfront bar and take in the sights and sounds of the ocean. A very special feature of the beach is "Lola", the 400 kg pig that will be there to welcome you at the beach bar or in the shallow parts of the surf.
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Dominical
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About 27 mi (44 km) south of Quepos is the quaint and growing beach town of Dominical. Along the coast, before arriving in this popular surf town, the cascading cliffs converge with the deep-blue ocean, producing a scenic landscape full of small coves for truly precious views. The laid back beach town is surrounded by plantations, estuaries, mangroves and marshes. Birder beware, you may not want to leave!
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Mal Pais - Santa Teresa
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The sleepy beach hamlet of Malpais is billed as a surfer's paradise, and the surf is indeed exceptional; It provides consistent and outstanding swells. Located 4 miles (6.5 km) north of Cabo Blanco National Park, Malpais sits at the southwestern cusp of the Nicoya Peninsula, opposite Montezuma. If the Nicoya Peninsula is considered laidback, then Malpais is its epitome- an excellent place to kickback and unwind.
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Playa Negra
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Playa Negra is a beautiful dark-sand beach famous in the surfing community for its right-hand barrel waves. The beach lays on the Pacific coast in Costa Rica's hot province of Guanacaste. Its location sits in close proximity to other popular beach breaks including "Little Hawaii" on Playa Avellanas, a short 10-minute drive away.
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Pavones
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Pavones Costa Rica is a small town located in the southern Pacific Zone about 1 1/2 hour drive from Golfito. The little pueblo exists almost entirely for surf tourists who make the journey for the left point break that runs the entire length of the village of Pavones. Being the Only Surf destination south of Domical, Pavones is the end of the road and a little out of the way. However for the opportunity to catch rides that will make your legs ache it is well worth the journey.
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Nosara
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Nosara's beach town of Guiones is a tucked-away delight with lucrative real estate, vibrant flora, and a world-class white sand beach. The town, which has a sizeable population of ex-pats, presents no shortage of accommodations. Many of these accommodations are private, luxurious, and immersed in natural beauty.
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Cabo Matapalo
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Situated on the tip of the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica, the small town of Cabo Matapalo provides visitors with backdoor access into some of the country's most beautiful and least visited places: Corcovado National Park, Golfo Dulce, and Isla del Cano
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Tamarindo
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Once a quite fishing hamlet, Tamarindo has evolved to be the area’s most developed and accessible tourist town. Located on the central west coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, Tamarindo offers visitors of whatever budget a chance to experience the region’s unspoiled beaches and incredible biodiversity in a range of accommodations. Despite the town’s recent and ongoing development, it still retains that laidback vibe so characteristic of the region.
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Playa Bejuco
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Playa Bejuco is only about 35km north of Manuel Antonio and about 30 km south from Jaco but the atmosphere could not be more distant from the more popular destinations. The beach is pristine and clean with a Blue Flag rating, is a popular nesting area for birds and even has some pretty good surf from time to time.
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