October 2023 - Safari Surf

Over the years, Costa Rica has become synonymous with surfing and surf travel. Like Hawaii and other famed surf destinations, the reputation of Costa Rica’s waves is far-reaching. If you tell friends or family you’re traveling to Costa Rica, they’ll likely ask if you plan to surf or take surf lessons. While surfers first arrived in Costa Rica searching for waves in the 1960s, the sport didn’t take off in the country until decades later. Movies like The Endless Summer II popularized Costa Rica’s iconic waves and introduced the world to a country with year-round swell, warm water, and too many world-class waves to count. If you’re wondering why so many surfers call Costa Rica paradise, continue reading below for These Waves Put Costa Rica Surfing on the Map.

Our Favorite Wave in Costa Rica Surfing: Playa Guiones

We couldn’t write an article about Costa Rica’s fabled waves without mentioning our home break, Playa Guiones. Located in Northern Costa Rica in the Guanacaste Province, Playa Guiones is a 4.3-mile stretch of sandy perfection. With reliable sandbars scattered up and down the beach, there’s room for surfers of all levels to spread out and make the most of a swell. Playa Guiones faces slightly southwest and works well with a south or southwest swell and an east wind. While Playa Guiones can hold serious size, it’s not a particularly heavy wave. The take-off is easy, and the wave’s face is sloped, making it ideal for progression.

Pavones

Pavones is one of the longest lefthand point breaks in the world. Located in the Puntarenas province of Southern Costa Rica, Pavones attracts surfers from all over the world. With a proper south swell, the wave at Pavones peels for what feels like an eternity, offering surfers rides up to three minutes long. The wave begins breaking at the river mouth and continues along for several sections. Each section has a distinct personality. Some sections are hollow and speedy, while others are fat and sloping.

Witch’s Rock

Witch’s Rock, named for the foreboding rock formation that sits just behind the surf lineup, is one of Costa Rica surfing’s most recognizable waves, in part due to Endless Summer II. The Wave is easiest accessed by boat since it breaks in a protected Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste. Witch’s Rock is a beach break with a reliable, picture-perfect left and right that breaks in front of the iconic Roca Bruja. There are other peaks along the beach (Playa Naranjo), but none are as perfect as the wave that breaks in front of the rock.

Ollie’s Point

You can’t have a conversation about Costa Rica surfing and leave out Ollie’s Point. Ollie’s Point is located by an abandoned CIA airfield and named for the Notorious US Lt. Col Oliver North, who spearheaded covert military and CIA operations in the Nicaraguan Contra. Like Witch’s Rock, Ollie’s Point is located in Santa Rosa National Park and is best accessed by boat. This rocky point break reels down a jungle-clad coastline mimicking Santa Barbara’s Rincon but without the crowds. This famed right-hander takes a massive southwest swell to break into true form, but when it does it’s well worth traveling halfway around the planet to surf.

Salsa Brava

Located on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, Salsa Brava is a fearsome reef break with a reputation for breaking boards and manning surfers. Salsa Brava breaks during the winter with a solid north, northeast, or east-by-northeast swell. Salsa Brava is easily Costa Rica surfing’s heaviest wave. This hollow, thick-lipped wave breaks over a shallow reef shelf. If you stick the steep drop and pull in, you’ll score the barrel of your life. If you miss it, you may take one of the worst beatings a wave can dish out.

If you’re considering taking a surf trip, head to the best surf school in Central America to get the most out of your Costa Rica surfing experience. Head to our website to book today!

Costa Rica Surfing surfing

At Safari Surf School, we teach hundreds of new surfers every year. For many guests, surfing becomes, not just a lifelong hobby, but a passion. We have guests return year after year to further improve their surfing. Playa Guiones isn’t just the ultimate beginner wave, it’s a great wave for progression, where intermediate surfers can learn to generate speed, carve, and turn. If you’ve learned to pop up, bottom turn, and ride cleanly down the wave, it’s time to take your surfing to the next level. Our team at Safari Surf School has put together a list of surf tips to help you achieve your goals in the water. Whether you’re gearing up for a surf trip, prepping for winter swell season at home, or just looking to improve your overall surfing, continue reading below for How to Take Your Surfing to the Next Level with These Intermediate Surf Tips.

Intermediate Surf Tip #1 Surf the Right Board for Your Skill Level

Happy smiling faces of the Safari Surf crew

One of the worst things a surfer can do for their progression is to ride the wrong board. Our number one surf tip is for surfers to spend ample time learning before changing boards. While it may be tempting to jump on the latest shortboard model once you have mastered the basics. You still have a long way to go. Shortboards lack the float and stability that new surfers need. We teach our new surfers on beginner-friendly soft top surfboards. Eventually, those students progress to traditional longboards that allow them to trim, turn, and carve. If students have a desire to downsize further, they then progress to a mid-length, which has plenty of stability and float with increased maneuverability. Once a new surfer has learned to generate speed, carve, and turn on a longer board, they’re ready to move to a high-volume shortboard.

Look Down the Line

Intermediate surfers who struggle to ride on the upper portion of the wave’s face can do so by looking down the line. This surf tip will help surfers who struggle to make fast-breaking waves. When you’re surfing, your head and shoulders essentially act as a steering wheel. Where you look while riding dictates where you go. So, as you get to your feet during your pop-up, turn your head and shoulders and look down the line. Where your head and shoulders face, your hips will follow, and you’ll be riding cleanly down the line.

Surf With Your Whole Body

As you progress as a surfer and begin to ride shorter boards, you’ll need to learn to generate speed. Surfers generate speed by climbing up and down the wave’s face, finding pockets of speed in the wave’s steeper sections. The most effective way to pump for speed is to utilize your entire body. As you drop into a wave and come off your bottom turn, throw your weight towards the wave’s face by extending your body and arms up towards the wave. This shift in positioning and weight will pull you up the wave face. As you rise up the face, compress by bending your knees to lower your center of gravity and descend the wave face with ample speed.

Lead Your Turns

Just like when generating speed, turning requires our whole bodies. Doing a proper cutback requires several steps. Step 1: compress and shift your weight towards your back foot. Step 2: Start your turn by leading the turn with your hands. Move your leading arm in the direction you want to turn by rotation at the hips and shoulders. Step 3: Follow your lead arm with your gaze, turning your head as you rotate. Step 3: Engage your outside rail as your board rotates through the turn. Step 4: rebound off the white water and continue surfing in the packet.

Surf on the Top Two-Thirds of the Wave

The top two-thirds of the wave contains 90% of the wave’s speed and power. As an intermediate surfer, you want to increase your time riding on the top two-thirds of the wave. When you surf on the lowest third of the wave, you can’t generate speed or climb the wave face, and the wave will often outrun you. Surfing on the top two-thirds of the wave allows you to use the wave’s power and steepness to generate speed and set up maneuvers.

Whether you’re new to surfing or an intermediate surfer who wants to continue improving, our surf coaches in Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador have what it takes to help you accomplish your surfing goals. Nothing is better for your surfing than an immersive surf trip to a world-class wave. Head to our website to book your trip today!

surf tips surfing

These Waves Put Costa Rica Surfing on the Map