| Country | Currency | Safety |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Pesos | Organized crime, Banditos, Driving at Night |
| U. S. | U.S. Dollars | Violent crime, theft. |
| Costa Rica | Colones | Theft, use caution at night, driving hazards. |
| Barbados | Barbadian Dollars |
Safe, but getting more dangerous. |
| Dominican Republic |
Dominican Pesos |
Caution at night. Driving hazards. |
| Puerto Rico | U.S. Dollars | Violent crime, theft. |
| Place | Wetsuit | Wave Size |
|---|---|---|
| Baja | Full, Booties, Trunks | waist high to giant |
| California | Spring, Full, Booties |
waist high to giant |
| Florida | Trunks, Spring, Full |
waist high to overhead |
| Costa Rica | Trunks | waist high to double overhead |
| Barbados | Trunks, Top | waist high to double overhead |
| Dominican Republic |
Trunks, Top | waist high to triple overhead |
| Puerto Rico | Trunks | waist high to giant |
Costa Rica has been a popular surfing destination for some time now and it shows. There are American Ex-Pat surfers all over the place as well as surf shops, surf camps, and hotels catering to surfers. There is good reason for all of this, and that is that Costa Rica has great surf. Costa Rica can be divided into 4 different regions for surfers and they are the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast, and the Caribbean Coast. Each region is very distinct.
The North Coast is drier than the rest of Costa Rica. This part of the country is located in the Guanacaste Province and has some world class surf spots including Witches Rock and Ollie’s Point. It also has Costa Rica’s version of Surf City in the city of Tamarindo. Here you’ll find surf shops, plenty of places to stay and eat, and some nightlife. South of Tamarindo is Nosara and Playa Guiones which are two very good surf spots.
South of Guanacaste is the Central Coast of Costa Rica including the Nicoya Peninsula. The Nicoya Peninsula can be a difficult place to travel during the rainy season, but has some quality surf spots around the town of Mal Pais. The rest of the Central Coast of Costa Rica is on the other side of the Nicoya Peninsula and includes the long lefts of Boca Barranca, the city of Jaco, and thepowerful beach breaks of Playa Hermosa.
The southern part of Costa Rica includes the Osa Peninsula. The most popular surf spot on this part of the coast is Pavones, possibly the longest left in the world. It can handle a large swell and even a large crowd. This part of the country borders Panama and is much wetter than the rest of Costa Rica so travelling by car is not always easy.
The Caribbean Coast has a smaller swell window than the rest of Costa Rica. December-March and July and August are the main times to surf this part of the country. It also seems a little sketchier, but the break Salsa Brava is located on this coast. The name says it all, you better be brave to surf this hollow wave.
Costa Rica has a well-educated population and no army. It is known to be the most stable country in Central America and is sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Central America. There are plenty of good places to eat and sleep, good roads, and great surf. Costa Rica is an excellent destination for a surf trip.