Costa Rica Surf Expert

Hello Mike, Where would recommend in CR my family go for some mellow "advanced beginner" surf in November? We surfed Playa Guiones a couple of summers ago and really like it. What kind of surf would we find there in Nov? Looking for low-key atmosphere like Nosara.
Thanks, Tony.

Hello Tony. Have you considered the Mal Pais area? I think you would really like it, it is very low key and has beautiful beaches and very good surf. You could stay right on the beach at the Tropico Latino which is very nice and reasonably priced.
Also if you need a rental vehicle and or private transfers or International airfare we can assist you. Probably the safest bet would be to fly into San Jose have one of our drivers pick you up and take you to Mal Pais about a 4 hr ride. Than we can have a rental car arranged for you to pick up in town. Than when you are ready to leave just drop the car off in town and than our driver will come pick you up and drive you back to the airport.
Please let me know if you have any questions and or I can book any portion of your trip for you. Regards.

Hello, I am heading to Jaco and Quepos the last week in August and cannot decide if I want to bring my boards. Considering the that it will probably cost $200 to fly them, I was thinking on renting. Can you recommend some shops to check out that have decent equipment (not soft tops, Bic or NSP)? I also thought about buying one there and selling it when I leave. Any thoughts on that? Finally, since I will be surfing by myself in an unfamiliar breaks, I was wondering about spending a day or two with a guide. What is the best way to find one? We will be at the Fuego del Sol and then La Sirena Hotel.

Hello Adam. You can find some great deals on new and especially slightly used boards in CR and than you could very easily resell it and not have to worry about lugging it back on the plane. Stop by WOW surf shop in Jaco. Chuck Heriwg is the owner and very fair.
We do have a surfguide service it is $350 per day for up to 3 people the guides will come pick you up and take you to the breaks in the area according to the conditions and the type of wave you are looking for. If you would like a guide I will be happy to set it up for you just let me know and we can reserve it for you we can have them come by and pick you up at the Fuego del sol and take you surfing.

Hey Mike, appreciate the response and the information. I'm planning on mid-Sept. Would like to do a couple other spots too as I plan on being there 7 - 10 days. Any suggestions on what type of itinerary I need to look at? Once again, thanks for the help.

Hello Oscar. As far as an itinerary goes if you were going to stay 7 days I could put a suggested itinerary together and than you can let me know what you think and than we can add day and or tweak it to what will work best for you. Once we get the itinerary and the exact dates nailed down than we can look at some airfares ( let me know where you will be flying from?) Hopefully we can find you an early flight in and a late flight out so you can surf your first and last day also. We have some very good Costa Rica airfare rates that can meet or beat any ones prices out there

Hi Mike, I need some help. My boyfriend and I are headed to CR at the beginning of September and we both want to learn to surf. We are looking for the best place to learn that has nice sandy bottoms for falling, waves that aren't so big to be intimated by. We have been researching and every site says something different and I'm worried that the weather will be crap to learn surfing in the 'green' season.
We will be spending time in Puerto Viejo but have received mixed messages about beginner surfing their - some say great others say for very experienced. Pacific or Caribbean? Where on the Pacific that won't cost allot to travel too as we are looking for a 3 or 4 day surf camp. Any advice is appreciated.

Hello I would say the Quepos/Manuel Antonio Surf camp would fit the bill it is a good consistent wave and a sand bottom like the reef bottom like a lot of spots on the Caribbean we use a couple of different surf spots in the area depending on the swell conditions and you could stay down town at the La Sirena Hotel it is safe clean and very inexpensive the surf lessons will cost $90 per day per person and include about 3 hours of surf instruction per day, surfboard rental and RT transfer to and from your hotel each day. You can check out the La Sirena Hotel another hotel is the Tres Banderas it is up on the hill in Manuel Antonio it is not down town so it is a lot more quiet the advantage of the Sirena is that being down town you can just walk to restaurants and stores but it is downtown.

Hey Mike, I'm getting back into surfing after many years out of the water, and wondering if there are lessons available for someone going through the middle age crazies (again)? If so, where would be the best bet? I'm seriously considering taking at least two weeks off from work in the very near future. Thanks for your time.

Hey Oscar. Man you could have a blast in Playa Jaco world class surf and nightlife you could stay at the Jaco Beach BW Hotel and we can have our surfguides pick you up and take you surfing each day for about 3 hours the cost of the surf lessons are $90 per day for a 3 hour long session, RT transfers to and from Hotel and rental board. Just let me know if you have any questions I will be happy to book whatever you need.

Hi Mike, I am an intermediate goofy-footed shortboarder who surfs the Jersey shore. I am comfortable in anything from waist-1 foot overhead surf, but tend to get a little intimidated when it gets bigger than that. Just got back from 4 months on Australia's gold coast, where my surfing greatly improved. I am looking for some solid lefthanders in CR in march, where would you recommend staying??

Hello Michael. It will be my pleasure to assist you. I think you should consider either Tamarindo there are a lot of good breaks in that area. Or Playa Jaco, Jaco is one of the most consistently waves in CR and there are also a lot of really great surf breaks in the surrounding area. Just let me know if I can assist you in booking any portion of your Surf trip or just answer any further questions you may have.

We're visiting Tamarindo this Christmas. My 17 y.o. surfs the Jersey waves O.K. We selected this vacation because he wants to surf the bigger waves and had a hard time deciding between Tamarindo and Jaco. Can we depend on seeing big waves and any particular spots. I've been doing a lot of reading but I'm confused. How do we get to Witch's rock and how long does it take.

Hello. If your son is looking for bigger waves he is better off surfing the Jaco/Playa Hermosa area , Playa Hermosa is usually one of the biggest more powerful waves in CR. If I can help you booking any portion of your trip please just let me know.

Hi Mike, I'll be heading down to Costa Rica the first week of December. I'm having some trouble deciding where to go in order to get some good quality surf that time of year. I'm an intermediate level short board surfer very able to hold my own but by no means a pro. Originally I was planning on heading to the Quepos area but now I'm thinking about heading to Puerto Viejo, what do you think? Any advise would be very appreciated!

Hello Heinz, Quepos/Manuel Antonio area does tend to be very small surf in December. Puerto Viejo can be a little fickle it can either flat of very big that time of year. I think the Tamarindo area might also be a good option You can check out some of the accommodations we offer in that area under the NW Pacific area on our accommodations page http://www.ticotravel.com/index/hotelsmain.htm