Costa Rica’s Top 5 Surf Spots
It’s no secret that Costa Rica is home to some amazing surf spots. Costa Rica has always been known among surfers and travelers as a main surf destination, with lots of awesome breaks for surfers of all levels. Whether you’re an advanced surfer whose been getting barreled for years, or a beginner just figuring out how to paddle and stand up, Costa Rica has a surf spot perfect for your level. With so many amazing surf spots to choose from around Tamarindo, it’s hard to narrow down the top 5 waves, but we gave it a shot!
- Tamarindo Tamarindo is a major surf destination for all surfers who visit Costa Rica. Located in the heart of the Guanacaste Province, Tamarindo is a lively beach town with a great beach and an awesome surf spot for beginners and intermediate surfers. The wave is consistent year round and the water is always warm, making this an ideal surf spot any time you visit. Many surf lessons and surf camps are available in this area for surfers who are new to the scene.
- Playa Negra Just south of Tamarindo surfers will discover Playa Negra, a beautiful dark-sand beach known for its right-hand barrel waves. The wave at Playa Negra is a reef break and make sure to watch out for rocks and urchins during low tide. Playa Negra is good for experienced surfers who want a fun, consistent right break. The best way to reach Playa Negra is with a 4×4 vehicle as the dirt road that accesses the beach can be a bit of an adventure!
- Playa Avellanas Playa Avellanas, which features a sandy beach break, super fun river mouth and “Little Hawaii”, a solid right handed reef break. Avellanas is also located just south of Tamarindo but unlike Playa Negra, Playa Avellanas has a wave perfect for all skill levels. Beginners, intermediate and expert surfers can have fun on this stretch of beach which produces fun left and rights. You’ll need a car to reach this surf spot but the good news is because it’s a bit out of the way, the beach remains less crowded than others except for the few surfers you’ll be sharing the wave with.
- Playa Grande A more popular destination than Playa Avellanas is Playa Grande, separated from Tamarindo by the Matapalo River. Playa Grande gets crowded on the weekends with surfers of all skill levels coming to enjoy the left and right breaks. The sandy bottom makes this a great place for beginners to practice their skills as a spill means hitting a soft bottom rather than rocks or coral. And, if you happen to visit Playa Grande during the months of May to October you’ll have the chance to witness leatherback turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs.
- Playa Marbella South of all the other spots is Playa Marbella, a chill beach with a couple of breaks that are good for both beginners and more experienced surfers. Playa Marbella is pretty empty most days except for other surfers and the only thing to watch out for are the riptides that can get strong. While Playa Marbella is a bit hard to find, it’s worth the effort for this fun, consistent wave.
