COSTA RICA - Video Pavones

COSTA RICA - About Pavones

Pavones is one of Costa Rica's most famous surf breaks offering one of the world's longest lefts which, on a good day, can connect for 2 - 3 minute rides. The wave has several sections which allow for carving, pumping and, of course, showing off for the folks sipping on their Imperials at the Cantina at the end of the break. This area is extremely remote and if you can catch it on a good day, the logistical nightmares surrounding your arrival will be well worth it.

However, there are many things to consider before traveling to Pavones. Due to its location on the interior of the Golfo Dulce, it is blocked from many swells and can go for weeks with no surf. Moreover, once the swell hits, it is common to see a large crowd of international travelers (+ the protective locals) battling for position. We recommend not going here until you know there is surf... because once you get there, it's a long way back!

COSTA RICA - Best Surf Points

Central & Southern Pacific:

Boca Barranca : It’s a river mouth with a very long left. Paved road. Lots of places to stay. Some of the best waves in the country specially for longboards.

Playa Escondida : Its located to the south from Jacó where you can get a taxi and head to an excellent point break that form a very good left and a surfable right.

Playa Jacó : Its 2 hours away from San José. This waves tend to close out when it gets over 5 feet. Close to a great quantity of places like playa Hermosa, Escondida, Barranca and Puntarenas. Lots of hotels, cabins, restaurants, bars and camp grounds.

Roca Loca : A rocky point next to Jacó with rights that break over submerged rocks.

Playa Hermosa : Very strong beach break. Its a long beach break but the preferred point its located in front of a large tree called "El Almendro". The waves conditions are generally best when the tide is rising.

Playa Dominical : Good, strong beach breaks with lefts and rights. Very tropical with beautiful landscapes.

Pavones : Excellent left point, considered one of the largest in the world. Good shape and very fast.

Caribbean :

Manzanillo : A very fast beach break located 20km from Puerto Viejo. Easy to get to.

Puerto Viejo : A very thick and voluminous wave that comes from deep water to a shallow reef. Its called "Salsa" for its juice power.

Black Beach, Cahuita : Excellent beach break, not well known and therefore not crowded. You can find waves there all year round.

Playa Bonita : A point reef break. Very thick powerful and dangerous left. 50km north of Limon.

Northern Pacific :

Potrero Grande : A right point, with very feast and hollow waves. 270km from San José with no road access. You have to go to Playas del Coco or Playa Ocotal and take a boat.

Playa Naranjo : "Roca Bruja" also called "Witch's Rock" one of the best beach breaks in the country with very strong offshore winds from December to March. Its located in the National Park Santa Rosa so a 4WD is a must.

Playa Grande : Beach Breaks located 20 min north of Tamarindo.

Playa Tamarindo : Here you can find two different points the first one is a rocky one called "Pico Pequeño" in front of the hotel Tamarindo, and "El Estaro" an excellent river mouth break.

Langosta : A right and left point break that curls off the mouth of the mouth of a small river, 1 km south of Tamarindo.

Avellanas : Good beach break, very hollow rights and lefts. 15km south of Tamarindo.

Playa Negra : A right point break with very fast waves. Restaurant and Cabins on the point.

Playa Coyote, Manzanillo and Mal Pais : Beach breaks, with very consistent lefts and rights and several points.

COSTA RICA - Getting There

By Plane

It takes between 3 and 7 hours to fly to Costa Rica from most U.S. cities. Most international flights still land in San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport (airport code SJO). However, more and more direct international flights are touching down in Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport (airport code LIR). Delta, American,US Airways, America West, and Continental have regular nonstop commercial flights to Liberia from their hubs in Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Houston, respectively. Liberia is the gateway to the beaches of the Guanacaste region and the Nicoya Peninsula, and a direct flight here eliminates the need for a separate commuter flight in a small aircraft or roughly 5 hours in a car or bus.

The Major Airlines -- Numerous airlines fly into Costa Rica. Be warned that the smaller Latin American carriers tend to make several stops (sometimes unscheduled) en route to San José, thus increasing flying time.

The airlines listed here currently serve Costa Rica from the U.S. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S. and Canada or tel. 257-1266 in Costa Rica; www.aa.com) has flights from Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas-Fort Worth to San José and Liberia. Continental (tel. 800/231-0856 in the U.S. and Canada, or 0800/044-0005 in Costa Rica; www.continental.com) offers flights daily from Houston and Newark to San José, and a daily flight from Houston to Liberia. Delta (tel. 800/241-4141 in the U.S. and Canada, or 0800/056-2002 in Costa Rica; www.delta.com) offers two daily flights from Atlanta to San José and one daily flight from Atlanta to Liberia. Delta also has a once-weekly direct flight from Los Angeles to Liberia. Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com) is scheduled to begin nonstop service between Denver and San Jose at the end of November 2007. Mexicana (tel. 800/531-7921 in the U.S. and Canada, or 441-9377 in Costa Rica; www.mexicana.com) flies from many North American cities, most connecting through Mexico City. Spirit Air (tel. 800/772-7117; www.spiritair.com) has three weekly direct flights between Ft. Lauderdale and San José. US Airways (tel. 800/622-1015 in the U.S. and Canada or 0800/011-0793 in Costa Rica; www.usairways.com) has direct flights from Charlotte to San José and Liberia. Grupo Taca (tel. 800/400-8222 in the U.S. and Canada, or 299-8222 in Costa Rica; www.grupotaca.com) is a group of Central American airlines, with direct flights or connections to and from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, New York, Miami, and Washington.

From Europe, you can take any major carrier to a hub city such as Miami or New York and then make connections to Costa Rica. Alternatively, Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) from Toronto, Iberia (www.iberia.com) from Spain, and Martin Air (www.martinairusa.com) from Holland have established routes to San José, some direct and others with one connection.

COSTA RICA SURFING VIDEO

COSTA RICA - Surf Break Map

SURFING IN COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a well known and well developed surfing destination - especially since featuring in Endless Summer 2; direct flights from the USA also add to its popularity. The country is safe, beautiful, friendly and blessed with great surfing on both coasts. It is, however one of the more expensive countries in the central and south Americas, with the positive aspect that hotels are good quality and car rental relatively easy and safe.

The surfing can be broken into three main areas: The Pacific North (Guanacaste-Nicoya), the Pacific South (Punta Arenas) and the Caribbean. Surf towns are developing in places such as Jaco, Tamarindo and Puerto Viejo. Year round warm water, warm air and offshore breezes (in Guanacaste) make for great conditions. The best waves occur in the rainy season (northern Hemisphere 'summer') on the pacific side, and in the hot dry season ('winter') on the Caribbean - ensuring that you should be able to find surf someplace.

The rainy season (especialy September and October) are very wet - with most of the countries secondary roads becoming impassable (even to 4x4s).
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
Coastline: 1,290 km
Climate: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes.

COSTA RICA SURF-MAP

WHY COSTA RICA?

Although we could write a book about surfing in Costa Rica and why it has become one of the world's top surf destinations, we will assume that if you are looking into traveling here, you have already read that chapter... you know...

*Warm water
*Consistent year round surf
*Affordable prices
*Easy access to breaks
*Over 700 miles of coastline, both Pacific and Caribbean oceans (and thousands of breaks)
*Friendly people
*International surfing tournaments
*Great surf camps

Not to mention active volcanoes, white water rafting, monkeys, canopy tours, snorkeling, mountain biking, windsurfing, sailing, eco-minded culture, great food, the list goes on and on.
Let's face it... if you're going international, there are many places to surf. But Costa Rica has the right combination of travel perks...