Q COSTA RICA — Ivanka Trump once again chose Costa Rica for one of her family getaways, and surfing was among the main activities of her stay. The businesswoman and former White House advisor was photographed on Sunday, August 23, 2026, surfing on a Costa Rican beach, confirming a connection with the country that has been ongoing for the past few years.
The images were initially released by the American media outlet TMZ, which described the trip as a “family getaway.” In the photographs, Trump appears wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and black swimwear while attempting to ride the waves on a surfboard. On several occasions, she managed to stay upright and even performed the traditional “shaka” gesture associated with surf culture, although he also ended up in the water during some attempts.
The international magazine ¡HOLA! USA also covered the visit and noted that Trump, 44, used a longboard during the session. According to the publication, the photographs show an improvement in his skills: he managed to get up, maintain his balance, and continue trying to surf after several falls.
This is not, however, a recent hobby nor an isolated visit.
🌊 Ivanka Trump shows off surf skills during Costa Rica getaway.
📸: Backgrid pic.twitter.com/Z5q1HhzzLh
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 24, 2026
For several years, Costa Rica has become one of Ivanka Trump and her family’s frequent destinations, especially for the beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula and the opportunities they offer for surfing, nature, and outdoor activities.
A relationship with Costa Rica that began years ago. Immigration records document at least four visits by Trump: February 2022, February 2023, March-April 2024, and April 2025, before last weekend’s appearance, which reinforced a trend that had already caught the attention of the Costa Rican tourism sector.
In 2025, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) included Ivanka Trump among more than 40 international figures who had visited Costa Rica between 2024 and the first months of 2025. Among the favorite destinations of this group were Tamarindo, Nosara, and Papagayo in Guanacaste; Santa Teresa in Puntarenas; La Fortuna in Alajuela; and Puerto Viejo in Limón.
The ICT highlighted at the time that celebrity posts and their subsequent reproduction in international media amplify the country’s exposure as a destination associated with nature, privacy, wellness, and outdoor activities.
Having stepped away from a formal White House position after serving as an advisor to her father between 2017 and 2021, Ivanka has maintained a relatively more private profile in recent years, focusing on her family. Costa Rica, meanwhile, appears time and again among her vacation destinations.
Now, four years after her trips to the country began to be regularly documented, Ivanka Trump returned to the same setting that has featured prominently in much of her Costa Rican vacation: the ocean, a surfboard, and the Pacific beaches.