QCOSTARICA – Costa Rica’s opening of the air border to the world in a few days, on November 1, is a great relief for the more than 400 surf schools and instructors in the country.
A significant number of travelers choose Costa Rica to learn to surf or as a training camp, thanks to its unique conditions in the world, such as the excellent quality of the waves, warm waters and the great tourist infrastructure of the country.
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That is the sentiment of Randall Chávez, president of the Surfing Federation of Costa Rica, who indicated that this sporting discipline is ready to receive tourists from all over the world in the different beaches of the country suitable for sports.
The Minister of Sports, Hernán Solano, indicated that this is an opportunity to generate activities in the coastal areas of the country with the purpose of bringing employment and, in addition, “an alternative for Costa Rican and foreign citizens to practice sports, and emotional exercise, in such a complicated year”.
“We have on our coasts the strength for an economic reactivation, by being able to offer world sports tourism a unique experience, with protocols and a health system that guarantee their safety during their time on national soil,” added the minister.
According to data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), 17% of tourists who visited the country by air between 2017-2019 practiced surfing as part of the activities carried out during their stay, and 72% arrived for the sun and beach.
These data reveal the positioning of Costa Rica as a destination suitable for surfing, with internationally recognized beaches, such as Ollie’s Point, Witch’s Rock (made famous in the movie Endless Summer 2), Salsa Brava (site of many national surf contests), and Little Hawaii, among many others.
On average, “surfers” stay for 17 days and spend $122 per day.
“Thanks to consistent, high-quality waves and a variety of breaks, Costa Rica has been one of the world’s top surfing destinations for decades,” writes International Living
Where to go surfing in Costa Rica
Surfing in Costa Rica can be broken into four areas:
- The Carribean Coast (Limón Province)
- The North Pacific (Guanacaste – Nicoya Peninsula)
- The Central Pacific (Puntarenas)
- The South Pacific (Puntarenas)
In terms of the weather, the most pleasant months for surfing are between December and April. However, the best surfing conditions can be found between May and November.
