Costa rica

it depends which airline you're using. i know some have a set fee for "oversize" bags. the rentals down there aren't that bad but the MBM will most likely be better especially if you're used to riding it. if you plan on traveling to that particular spot in costa rica more often, buying a used board then giving it away will earn you respect and more waves next time you come.

 

You didn't mention what area of Costa but this is one of the better Costa surfing web sites just click on links section left side if you want to check out some of the surf shop for rentals. If you're going to Tamarindo you shouldn't have any trouble finding what you need and some shops will reply to to E-mail too

http://www.crsurf.com


WOW, 11 days Have Fun and stay wet

 

Ill break it down for ya/////
Option 1: Bring your own- If you plan to surf all 11 days its worth it to bring your own stick. More often than not you can get away with 2 in one bag. Expect to pay about 100 each way.(both USAir and Tico both charge this price).

Option 2: renting-
Expect to pay between $10-20 US / day to rent a decent board. You may be able to catch a 10 day deal if you bargain a little. Also depends where you are going, some places have no surf shops or boards, some places (tamarindo, jaco, dominical) have surf shops galore. You will likely be coming through Jaco at some point if you fly into SJO. Jaco is the surf(board) capital of costa. A great place to rent and...

Option 3: Buying then selling- If you will be coming through one of the major surf hubs i mentioned above, you might find it worth while to buy a board and sell it back on the way out. You might find that you only lose 50-100 bucks making it a win over flying, but you never know what you get.

Option 4: meet some locals. On my last trip I borrowed a board the whole time, and it came with a complimentary amateur pharmacist and tour guide

Enjoy it man, I did it twice last year and I have to resist the impulse to but a ticket almost every payday... PM me if you need any advice, Iv toured that coast from Ollies down to Pavones. Loved every mile of it too. Bring a good camera because the scenery along the highways will blow your mind.

 

lee the stud is pretty spot on. i went to costa rica guanacoste region a coulpe of years ago. tamarindo has plenty of places to rent from for reasonable prices. the main boards in stock were merricks firewires lost and stretch. l changed boards a couple times throug hout the week. the next time i go back how ever ill take my own board. Its worth the money to have your own board because you already have it dialed in. its not every day your in costa rica so to me its justified to spend a few extra and take my own stick. either way your guaranteed to have a wonderful time. one other thing. if you rent a vehicle which i recomend make sure you buckle up. my wife and i ran into several road blocks. On one instance i wasnt buckled up and the cops were getting ready to site me however 30 dollars american got us off but it was a close call cuz i had enjoyed a couple of beers after a session and we were nervous. have fun.

 

Buy a used board. You dont want to damage your go to board. Its the waves, not the board that will make the trip.

 

i just got back from a month in costa. if you are going thru jaco you will have no problem findind a used board. the place is loaded with them. i was shocked at how many there were. if you are looking to stay in that area check out the rancho grande in playa hermosa. its on the right just past the soccer field. its a great place to stay right on the beach and its inexpensive.

 

Sounds like a lot of good info here. If you do rent a car ask the rental car company to make a copy of your drivers license and passport. NEVER give your original documents to the police, they will hold it until you pay their shakedown. Also, NEVER pay a cop who has just pulled you over. It's a racket and they generally will not write you a real ticket if you say that's what you want.

One last thing, never leave anything in your car, locked or unlocked. CR is safe for you, but your stuff is most coveted and will be taken at any opportunity.

Pura Vida

 

personally, i can't imagine traveling w/out my boards. but i'm rather picky about my equipment.
i would also recommend making the copies of your DL & passport prior to leaving the US. leave a copy w/ someone you can trust & get a hold of easily if something happens...they can fax that copy to the embassy if you lose your original somehow (it happens). i always make 2 copies...leave one at home & take one w/ me, stashed someplace away from my actual passport.
i agree w/ the suggestion to leave nothing of value in the rental car...in fact, when i go surfing, i usually just park the car w/ the windows wide open & doors unlocked. that way, any potential thieves don't have to bust the windows to find out there's nothing in it.
as for cops, sometimes it's just easier to pay them off & be on your way. certainly easier than dealing w/ the hassle & headache if they decide to be a prick. last time i was there, a cop who stopped us was threatening to take us to prison if we didn't pay the ticket then & there. i forget what the amount was in colones, but it was the equivalent of about $20. & we were on our way, free & easy.

 

Second this. Our truck got broken into while we were surfing 200 yards from it. The locals are good people, but there are always bad apples- and they are career thieves. At least the good ones move on to San Jose. I recall hearing the statistic that an average of 500 passports/year get reported stolen in that airport.

 

Sitting in the Miami airport on the way back from Hermosa...a couple of things.

I rented a board this time - wished I had brought my own. I ride a quad fish hybrid . There was nothing close in Jaco. Took my own board last year. I vowed that each wave I missed was $1 to next year's airline board fee.

Also, we were pulled over while driving to Esterillios. We were completely dead-to-rights for no sea tbelt - a bid deal in CR - no driver's license, and no passport. You are supposed to have your passport or a copy with you at all times. The policeman wrote down the total fine for us to see - $700!!! Seat belt is $400 alone.

For whatever reason a higher ranking officer pulled up behind us (our guy was on a motorcycle). They talked, and when our guy came back he said for a first time we were just getting a warning. Talk about crapping bricks. Most of us had no cash, and none of us had docs.

Anyway, he was very cool and wished a good day. So each encounter is its own thing. We didn't argue, and acknowledged that we were totally in the wrong. Don't know if that made any difference - we were lucky and did a have good session.

So ya never know....

PS - a car is a must to make the most of your CR visit.

 

Get a good compass and a couple of maps. San Juan, Puerto Rico is over water to Costa Rica. Sure you aren't going to Puerto Rico? Or San Jose? LOL.

 

How steep did the rental vehicles cost/week? Exploring the possibilities of flying into San Jose, thinking about staying in Nosara. Are there any shuttles that run from the airport to Nosara? I would rent a car, but would hate to pay the weekly price if I'm just using it mainly to take the 5 hr drive from the airport to Nosara, and back when we leave.

Thanks

 

I stayed in Tamarindo, Costa Rica last april. Me and my buddy ended up renting boards at the witch's rock surf camp. They are pretty cheap and have insurance for like 10 bucks dude. It's definitely worth renting a board rather than buying one. You can rent one for the whole week even and it's resonably priced. They have a good array of shapes: plenty of al merricks, a few cool fish shapes and even a few longboards and even if you're not in that particular area they have plenty of surf shops to rent at. I recommend surfing a place called avellenos (I think that's how its spelled) or "little hawaii" it was really fun and has a fun right off the rocks. There's another place I think called the rivermouth thats pretty fun and decently consistant. It's like chest to head every day. It's awesome! Have a good time man, I'm sure it'll be a blast. Costa was one of my first surf trips too!

 

Liberia is the closer airport to Nosara (playa guiones). But, flights cost a bit more.

 

Avellana means "Hazelnut", fyi. Its a good stretch of beach with three set-ups, a reef called "little hawaii", a rocky beach break, and a rivermouth. And yes, its a fantastic place to surf. No hard feelings but dont want to mis-inform, this ain't fox news or reddit!