What's the best surf trip out there?

Both are good options. Nicaragua is more mellow nightlife wise, whereas you could stay near a town in costa rica so you have something to do if the waves are flat. Peru is a good option too (Punta Hermosa), although it will be their winter so full suit is a must.

 

Who told you nica had empty lineups??? Thats was a looong time ago. Nica can get just as crowded even more so than many CR breaks. Just about everywhere you go now a days will be crowded especially if your not lookng for anything too sketchy I would seek out a nice beach break where its would be spread out. If you havent done much travelling I would suggest CR for you.. Get the surfguide and check out the descriptions of the breaks see what your interested in and go to CR you can travel around there very easily with a 4x4 anytime of year and explore many different spots. I have been there 8x's and have done both the exploring and staying put in one place trips so its good for both let me know if you want more info Nica is more rugged and is crowded no matter what the ads say.. No night life.. not much is chioce of food options etc.. Costa is a great place for a verity of things so I would go there first unless all you wanna do is surf and then you can goto a camp in NIca and have meals etc..

 

there are places in costa where you will be surfing so alone it's scary, and that may be 5 minutes down the road from a major surf hub like dominical... oh it just might...

 

I thought about Nica and CR, and then I thought otherwise. It's bad enough when 4 kooks rock up in their mom's SUV. Then I started thinking about 1 or 2 boats floating up with 10 guys each. I think I'd rather go somewhere else.

 

empty lineups hahah. not anywhere in central america. go to cold water youll get better waves with empty lineups and youll get epic points. costa rica is all kooks. place is packed. your better off peru.

 

You can't go wrong with CR. Aaaactually... you can. Especially at the Monkey Bar in Jaco. Go to the Monkey Bar in Jaco.

Definitely factor in weather and road conditions between where you stay and where you roam around to surf. Some places in CR -- especially in the south -- are somewhat inaccessible during the rainy season unless you rent something other than the typical Suzuki Sidekick-like 4x4. It all depends on your comfort level, but all you need to remember is FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE, because you won't have as much fun without it unless you stick to the main roads.

The northwest is drier than the rest of the country, but I don't know if that holds true the father north into Nica you go. It's still gonna rain but if it's your first time, Tamarindo makes a decent base camp and has services and nightlife. And there are miles and miles of surrounding beaches. Some are sketchy, desolate, or crowded, but there are always uncrowded peaks to be had if you're patient and look around.

Don't forget to bring compostable baby wipes.

 

you have obviously never been. We are talking about hundreds of miles of coast line. It's your own fault if you don't leave the resort town.

 

just about everything about that area is sketchy. Just trying to get to a surf spot is a trek. For instance, in CR, you have to fly out on the equivalent of a twin prop winnebago to get to any of the good surf towns (or drive forever on some sketchy roads with a lot of drunk drivers)...bring a parachute, a barf bag and immodium/pepto bismol.

Then, you have to deal with all the drunks, thieves, crack heads, drug mules and criminal fugitive ex-pats hiding out there.

There's usually a couple of crowded spots near the towns, but places like witches rock are in the middle of nowhere...another long ass, bumpy drive or boat ride (the wave is damn prefect, though...at least, in winter)

Summer is the "off-season" down there. It rains torrentially almost every day and the winds are frequently wonky. You will get surf, but not the premium CR experience.

 

both are great choices for a surf trip, so.....do both. go to costa this year, then nica next year, or vice versa. ull be stoked no matter what. PM me if u want any info on Nica, i live there most of the year. i am heading back down in a few weeks. have fun.

 

The best surf trip out there is Namotu Fiji!

 

if you're going to costa in summer (especially may) expect bigger surf. if you want consistency I would go oct-jan. Learn some basic spanish if you don't already. Bring more clothes than you need (old shirts, shorts, hats, etc you don't wear can bring some good karma if you give them to the locals) and even a beater board if you're feelin froggy. There are so many option in central america, so don't just limit yourself to cr or nica. check out el salvador and panama as well.

if money and time aren't an issue then the best surf trip out there would be to follow the WCT for a season. Which will be what I do for a year when I win that mega millions jackpot.

 

If you're going to CR to surf Summer is the "on season"

 

1- hoglog is on point, that or the mentawai's
2- if you cant find empty lineups in centro you are doing it wrong (granted its been 10 years, but I surfed with just my buddy, a lot for a month in nica)
3-between CR and Nica (like choosing between the fatty and the ugly one with glasses) Nica has offshore winds almost all day erryday while Costa doesnt have that going for it.

 

Are you limited to centro america? What about Australia or Europe? Europe in late summer early fall can be damn good too. They get hurricane swells. If the surf sucks, you're in Europe!

 

Always wanted to try Ireland myself. Saw a movie about it once and the waves looked world class.

 

cold water

peru has 3x the surf of ca. i've done both many times. said this before but if its about
'the trip' then ca but if its about 'surfing' then peru mucho mejor.

 

Truth.

 

Indo would probably be the best trip out there. Like everyone else said Nicaragua is very crowded now but the all day offshores help make up for it. Two of the more fun and cheaper trips I've taken were to the Azores and Morocco.

 

I would have to say that Nicaragua is a little more advanced surfing then Costa. Not as empty as you might think though. There's a lot more reef and rocks in Nica and most breaks are a little more serious then some of the ones you may find in Costa. You'll definitely get some good surf that time of year in either place though.

Like the other poster mentioned, there's not a whole lot of night life in Nica, great if you're going to just surf but as far as other activities Costa would be the better of the two. Accessibility wise Costa would also be the better choice. Its quite a trek to the beach and breaks from the airport in Nica and getting around is a little tougher. If Witches is where you are wanting to go you can actually fly right into Liberia which is just a hop, skip and a jump from there! Its way more easier and less hassle then flying into San Jose. Customs is a breeze and you're outta there a few minutes after you land! Its about 20-30 minutes from Tamarindo and Playa Grande. From there you can shoot up to Witches Rock. Landing in San Jose and renting a car then driving up north would be an all day affair!