Advice on Costa Trip

you went to guiones mushy beach break good for longboarders but there are great breaks nearby! lots of gringos in that town. costa rica is super eady you dont need much advise. if your a begginer/intermediate go to guiones if you want hollow waves hermosa/dominical is a great option. pavones is inconsistent but amazing left. the guy going in january very bad call. you may not surf a day at the point. january it may be flat as big southwests dont generally happen in january. sorry to be a know it all . used to live there.

 

pavones is still super fun when it's small it just doesn't connect all they way through until about head and a half. At head high it runs to about the half way point and another take off spot forms because the wave doesn't have enough ass to push through that section without closing out. Winter go to the carib! Summer costa/nica/panama. Pretty simple formula...

 

I am in Costa right now about to catch a plane back to the states. Hermosa was a blast. We showed up to 8 to 10 foot + faces and big barrels. We went to esterillos which is fun for beginners the wave breaks on the outside then reforms but can be really fun and rippable. I like the inlet at Esterrilos Central. We also went to Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa, but be warned, the vibe there off the third rock set is not that great. This pu**y local and a few of his friends were looking for a fight and the waves were only 3-4 ft. Also there are hypodermic needles EVERYWHERE on the beach which to me is absolutely disgusting. You want to take in the beauty of the area but can not stop looking at your feet. I am going to head back in June but will most likely stay in Hermosa. If it rains hard the water there will smell a bit from the runoff but it is completly worth it for some double overhead waves. I was going to rent a car and travel up the Nicoya Pennisula but didnt because the car companies charge a $1500 hold on your account plus the cost of the car so we were not able to get around as easy. Playa Negra looks awesome but is much more accesable from Liberia. If you do fly in there you have pretty easy access to Nicaragua as well. In terms of other activities, without even a question, take the $2 bus to Santa Elena. I did a zipline tour through %100 Adventura that has a superman zipline over 1500 meters long and about 150 meters above the canopy. My favorite there though is the canyon repel tour. It is nuts. Have fun.

 

funny you say that about santa teresa, my father told me that it reminded him of vietnam so we left (when a nam vet says the place reminds him of nam, time to leave....)

 

If pavones is small or flat, head south on the beach road til you come to punta banco. Its about three miles to the south of pavones. There is always a wave here with NO crowds. It faces open ocean so it usually has a wave when pavones is small or flat. Paddle out in front of the school and soccer field. Can't surf it at low tide due to the rocks...mid to high tide only. Fun wave!

 

^very good call, that day all ticos eyes looked a little more slanty....

 

Thanks for the tip imperial. I am going to stay at una ola where the guide I talked to seems very knowledgeable, I'll repost to this thread or something after letting you all know how it wass

 

I went last month to ST/MP area for the 4th time and it was definitely a little more shady than it has been before. I didn't see any needles around and the only time anyone offered me drugs was the same guy that has offered them to me every year for the last 4 years. Not to sound hokie but that place just has a bad vibe for whatever reason. The surf was solid everyday though with chest high being the normal. That being said there is probably more info on CR on this website than anywhere I've seen.

 

Walk the beach from Playa Carmen to Santa Teresa, look down and you'll know what I am talking about. They are supposed to be paving the roads through there as we speak as well. I think the local population is p*ssed to say the least. I thought that it was going to be way different but honestly Santa Teresa was one of my least favorite places in Costa Rica.

 

i think most of us that surf a lot on the east coast go there bescause the waves are great and the plane ticket is cheap. but other then that it isnt hard to run up a bill down there next time i go i want to camp it out. it did cost me quite a bit to get from liberia to mal pais. maybe i should of flown into san juan.