3.5 weeks until my first surf trip to Costa Rica... Being reading, hearing and googling too much... Need help from real visitors. Any truth to these myths? Stay out of Jaco! You can rent a "real" board (they all don't have NSP on the deck). Crocs in the line up. You don't need to know Spanish. T-shirts are like money to the locals. Same for surf wax. A 3ft wave in CR is more powerful than a 6ft wave in Belmar. Mosquitoes are not a problem. You need to surf with a hat. High Noon + Black Sand = fried feet. Sealice! Surf early. Surf late - if it glasses off. Surf booties? Don't drink the water. Don't take anything valuable to the beach or in plain site. Stay out of Jaco!
that its cheap, spanish helps, there canbe crocs dont worry though and if there is shoot em and eat em...its illegal there but really good. jaco ive never been and never herd good about. ive seen way more dirty and violent cities in the usa than anything in costa though.its pretty mellow you should have no problems.the water is fine depending where you are. i had coffee made with the local water in a little town in the middle of nowhere had the worst craps in my life keep that in mind, the cab driver did to... but for the most part you should be good.
Depends on your budget and what you're looking for...night life, etc. Typically Usually around river mouths True...but certainly helps a lot. I have a basic working knowledge and really helps. No idea Everyone appreciates wax... Depends upon location...swell, etc. Not sure...usually go in the dry season. Nah...never used one...but I usually didn't surf during midday/early afternoon winds came onshore and wasn't worth it. No doubt! Never experienced it there... Absolutely!!! Not needed... Depends on where you stay...but I didn't/don't. True...buddy had a camera bag and his sandal stolen...he was only 20 yards away from them and didn't even notice. I usually stay up north though...
Im heading down too a little after you Gfootr... Was debating on bringing my own boards or not.. now you have me wondering lol...
if yall bring your boards it varies, staying long? take em, make sure your protect them good they will get destroyed in transit. like a week.. id rent them no use in paying 200$ for them to go there then 200$ back.
I've heard the nothing valuable on the beach thing, you're flip flops will even be taken, and knowing Spanish helps.
Anyone that anxious over a trip to surf in Central American should stay home in their American sheeple living room. Or, you were just kidding.
I see nothing anxious about wanting to be knowledgeable about where your going. When I went to El Salvador I spent months reading everything I could as well as brushing up on my Spanish. I followed the road from the airport all the way to our location and looked at physical landscape features along the way on google earth. I swear I could have walked it if I had to. Sounds like good planning to me, I hate being surprised by things I could have avoided with a little research.
Do go to Playa Hermosa Jaco, reef booties are good if exploring at low tide. keep your valuables hidden and secure.
The biggest threat in Costa Rica is getting hit in the head with a Remax or Century 21 sign that you didn't see while walking at night. You also might get your crap stolen if you leave it out!
Gfooter, been a few times over the years, see below for your answers: Stay out of Jaco! -you will need to go there to get that decent board you mentioned. Don't discount that the best / most consistant wave in the country is 2.5 miles to the south as well. I don't get why all of the Americans hate Jaco, WE MADE IT WHAT IT IS! A tourist trap surf town. There is no harm in passing through, I wouldn't want to stay there very long personally but hey. You can rent a "real" board (they all don't have NSP on the deck). - In jaco there are a few shops with decent rentals. Crocs in the line up. -Stop at any bridge that crosses a river and ask this same questions again. They ARE in the rivers, and the rivers lead to the ocean, so yeah, you should use caution around river mouths. You don't need to know Spanish. -hhahaha well you don't need to know spanish in Jaco and the tourist traps. Anywhere "worth going" as everyone says you may necessito habla una pequeno espanol. T-shirts are like money to the locals. Same for surf wax. -there is no substitute for money. Maybe this was true back in the 90's. A 3ft wave in CR is more powerful than a 6ft wave in Belmar. -a 3ft wave in CR is likely at like 16 second period, so, yes, but belmar gets to 23 ft and only a few spots in cr can handle that kind of size... Mosquitoes are not a problem. -The biting flies and scorpions will distract you too much to notice them You need to surf with a hat. - only if you are a huge kook. Just some sunscreen. High Noon + Black Sand = fried feet. -High noon + ANY BEACH DOWN THERE = FRIED EVERYTHING Sealice! -Not as bad as VB in august. Surf early. Surf late - if it glasses off. -surf early, surf late, - it's hot as F**K during the mid-day hours. That's time for cervesas and siestas. Surf booties? -Well there are only like 4 reefs... so see my huge kook comment above. Don't drink the water. -This one may be true, I recall sticking to bottled water. Don't take anything valuable to the beach or in plain site. -Damn straight Stay out of Jaco! -god darnit we already went over this. Where else do you plan to meet the drunk white girls from alabama? As bonus advice from your old uncle Lee, bring a flashlight if you go anywhere after dark because the big nasty venomous snakes come out to lay in the asphault at night. There is a snake there called the Fur De Lance, a type of pit viper, it's yellow and will end your life in about an hour. There are dozens of other varieties to watch out for as well, but that yellow one...
Don't listen to all the hype man.... i got a plcae in jaco and have been going there for over 10 years. Hookers will leave you alone and the slingers won't offer you cocaina or mota if you say your not interested. Nothing wrong with jaco...its a good base camp to exlpore the rest of the pacific coast cause it has everything you need to supply up like grocery stores, gas stations, good local restaurants and even though the waves aren't great, although they can be fun, Playa Hermosa IS the mac daddy of all surf breaks in CR. Hermosa is the most consisitent and powerful wave around. You have other breaks close by as well, Boca Barannca to the north (needs a big south swell), Esterellios, Bejuco, Dominical, Uvita are all to the south. A little spanish always helps. Don't be ignorant and leave stuff in your car...hell, leave your ipad on the front seat of your car at any beach in the US and its gone. People are super friendly, food is great and the vide is chillin...hence the Pura Vida lifestyle. You got no worries man... Adios amigo!
Real good advice on bringing a flashlight for walking around at night. The ''Yellow One'' is actually an "Eyelash Viper'' and responsible for most of the fatal snakebites in Costa Rica. They are mostly found at higher elevations. The Fer de Lance is another nasty, aggressive nocturnal pit viper but not all that common. Be alert watch where you walk and you'll be fine.
You'll have a blast in Jaco and you will need to find the shortest path to the water around noon. haha. Have a good trip!
Stay out of Jaco! - Jaco after dark can be sketchy. but go to Bubba's at the Bohio for the best tacos ever if your nearby. You can rent a "real" board (they all don't have NSP on the deck) - you'll find a decent board may have to search a bit though Crocs in the line up - more likely in rainy season You don't need to know Spanish - correct. but knowing the basics helps. T-shirts are like money to the locals - not so much Same for surf wax - BYOsurfwax A 3ft wave in CR is more powerful than a 6ft wave in Belmar - true - especially in hermosa Mosquitoes are not a problem - correct You need to surf with a hat - get good sunscreen High Noon + Black Sand = fried feet - correct, run real fast to the water Sealice - it happens, take benadryl Surf early. Surf late - if it glasses off. - correct Surf booties - only if theres a reef Don't drink the water - stick to bottled to be safe Don't take anything valuable to the beach or in plain site - correct Stay out of Jaco - loaded questions
Petty thievery is endemic there. We turned our back on our locked SUV rental for less then 5 minutes at a chicken stand and they broke into it with a skeleton key and took our bag with about $700 worth of phone cards, cash, medicine, camera gear, clothes, etc. Since the chicken stand workers and other customers obviously saw what happened, we called the cops and I said that I know you know who took my stuff, and they could keep everything in the bag — that I just needed my medicine and credit cards back. The Policia told me if I paid him $100 and told him where I was staying that maybe he could get my medicine back for me within a few days. Gee thanks. Ruined the trip to say the least. Don't kid yourself, its better than most places but CR is still just another a Turd World ****hole
I haven't been in a while, but Jaco is alright, just be prepared to have people trying to sell you sex and drugs. Other then that, its a good central location, right next to Hermosa and convenient place to travel from. And, lots of restaurants and shops in town. no experience, but there are surf shops and plenty of surfers, so I'm sure you can find a decent board if you try. Yes, most certainly. We surfed a spot near a river mouth and a Croc was spotted. Needless to say, we paddled out. But, if you stay away from river mouths, then your chances are low (at least I would think). You can get by without Spanish, but it certainly helps. You will get a lot more respect in the lineup and elsewhere if you can talk to the locals in their native language. Not sure, but maybe for the local groms. Remember, surf tourism is huge over there, so they are used to tons of surfers traveling in all the time. First thing is just be respectful in the lineup and realize your not a local. The waves in Central America (Pacific) are longer period waves as compared to East Coast waves. So, if you are used to surfing 10-12 second waves, then a 17 second wave is going to feel a lot more powerful. Best guess, it depends on where and when you go. The summer is the rainy season, and you might want to do some research before you decide to go camping somewhere. The first time I went to Costa on the first day, I surfed all day and forgot sun block. I got sever sun burn! Costa is close to the Equator, so the sun is very intense. Make sure you wear sun block, rash guard, and if you have a bald head a hat wouldnt hurt. Black sand is cool, but I can't recall it ever being impossible to walk on. Its only on certain beaches. I recall seeing it on the Caribbean side. I never experienced sea lice in Costa, but I have experienced it in Delaware. Sea lice is freakin horrible, but once you get out of the water and get dried off, the lice will die off. Pretty much. The day time sun heats things up and creates onshore breezes most days. In the summer rainy season, you get a lot of passing storms which will create varying temperatures and potential midday glass offs. I've never worn them, but some people like to wear booties when they surf reef. This is a problem in some areas of Central America, like Mexico, but I don't recall this being a problem in Costa. Just kind of common sense. You are going to find thieves in any country. If you don't want to be asked to buy drugs or sex, then stay out. If you don't mind the minor inconvenience then its no big deal. Like I said, I haven't been there in a while, so maybe its a lot worse now, although, from what I heard, its not super dangerous or anything. Hope that helps.
