Costa Rica or Puerto Escondido?

costa. it will be head high everyday and perfect. i went last year and had time of my life. i dont know much about puerto escondido

 

puerto escondido can get really beast, costa on the other hand will probably head high at the most.

 

You rode Hull Bay at 16 foot!!! When I was was there last year during one of those storms of the century late march 2008 it was only just over head if I remember right. Had a friend go to escondito with his brother. First paddle out on a head high day his brother took a wave right into his back and it broke both his back and the board under him . Go to Costa.

 

depends on what you are looking for. I've been to both places.

Puerto Escondido is the heaviest wave I have ever surfed. Giant barrels that close out the majority of the time. It gets big, really big. Puerto is an extremely easy trip, because you'll stay right in front of the break and just walk there.

If you want to surf moderate sized, less threatening waves, then Puerto is not the place for you. If you are just looking for that one mental shack that will make your trip, then ya, go for it.

 

No sharks in Costa Rica. You have to worry about Crocs or Aligators ( I always get the two mixed up). 3 Months before I went a kid got attacked in the lineup right at the "big tree" (famous spot).

If you have been to puerto 8 times then why not try something different? I have never been to puerto but I hear about it a lot and would think the waves were better there...atleast size wise. I caught costa at 10ft+ last month for 2-3 days. The rest of the time it was about 6-8ft. A small every day, day at costa will be head high... the only problem is, the place is supper tide dependent and the wind is ****ed up for most of the day. At Hermosa you have to hope that you catch the incoming tide during the A.M. when the winds are dead offshore.

I recommend Hermosa because from what I hear it is the most consistent. I only have experience with Hermosa so I can't speak for Tam or Southern CR. You can stay right on the beach and it is a good starting point because if the waves are maxing out there then all the spots around it will be really fun. They call Hermosa the puerto/pipe of Costa.

As for empty waves...I was there during their "on season" and it was less crowded then any place I ever surfed. We got a good two days up at Bocca Borraca and it got really crowded there but it is one of the longest left points on the planet so people were spread out. Sometimes a nice little right breaks mid/inside reef. It was breaking when I was there. If you catch it at the size we had it at you could take a wave all the way from the farthest point for about a mile to this little pier on the inside. Sometimes you will get a little barrel section on takeoff but the wave generally does not barrel. 2-3 waves there and you are done for the day.

Other then that the people were amazing and just make sure you give back to them while you are there. Left over wax/beer/tips. A little bit goes a long way with the locals there. Trust me.

P.S. If you are goofy then you will love it...The Land of Lefts

 

ive been to both places as well. if youve been to puerto 8 times there really no reason to go to costa. its almost like youre downgrading. i got totally skunked in cost rica and i love puerto so i guess im kind of bias. hermosa is almost like a smaller, less powerful verson of puerto. id say either puerto again or even nicaragua or panama or something.

 

in feb, I'd do puerto. that's a fairly weak time for CR waves. You probably ought to check out the violence situation there before booking a trip to be sure it's safe since there's alot of heavy stuff going down in Mexico right now.

 

looks like you answered your question.

 

i love costa. just the vibe there beats anywhere i surf. and haha well most people on here probably dont know the spot that im talking about, but actually in costa, there is a spot just south of hermosa and esterillos, there is a break called escondido. only accesible by boat. its nothing like the real escon but still so much fun there. here is a video of the spot..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pCJg_39A-k

 

I love Costa, can't say enough good things about it. I lived there for a year and my wife is from there, but Jan and Feb are the worst months of the year as far as surf (on the Pacific) and the most crowded. The Caribe will be BIG, not sure about the crowds, just went there in Nov and March, but there they are mainly reefs so small take off zones so the crowds can be small but still a pain. I would check out Costa just for the experience but try and go in a different month if you can, and just bring a rocket fish and you can ride anything, unless you go the the Caribe.

 

Toomy, you arent the rancho coral tommy are you?

 

I have no idea what you are talking about, so no.

 

Just got back from 2 weeks in Puerto and have spent many months in Costa. Unless you like getting worked the hardest you every will in your life, go to Costa. Feb is not the season for Puerto neither is March really but I got kinda lucky. The real south swells start to hit the beach break later in the spring and make it less closed out. Having said that, there is another spot near by that loves the SW swells we scored. Costa usually always has playful good waves and many more places to surf near by...

Here is a good Puerto cam

http://www.puertoescondidoinfo.com/puertocam.html

 

chris, you have fun? how big did it get for you?

 

We caught the beach break soild dbl OH and the boogie spot around the corner with an occasional 8 to 10 foot a-frame peak moving to a few foot oh line. Nothing epic but plenty of power at that size as you know. The sand is getting perfect now as well. We saw positive change in the time we were there.

Saw you are going there in April, should be a blast. I can give you a few local boogie names that are beyond cool and will hook you up.