There are many surf spots found on the beaches of Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. The whimsical towns of Costa Rican Caribbean Coast are known for their multiculturalism, bohemian vibes and plenty of sports opportunities. Beaches and other attractions of Puerto Viejo, Limon and Cahuita have become quite famous among surf enthusiasts, sport fishermen, divers and nature lovers. Popular surf breaks found along the Caribbean Coast are:

Surf Spot: Playa BonitaPlaya Bonita

Break Type: Beach break, reef break
Difficulty Level: Experienced surfers
Ride Direction: Left
Tides: High and mid tides

Playa Bonita is a beautiful beach located north of Limon. It is very popular among the locals who go there to spend weekends. It features a beach break which can get really big before closing out and a reef break with shallow, fast and hollow waves. The waves break to the left. The best time to surf the reef break is at a mid tide while for the beach break, high tide is great. The surf spot is inconsistent and requires a big swell to work. Dry season offers the best surfing condition.

Los Tumbos

Surf Spot: Los Tumbos
Break Type: Beach break
Difficulty Level: Experienced surfers
Ride Direction: Right
Tides: All tides

Los Tumbos is a surf break located south of Playa Bonita. It presents fast, hollow and tubular waves that break to the right over a sandy bottom. The waves are world class, fairly consistent and extremely powerful, suitable only for professional surfers. The waves ride up to 300 meters with swells holding up to 10 feet. You will find Los Tumbos mostly crowded with locals and bodyboarders.

Isla Uvita

Surf Spot: Isla Uvita
Break Type: Reef-coral break
Difficulty Level: Experienced surfers
Ride Direction: Left
Best Swell Direction: Southeast, East, Northeast
Tides: All tides

Isla Uvita, translated into Island of Small Grapes, is a secluded island encircled by reef located just 40 minutes boat ride away from Limon. The deserted island has a reef break with powerful, fast and hollows waves breaking to the left over a sharp and shallow reef bottom. The waves are known to get triple overhead without closing out. Their length range from 50 to 150 meters. The waves can get even bigger when the swells are picked up from Southeast, East and Northeast direction. Isla Uvita is only safe for experienced surfers. The island is completely undeveloped and devoid of crowds.

Playa Westfalia

Surf Spot: Playa Westfalia
Break Type: Beach break
Difficulty Level: All surfers
Tides: High tides

Playa Westfalia is found on the southern region of Limon. The beach break is not very popular. The waves tend to close out when the swells get a bit large. The water is very polluted and crocodiles and sharks have been spotted in the area.

Playa Negra

Surf Spot: Playa Negra
Break Type: Beach break
Difficulty Level: All surfers
Ride Direction: Left and right
Best Swell Direction: East, Northeast
Tides: All tides – Rising and falling tides

Playa Negra, also known as the black beach, is found in Cahuita. The waves are regular, rather sloppy and break to the left and right over a sandy bottom. When the break picks up swells from east and northeast, the waves tend to get hollow and break far outside. The best time to surf is at a high tide. The break is great for beginners because the waves gentle and easy to ride. Also, the area is mostly uncrowded. Watch out for sea urchins and sharp reef.

Salsa Brava

Surf Spot: Salsa Brava
Break Type: Reef coral
Difficulty Level: Experienced surfers
Best Swell Direction: East
Ride Direction: Right
Tides: All tides

Salsa Brava is a powerful and heavy reef break boasting a Hawaiian style barrels and juice. The break is only suitable for seasoned and professional surfers.The waves are good to ride throughout the year but the months between December and March offer the biggest surf. It is a right hand reef break featuring fast, hollow and powerful waves that break over a sharp reef bottom. The waves are very consistent and mostly short ranging from 50 to 150 meters. The epic waves team up with big swells from the east and winds from the south creating a strong and heavy Hawaiian style barrel waves. The surf develops in deep water and bursts over a shallow reef with a fast and long right. The swells build up at 5 feet holding up to more than 16 feet. There are many rocks, undertows and rips so watch out for them.

Playa Cocles

Surf Spot: Playa Cocles
Break Type: Beach break
Difficulty Level: Experienced surfers
Best Swell Direction: East
Ride Direction: Right and left
Tides: High tides

Playa Cocles is a pretty beach located a few kilometers away from Puerto Viejo. It features a beach break that peels to right and left over a sandy bottom. The waves are very long riding up to 300 meter and real fun to ride when the tide is high. The break is not very consistent and tends to close out when big surfs get hollow. It is great for intermediate to advanced surfers. There are many rip currents and undertows in the water so watch out.

Playa Manzanillo

Surf Spot: Playa Manzanillo
Break Type: Reef break
Difficulty Level: All surfers
Ride Direction: Right
Tides: High tides

Playa Manzanillo is a major town for snorkelers but it also has good reef breaks for beginners. The waves are world class, consistent and break to the right over a sharp reef bottom.

Surf Camps

Popular surf camps on Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica include Surf For Life, Nomad Surfers Surf Camp, Hostel Crocodile Surf Camp, Totem Surf School and Tours and Totem Hotel Beach Resort.

For more information on Caribbean Coast surfing, visit:

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Tortuguero, also famous as the Land of Turtles, is a serene coastal village on the northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the province of Limon. The beach town is located over a sand bar island that is bordering the Caribbean Sea and is separated from the coastline by the River Tortuguero. The river is renowned for its numerous waterways and travelable canals. The jungle with many navigable canals running through it is often nicknamed as Central America’ Amazon. Tortuguero National Park, a turtle sanctuary is blooming with splendid scenery, superb tropical plants, lagoons, glorious beaches, and an intense wildlife. Nature and sport enthusiasts and wildlife lovers will definitely enjoy the heavenly beauty of the town.

Surfing in Tortuguero

There are no ideal surf spots but Tortuguero has an exposed beach break which features quite consistent waves that break both left andright. The wind direction is best from the southwest while the best waves are directed from the northeast. In Tortuguero, wind-swells are much more common as compared to than ground-swells and the ideal wave direction is from the northeast. Due to high tourism, the beach is often crowded. Watch out for the jelly fishes! To assess other surf destinations like Salsa Brava in Puerto Viejo, a boat can be taken.

Transportation

Tortuguero can be easily accessed by a boat or an air plane. There are daily flights available from Nature Air and Sansa Airlines. The planes can seat up to 20 passengers at time and the flight to Tortuguero usually lasts up to 25 minutes. The prices for the plane can vary from $70 to $120 per person. Boats can be taken from La Pavona port to the north and Moin to the south. It is recommended that you organize everything in advance so that you can have a hassle free holiday. You can also request your hotels or a tour company to arrange transportation. Upon your arrival in Tortuguera, you might still need a boat or a water taxi because most of the accommodations are situated outside the town.

Accommodations and Restaurants

There is a wide variety of options for accommodations in and around Tortuguero. Most of the lodges are located outside the village offer and features exclusive packages with transportation, guided tours and meals. In Tortuguero, most of the hotels are budget oriented with a variety of facilities. The accommodations located outside the town are variegated. Vacationers can choose to stay from cheap hostels to luxurious resorts. The hotels usually provide transportation so people don’t have to worry about the travel expenses. There are many restaurants in the village with different kind of meals such as Tico, American, and Italian and so on.

Ecosystem

Tortuguero has a sunny and humid weather conditions. The coastal village is well known for its verdurous greenery and wildlife. The forests don’t have a consistent pattern and feature swamps, lowlands, wet forests, multilayered evergreen forests, canopy trees, scrubs and volcanic hills. Wildlife is just as diverse. Nature enthusiasts will have a fine time observing brightly colored birds like toucans, macaws, hawks, egrets, herons, kingfishers and of parrots. There are numerous animals such as sloth, crocodiles, monkeys, iguanas, frogs and otters ad of course, leatherback sea turtles.

Tortuguero National Park – A Video

For further information on Tortuguero, visit:

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