Playa Grande
Surfing – something my husband and I both have always wanted to do! I love to water ski and snow ski, so surfing just seemed to be a great new adventure to try. I am accustomed to wake surfing behind a boat, so I knew I would enjoy surfing in the ocean! We stayed in Guanacaste at the Westin all-inclusive, and I researched online to find a surfing coach who looked to be good and professional. Check out the rest of our stay here! We booked a lesson with Point Break Surf School, and it was great! We contacted them in advance to be sure they could pick us up from the hotel, and we met them on the beach in front of our resort. They drove up on the sand in their 4×4, and the instructors were exactly what I pictured Costa Rican surfers to look like. The owner, Mike, was extremely friendly and spoke English fluently with a New Zealand accent – I felt like I was in a surfer movie!
Wooded Trail to the Beach
We drove to a spot in the woods, and got out of the car to take a short walk through the woods to the beach. When the woods opened to the beach (Playa Grande), it was breathtaking. It was completely secluded, and we were surrounded by nothing but ocean, sand, and woods. The water was smooth, crystal clear, and the most beautiful shade of blue I had seen! There appeared to be very few waves to my untrained eye, but they were the perfect size for learning. By the end of the lesson the waves grew with our skill with perfect timing. These instructors knew what they were doing!
Our lesson lasted two hours (which was the perfect time period – I was exhausted by the end!) and was comprised of just four students – my husband and I and one other couple. We started with a lesson on the beach, with Mike and the other instructors giving tips and safety instructions. We practiced a few times on the sand before heading out into the waves. Two native Costa Rican instructors went out into the water with us, and they spoke English very well. Apparently surfing is a universal language because I never felt that I had any problems communicating.
 practicing on the beach |
 High Five |
We were up and surfing in no time! WIth the help of my instructor, I was able to surf all the way to the beach on my very first try. The instructors were encouraging and positive, and made the whole experience a blast! They also had a professional photographer who came along and took pictures. We were able to purchase a CD of all of the pics for a very reasonable price! After an hour of surfing, we had a short break and were provided fresh fruit to gear up for the next hour. We had an amazing time, and I have no complaints. I do, however, recommend wearing long board shorts (something like these from Fox Racing). I had brought some with me to Costa Rica, but changed my mind at the last minute and then regretted it. Point Break Surf (thankfully) does provide you with a rash guard shirt, but I still managed to get a rash on my leg, and was wishing I had brought my other shorts!
 woohoo! |
 Kent |
Mike and the photographer were also kind enough to take a quick video with our cell phones for us. Check out our video to see how we did our first time surfing!
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