Surfers plain and simply love Costa Rica. Mainly because all beaches easily accessible and virtually every major surf spot is located within a four hour drive from the Central Valley, except for Pavones which requires an eight hour drive. The numerous river mouth breaks, beach breaks, and reef breaks have made Costa Rica one of the most frequented destinations for surfers worldwide. While the Pacific side offers more surf spots, surfers enjoy constant wave action along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Costa Rica is known throughout the world as a premier surfing location due to consistent waves year round, good people and awesome parties.
The surfing can be broken into three main areas: The Pacific North (Guanacaste - Nicoya), the Pacific South (Puntarenas) and the Caribbean. Surf towns are developing in places such as Jaco, Tamarindo and Puerto Viejo. Year round warm water, warm air and offshore breezes (in Guanacaste) make for great conditions. The best waves occur in the rainy season on the pacific side, and in the hot dry season on the Caribbean - ensuring that you find surf all year round.
Windsurfing is also world-class in Costa Rica. Championship surfers have been coming from all over the world for the past twenty years to ride the waves at Arenal Lake, next to Volcano Arenal in Guanacaste.