How to Choose the Best Costa Rican Surf Camp for You – The Outdoor Women

surfing-costarica

Costa Rica is one of the prime surfing destinations on earth. Only Hawaii, South Africa, and Australia can hold a candle to it. A surf camp in Costa Rica is essentially your home base. It’s as important as choosing your accommodation. And in this country you can find camps to match all budgets. You can opt for the bare necessities or splash out on a luxury surfing experience. A surf retreat isn’t always about learning to surf. Lessons are optional and everyone is free to do what they want.

It’s important you choose the camp which matches your skill level, tastes, and needs. Here are some of the things you should look out for whilst choosing a surf retreat in Costa Rica.

Location

The location determines where you’re going to spend most of your time surfing. There are camps geared towards beginners and professionals. It’s because this nation is such a diverse surfing destination. You can find beaches with violent waves crashing into sharp rocks or calm waters gently lapping against the sands.

Honestly assess your current surfing skill and decide what you want from your holiday. Do you want to learn to how to advance to the next level, or do you just want to enjoy surfing at your current level in peace?

Surf Shop

All good Costa Rica surf camps should have a surf shop nearby. There’s nothing wrong if the camp itself doesn’t have a surf shop. Some don’t. Some are right next to towns where there are lots of surf shops. Montezuma is the best example. This laidback hippie village is filled with surfers who visit on a regular basis.

If you have to have just one thing in relatively close vicinity, make it the surf shop. You never know when you might have to send your board for repair or buy a new piece of equipment.

Accommodation

Think of your accommodation and what you will consider as acceptable. Some people want to have the luxury and would rather save up for five years just to get it. Others want nothing more than a shirt on their backs and a relatively soft pillow under their heads. You can find accommodation ranging from shared rooms and bunk beds to Playstations, flat screen televisions, and mini bars.

This is another important factor in your choice as the wrong accommodation can completely ruin an otherwise great holiday.

Lessons

If you want lessons, make sure the camp offers them on a regular basis. Experienced instructors should take all lessons and have a good reputation. Look at customer testimonials and reviews for evidence of this. A quick Google search will give you all the information you need.

Nearby

We don’t always want to surf. Believe it or not, we sometimes want to put the boards away and explore the rest of the country. Aim for a surf camp close to some of the places you’d like to visit. Costa Rica has the advantage of being only 50 miles across at its widest point. You can nearly always find a camp near one exciting attraction or another.

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