The best surf spots in Costa Rica depend on the month and on your level. A first lesson belongs at Tamarindo, Samara, or Jacó. A week of sandy peaks belongs at Playa Guiones in Nosara. Heavier walls are Santa Teresa, Dominical, and Playa Hermosa near Jacó. Pavones is the long left, and only on a south swell. Salsa Brava, at Puerto Viejo, is the heavy reef, mostly from December to March.
The Pacific works for most of the year. The Caribbean is shorter, heavier, and often flat from about May to November. The water on both coasts stays warm enough that a wetsuit is rare.
Tamarindo is a sandy bay on the North Pacific, a short drive from the Liberia airport. It has more than one peak: the main beach, and the river mouth toward Playa Langosta. Dry-season waves are the kinder ones. In the green season the same bay is bigger, and the paddle out takes longer. Tide matters. Some peaks only work once the water pushes up, and others disappear at low tide. Playa Grande, across the estuary in Las Baulas, is a stronger beach break a short boat ride north, or a longer drive around. It is not the lesson beach.
Samara is the quieter place for a first lesson. The bay is more protected than Tamarindo, the whitewater is soft, and the town behind it is small.
Jacó is the easy beach from San José, with sandy peaks for a lesson and a busier town behind them.
