La Escuela del Sol

Playa Montezuma Surf Spot

Most people walk right past this spot on the way to Playa Grande from Montezuma, because it’s rocky and a short ride. Playa los Cedros is rocky too, but relatively safe. This one, on the other hand, is dangerously rocky, but good surfers who know it will surf it anyway.

It’s nearly in front of Ylang Ylang hotel, and if you’re staying there or nearby, and you want to try surfing it, be sure to check out the rocks at low tide first.

Be careful with spot. People have died here (swimming) when unfamiliar with the location of the rocks.

Montezuma Bay Surf Spot

The bay in Montezuma itself is only is surfable when it’s HUGE and a good south swell. When it’s breaking, it’s pretty much the only wave you can ride in the entire southern Nicoya peninsula, because it will be closing out just about everywhere else.

For more photos of what it’s like on a big day, see this post: Montezuma Epic Surf Day.

Rio Lajas Rivermouth / Los Reyes Surf Spot

“Reyes” is just before the Cabuya bridge at the Rio Lajas. Park on the main road, or drive in at a narrow road where there’s room at the beach to park a handful of cars.

This break is a right-hander, and can run for several hundred meters on a great day. Because it’s on the inside of the peninsula, it needs a good south swell to really break.

This surf spot can be really great, but getting into and out of the water is not. At most tide levels you’ll need to walk across a hundred meters of very sharp, loose rock. Bring some booties if you can. It’s annoying enough to keep many people from surfing here, and it’s often deserted.

To the right (south) it breaks really well right at the rivermouth and you can take both lefts and rights.

Cabuya Island Surf Spot

Sometimes known as the Cabuya Island secret spot, this is a heavy left-hand point break that isn’t surfed much because it’s such a long walk, without shade, to get there. Plus, you need to time it correctly because you can only walk out at low tide. But, for those who live in the area, it can be great at times, and makes for an epic day of surfing.

To get there, walk to the beach from the center of Cabuya town, and at low tide the seas will part and like Moses, you can walk right out to the island. The break is on the far side of the island on the right. On the left is a great snorkeling spot, but the water can be very murky much of the time.

Playa Grande Montezuma

Playa Grande is the favorite surf spot in Montezuma, even though it’s a 30-minute walk to the north. The hike is pretty epic, along some of the most beautiful beaches and trails in Costa Rica, and makes a great warm-up. Most of the surf retreats such as Anamaya and La Escuela del Sol send their students to Playa Grande for their lessons.

Along the way, you will probably see monkeys and sometimes other animals such as a coati (known as pizotes in Spanish) or an anteater.

The locals will carry a short board all the way, but for most tourists, or anyone with a longer board, it’s better to work with one of the surf outfitters that store their boards in a shack out at Playa Grande. You can arrange this with Mauricio or Young Vision.

The land behind Playa Grande is owned by a family in Montezuma and is now part of a huge private nature reserve. There are no roads here so the only way is to walk in. There’s now a turtle egg sanctuary, with volunteers working around the clock to protect the eggs from poachers and to help the babies reach the water when they hatch.

More info about Playa Grande:

Playa Grande Montezuma

High Tide Surf School – Mauricio

Maurico Sanchez has been teaching surfing in Montezuma for 10 years or more, surfing for more than 20 years, and has lived in Montezuma all his life. He works with many of the area’s hotels and surf retreats, such as Anamaya Resort.

High Tide also does board rentals.

Contact:

High Tide Surf School: Website

Phone: 8890-2864 cell / 2642-0263 home

Email: Mauricio

Facebook: Maurico Sanchez / High Tide

Mal Pais Surfing

Malpais is just south of Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa, on the other side of the Nicoya Peninsula from Montezuma. Malpais is a 30-minute drive from Montezuma.

Malpais is mostly rocky beaches, so isn’t frequented much by serious surfers. However, it has several notable surf breaks:

Sunset Reef is at the far south end of Malpais. Park by the fishermen’s boats and walk around them into the grounds of the abandoned Sunset Reef hotel. This epic hotel was abandoned because it was built illegally on public land, too close to the beach.

Punta Barigona is a smaller wave to the south of the huge rock that juts out into the ocean. This wave is good for beginners and only working at high tide.

Mar Azul is on the other side of the rock from Punta Barigona. Also a high-tide break, it’s a left-hand point and is popular with the surfers who live in Malpais and who prefer to ride here rather than drive to the sandy beaches of Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa to the north.

More Info on Malpais

Malpaisbeach.com – Santa Teresa and Malpais surfing, hotels, real estate, vacation rentals and all types of travel help.

Santa Teresa Surfing

Santa Teresa is a long white sand beach, rated one of the most beautiful in the world by Forbes magazine.

It has a series of great breaks, with the most well-known at La Lora Amarillo. “La Lora” is right next to the epic point break “Suck Rock” and this is a very popular, and consistent spot, about the same quality as Playa Carmen. North of Santa Teresa are a lot of rocky beaches, with a hidden surf spot or two known only to locals. After a couple of miles is Playa Hermosa, which has several surf camps, a point break, but is still never crowded because it’s fairly remote compared to Teresa and Carmen.

From Montezuma, it’s a half-hour drive across the peninsula to Santa Teresa. Surfers staying in Montezuma will head over to the pacific side of the peninsula when the waves are too small in Montezuma, since St Teresa faces out to the pacific and thus catches more, and bigger swells.

Santa Teresa Waves and Girls Video:

Playa Carmen Surfing

On the other side of the Nicoya peninsula, when you first drop down from the jungle-covered plateau above, you will find the great surf beach called “Playa Carmen”. The best surf spot in the area sits right in front of the commercial center of the Santa Teresa and Malpais villages, with two banks, a french/belgian bakery, sushi, and half a dozen surf shops. On the beach is the Coco Logo nightclub and a beachfront Pizzeria.

The surfing at Playa Carmen is probably the most consistent in the area, and is typically crowded at sunset, with experts outside and beginners inside riding the whitewater. To the left the rocky beaches of Malpais start, so it’s good to keep to the north of the parking lot.

Because the waves are so consistently good here, many of the surf competitions are held here as well.

When the waves are too small in Montezuma, the surf schools on the inland side will head over to Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen, which faces out to the Pacific ocean, so get larger swells, and more of them. The reverse is true as well… when the waves are huge and closing out, surfers will head over to Montezuma and Cabuya.