Prime surfing is one of Costa Rica’s main assets, drawing tens of thousands of eager boarders each year. Long stretches of oceanfront provide thousands of beach breaks. Numerous rivers offer quality sandbar river-mouth breaks, particularly on the Pacific coast. The coral reefs on the Caribbean coast, says Costa Rican surf expert Peter Brennan, “take the speed limit to the max.” And there are plenty of surf camps.

If the surf blows out or goes flat before you are ready to pack it in for the day, you can simply jump over to the other coast, or—on the Pacific—head north or south. If one break isn’t working, another is sure to be cooking. You rarely see monster-size, Hawaiian-type waves, but they’re nicely shaped, long, and tubular, and in places never-ending—often nearly a kilometer!

All the major surf beaches have surf shops where board sales and rentals are offered. Many hotels and car rental companies offer discounts to surfers.

Generally, your double board bag flies free (or for a small fee) as a second piece of checked luggage on international airlines. Airlines require that you pack your board in a board bag. (Within Costa Rica, Nature Air permits short boards, but not long boards, for a $40 fee.)

Costa Rican Surf Report (www.crsurf.com) is a great information source, as are Surf Costa Rica (www.surfcostarica.com); the Costa Rica Surfing Guide (www.costaricasurfguide.com); and H2O Surf Travel Guide: Costa Rica (http://h2osurftravel.com). In Costa Rica, look for Surfos, a slick biannual magazine available free.

Board rentals and repair, plus surfing tuition, are available at all the main surfing beaches.