Also a perfect combined destination if your girlfriend doesn’t surf! 😉
Costa Rica, the land known for its beautiful nature and for surfers mostly for the perfect surf it has to offer. We where looking for a new holiday destination where we could combine ocean with jungle. Yes my girlfriend loves green tropical jungle rainforests and I don’t mind being out on the water the whole day. Normally I would be looking for a place with stormy winds in combination with big waves. Not the easiest of combinations but so far it worked out pretty good. But does Costa Rica have wind besides waves?
After some research I found people are having awesome foilsup sessions in Costa Rica. Also people used to windsurf quite a lot in Costa Rica, but only in 2 certain areas of the country. Good thing I got addicted on the new Wingsurf and Foilsup. Combine this ‘new’ watersports with a 3 week road trip through the country and hang out with the sloth, becoming a birdwatcher (850 different species) and stumble through the rainforest. It sounded like a great plan and it was! Costa Rica is a great place to combine these kind of sports with jungle and have great time together! 😉 And yes in boardshorts and bikini all the time!
Here’s is some of the information your after when interested in wingsurfing or supfoiling/surffoiling:
Two areas with consistent wind in Costa Rica
As mentioned there are 2 areas where it is windy in Costa Rica, but on during its summer months December to April. (winter in Europe, so perfect timing).”
First wingsurf spot is Lake Arenal, yes its a lake and maybe its good for leaning moves?
Forecast can be pretty windy for this area. I brought a 4.2 Slingshot Slingwing along and actually had to time it right worried that might be to windy for this size.
The lake is pretty big and the wind can be quite local. There is actually still a wind and kitesurf center called Tico wind located on the spot you want to be. It’s a nice spot where you can chill without the wind and in the shade if needed. There where lots of US windsurfers that rented equipment from this place. Most of them being the age of my parents. Pretty funny to see. Also funny, while wingsurfing has only been around for just so many months.. there was another guy going for his first wing meters.
We haven’t had time to check any other spots. But there are not that many spots on the lake where you can get near the water. The Tico center was also private property and you have to pay 10 us dollar when you enter the water. They do keep an eye on you and you and your girlfriend can use its facilities.
The day we where there the wind was gusty for the whole day. Probably because of the weather that was changing a lot. We even had a rainbow that lasted for a hour! Overall the wind was perfect for the 4.2 slingwing. On the water it was not busy. I guess it was more crowded with people chilling a the Tico center. The lake is already deep enough 1 meter from the shore to launch the foil. Outside the wind generally was a bit stronger. The wind was a bit gusty, probably because of the mountains as well. But using the wing and foil its actually less of problem then when you would windsurf. There was some windchop, but nothing that really could be ridden by the foil. The float of the 120L Wave Chaser board was perfect in between gusts.
The next day the wind forecast was more nuclear. And this also appeared to be the case. Apparently you do get some windwaves with this kind of wind. Way to windy for the 4.2, so we moved onwards.
Second wingsurf spot is Bahía de Salinas in the north of Costa Rica
All the way in the North of Costa Rica, next to the border with Nicaragua, there is a bay called Bahía de Salinas. It’s where we started and ended our roadtrip. The forecast on windguru was actually nuclear winds everyday in the weeks before our trip. Apparently this was also the case when we talked to kiters that where there already. Apart from kiters there was no one else on the water. Yes there where giant turtles swimming around for which you really have to be careful! When it would get more busy on the water they generally went away for a while. But during flight I did have to do some touchdowns on the water just to make sure one would not popup right in front of me. This could be a consideration in whether this place will evolve to a good wingsurfspot. Some of the other ingredients where definitely there. On high tide it was possible to ride the wind swell. This bay is protected from the ocean waves and won’t get in. That makes it especially for learning wingsurfing a good spot. I would recommend a nice accommodation for the girlfriend so she can chill. On the beach it was difficult to find a spot without wind and its mostly covered with small rocks. The good thing, there are accommodations right a the spot. (we stayed at Playa Copal and found a perfect host in Oscar from www.paraisobeachrental.com)
If you expect a green landscape this area might be a bit disappointing. During the windy months its dry season, which means this are gets really dry and the vegetation is covered by dryforest. In summer months trees loose all off there leaves. Positive thing its much easier to spot birds and reptiles.
I found the wind to be very gusty. The gusts where actually a bit to strong for my 4.2 Slingwing. I would certainly recommend to bring smaller wings. The foil I used was an infinity 76 frontwing from Slingshot. This size was actually perfect.
I wouldn’t mind going back though to practise some more. It’s a nice non touristy area besides some kitesurfers and lost tourists. Because of the wind, this are is actually really nice temperature wise. Some areas did get very hot. The water in this bay is colder then in for example Nosara. Combined with strong wind, a thin wetsuit/ shorty could be recommended to bring.
Other wingsurf spot in Costa Rica
If your lucky I’m sure there you can find some magic sessions out there! The rest of the coast isn’t known for wind. But while driving around the wind did almost get enough. Maybe with a bigger wing and foil…
Supfoiling in Costa Rica
There are so many known surfspots in Costa Rica. We only had time to visit a few and some of them where very crowded with surfers. Though I managed to do some foiling at one of the busiest surfing beaches. Playa Guiones at Nosara. With the small waves that where around high tide worked best for this spot. I went at the area where they had supcamps. When they went out, I went in. Otherwise I think it’s a no go. The good news is…. in the Nosara area there is some great foiling potential! I did find more people foiling around playa Garza on the outside reef. It’s a long paddle, but it can be worth it for sure!
Which airport should I fly to?
I would recommend flying in to Liberia airport. It’s close to all the spots mentioned and not as hectic as San José.
Let me us know what you think of this article in the comment area below?!