Surfing in Nosara, Costa Rica

So, what is the surfing like in Nosara, Costa Rica? Well, the first place to start, is that the name “Nosara” refers to the area, that consists of Nosara Town, Playa Guiones, and Playa Pelada. Nosara Town, is the main Costa Rican village and town center, that does not have a surf break. As for the different places to surf in Nosara, there are three main breaks: Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, and Bocas del Nosara (Nosara Rivermouth). Playa Guiones – Classic Beach Break, Surfable at all tides, multiple breaks and lineups. Playa Guiones is one of the most versatile surfing beaches in all Costa Rica. With most surfing areas in Costa Rica, there is a very specific type of wave for each. At Playa Grande, the waves are fast and hollow, but typically are not much bigger than 5-6 feet, as the sandbars will not hold bigger swell. Tamarindo has a very mushy, soft break, good for learning to surf, but leaves much to be desired for the more advanced surfer. Little Hawaii at Playa Avellanas, is a volcanic reef break, that holds wave sizes as big as the swell can deliver. Playa Guiones, on the other hand, is an incredibly versatile break. It can hold wave sizes on par with any other break in Costa Rica. There is plenty of whitewater waves on the inside and closest to the beach, which makes it a great place to learn to surf, or to take a surf lesson. A little further out, there is a middle break and sand bars, where intermediate surfers can drop into open faces and make turns on relatively easy and manageable waves. Paddle to the outside, and these are waves that will challenge the most seasoned and veteran surfers. Playa Guiones will break in just about any swell size, from just a few feet, all the way up to 12-14 foot swell. One common feature to most breaks in Costa Rica is that they are only good at high tide, and are unsurfable at low tide. Playa Guiones is one of the very few breaks that is surfable at any tide. During high tide, the waves are fuller, with giant, open faces perfect for huge turns and cutbacks, during low tide, the waves hollow out and provides plenty of opportunities to get covered up in a barrel. This fact alone, means that you don’t need to focus so much on timing the tides in order to get a good surf session. The winds are most favorably offshore in the mornings and again in the evenings and during sunset, and since Playa Guiones is surfable in both low and high tides, you will never have to worry about timing nor have a tide chart handy. There are three entrances to Playa Guiones. The main entrance can be accessed via the main road through town, that starts near Cafe de Paris, goes past Plaza Guiones, and ends at a parking lot right near the beach. There is also a north entrance, that is accessible from the road that is adjacent to the Gilded Iguana. The southern most entrance, is through a narrow path at the southernmost point of the K section. See the Namaste Oasis map to view the different beach entrances.