Costa Rica is famous for surfing. It is also famous for yoga, wellness, warm weather, tropical beaches, and the general national philosophy that life does not improve simply because you are rushing through it.
Our Soul Surfer experience brings those things together.
You can arrive as a complete beginner who has never touched a surfboard, or as an experienced surfer who wants to spend part of a Costa Rica retreat exploring the waves of the southern Nicoya Peninsula. The week combines surf instruction, yoga, healthy food, and the rest of the Anamaya experience rather than treating surfing as an isolated activity.
Surfing for Every Level
Beginners start with the fundamentals: ocean awareness, board position, paddling, wave selection, and the pop-up. Our local instructors adjust the lesson to the person rather than assuming everyone learns at the same speed.
A good beginner lesson is not about being pushed into wave after wave until you accidentally stand. The goal is to understand enough about what is happening that each attempt starts teaching you something.
If you want to prepare before arriving, read our Surfing for Beginners guide. Surfline’s detailed Learn to Surf tutorial is also excellent.
Experienced surfers have access to a much wider range of local conditions, especially around Santa Teresa and Mal Pais. We choose locations based on swell, tide, wind, and the needs of the group.
Yoga With an Ocean View
Yoga is not included simply because yoga retreats are popular in Costa Rica. It is an unusually good complement to surfing.
Paddling loads the shoulders and upper back. The pop-up requires hip mobility, coordination, and speed. Riding a wave demands balance and constant adjustment. Yoga helps build mobility, body awareness, breathing control, and the ability to stay relaxed when something becomes difficult.
Read Yoga & Surfing Truly Are Soul Mates for a deeper explanation of why the combination works.
At Anamaya, yoga takes place on an open deck with sweeping views of the Pacific and coastline. Depending on the retreat week, classes may include energizing morning practice and slower restorative sessions later in the day.
Where We Surf
Playa Grande, Montezuma
Playa Grande is our classic beginner surf destination. The beach is reached on foot from Montezuma along a beautiful coastal and jungle trail. Because there is no direct road access, it remains far less developed than most surf beaches.
The main beginner area is sandy, spacious, and typically smaller than Santa Teresa. The trip may also include wildlife, freshwater at Piedra Colorada, and sections of coastline where sea turtle conservation has taken place.
Our Playa Grande Surf Adventure shows the full experience.
Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa
Across the peninsula, Santa Teresa offers a long run of beach-break peaks with much more surf variety. Surfline’s Santa Teresa guide describes it as an all-abilities break, although larger swells can make it challenging very quickly.
Playa Hermosa just north of Santa Teresa is generally smaller and gentler and is a common choice for surf schools. See our full Santa Teresa surf guide for more about the area.
Surf, Then Recover
Surfing uses more energy than most beginners expect. That is why the rest of the retreat matters.
You return to healthy meals, yoga, the infinity pool, and the option to add massage and bodywork. You can hike to the Montezuma waterfalls, join beach excursions, explore the area, or give your shoulders a day off.
This is not a contest to see how many hours you can spend in the ocean. The best week usually has a rhythm of activity and recovery.
Surfing in Costa Rica Throughout the Year
The southern Nicoya Peninsula receives surf year-round, but conditions vary. Green-season south and southwest swells tend to bring larger surf to the Pacific coast. The dry season often produces smaller, friendlier conditions for beginners.
For a national overview, see the official Visit Costa Rica surfing guide or Lonely Planet’s updated guide to Costa Rica’s best surf spots.
Because tides and daily conditions matter, surf sessions are scheduled around the ocean rather than forcing every lesson into the same hour.
Before paddling out, we also strongly recommend reading our Surfing Safety and Etiquette guide. Knowing right of way, board control, and how to behave in a lineup is part of learning to surf.
A Different Kind of Surf Camp
The point of Soul Surfer is not to turn the week into an athletic training camp.
It is to wake up in one of the most beautiful corners of Costa Rica, move your body, learn something difficult, spend time in the ocean, eat well, meet interesting people, and discover why surfers will reorganize entire lives around the possibility of a good wave.
You may come for yoga and discover surfing.
You may come for surfing and discover that you desperately needed the yoga.
Either way, Costa Rica is a very good place to find out.
This article is part of our complete guide to surfing in Costa Rica at Anamaya.
