Jaco/Hermosa best surf spots

dont get eaten by crocodiles

 

but it's so much more rewarding to figure it out for yourself...

 

and so easy considering its maybe a 3 mile stretch of coast with a road running along it.

 

well, i was trying not to state the blindingly obvious. lol!

 

costa rica isn't exactly a remote frontier. i find it hard to believe that you couldn't have dug up this information yourself w/ a little bit of research & effort (& i do mean a LITTLE BIT). but instead, you tried to take the easy/lazy way out, hoping to get the info you sought handed to you on a platter. then get pissy when people called you on it.

 

Have you considered looking through past threads about where to go? Just search any of your locations and you'll probably find a bunch of threads started by unimaginative, spoon fed whiners like yourself.




No offense to prior posters. It just seems this guys is a b!t<h.

 

They're just jealous.

Stayed at the Best Western in Jaco last april. It's a hundred yards or so from the north end of the beach. There was a pretty good break right out front. Lots of chest high closeouts were coming through all week but there was a deep spot in that area with plenty of nice shoulders to be found. There seemed to be a lot more surf activity at the south end of the beach but other than a bunch of surf schools I didn't see any reason other than habit for the lineup to be more crowded down there.

With that being said, get on it early. Trade winds started blowing like clockwork 10-10:30 leaving closeout mushburgers for the rest of the day.

Can't help with Hermosa.

If you can get Imperial to chime in he has a place in Jaco and has a lot of local info.

P.S. No I didn't get any of this info from a previous thread. If I had it would've been much easier to pick a hotel. Believe me, I read every CR thread I could find before I left. I was on a honeymoon and only had a few hrs. to surf every day. I just got lucky on the hotel location.

 

skip right by Jaco and go to hermosa. Jaco is a surf town, Hermosa is a surf spot.

 

search throughout Hermosa and you'll find a wave that suits you. wont take you long..

 

if you're looking for good waves, hermosa. if you're looking for a beach scene, jaco

 

surf forums do not constitute the entirety of available surfing knowledge. there's so much info on costa rica out there in the form of books, websites, mag articles, blogs, etc...it really shouldn't have been a matter of "luck of the draw" to score an exceptionally nice hotel w/in easy access or even walking distance of a good wave.
& i'm not sure where you're getting the jealousy thing from. i've been there 3x & am going back again for my honeymoon in july. i've already got everything sorted in terms of accommodations & surf access. it wasn't hard to figure out, even if i'd never been there before.

 

I was in Jaco a couple of weeks ago. Nothing much there while I was in town but beginners stuff and waist to chest closeouts. Found some stuff south. Yep, do your research before you drive. Plenty of places with easy access and easy to find online. The locals are super nice and helpful. Just show respect in their waves. Watch the tides too. High tide seems to work well around there in a lot of places. Oh, and keep an eye out for crocs. The day after I surfed down there, they spotted two of them in the line up where we had been surfing. Didn't sound like an everyday event but none-the-less...

 

Jaco does have a purpose. If its too big and dumping in Hermosa, and you're stuck in that area, then there's a chance that Jaco is smaller and surfable. That was the case when I was there two years ago. Fun waves

 

Like he said "Any help would be awesome." Just adding my $.02

Looks like it sparked a little discussion that might actually help the guy. Mission accomplished.

 

agree with most of this. Jaco basically sucks unless hermosa is too big and closed out. its been a while since ive been down but the best break were south of the backyard bar and roca loca. there are some really fun breaks even further south like esterillos. Tulin was my favorite though.

 

Hermosa is the place to go. The wave there can be very serious when it gets big. It is notorious for breaking boards. The cautions on the saltwater crocs are real especially up near Tarcoles. PM me if you want more detailed info. We're headed back for a month at the end of June, good luck.

 

Jaco is fun on anything up to 5 -7 ft. After that it just shuts down. There are peaks up and down the beach with a fun wave at the north end in front of Clarita's Bar (great place to hang), in front of the Best Western, and out in front of the El Hicaco restaturant. The southern part of Jaco is a little of a softer wave. By all means surf Hermosa....peaks everywhere. Pull down the road past the soccer field and there's a great wave, in front of Backyards Bar is another, and of course the Almendro "Tree". The further south you go the further out it breaks. Just drive down the road and find your own peak. If Hermosa is too big...which it shouldn't be this time of year or you just want to check out a different place, head 45 minutes north to Bocca Barranca. Its a rivermouth with 500 plus yard lefts...but it need a big south swell. Esterellios is about 15 minutes south of Hermosa and its a rock reef...super fun wave that doesn't break nearly as hard as Hermosa. Its all about finding waves and there are plenty in Costa Rica...having a little bit of direction is always cool. I've got most of my advice from local friends who I've come to know over the years. Anyone knockin the adivce is just a f*%*n retard. Thats what the forums are for and besides NOTHING IS A "SECRET" anymore with the internet. Besides most haven't even been out of the dam states!!! Hope you catch some good surf....Enjoy the Pura Vida my brother!!!