Surfing Dominical Beach in Costa Rica

Surfing Dominical Beach in Costa Rica is fun and very challenging. If you are not familiar with this particular surf break and you think that you are a knowledgeable surfer, you should use caution. Yes, there are lifeguards on duty that are very good but I would not depend on them to save you. If you decide to surf this break take every precaution. I would not recommend surfing it on a low tide. It can get really shallow and the waves can be incredibly hollow.

I talked to several locals and long time surfers of Dominical who have snapped many surfboards. In fact my friend repaired over 100 surfboards the first season he surfed the break. Getting to Dominical is pretty easy. You arrive at San Jose International airport. After clearing customs, take one of the red cabs to Musoc bus terminal and buy a ticket to San Isidro de General (Perez Zeledon) Don't get confused, the town has two names. Hey, it's Costa Rica! A bus leaves every hour on the half hour starting at 5:30AM until 5:30PM. It takes a little over 3 hours, including a 15 minute stop near the half way point of the trip and costs about $4 each way. They stop at this little place called a "Soda" where you can eat and use the bathroom if you need to. When you get to San Isidro de General you must walk across town to the Central Market.

The Central Market is where you can catch the bus to Dominical. In San Isidro there are two afternoon buses to Playa Dominical. The first bus from San Isidro leaves at 1:30pm and the last is at 4:00pm. When you reach Dominical the first stop will be just after the soccer field. I like to take the bus to the last stop because it's one block from the beach. About one block from the bus stop you will see a place called Poco a Poco. Free internet is provided if you are a customer and buy a smoothie or any of the good food they have on the menu at Poco a Poco.

The food is great at "Poco a Poco" and the owner does not care if you hang out and watch a movie or just chill in the hammocks out side. You know how they say getting there is half the fun, I wouldn't say this applies to Dominical, because being in Dominical is all the fun! There are plenty of places to stay no matter what your budget is. You can stay at the Green Iguana for around $50.00 a night or there are many places to pitch a tent near the beach that charge very minimally for a nights stay. Also plenty of there are locals willing to rent out a room if you just ask around.

So, while you are in Dominical, Costa Rica take a look up or down the beach and you will see plenty of places to surf. I spent a few weeks in Dominical surfing their great waves. I recommend that you only surf on an incoming medium tide.The waves break on the beach and it is normally pretty shallow there and can get pretty hollow. I would say when the waves are overhead that Dominical is an intermediate wave as far as skill level goes. On that note, Dominical has some great surf schools and can be a good place to learn to surf. The bottom is pretty sandy in most places out front, but I would still use caution if you tend to fall a lot. As a surf break, Dominical is one of the best I have surfed. If you are thinking of visiting Costa Rica I would say Dominical is worth the time checking out.