About Us

EXPERIENCE IN COSTA RICA SURF TRAVEL

CRSURF.com was created in 1999 to help surfers in Costa Rica find the best place to surf, to help travelers plan their trip, and to keep them informed of news and upcoming events. We have published over 600 surf reports and helped thousands of surfers and their families with their vacations. We believe in supporting sustainable, community led tourism efforts on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and have been a leader in promoting environmental causes.

CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

We are activists for the Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots organization that works to protect the world's oceans, waves, and beaches. We've helped to organize local chapters in Tamarindo, Jaco, Puerto Viejo, and Dominical by organizing beach cleanups, building and donating recycle bins, and supporting other local environmental and community groups like PRETOMA, ASANA, ATEC, Tropical Adventures, and the Dominical lifeguards. Each year CRSURF donates $100 to the Dominical lifeguards, and are also 1% for the Planet members, donating 1% of our proceeds to PRETOMA, to protect sea turtles in Costa Rica.

We are committed to promoting eco-friendly options for travelers, and will never advertise hotels, development projects, or realtors that maliciously damage the environment or the culture of the country. We treat every client with the highest level of service and work hard with our suppliers to deliver it.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Currently we sponsor two local surfers, Leilani and Noe Mar McGonagle, who compete on the Circuito Nacional de Surf, or national surf tour. They were chosen for their dedication to the sport and the connection they have with their community. Every community in Costa Rica has some great athletes who deserve sponsorship, so we report their accomplishments on the website and in monthly articles published in Costa Rica and the United States (The Beachside Resident). You can read them all on the FAQs page.

Here's what others had to say...

FROMMERS 2010 Travel Guide (p.106):
"If you're looking for an organized surf vacation ... check out www.crsurf.com."

LONELY PLANET - Central America on a Shoestring (p.630):
"Log on to www.crsurf.com for information, including tide charts and surf reports."

LONELY PLANET - Costa Rica (p.54):
"Surfers should .. log on to the Costa Rica Surf Report (www.crsurf.com) for everything you need to know before your trip."

HUNTER Travel Guide - Costa Rica (p.16):
"Check out www.crsurf.com for the latest updates."

9-12-11 - All was great! We went to Hermosa(near Jaco) and caught a good swell. Both car rentals we had with Europcar went really good. The shuttle was at the airport when we arrived and got us going pretty quickly. No problems at all and look forward to using your help in future trips. Parker F

9-12-11 - We had a great trip. Got pick-up at the Liberia airport and was shuttle to car rental facility. The process was very quick. We have a condo in Tamarindo. We've used you our last three trips and all has gone very well, can't beat your prices. ~ Karri W

9-12-11 - The vehicle rental went fine. There wasn't a Grand Vitara available for us when we arrived but they provided a larger Mitsubishi vehicle and, since I had booked wanting enough room for 3 larger-sized gringos, that was fine with us. In summary, I would use both your services and theirs again and was very satisfied. Oh, the waves were also very good in Hermosa and Jaco and we returned to Florida in time to surf swell from hurricanes Irene and Katia. All good. Bueno, Al R.

9-12-11 - Our rental car experience was very smooth with no surprises, and the Bego turned out to be a great vehicle. The employees were very nice and assisted my husband when we had difficulties with the navigator we brought from home. The rates offered were the best around, and I will definitely use them again when we visit Costa Rica. We spent 5 nights in Tamarindo at a home we rented on the beach, 3 nights at the Nayara Hotel in Arenal, and 3 nights at an apartment we rented in Flamingo. Thank you for your referral! ~Carol E.

6-13-11 - Overall the rental experience went great and our trip was a blast. ~Lisa P.

6-12-11 - We had a fantastic time. Went to Mal Pias and Nosara. Waves were head high or better every day, I hit the swell just right. All arrangements went well. (One small thing was 2 flats on the same tire, but what can you say with the roads down there) ~ Dave W.

6-11-11 - Everything with the car was PERFECT! Great value. Thanks so much. Will be visiting again in July so will be in touch! Thanks, Mark W.

5-19-11 - We had an awesome family trip! Thanks for all the info and advice you offered, it was very helpful. We were very happy with the rental car and the service we received from Europcar. ~ Laurence C.

3-23-11 - Everything went very well and thank you for all your help. The kids were already talking about next years trip before we left to come home. i would recommend for those driving as we did to rent a GPS as we did as that was quite valuable when traveling on curvy mountain roads with narrow bridges and river crossings. The vehicle was just right for the 5 of us. We actually drove to witches rock and it handled the last 15 km of rocky terrain without much difficulty. We enjoyed all three places we visited which gave us a good tour of the Nicoya Peninsula. Surfing conditions were different in each place. We liked Playa Grande near Tamarindo. Really liked the atmosphere in Nosara. More opportunity for beginners to surf. Had a great time fishing on a half day charter out of Playa Garza with Capt. Ryan Bombard of Aqua Zul Charters. His parents own the Harbor Reef. My youngest, Erik(14) enjoyed the surf in Santa Teresa the most...he was in sync with the waves there. Ivan(20) found a window of wind and was able to Kite the last day before we had to head off to the ferry. Overall, everyone had a great time and experience. ~ Gunnar Z.

2-15-11 - Everything went really well with the trip and the car. We did have to use the 4x4 on a few occasions so it was nice to have. We also met some other people who had paid 2x as much as us for car rental so I was happy to know we got a great deal. ~ Craig

2-14-11 - Everything went very well on the trip, we had a great time, car was perfect and the service excellent , the guy showed up right on time was very happy with everything, thanks a mil. ~ Colin O.

2-11-11 - In a word - fantastic. Up skiing this weekend but I'll send more detail when I'm home. May be back down for a couple of days the end of March. Need some more waves. ~ Tom

2-11-11 - It was my dad who went down this time. He had a great time. No worries with the rental. They didnt have the yaris but upgraded to a 4x4 so he was happy with that.

1-24-11 - On a scale of 1 to 10 our trip was definitely a 10! Great people! My husband and I were remarking that we didn't see any crabby people the whole time. (Except one of the tour guides at Manuel Antonio who was arguing with our tour guide that it was his turn...) I can see why so many Americans want to live in CR. Thanks for your help and we look forward to your help on our next trip. ~Takana

9-16-10 - Everything went smoothly with the return in Liberia. They also dropped us of at our next destination in Playa Del Coco, which saved us from taking the bus in the absurdling hot weather. Thanks for arranging the rental for us and responding so promptly. ~Dustin

4-18-10 - Hey Greg, The rest of my trip was great. I spent a night in Avallanas after boca then flew home tuesday. Everything was easy with your service. The rate you got us on the Europecar was cheaper than their website and all the paperwork was taken care of before we even landed. I'll definitely book through CR Surf Travel Co. in the future. Peace ~ Jen

4-16-10 - Hey, I just got back from Costa Rica, the GARMIN GPS Costa Rica map you recommended on EBAY "GPS Costa Rica Map " was actually awesome, thank you so much, it was so worth the $40. Thank you!!!! ~ Mike

3-30-10 - One of my biggest achievements in the past week was conquering my first 5-6 ft
wave. I have Greg Gordon, owner of CRSurf, to thank for recommending the itinerary to get ourselves out here before exploring the rest of Costa Rica. If you are a surfer and want the best surf forecast and research site, make sure you visit Greg’s website. From HongKongWong.com

10-2-09 - Got the shirt and it's perfect! I love it! Thank you for everything. Absolutely love your web site. Keep up the good work. - Connie

9-22-09 - Everything worked out very well.  The car was in great shape and had very low mileage.  The pick up at the airport went smoothly, as well as the drop off when we returned the car.  I appreciate all the help you provided.  They definitely do business differently down there so it was very helpful having you as a middleman!  We really enjoyed our time down there and if we make a return trip, I'll definitely use your agency again.  - Jennifer

7-18-09 - We are here until Aug. 25th, and I loved my car and will always use you folks. We used you last year as well. I will send some shots later as I am in town right now as my computer will not work where we are until I get this part that is expected today. Thanks for everything, and I will always plug your site. I wish you had a car rental place here in San Isidro as I am going to have to use Brunca which is the only one I´ve even seen. - Linda

6-26-09 - Thanks for checking in. The trip was great and everything was perfect with the car. Derek was the best. He was so helpful and professional. We all really appreciated him. I've attached a few pics. Enjoy. - John

6-26-09 - Thanks again. This trip was awesome and your help was incredible. - Marc-Andre

6-8-09 - LINK - CR Surf is a travel agency out of Florida that I found online. They book rental cars with great deals, all insurance included, with terrific service and arrangements out of Liberia. Oh... and he does know the surf market and locations also!" - mom23rugrats

9-22-08 - Just wanted to let you know that everything with the rental worked out great. We'll be going down again on Jan 5th. Our flight doesn't arrive until 7pm or so. Do you know if the car rental places are open in the evening? It usually takes 1/2 hour or so to get out of the airport at Liberia. Thanks! - Chris

9-5-08 - Greg and Chella, I know you never heard from us again when we went our our CR trip this past April. However, I wanted you to know how much we appreciated your service. I wanted you to see this review I posted on Fodors in their travel forum: "We had an excellent experience with CR Surf and Tico Travel. They booked our car with EuropCar in Liberia. We pre-paid the car with them and our encounter with Europcar was flawless. They had a more competitive rate than anywhere else we checked. Also, the owner was a great resource for tides and surfing info. He also gave us a great hint. Go for the larger vehicle if you're making the drive in the mountains between Arenal and Monteverde. The larger vehicles have higher clearance and thicker tire tread. We did and were not sorry for a mere $40 difference in price. Have fun! Mom23rugrats" - Sharon

8-25-08 - Hey Greg! Thanks for the email! The car rental service with Europcar was great! They are extremely friendly and professional! We were very surprised how great they were. Strange enough, someone stole our front license plate. Europcar took care of it for us. We caught the tail end of a swell and it faded fast. We at least had a few days of great waves. Attached a few random pics. Thanks for contributing to our great vacation. We will contact you for future trips to Costa! Thanks Again. - Drew

8-10-06 - Thanks Greg.  I'll chew on this in the morning, but you did me a huge favor.  Thanks for all the pertinent info.  Sounds like it's going to be a fun trip!  And my wife deserves a good trip having giving me two incredible sons (3 and 1), and a beautiful (currently screaming) daughter (9 weeks). - Jeff H.

7-9-08 - Your site makes a difference for the good.- John L.

4-22-08 - Thanks for the info Greg!  My husband will be glad to hear that.  He grew up surfing Virginia Beach, where he and my son make the trip from Richmond several times a year when conditions are good.  Wow...it's a small world, huh? - Lulu

4-28-08 - Nichole J. - Thank you so much for your advice!! It can be hard to travel alone and find decent places. I think I have decided to keep it Jaco local for the next few days and go to Manuel Antonio for my big adventure.

4-20-08 - You emailed me a great Itinerary back a couple months ago about
traveling to Costa Rica for surf and vacation.  I very much like the ideas you have given us, but still have some questions if.  If you have a minute and don't mind answering. We have read and heard all about bungalows that cost only $10 a night to stay at.  Are these a good idea? We are worried about the heat and bugs in June.  Is it better to pay the $100 a night and stay in a full accommodating hotel like you previously mentioned? My girlfriend has heard great things about Mal Pais.  Would it be too much to spend a few nights near dominical and then head over to Mal Pais in one week? Thanks again for the help. Aloha!- Travis H.

6-27-06 - Thanks for your helpful response...we are going to go with the Toyota Hace type mini van.- Beth M.