CONTESTS

8/17: de SurfingCR.net - Costa Rican surfers make the short list for the selection headed to Portugal for the 2008 World Surfing Games. Read more (espanol)..

8/1: Billabong USA will sponsor the ISA World Surfing Games scheduled to be held in July 31st through August 8th 2009 in Costa Rica where 49 member countries will be invited to compete as national teams. Read more..

8/30: de SurfingCR.net - Contest just for Masters Division set for Playa Hermosa on 8/30 to 9/1 - CARLOS ENRIQUE BRENES PARA LA FEDERACIÒN DE SURF: El fin de semana del 30 de agosto y 1 de setiembre en Terrazas del Pacífico de Playa Hermosa, Jacó, se llevará a cabo el primer torneo para los surfeadores mayores de 35 años. El primer torneo dedicado a las Leyendas de Costa Rica y organizado por la Federación de Surf de Costa Rica (FSC) busca entre otras cosas consolidar una selección nacional Master para los compromisos internacionales. El día 29 en el Hotel Terrazas del Pacífico de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m. se realizarán las inscripciones para el torneo que iniciará el sábado 30 apartir de las 8 a.m. Esa misma noche, dedicado a las leyendas, la fiesta hawaiana en el hotel y con surf nocturno que la categoría Open protagonizará. Durante ese fin de semana el Hotel Terrazas del Pacífico tendrá tarifas especiales para los surfistas que deseen hospedarse ahí mismo. Los paquetes económicos incluyen habitaciones para 3 y 4 personas, en 60 dólares por noche. Aquellos surfistas mayores de 35 años que deseen hacer inscripciones previas, lo pueden hacer al teléfono 22 35 64 00 o bien al correo info@surfingcr.net

8/9: The next Puerto Viejo Open Pro surf tournament is set for Aug. 9 at 8 a.m. at the beach break in Playa Cocles. Mark it on your calendars, as these tournaments are always lots of fun. For entry information, contact Beto at 8885-9688, or email.

7/26: Frederico Pilurzo is the only representative from Central America on the WQS. He recently competed in the Honda US Open of Surf in Huntington Beach and won his first heats before falling to 4th in the round of 96. (His score was still a 10.30, not bad, but he had Julian Wilson in his heat, who won it with a 14.50) Good luck Frederico in your future contests!

7-19: From the Tico Times: Andrea Díaz of Waves Costa Rica recently opened a new office in Jacó, above Pollo Express and across from Century 21. Waves Costa Rica offers customized surf tours for surfers of all levels and is a Costa Rican tour company operated by local Ticos eager to share their knowledge of the country’s bountiful surf spots and friendly culture.

July 5th-6th was the Eternal Crown Surf Contest hosted by the Christian Surfers group in Jaco. This is now a full blown, 2-day event with categories for Juniors, Open, Women, Boogie Boards, and Expression Sessions. For more information, email them at cscrjaco@gmail.com. Ask us about our special travel packages (airfare, hotel, 4wd rental) for this event.

From the Tico Times - Jaco Happenings - “God always forgives, man sometimes forgives,
but nature never forgives,” expressed Costa Rican Luis Coronado while helping to collect trash on the extremely polluted beach of Playa Guacalillo, five kilometers north of the mouth of the Tárcoles River. It was the second day of the three-day Soulstice Expression Session, a beach recovery and charity surf contest organized by concerned local businesses and residents. The annual event is held every June in front of Cabinas Las Olas in Playa Hermosa. In this, the event’s fourth year, it raised $3,000 that will go toward Playa Hermosa’s recycling program, improvements to the local elementary school, efforts to promote the ecological Blue Flag designation, and the Punta Mala-Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge. Day one entailed a beach cleanup of Playa Hermosa, while on day two the volunteers went to Playa Guacalillo. The third day was an informal “expression session” surf contest in which surfers competed for prizes donated by local businesses. The surf was pumping with eight-foot sets out of the southwest, bringing out the best in the field of local and international surfers. The sun was shining and people lined the beach, enjoying music spun by DJ Jay and emceeing by Salsiboy and MC Aaron. A raffle was held, as well as an art fair featuring unique artwork created with recycled materials. Face paints left many with peace signs and flowers on their cheeks. Lidia Quirós of the Central Pacific Chamber of Commerce sold T-shirts to raise money for education programs in Garabito schools. To make a donation to the Playa Hermosa recycling program, contact John O’Toole at 8391-6013 or e-mail. The Soulstice Open Expression Session is an annual surf contest created to bring the locals together in Playa Hermosa to develop programs that have a positive impact on the surf community. It takes place from June 21st to the 24th. Read more..

6/16 - Witch’s Rock Surf Camp hosted a benefit for its sponsored surfer, Luis Castro, ranked ninth in Costa Rica, who is in need of knee surgery that will cost $3,500. The benefit raised some money, but not quite enough to cover the costs. For information on how to donate to help this young man, please e-mail Ellen Zoe or Marcela @ Witchsrocksurfcamp.com.

6/2 - COSTA RICANS finish 2nd best behind Peru for Latin American Surfers. Continued... All the action and heat sheets can be seen at - www.isaworldchamp.com

5/28 - COSTA RICANS REST AS THE 2008 QUIKSILVER ISA WORLD JUNIOR SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP DELAYED YESTERDAY IN FRANCE. COACH DIEGO NARANJO INTERVIEWED. Continued...

Gilbert Brown takes the crown in the last contest on the CNS in Playa Hermosa. Read more in spanish in La Nacion.. or English..

Here are the results from the first Bodyboarding Contest in Costa Rica. This Event was Held in Playa Hermosa at Terrazas del Pacifico on Sunday April 27th.

MEN'S OPEN 1- REINER MONTENEGRO 2-RICHARD MARIN 3-OSCAR ULATE 4-JOAN MOJICA	WOMEN'S OPEN 1-CINDY DIAZ 2-JIMENA CALVO 3-DINETH ARCE 4-ILIENNE LOPEZ	JUNIORS 1-RICHARD MARIN 2-BRYAN PEREZ 3-JEFRIE GOMEZ 4-ALBERTO VARGAS
DROPKNEE 1-DONALD BERGER 2-RICHARD MARIN 3-DANIEL BLANCO 4-FRANSISCO MENDOZA	MENS NOVICES 1-TONY CRUZ 2-ANTHONY FLORES 3-EDUARD SERRANO 4-CRISTIAN ROJAS	WOMENS NOVICES 1-VANESSA JENKIS 2-MELISSA SAMUDIO 3-CAROLINA ARAYA

 

ENVIRONMENT

SURFRIDER - Tamarindo Chapter News Check out the new website for Surfrider's Tamarindo Chapter Next Meeting is July 31st - 7 p.m. - Surf Club Sports Bar, Playa Langosta They will be working on their educational program, water quality testing, and fundraising efforts. Contact Lock Cooper for more info. If you're interested in Recycling in Tamarindo, click here.

8/17: From JournalCR.com - Congress to Investigate Las Baulas National Park - Read more..

8/11: The event "Painting under the Stars" at Pacifico last Sunday Night was a great success. They sold all the tickets, so the restaurant was full. Daniela´s performance at the piano was immaculate, and there was nothing better in the world for inspiring the artist Carlos Hiller to paint. Daniela Navarro is a 12 years old prodigy, from Liberia, Costa Rica. During her performance, he created two paintings. Those were auctioned at the end of the concert, being one sold in $5,600.00, and the second one in $4,800.00!!!!!. The total of this amount is for Daniela's international travels and competitions. So she is going next month to Republic of San Marino, to participate in a new one! Thanks to Pacifico Beach Club, Artflower, and especially thanks to Papagayo Golf Course for buying these two paintings, and all the people who attended this concert and live painting. For more artwork by Carlos Hiller, go to www.carloshiller.com.

8/2: Puerto Viejo will NOT have a marina built. Translated from La Nacion..

The company Caribbean International Group, S.A. asked to shelve the case of prior consultation for the construction of the Marina Green in Puerto Viejo, Limon. The communication was made through a letter sent by the president of the signing, Jan Kalina, the Commission Interagency Marine berths and Tourism (CIMAT), on July 31 last. The Eco-Marina in Puerto Viejo is a project whose initial investment was estimated at $ 40 million and that would be about 100 berths. Initially it was thought in 400 mooring posts, but then forced the firm to reduce them. This project was harshly questioned by various organizations and residents of the area. The complaints allege that the marina will be built on a reef which suffer serious consequences. The firm said that this coral is dead, but neighbors and some experts were supported in studies, according to which at least 9% of the coral is alive, with a good chance to regenerate. In his letter to the CIMAT, the employer Kalina regretted the opposition of "a minority, which is not of the people of Puerto Viejo." The company asked to shelve the case, but left open the possibility to return in the future "if there are better opportunities." The letter also states that Kalina decision is not the best for the community, thus closes opportunities for development.

7/30: Save Puerto Viejo has a new website - www.salvemospuertoviejo.com. The site was created to prevent a massive marina project from possibly destroying the break Salsa Brava and polluting the waters of Cahuita National Park. They have an online petition and a forum for discussing alternatives. Also, watch this YouTube video to learn more. Here is a Spanish broadcast that covers the issue.

7/23: From AM Costa Rica: President Arias readies his zoning decree for Puntarenas, from Mal Pais south to the Osa on the coast (excluding cities). It will limit height, density, and mass of construction.

7-11 - AM Costa Rica - Environmental investigators in a sweep through the south Pacific coast have turned their eyes to five large projects in the Cantón de Osa that will bring 1,000 new homes to the area. Read more..

Check out this Spanish TV video showing Carlos Ulate, from Costa Rica, using composting biomatter to fuel his stove. He explain how to build he built one, what it uses for fuel, and the importance of it as an alternative to filling landfills and septic tanks. Link... To see more about using biogas and how to set a system, go to www.biogasulate.es.tl. English version using Google link..

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., deemed the world’s largest public corporation by revenue by this year’s Fortune Global 500, will stop marketing billfish in its Central American stores.

Stores like Palí, Mas x Menos and Hipermás will turn more toward farmed fish, said Wal-Mart executives earlier this week, as Pacific billfish stocks like marlin and sailfish are becoming heavily depleted. Go to The Beach Times for the full story.

** The beach communities surrounding Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, collaborated to celebrate World Ocean Day on Sunday 8 th June 2008.

A Gigantic, Breathtaking Community Mural (11mts X 4mts) was brought into being by marine artist Carlos Hiller, with the help of more than seventy local children, (organized by groups of ten, conducted by non profit children's association Proyecto de Luz). This piece of art has principal subject coralline reefs, to support the celebrations of “The International Year of the Reefs” (IYOR).

 In addition, Carlos Hiller painted a huge Bull Shark, portraying how beautiful and imposing these wonderful marine inhabitants really are, unjustly feared, and for that reason at the mercy of massive fishing by foreign fishing fleets.

 In order to protest the infamous practice of shark fining (by means of which the fins are cut off and the body of the shark is thrown overboard), Stop shark finning! Legend was added, and also the same phrase in Spanish. During the activity, children filled the outlines of marine life around the coral reef and in addition wrote letters and created drawings to send to different governmental institutions, indicating their perceptions, desires and hopes about the importance of protecting the marine environment.

 This first Marine awareness mural which embellishes Playas del Coco is part of a Carlos Hiller`s national level campaign to encourage different cities and towns simultaneously to educate and make aware the importance of protecting our marine resources.

Hundreds of children and parents united to clean the beaches, build sand sculptures, and experience boat rides. Everyone was eager to learn more about the protection of the marine resources, and at the same time, all enjoying a beautiful day along our shoreline.

More information can be requested by sending an e-mail.

** New Bill Introduces Wipes Out Expropriations in Playa Grande - The bill will give President Arias the power to cancel the ruling where beachfront owners had to give up 75 meters of their property, since it was inside a National Park. Read more in The Beach Times

** New Book for Teens talks about saving turtles in Tamarindo - Turtle Feet, Surfer Beat is the story of Penelope who moves to Tamarindo with her parents for a month and learns about the peril of the leatherback turtle. The 86-page book written by Marina Kuperman is printed on recycled paper and has a journal in the back for a girl's own eco-adventure. Read more at - www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com.

From A.M. Costa Rica - Construction sites within the Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas are facing closure by the government's Tribunal Ambiental, but local real estate brokers say that the situation is not as clear-cut as the tribunal suggests. Read more.. (Fact: The park is of particular importance to the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, whose numbers have plummeted more than 90% during the past 20 years (TT, April 13, 2007). Playa Grande ranks as the most important nesting beach in Costa Rica and one of the five most important in the world.

From Greencoast.com: Op-ed piece explains recent community meeting in Puerto Viejo regarding the New World Eco-Marina. For more info, go to Salvemos Puerto Viejo, or Let’s Save Puerto Viejo

Latin American Surf Tour's - Seven Ways to Help the Planet (in Spanish)

Puerto Viejo Residents protest marina built next to Salsa Brava, from www.amcostarica.com

Coalición Costarricense por las Ballenas - AYUDA A LAS BALLENAS, VISITA ESTE LINK Y LLENA CON TUS DATOS PERSONALES.. Costaricans for the Whales - Help the Whales by visiting this link and signing the petition.

TRAVEL

7/28 - Costa Rica celebrated the annexation of the province of Guanacaste last Friday. However, on MONDAY (7/28) the country will also be on holiday so banks, schools, and government facilities will be closed.

7/11 - The Tico Times: Health officials have recorded several malaria and dengue fever outbreaks over the past several weeks. Read more..

7/3: The Potrero and Brasilito schools were the recipients of a group of supervised eighth-graders from Ionia Middle School in Ionia, Michigan, who visited June 24 to 27 to experience a different culture and be of service to the schools. Each year, eighth-graders are involved in a service-learning project through their school. Through some online research they found out about the rural Costa Rican schools needing supplies, so they embarked on a project that allowed them to make this trip. Throughout the year, the students organized and implemented fundraisers. There were contests between grade levels to see which grade could raise the most supplies. They had a community dinner and silent auction, along with many other fundraisers. Each student and adult who came to Costa Rica brought an additional suitcase full of school supplies with them. Some big ticket items were: for Brasilito, a DVD player and a wireless router for their computer system; and, for Potrero, a copier and DVD player. This project has helped to instill in the students a sense of understanding and tolerance for other cultures. It also allows them to see that they can make a difference even though they are not rich, powerful or adults. The schools sincerely appreciated all the assistance and gifts. To help for next year, write - IMS Costa Rican Service Project 438 Union St. Ionia, MI 48846

Tropical Storm Alma caused some major damage and flooding to communities on the Pacific Coast. Donations to help Red Cross Alma relief efforts can be deposited in Banco Nacional account 100100-7, Banco de Costa Rica account 176003-3 or Banco
Popular account 5000-8. The organization is also seeking donations of food and cleaning supplies; for information, call 2233-7279 or 2280-6464.

Costa Rica may seem at times an idyllic paradise, so it's easy to leave common sense at the door of your cabina. Top ten safety tips for traveling in Costa Rica -

• Never leave anything of value in a parked car, even if it’s locked.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash or important documents. Carry a copy of your passport, not the original.
• Stay alert. Thieves usually work in pairs and distract their victims.
• Steer clear of overly friendly streetwalkers; they often are pickpockets or muggers.
• Never leave luggage, cameras or other possessions unattended in public places, restaurants, taxis or buses.
• Avoid placing luggage on overhead racks on buses – a favorite target for thieves. Keep all valuables with you at your seat; if you must place items on the racks, keep an eye on them.
• Bring a small flashlight. If you have car trouble or another car bumps yours, avoid pulling over until you reach a well-lit, public area.
* Don't go surfing or swimming alone and watch for rip currents.
* Clean out your ears if you surf or swim near rivermouths.
* Don't speed. "It's better to lose a moment in your life then your life in a moment."

If you are looking to relocate permanently to Playa Hermosa, then how about a turn-key business to get you started. Loco Loukas Surf Shop is up for sale, including the inventory, business accounts, displays, and clientele. Based out of Cabinas Las Arenas, the shop is in front of a prime surf spot. For more info, go to - www.locoloukassurf.com

Want a real good deal on a new stick, Chuck has a few 07s we are blowing out but they are selling fast, mention you saw this note on CRSURF and they will pass on some unreal deals ! Chuck and the CREW at Walking on Water Surf Shop in Jaco!

The Latest Scoop on Boardbag Fees

Here is a great new report on backpacker hostels, from www.amcostarica.com.

Check out a cool aerial view of the Southwest and Northwest Pacific coastline at www.vrskytour.com

Featured Hotels for Surfers

FORUMS

A good surf forum is judged by how well it gets the local community to participate. These are a few of our favorites. Send a note if there is one you would recommend.

Trip Advisor (general travel topics)

Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forum (worldwide)

Witchs Rock Surf Camp (surf around Tamarindo)

Surfing Nosara (surf around Nosara)

Puerto Viejo Satellite (the Caribbean Coast - new)

2nd Light (Florida surfers with lots of C.R. posts)

Dade County Surf (Florida surfers in between C.R. trips)

WBLiveSurf (North Carolina surfers between C.R. trips)