Nosara
Inside Scoop
For more info on Nosara, check out : www.nicoya.com and www.surfingnosara.com.
Also, Ross Cruden from CFLsurf.com has written a great travel guide for the area.
The Waves
The break in Nosara was called Olga's since you can see it breaking from the restaurant. It needs a big swell to work with a lot of West in it. The left goes for about 150 meters and it is rarely crowded, since it does not break that often.
Nosara is the town just inland and to the north of this beachbreak, called Guiones. Playa Pelada is the beach about 1 km. north, look for the giant lookout tower on the Nosara Beach Hotel. The beach is beginner friendly on the inside, but when it is on, can be double to triple overhead on the outside. It gets deep here and the bottom is sand so it is easy to get under the big ones. Best size is waist high peelers for longboarders to double overhead barrels for shortboards. Only the biggest sets close out and rides can go for 200 meters to the beach. The crowds seem to be worst between January and March, and in July. But this only on the main peak, and there are empty peaks up and down the coast. Best tide is mid to high tide.
Playa Garza is never crowded because there never seems to be a wave here. But at high tide there is a spot right on the dot that works when it is chest high or bigger. The rumor is that the north and south ends of the bay will fire when the swell is two feet overhead. It is about a 1/2 km. paddle out and it is guessed that low to mid tide works best.
Playa Samara is a great place for beginner surfers. The waves are small and break gently, with the swell mostly blocked by offshore rocks. At higher tide is best for the beachbreak, offering decent longboard waves when there is any swell. Waves form at the edges of the bay during lower tides, but the 1/2 km. paddle keeps most everyone away. It also needs a lot of south swell to break.
Latest Report
| LOCATION |
AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS |
BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND |
NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS |
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11/29: This week has seen some great, just overhead, afternoon sessions. Friday the wind switched just as the tide got right and wrecked a great afternoon of overhead surf. Tomorrow we can start surfing in the morning again and prospects look good if the swell cooperates. |
The main peak has been several feet bigger than the peaks up and down the beach. |
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Tamarindo Joe at Witchs Rock Surf Camp |
11/28 - When I paddled out around 1:30pm the wind was still offshore and there were some fun corners and quick lefts breaking into the rivermouth that were fun. It was waist to chest high with a few head high waves (barely and rarely). Then the wind went onshore and the sets stopped breaking. I got bored and went in. End of story :-)
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EWR to LIR $262 Jan 23 - 28 on Northwest. |
Playa Negra
John Lyman
Photography |
11/29 - The surf at Playa Negra has been on the small side with chest to head high sets. Pretty good shape when the sets come but it's been real inconsistent. The wind has been offshore most mornings and onshore in the afternoons. Water temp is hovering in the low 80s. |
The swells lined up for this upcoming week will be a bit too south for Playa Negra. Check out Playa Avellanas or Marbella. |
Check www.johnlymanphotos.com for daily surf shots. |
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Playa Guiones
Brandon at SurfingNosara.com |
11/30 - There are five or six guys out this morning hitting the few sections coming through. Surf is in the chest high range with some head high sets rolling in. It is fairly breezy here and the winds are onshore making things a bit mixed up out there. It has been overcast here on and off yesterday and today and we even had a little bit of rain last night and this morning. |
But as it goes this time of year, this should clear up soon and we will be back to sunny photo days and long lines to the beach. If it totally fires on Saturday or Sunday you bet we'll be out there then too. |
We will be back on the beach shooting photos tomorrow... we are out there from 7:30am until 9:30am Monday through Friday. We shoot right in front of the main entrance to the beach and generally shoot the two main peaks in front. |
Getting There
To drive there over land from the airport it would take from 5 to 6 hours, most all of it on a paved road. You take the Highway towards Liberia and follow it about an hour past the Puntarenas interchange, where you started driving north. Look for the Tempisque Bridge signs and make a left at the gas station. Then drive slowly, as there are a lot of cops in this area giving speeding tickets until about 10 kilometers past the bridge. From there follow signs to Nicoya, another 30 km, and then on to Nosara. It is best to get there during the day, since at night the last section can be tricky. The quickest way is to fly from San Jose to Nosara on either Sansa or Nature Air, and then arrange a taxi for the final 10 minute ride. (Remember these airlines don't take boards over 7 feet) Reservation Request
Hotels
Name |
Contact |
Phone |
Location |
Price |
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2682-0591 |
Playa Pelada |
$65+ |
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011-506-2682-1000 |
Playa Guiones |
$100+ |
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2682-0272 |
Playa Guiones |
$60+ |
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2682-4114 |
Playa Guiones |
$135+ |
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House Rentals |
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Email Reservations |
Nosara/Guiones |
$400/wk+ |
Surf Shops
Coconut Harry's
Surf Camps
Name |
Contact |
Phone |
Location |
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1-866-598-1380 |
Tamarindo/Nosara |
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2682-0573 |
Nosara |
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