Costa Rica Surf Camp

Sounds fun.

*deleted due to off topic question. Sorry to add to confusion hijacked post...

Sorry about that I was just getting excited about surf and travel. Drop in deleted.

I wish my dad would've gotten me some full service when I was 13.

It's been almost 20 yrs since my last trip, so venues have definitely changed

April being the cusp between swells and rainy season, I'm guessing you'll still get awesome weather. Surf could come from anywhere (not a bad thing.)

Ruling out East Coast just because...

Two general regions in the West: Guanacaste and Punta Arenas/Boca Barrance/Jaco South to Panama. We always went the latter to Pavones, and then back to San Jose.

Option 1: San Jose to Jaco, and then South

Pass through Jaco kinda quickly, maybe pick up some Playa Hermosa surf. Lotsa people... weekend crowds from San Jose.

Head to Manuel Antonio. This may be a great stop #1 for an overnight: hike and explore. Little beachie out front. Look South of the M.A. park for a long stretch of more powerful beachbreak ('King')

Next stop: Dominical. More beachbreak. There used to be a hotel in the jungle canopy overlooking a rugged coastline where all sides of the room could be opened (with netting.) Stunning.

We'd head further to Pavones, timing with swell. However, Osa peninsula may have some point surf camp options. Pavones when it's flat is pretty darn quiet. If the swell is widely anticipated, expect a zoo.

One-stop shopping for surf may be best in Guanacaste. The Southern route requires a lot of driving. The road to Pavones can be challenging if there's been any rain.

Check for Osa camps, and maybe there's an option to get there that doesn't require a lot of your drive time. The Southern route from San Jose is more direct, but you'll miss some surf attractions.

If you drive, take the Jaco-Osa route, which was almost entirely paved and easy that long ago.

Check with Sansa. There are shuttle flights that will get you from SJO to the coast in about 45 minutes. Basically:

Tambor -> Mal Pais
Golfito -> Osa
Nosara -> Guanacaste

Nosara itself is probably a good bet for a fam trip in April.

There's plenty of time between now and then to buy a copy of Mike Parise's surfers guide to costa rica and read up.

Gotta book those Sansa shuttle flights in advance though, they fill up (they're small turbo props -- 14 seaters) and they tend to only fly in the mornings. Shortboard bags only on the shuttle flights -- under 6'8".

Wihout a doubt go to Nosara. A buddy and I did a surf trip almost the entire coastline of western Costa Rica last summer. Nosara is *the* place we'd go back with our wives and kids. It's safe, it's surfy, and good for short boarding. Plus if you get in touch with the guy who runs this camp -- http://www.safarisurfschool.com/ -- he's got a bunch of locals that teach for him that took us to absolutely off-the-beaten path breaks that no way in hell we could've found. And yes, they were firing!

http://www.sandpipercostarica.com/content.asp?CustComKey=411614&Category...

these guys are my bros. give them a call. very cool and know all the breaks.

What if they're underage cali? What's the age of consent in Costa? Ensure the interception is legal.
http://www.ageofconsent.com/costarica.htm
For Kooktastic, oft a consenting tourist, he may want to back up on that URL and check http://www.ageofconsent.com/ in general.
Remember, any place that has a tax treaty with the US, *generally* enjoys awesome extradition laws and essentially equates with US law. All the countries that don't have a tax treaty are giving the US the middle finger, but they're not really places you'd want to go. Funny how that works :D

Stayed here with my wife for 4 days during April. http://www.harmonynosara.com/ right on the beach, great long beach break with lots of peaks. About 1/2 hour north is a black sand beach that can be really good too....ask around...there are is a couple small surf shops in this small town of Playa Guiones. Not cheap, but would be super fun with your son.