Costa Rica Surf Camp & Yoga Week in Playa Jacó

The week runs to the tides, so the schedule shifts weekly, but the shape is steady: surf classes are two hours a day, Monday to Friday. You meet in the lounge about 15 minutes before class time to grab your gear, chat with the group and load your board onto the surf trailer. Then it's a short ride in one of the school's surf vans to the beach, where instructors look at conditions and choose the best spot for that day's class. Beginners work on paddling, standing, turning and wave selection; intermediate and advanced surfers get pushed on technique and taken to different breaks around the area.

Midweek there's a surf video analysis session in the lounge. Instructors go through footage of your surfing frame by frame and coach you toward fixes — this is usually the session people say changed their pop-up. The school also builds in land-based balance training alongside the water time, which matters more than most people expect when they're learning to read a wave.

If you're doing a combo — Surf + Spanish, Surf + Yoga, Surf + Photo or Surf + Video, or a three-class combo like Surf + Spanish + Yoga — the surf schedule is set up to leave you at least 10 minutes between surf sessions and your other classes. Depending on the combo, you can be in class for up to seven hours a day, so this is a working holiday rather than a lounging one. The three-class combos (Surf + Spanish + Yoga, Surf + Photo + Yoga, Surf + Video + Yoga) run around six and a quarter hours a day Monday to Friday.

There's also a Surf Intensive option for advanced surfers only: four hours a day with one-on-one coaching from the head surf instructor, travelling to whichever break is best that day depending on swell and conditions. Note that the price tables on the site list slightly inconsistent figures for Surf Intensive (for example, shared from $754 in one table and $758 in another) — the trip planner is the school's recommended way to get an exact price.

What sets this apart from a week-long surf camp with one coach and a handful of boards is the depth of the programme: the school has taught travellers to surf year-round since 1997, instructors have completed international surf instructor and ocean lifesaver training, and there are four different add-on disciplines you can combine with the surf week. Playa Jacó and nearby Playa Hermosa are widely regarded as the most consistent surf spots in Costa Rica, which is why the school can run beginner and advanced classes in the same week regardless of season. The water stays warm year-round and there are enough different breaks nearby that groups aren't fighting for the same wave.

Accommodation is on-site or nearby depending on which option you pick: shared rooms, standard private rooms (which the site describes as letting you make a shared room private), private rooms, a deluxe private room, or a homestay with a local family. Prices are listed per week by room type, and the classes-only option exists if you'd rather arrange your own lodging elsewhere in Jacó. Weekends are unscheduled — the school's own suggestion is to explore the area, travel independently, catch a local surf competition, zipline, or relax by the pool.

What's included

- Daily surf instruction, 2 hours per day Monday to Friday (one-class programme) - Surfboard and gear use during classes - Board loading and van transport to the beach each class day - Instructor-led wave and break selection each day - Midweek surf video analysis session - Land-based balance training - Accommodation (shared, standard private, private, deluxe private or homestay) unless you book Classes Only - Add-on classes if you book a combo (Spanish, yoga, photo or video)

What's not included

- Flights to and from Costa Rica - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Meals and drinks - Weekend activities and excursions - Surfboard rental outside class hours - Personal expenses