Surf, Sun and Pura Vida: An All-Inclusive Surf Coaching Week in Costa Rica

The overnight surf camp runs five days, Monday through Friday. Check-in is Monday morning at 8 a.m. and the session wraps Friday at 4 p.m. If you're travelling a long way, you can arrive the Sunday evening before and stay through to the Saturday morning after, which takes the stress out of the flight timing. Everything you need is on site: accommodation, three meals a day plus drinks and snacks, all surfing equipment and instruction, and 24-hour supervision. The camp has been running for 34 years and describes itself as one of the original surf camps in the world, which shows in how tightly the days are organised.

The daily rhythm is built around the water. Mornings start with an on-the-sand surf and safety demonstration — stance, paddling technique, how to get through the break — before you paddle out with an instructor. Sessions are personalised, so the coach watches you specifically rather than shouting to a group. Back at camp, a professional surf photographer's shots and video from the session get pulled up for analysis, and you go through what worked and what didn't. This loop of surf, review, adjust, surf again is what separates the camp from a week of simply renting a board.

On Fridays there's a "just for fun" surf contest with prizes, followed by an awards presentation where everyone gets goodies from the camp's sponsors and the Ocean Hero Award is handed out. It's low-stakes and good-natured, and it gives the week a proper ending rather than just petering out on the last afternoon.

The camp also runs a Costa Rica programme in spring and summer, which is the same all-inclusive format moved to warmer water and the Pura Vida pace of life — the marketing here is thin on specifics, but it's pitched at the same mixed-level crowd and follows the same coaching structure. Alongside the standard camp there's a Progressive Surf Coaching Elite package, new for this year, built for high-level intermediate and advanced surfers who want guided sessions, video analysis and surf-skate coaching rather than learn-to-surf basics.

If you're local or prefer your own bed, the day camp runs the same five days, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for ages 11 and over, and includes equipment, lunch, snacks and drinks. There are also standalone private and group lessons year-round, two hours long, meeting at San Onofre Bluffs in summer and San Onofre Surf Beach from October to May. Private rates are 50 for one surfer, 20 per person for two, and 00 per person for three.

The camp is a machine that has been fine-tuned over three decades. You're not getting a boutique experience with a different coach every day — you're getting a well-run programme where the instruction is consistent, the equipment is provided and the schedule exists to get you surfing better by Friday.

What's included

- 5 days (Monday–Friday) of overnight surf camp accommodation - All meals, drinks and snacks throughout the week - All surfing equipment (boards and wetsuits) - Personalised surf instruction on the beach and in the water - Professional surf photography and video analysis sessions - 24-hour supervision - Surf skate coaching - Friday "just for fun" surf contest entry - Awards presentation with sponsor goodies - Ocean Hero Award - Option to arrive Sunday evening before and depart Saturday morning after

What's not included

- Travel to and from the camp - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Optional purchase of surf photographs during day camp - Accommodation for day camp participants (they stay at local hotels or with family) - Meals outside the camp programme for day campers