Overnight Costa Rica Surf Camps - Teen Adventure Camp

Pura Vida, or “Pure Life”, is the international motto in Costa Rica. Our Pura Vida Costa Rica Teen Surf Camp is for teenagers, ages 14-17, looking to learn how to surf while being immersed in the cultural experience of a lifetime! This 14-day action-packed adventure is designed for beginner surfers who want to have the time of their life while traveling, learning, and surfing. Campers will eat, sleep, talk, and live to surf in the beautiful Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. By maintaining a safe 3:1 instructor to student ratio we will build the foundation needed to jump-start a lifelong love of surfing. Our professional instructors will provide personalized in-water coaching and support to strengthen and encourage campers. They will be your tour guides through one of the lushest, most diverse, and beautiful countries in the world.

Costa Rica has a tropical climate and enjoys year-round water temperatures around 80°F. The country produces some of the best waves in Central America along its coasts. There are over 50 well known, named surf breaks on the west coast alone and just as many which are lesser-known. We will be surfing the Northern Pacific Coast and exploring several beach breaks in the area including Tamarindo, Avellanas, and Playa Grande. Here you will find a diversity of setups, which receive gentle, slow rolling Pacific swells that are perfect for the beginner surfer.

During our incredible Costa Rica Teen Surf and Adventure Camp, you will improve your surfing with a camp program that specializes in surf instruction! We aim to surf at least 1 solid session per day, exploring several different breaks, while learning about and appreciating the local culture. The water temperature will be warm and tropical, so no wetsuits are required.

Activities include:

• Extensive daily surf instruction at various breaks
• Zip-line tour through the rainforest canopy while seeing monkeys and iguanas
• Exploring Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park
• Conversational Spanish instruction
• Cultural exploration of Costa Rica's amazing ecosystems
• Earning 10 Community Service Hours

Below tuition includes all lodging, meals, 24-hour same gender adult supervision, shuttle to and from Liberia International Airport (LIR), equipment, professional surf instruction (3:1 student to instructor ratio), WB Surf Camp t-shirt, activity fees, Surf Camp’s Pre-Surf Stretching Guide, Surfing Etiquette Guide, Sea Turtle/Coastal Conservation Guide, surftificate of achievement, and 8” x 12” group photo. Each person is responsible for: round-trip airfare to LIR and departure tax. A valid travel passport is required for travel on this adventure. For more specific information about our teen overnight surf camps or to secure your spot now, please call toll free 1.866.844.7873. Enrollment limited to 12 students per session.

2012 Teen Costa Rica Surf Camp Dates:

Click Any Date to Sign Up Now!

Itinerary

DAY 1-2: ORIENTATION, INTRO TO SURFING AVELLANAS
Your WB Surf Camp trip leaders will be eagerly awaiting you at the Liberia International Airport (LIR), to load up your luggage after everyone has arrived. We’ll make our way to the Cabinas las Olas to unpack and conduct orientation where we’ll discuss our schedule, go over rules, and get to know one another. With lefts and rights peeling off a river mouth, Avellanas will serve as the perfect backdrop for the first few surf sessions where you will learn the fundamentals of surfing. There is nothing better than waking up to perfect waves! WB Surf Camp Costa Rica is in full swing!

DAY 3-4: SURF AVELLANAS & EXPLORE LOCAL BREAKS, SPANISH LESSONS
Our location is centrally located so we can access a number of breaks in addition to Avellanas, including Playa Grande, Tamarindo, Marbella, and La Finca. In fact, our cabins lead directly down to the sand. It couldn’t be more ideal! We will be surfing “beach breaks”, which are sand bottom breaks, in this beginner to intermediate surf camp. With these beginner friendly conditions you will feel both your confidence and skill level increase dramatically. A certified Spanish teacher will give us language lessons, teaching us conversational Spanish that will help us in our interactions with the locals.

DAYS 5-6: VISIT LOCAL FARM, EXPLORE COASTLINE, SURF COACHING & GOAL SETTING
Today we’ll visit an authentic Costa Rican farm to learn firsthand about the Pura Vida lifestyle. We’ll help collect eggs and milk some of the animals, but the best part is watching trainers prepare the bulls for the ring. It’s time to experience some of the other breaks Costa Rica has to offer, so we take an adventurous journey exploring the coastline. During these two weeks, you’ll receive daily coaching from our professional instructors giving you feedback to help you improve your skills. In the evenings we’ll have group discussions where you can comfortably talk about areas you want to work on, so we can ensure you get proper coaching.

DAY 7-8: COMMUNITY SERVICE, SURF SESSIONS, EXPLORE TIDAL POOLS
We’ll start our ten hours of community service by completing a big beach sweep at Avellanas and then score some waves. Leatherback and olive ridley sea turtles nest on these beaches, so we may have the opportunity to surf with some of these ancient creatures. We’ll continue exploring some of the less crowded breaks, like La Finca and Marbella. We’ll explore tide pools, which produce perfect conditions for observing a variety of marine life. The rumbling of our stomachs will be the only thing calling us in from the epic Pacific surf. We will eventually head back to home base and refuel for the next couple of days.

DAY 9-10: ASSIST LOCAL SCHOOL, SURF SESSIONS, ADVANCED COACHING & SEMINARS
Every day we awaken to peeling barrels in front of our hotel, so we’ll surf out front as much as possible in the mornings. Working on our community service hours at the Avellanas Primary School will involve cleaning up the grounds and assisting with some maintenance projects. The service work at the local school is extremely gratifying, and we’ll go back several times to spend time with the students. Making the most of our final days in Costa Rica, we’ll scour the Pacific coast, looking for the best waves. At our nightly seminars, you’ve expanded your knowledge of surfing fundamentals on topics such as wave dynamics, swell prediction, surfing etiquette, and board design.

DAY 11-12: ZIPLINING ADVENTURE, HOT SPRINGS, SUNSET SURF SESSION
Get ready for a voyage today as we visit Rincon de la Vieja for a day in the rainforest. After getting harnessed up, we’ll take in the sights and sounds of this tropical paradise from above while we zip line between huge Guanacaste trees, over valleys, and a rushing river, taking in the lush vegetation, birds, monkeys, and other native wildlife. You will feel your adrenaline coursing through your body as you hike, rappel, zip line, and swing through this majestic canyon which surrounds two volcanoes. After taking in the diverse ecosystems that exist here, we’ll soak our bones in the natural volcanic hot springs filled with thermal waters. It’s the perfect way to recharge our bodies and minds.

DAY 13-14: SURF SESSIONS, SOCCER GAME, CLOSING CEREMONIES
Our dawn patrol session in Avellanas is followed by our final Spanish lesson. The children at the Avellanas Escuela are excited to hang out and interact with the friends who’ve come and helped at their school. So, we’ll get a soccer game started where the whole community comes out to watch! The day ends with a surf session, as campers notice their skills rapidly improved over the two weeks. After dinner in Tamarindo, it’s time to pack up and start reminiscing about our incredible week! The past 14 days seem like a dream - the kind you don’t want to wake up from. As we load up our gear and prepare for the trek to Liberia, we say our goodbyes, Costa Rican style...”Pura Vida!”...and start thinking about next year’s WB Surf Camp adventure!

Pictures

Accommodations

The hotels where we’ll be posting up during camp are located in Playa Avellanas and Playa Grande, two of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Situated along the northern coast, these are world-renowned surfing destinations. They offer easy and fast access to many of the areas best surfing beaches making them the perfect WB Surf Camp headquarters. Healthy, active lifestyles are well-promoted, balancing the demands of sustainable tourism and the protection of the natural resources and surroundings. These amazing locations allow us to enjoy the surf on some of the most protected, untouched, and undeveloped beaches in Costa Rica.

Just outside our door is a walkway leading directly to the beach, bordered on both sides by an estuary enclosing a mangrove reserve. Showcased here are the different landscapes of the region, giving you an unforgettable opportunity to truly get in touch with nature. You will see many forms of wildlife, such as monkeys, raccoons, anteater bears, iguanas, and an enormous variety of birds, all in their natural habitats.

The wave diversity in Costa Rica is one of the most attractive aspects of this trip, not to mention the tropical warm water they have year round. Depending on where we surf, we will encounter beautiful, clear, blue Pacific water. Playa Avellanas stands out as one of the best surfing locations in Costa Rica with a half dozen surf spots offering point breaks, beach breaks, and reef breaks. Playas Grande and Langosta are two of the most consistent breaks with plenty of lefts and rights. These white sand beaches and crystal clear waters offer many options for surfers of all levels, assuring an unforgettable surfing experience.

Reviews

Oliver, Medford, MA – “WB Surf Camp is always a highlight of my summer. No matter the location I know there’s gonna be good waves, mega stoke about everything on the trip, I will meet cool people, and best of all, enhance my surfing while having the time of my life!”

Joe, Mill Valley, CA – “Costa Rica was by far my best WB Surf Camp trip yet. The level of instruction was fantastic and helped me get to a higher level in my surfing ability. The cultural experience and the friendly local people made the trip even better. Looking forward to the next CR trip.”

Jesse, New York, NY - WB Surf Camp Costa Rica was amazing! I loved it and it really made me a much better surfer. I wish I could go every summer!

Colby, Chapel Hill, NC – “Because of the great instruction my first year, I got up on my first try.  Now that it was my 4th year, I was still able to get tips on the more advanced moves like frontside bottom turns and cutbacks.”

Brianna, Atlanta, GA – “WB Surf Camp was a perfect combination of helpful instructors, good advice, beautiful scenery and new friends; I would definitely recommend this camp to anyone who wants to surf in a fun environment.”

Tim, Philadelphia, PA – “One of the things I like about WB Surf Camp is, not only do you have a fun learning experience surfing, you have fun when you're not surfing by just hanging with the instructors. When I'm at Surf Camp I feel like I'm a true surfer. Not just from the surf sessions, but also from all the other fun activities we do.”

Rachel, Long Island, NY – “While I was on the plane, I couldn't help but start to cry knowing it was over. Looking at the pictures of all my new friends, I promised myself I would be going back next summer, even if I had to walk all the way. Only a few more months till I'm back. I don't know if I will be able to leave again"

FAQ

If I have never surfed before, is this camp for me?
The Costa Rica travel adventure program was developed for the beginner to intermediate surfer. There are so many beach breaks that are suited to different levels of surfing that it allows us to accommodate the beginners as well as those looking to improve their basic skills.

If I have some surf experience will I get to learn more advanced maneuvers?
Our staff is composed of amazing free surfers as well as competitive surfers, all of whom will be able to coach you to a higher level of wave reading, performance, and creativity in your surfing.

Where will I be surfing?
We will surf right in front of our hotel in the beautiful, crystal green waters of Playa Avellanas (Hazelnut Beach). The breaks we will surf exhibit various bottom contours, compositions, and optimal tides making Avellanas one of the most diverse beaches in the Guanacaste region. We will have access to several other world class breaks within a 30 minute drive that exhibit similar variations.

What kind of non-surfing activities will we be participating in?

• Basic Spanish instruction classes
• Zip-lining through amazing rainforest canopies to see monkeys, iguanas, and exotic frogs
• Tubing adventure down the Rio Negro
• Hiking volcanoes at Rincon de la Vieja
• Exploring amazing pristine beaches
• Working with a local school and its students

Is there a lifeguard at the beach you use? I am worried about some of the safety aspects of a surf camp.
All of our trip leaders hold current American Red Cross Lifeguard Certifications including CPR and First Aid for the Professional Rescuer. One might even say that we over-qualify our team with this many lifeguards. We have an impeccable safety record and are very proud of it!

Do you provide equipment or should I bring my own?
All equipment is provided. We provide a variety of boards to use in Costa Rica. Since this is a beginner to intermediate camp, participants with surfing experience are allowed to bring one board.

What will we do at night?
Each night our professional instructors will hold surf seminars to educate teens on all of the multi-faceted aspects of surfing, surfboard design, wave prediction, and surf culture. Although most nights everyone will be surfed out after dinner and seminars, sometimes there’s room for card games or a movie.

Where do we stay?
We stay in the Cabinas las Olas Surf Resort in full-amenity, gender-specific rooms at Playa Avellanas.

What are the ages of your overnight campers?
This program is for ages 14 – 17.

How old are the campers I will be rooming with?
Roommates are grouped together by age in order to enhance the overall level of comfort.

What kind of supervision is there?
Trip leaders provide 24-hour, same gender supervision for every camper for the entire trip from the moment they clear customs until the moment they pass back through security at the airport. All activities are group centric and campers are never given the opportunity to wander off or “stay back” unsupervised.

What happens if the teens sneak out?
Prior to camp, all participants must sign an agreement regarding our behavior policies. Parents will be called and the teens in breach of the agreement will be sent home. We have a zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior.

What is the nearest airport and do you have a shuttle service?
Participants fly into the Liberia International Airport (LIR) and are met right outside customs by their trip leaders. On the way home, our staff stays at the airport until each camper’s flight has taken off.

What if I can’t get in by the set check in time?
In order to avoid missing any planned activities, campers should try to arrive between 12:00 – 3:00 pm on the first day and depart between 1:00 - 4:00 pm on the last day of camp. Our office staff will be diligent in coordinating your camper’s travel schedule with our trip leaders, should there be any delays or changes in itinerary.

What if my luggage doesn’t make it?
Occasionally the airlines will misplace luggage or your suitcases will miss connecting flights. We recommend campers keep essentials, such as medications, toiletries, bathing suit, and an extra change of clothes, in their carry-on luggage just in case.

What do I need to bring?
You will receive a detailed packing list with your registration materials. For the most part, you shouldn’t have to purchase anything that you don’t already have at home. We do, however, recommend that girls bring board shorts, which may need to be purchased from your local surf shop or department store. Campers need to bring a mask, snorkel, and fins.

How much spending money should I bring?
We recommend campers bring $100 to $150. This is for special food items, snacks, souvenirs, or gifts they wish to purchase while at camp.

Does Costa Rica accept US Currency?
Almost every store accept US currency, and for those that do not, you will be able to exchange US dollars for colones.