Caribbean to host Costa Rica national surfing competition

Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica will host the second big surf competition in the 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit later this month. The Lime Coral Caribbean Classic II will be held January 25 and 26 at Playa Cocles just south of Puerto Viejo.

Top surfers from all over Costa Rica will compete in seven categories in the race for the national champion title: Open Division (ages 18 and up) for men and women, Juniors (under 18) for men and women, Boys (ages 15 and under), “Minigrometts” or young surfers (boys and girls ages 12 and under), and Longboard.

Maikol Torres of Playa Esterillos Oeste is currently leading the Men’s Division for the 2014 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit. Torres won the first competition of the season, the Dunkelvolk Cup at Playa Bejuco on December 14-15, and is challenging Men’s National Champion 2013, Jair Pérez of Jacó. For the women, 10-time national champion Lisbeth Vindas is blazing the trail. Going strong after winning the 2013 National Champion title in July, Vindas again won top honors in the Dunkelvolk Cup in December.

Puerto Viejo and the southern Caribbean Coast are not as often thought of as a big Costa Rica surfing destination. Surfers in the know come to Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Cocles and Manzanillo for the great waves and the relaxed Afro-Caribbean vibe. Puerto Viejo also is home to what is considered the most powerful wave in Costa Rica -- “Salsa Brava.”

Where to stay in Playa Cocles: Hotel Le Caméléon (“The Chameleon”).

One of the finest upscale hotels on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast and an Enchanting Hotel of Costa Rica, Le Caméléon is located across the street from the beautiful golden sand Playa Cocles, where the hotel has a private beach club. You will be minutes from watching all of the action of the Lime Coral Caribbean Classic II national surf competition.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica’s pro surfers vie for national titles in Jaco

If Costa Rica's professional surf scene had an A-team, it would look something like this: Carlos Muñoz, Jair Pérez, Noe Mar McGonagle, Gilbert Brown, Anthony Fillingim, Luis Vindas, Leilani McGonagle, Lisbeth Vindas, and Nataly Bernold. The nine top surfers seem to shuffle places between being national champions and taking the top five slots at any given competition, with the odd interloper upsetting the order.

Heading into Costa Rica's 13th annual Grand Final Reef National Surf Championships, set for July 26, 27 and 28 at Playa Hermosa by Jacó, it's the A-team all the way.

Costa Rica's top surfers will contest the national champion title in seven categories: Open Division (ages 18 and up) for Men and Women, Juniors (under 18) for Men and Women, Longboard, Boys (ages 15 and under), and "Minigrometts" or young surfers (boys ages 12 and under).

In the Men's Open division, Jair Pérez of Jacó leads the pack. Pérez is fresh from winning the Olympus Tough Cup – the seventh competition of the National Olympus Circuit – in Playa Esterillos Oeste on 22-23 June. Now ranked No. 1 in overall points for 2013, Pérez took fourth place in the 2012 Championships and third in 2011.

Following closely is Noe Mar McGonagle, 17, of Pavones who currently is in second place in the Men's Open. Noe Mar is one of the country's hottest upcoming young surfers. He is out in front for the Men's Junior category with a whopping 10,080 overall points, far above second place León Glatzer (6,751 points). However, Glatzer just won first place for Junior Men in the Olympus Tough Cup, and could repeat the performance.

Noe Mar and his sister, Leilani McGonagle, competed last month with the Costa Rican Juniors team in the 2013 DAKINE International Surfing Association World Junior Surfing Championship in Nicaragua. Costa Rica came in 11^th place in the June 8-16 contest.

Further in the Men's rankings, 2011 National Surf Champion, Luis Vindas of Jacó, is a close third, followed by Ramón Taliani of Santa Teresa in fourth place, and 2012 National Surf Champion, Gilbert Brown of Limon, now in fifth place.

Last year's Men's National Champion title was the most closely contested battle in Costa Rica Surfing Federation history, with seven top surfers vying for number one. This year's matchup is more evenly spaced, although there is always room for a surprise.

In the Women's division, 13-year-old upstart Emily Gussoni is making a bid for both the Women's Open and Women's Junior titles. The young Jacó surfer just won first place in both of those categories in the Olympus Tough Cup a few weeks ago. Gussoni is currently ranked third overall for the 2013 season, and second in Juniors. The rising star placed second in 2012 and third in 2011 in Women's Juniors.

Leilani McGonagle is ranked No. 1 in both the Women's Open and Women's Junior categories. She matches her brother, Noe Mar, with 10,080 points in the Junior's division, and tallies 9,075 points in the Women's Open. However, nine-time national surfing champion, Lisbeth Vindas, is not far behind with 8,520 points for the Women's Open. The top Jacó surfer is on a quest for her 10^th championship this year. The 2012 Women's National Surfing Champion, Nataly Bernold, finds herself in fifth place this year. Winner of three national titles, Bernold was solid in second place at the beginning of the season; but after missing the fourth, fifth and sixth national competitions, she is low on points.

Though he is one of Costa Rica's top surfers, Carlos Muñoz, of Playa Esterillos Oeste, won't be competing in the national surf finals. The world-ranked surfer (95^th by the Association of Surfing Professionals) is too busy competing internationally. Muñoz just scored the latest cover of Surfing Magazine with a photo of one of his trademark aerial moves off the lip of a huge wave in Mexico.

Surfing begins at 7:00 a.m. all three days (July 26, 27 & 28) for the Grand Final Reef National Surf Championships in front of the Backyard Hotel at Playa Hermosa by Jacó.

Take a surfing vacation in Costa Rica

Learn the amazing sport of surfing, or improve your skills, in Costa Rica's warm tropical waters. Top surf school Del Mar Surf Camp will have you surfing like a local on the same waves where the Costa Rican champions rip it up.

Del Mar Surf Camp specializes in Costa Rica surf vacation packages, yoga-surf retreats and day surf lessons at three vacation location choices: Hermosa Beach on the Central Pacific Coast, Nosara Beach on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast, and Santa Teresa Beach on the Pacific's southern Nicoya Peninsula.

By Shannon Farley

Costa Rican Surfer Rises to Top 10 in World Rankings

Costa Rica surfer Carlos Muñoz has made it to the top 10 in the Junior Men’s World Ranking of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The 20-year-old rising star surfer is currently tied at ninth place in the world in the Junior Men’s Division with eight other surfers from Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, USA and Japan.


Nicknamed “The Flying Costa Rican” by Surfer Today, the team Red Bull surfer has been spotlighted by the youth sportswear company Volcom as one of the “up-and-coming talents expected to emerge as the next generation of surfing professionals.” Muñoz, whose real nickname is “Cali”, was described by Surfing Magazine as “a Costa Rican teenager with his fingers on the pulse of the good life.” “Cali” moved from Granada, Nicaragua to Costa Rica with his parents when he was 2-months-old, and now lives in Playa Esterillos Oeste, just south of Jaco Beach on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast.

He got into surfing by accident at age 10 when some friends invited him to try the waves right out in front of his little beach town. “I didn’t even like the ocean that much. I did it because my friends invited me one day,” says Muñoz on the team Red Bull website. “I didn’t even make it out to the line-up; I was pinned to the shore.” After his mother bought Muñoz his first surfboard, he quickly showed natural talent and began winning a string of national competitions, including Mini-Grommets (2005), Grommets (2006), Boys (2007 and 2009), Junior (2008 and 2009), and Open (2009).



In a country with hundreds of miles of coastline, and living near some of the top surfing beaches, Muñoz had plenty of opportunity to hone his skills. His aerial stunts have earned him the “Flying Costa Rican” nickname in the international surfing community. At just 16-years-old, he won first place at the March 2010 VQS Volcom Pro Junior Championship in Newport Beach, California. In April 2010, he won ninth place in the ISA World Surfing Games in the junior category.

Muñoz took third place at the Quiksilver Surf Pro Acapulco in July 2011. Then he went on to score a perfect “10” at the world-famous Volcom Pipe Pro 2012 international surfing competition in Hawaii, at the famed Pipeline wave on Oahu’s North Shore. Beating out 64 surfers from around the globe, Muñoz won the “highest single wave of the day” on January 29, 2012. During the event, he also picked up the “Todd Chesser Hard Charger Sportsmanship Award” for his performance. Chesser was a big wave surfer in Hawaii who died surfing in 1997.



“Cali” was named the best Latin-American surfer in history in Ecuador, and won first place in the ASP Air Walk Lancanau Pro Junior competition in France in August 2012. Most recently, Muñoz tied for 13^th place with 3 other surfers in the North Shore Surf Shop Pro Junior by Rusty Surfboards, held this year January 17-26 at famed Sunset Beach in Oahu, Hawaii. Next up for the young pro will be the Ron Jon Quiksilver Junior Pro competition, March 6-10 at Sheppard Beach and Cocoa Beach in Florida. On the team Red Bull website Muñoz says, “My philosophy of life is enjoy every single moment in life, be humble and appreciate the people around you.” Learn to surf in Costa Rica!



Learn to surf like “Cali” in the renowned waves of Jaco and Hermosa beaches with Del Mar Surfing Academy. Costa Rica’s Del Mar Surfing Academy is one of the country’s top surf schools for teens (ages 13-19). Based in surfing hotspot Hermosa Beach on the Central Pacific Coast, Del Mar Surfing Academy offers 7-night and 14-night surf camps perfect for beginners up to advanced surfers. While the core element of the camps is surfing, the program also focuses on Spanish language and cultural immersion. Del Mar Surfing Academy offers a second camp location at award-winning Playa Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula.

Both locations are two of the prettiest tropical beaches in Costa Rica with warm water, playful waves and a friendly, fun and safe atmosphere. Sister company Del Mar Surf Camp runs surf vacations, yoga-surf retreats, and day surf lessons for adults, women and families at Hermosa Beach, Santa Teresa Beach and Nosara Beach.

By Shannon Farley

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