Costa Rica Surf Report: October ‘09
By: Greg Gordon,
www.crsurf.com
For the
Caribbean Coast, October usually means rainy
season. This season is a little different
since El Niño is in full-effect. That means
more rain showers east of the Talamancan
mountain range, but overall, less tropical
activity for the Caribbean. No consistent
swells coming until mid-November.
For the
Pacific Coast, this month is usually the
rainiest of the year, but with El Niño, it
won’t be as plentiful, especially up in the
northern Guanacaste region. This means
cleaner conditions with plenty of south
swells filing up from Peru. However, there
will still be some heavy downpours toward
the end of the month, so keep an eye out for
lightning, flash floods, and objects
floating in the lineup.
Full moon: October 4
New Moon: October 17
Travel
Hotel and surf camps have their cheapest
rates of the year in October. You can find a
room on the beach with A/C and breakfast for
<$50, or get up to 30% off boat trips or
all-inclusive camps. Just take a look around
our website, and when you see something you
like, let us take care of the rest. Don’t
forget to book your tickets now for the
holidays. There are still tickets out there
for under $300 from Miami, Orlando, and Fort
Lauderdale, but you have to start planning
with your family and friends. Let CR Surf
Travel Co. find a great package for you that
won’t break the bank. Email [email protected]
if you’re interested in any of these surf
trips to Costa Rica.
Contests
The Jaco Surfing Association is putting
together a contest to promote student
surfers and education. It will consist of
all age groups, from grade school through
University, and prizes will be donated by
local businesses. The contest will be held
at the Best Western Jaco Beach on October 30
through November 1. There will also be a
costume party at Bar El Muelle in the Jaco
Beach with great prizes for the best
costumes. For more info, contact Chuck at:
[email protected], or Selena at: [email protected].
Also, there are new dates set for the
Central American Surf Championship. It will
take place on October 24-25 at Playa El
Sunzal, La Libertad, El Salvador.
Community
With the help of donations from Surfrider
Foundation Tamarindo, development group Las
Mareas and area resident Drew Smith,
Tamarindo’s only lifeguard, Jorge Zamora,
had his salary paid through August. However,
the lifeguard program still needs help to
continue. The beach stand needs more
equipment as well as more lifeguards, and of
course the salary of the one remaining
lifeguard needs to be protected. To help,
contact Cheryl at: [email protected],
or if you are in the area, talk to Mike
Clifford at the Surfers Sports Club in Playa
Langosta. The lifeguard program in Dominical
is also having financial difficulties. In
order to raise funds, calendars featuring
local ticas are being sold for $20. Buy them
at the hotel Tortilla Flats and go to
www.dominicallifeguards.org to find out more
on how to help the group.
Environment
Teams from National Geographic have been
visiting Isla del Coco in submarines since
September 9. While scientists gather data,
film crews shoot scenes for an hour-long
documentary to be aired on the National
Geographic Channel. Follow the trip at
www.ocean.nationalgeographic.com. Scientists
have uploaded daily photos, videos and
reports to the website during their visit.
In other news, the leatherback turtle
population has declined by 95% during the
past two decades. Playa Grande, which was
the nesting site for more than 1,000
leatherbacks per year in the late 1980s, now
hosts only some 40 to 70 of the nesting sea
turtles annually. Las Baulas National Park
may be reduced by new Government
legislation, and we want to know what you
think about it. Post your comments on the CR
Surf Travel page on Facebook. |
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Surfer: Luis
Castro
Photo: Rafa @ WRSC |
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