SurfExpedition Costa Rica

SurfExpedition Costa Rica

Surf Retreat in Pavones

For the last destination on her trip through Costa Rica, Charlie had something very special planned: a surf retreat in one of the most remote areas of the country. She spent a week with SurfExpedition in Pavones.

Because it is so remote, they offer a pick-up service from either Golfito or Paso Canoas. Golfito has a small airport, more like an airfield, with regular flights from San José (Sansa Airlines). Paso Canoas is at the border to Panama, and you can get there by bus from San José (Tracopa).

Charlie had stayed in Golfito the days before because it was half-way in between Uvita and Pavones and it appeared to be a nice little town with a lot of nature. She enjoyed the Sunday by the pool at her hotel until she was picked up by the shuttle at 3.30 p.m. That’s when she also met Indra, Eric and Kathleen with whom she would spend the week at SurfExpedition.

It took about an hour to the retreat location, and they drove through some smaller towns and in between palm tree forests. At first, Charlie liked the view towards the thousands of palm trees on either side of the road until she heard from the driver Carlos that those palm trees have been planted for the palm oil industry. Before, there used to be banana plantations. Even this remote location is not prone to be big industry – such a shame! It was still a lovely drive to Pavones.

Set in paradise

When Charlie and the others arrived at the camp, they were greeted by Sebastien, the owner of SurfExpedition, the surf instructors Tom, Dudu and Sam, the photographer Charlie (yes, another Charlie) and the Yoga teacher Adam. Later in the evening they would also meet Dian, Sebastien’s partner and co-founder of SurfExpedition, and the one responsible for the delicious meals.

Charlie was shown around the property and even her luggage was carried to her room. She was immediately amazed by this level of service and even more stunned by the beautiful location.

The other participants for the week arrived slowly over the course of the afternoon and Charlie met them one by one. There is a direct access to the beach, and they all were drawn towards the sunset. Without planning it, they all met on the beach just before it was dinner time. From the beach, you can enjoy the view towards the Osa peninsula with Corcovado National Park on the other side of the Golfo Dulce and you can even see the famous surf spot Pavones Point. It is the second longest warm water left-hander in the world.

 

Froth factor: 100% stoke – Surfing near Pavones

The first evening started with a round of introductions, before Tom, one of the surf instructors, opened the week with the first surf theory lesson. Some of the guests that week were surfing for the first time, and it was important to speak about safety in the water before they would all paddle out the next morning.

It was an early start on the Monday. The vans were loaded with surfboards, and everybody was ready for the beach departure at 6.30 a.m. The instructors had split all guests into groups of 4 and they warmed up at the Yoga deck and practiced their pop-ups.

Photos by Charles-Antoine Chevarie/SurfExpedition

It was a 15-minute drive to a beginner-friendly surf spot. The road to get there was bumpy and Charlie certainly did not envy the surf instructors who had to drive the vans. A few times during the week, they saw monkeys on the way to the beach. It was a real “surfari”.

They were mostly alone in the water, except for the occasional surf session that they had to share with another surf school. Everybody had plenty of chances to catch waves and improve their surfing. As the group would say by the end of the week, they were frothing hard!

They usually got up very early to be in the water by sunrise and again after lunch. One day, they even went for three surf sessions. The conditions were usually better in the morning because the wind picked up a bit in the afternoon making the sea a little choppy.

There was a video review for everybody individually with their surf coach every evening and they were given tips on what to improve. It was impossible to not improve throughout the week.

Apart from the surf lessons and video reviews, there was also more surf theory: Sam provided an overview of the different types of breaks, how to read a surf forecast, and Dudu gave some insights into surfboard shaping and the different types of boards.

At the end of the week, everybody, no matter which prior knowledge they had or not, was equipped with extensive surf knowledge and ready to catch waves.

Other activities with SurfExpedition

Surfing was certainly the main goal everybody had their eyes on that week which does not mean that surfing was the only thing they did. To prevent sore muscles and injuries, there was a Yoga class every day. From the Yoga deck, there was a view towards the ocean, and you could hear the waves rolling in and the birds chirping in the trees. One evening when Charlie did her own Yoga practice, she could even see and hear the frogs in the grass outside the deck. It was a very peaceful place and perfect to get into the flow.

Photos by Charles-Antoine Chevarie/SurfExpedition

On the days when they were back from surfing before sunset, they also made use of the volleyball net between the Yoga deck and the beach. From the court, there were also great sunset views.

There were two other optional activities, that could be booked separately (not part of the package): horseback riding and a chocolate workshop.

For the horseback riding, they were driving towards the beach of Punta Banco where they were given the choice between a ride along the beach or up into the mountains. They were keen to see sloths and decided to go up into the mountains. They got lucky! Two sloths were chilling out in the trees, and they also spotted a few toucans. Not to forget the views over the ocean and the nearby indigenous reserve. If that wasn’t enough yet, the drive back to Pavones along the coast treated the group to a beautiful sunset.

The chocolate workshop took place on the property of SurfExpedition and Charlie suddenly found herself in the middle of a chocolate factory. Alberto, the chocolate master, brought the cocoa beans and his equipment to introduce the group to the secret of chocolate making. He shared his family tradition, and all participants made their own chocolate bar after they had crushed and grounded the beans by hand. For the filling of their chocolate bars, they could choose between passion fruit, ginger, almonds, coconut and peanut butter.

Highlight of the week: Boat trip to the Osa Peninsula

On the last full day, they once again got up before sunrise. This time, they didn’t drive to their usual surfspot, but to a small beach where two boats were already waiting for them. They loaded the boards into the boats and started the journey over to the Osa peninsula. The sun just started to rise when they took off and touched everything in beautiful light. They did the dawn patrol at sea until they found the perfect spot for their board meeting. They jumped off the boats with their surfboards and paddled towards the biggest waves they had seen all week.

After the surf session, they got back on the boats and went on land at a nearby beach where the surf instructors could surf a bit more whilst everybody else had breakfast. The little hike they would do later was meant to be a hike to spot monkeys, but the monkeys already showed up by themselves.

They were very close and easy to see from the path through the jungle. They still did the hike along the beach and into the national park to reach a waterfall. It was only the beginning of the rainy season, and it hadn’t rained much that week. Therefore, there wasn’t any falling water. It was still a beautiful walk in nature and in great company.

After the hike, they had lunch on the beach before they got back on the boats to return to Pavones. Charlie was still hoping to see some dolphins and she was ready with the GoPro in her hand on the side of the boat. Her patience paid off. There was suddenly a group of small, quite dark, dolphins swimming alongside the boat.

Food & Socializing: “Rooster walking towards Charlie”

SurfExpedition Costa Rica is a bit like an all-inclusive surf retreat and as such, all meals were included. Diane was an excellent chef and spoiled them with her cooking skills: Butterchicken, filet mignon, parmigiana and other delicacies were served in the evenings. For lunch, there was usually a soup and salads, plus freshly baked bread.

After lunch or dinner, all guests usually stayed a bit and played card games or just chatted over a beer. It’s not like other surf camps where everybody stays up late and drinks all night, but it was of course also a social experience. The last evening, there was a surf quiz where the knowledge gained throughout the week was put to test. There were not only surf questions, but also some about Costa Rica where Charlie had a clear advantage since she had already spent five weeks in the country. Charlie’s team (with Eric and Kathleen), “Surfosaurus”, won the quiz that night. 😉

That same night, everybody stayed up a bit longer and they played a version of charades. They wrote their own tasks. Charlie, the photographer, was also sitting around the table and one of the players thought it was a funny idea to have somebody impersonate a rooster walking towards him. Let’s leave the rest to your imagination…

If you’ve read any of Charlie’s surf stories from the past, you know that in her opinion, any good surf camp needs to have a guitar. One of the surf instructors at SurfExpedition had one and they made a bit of music one evening. It was not comparable though with the jam sessions Charlie had had at Carwyn’s surfhouse in Hossegor or at the Billabong Surfcamp in Fuerteventura. The early start in Pavones also meant that everybody went to bed early every night and there wasn’t much energy left for evening activities.

A well-rounded surf experience

At SurfExpedition, it clearly is all about the surfing and you can expect great waves and a lot of stoke. If you want to improve your surfing, this is the place to go. The price point is a little higher than the usual surf holiday, but you get value for money. There are maximum 4 students per surf instructor and all meals, accommodation, transport and Yoga classes are included.

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