There are two oceanic coasts to surf in Costa Rica, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. Most surfers how visit the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica surf near Puerto Viejo. On the Pacific Ocean, most surfers visiting Costa Rica surf in Jaco. Another area close to surfing in Jaco is called Playa Hermosa. Jaco is great because different areas of the beach have different levels of waves so beginners can surf on the south end and more advanced surfers go to the north end where the river mouths tend to offer much larger waves during the changing of tides.

Playa Hermosa will host the 2009 Billabong World Surfing Games in Costa Rica next year. Question arise locally about whether or not, Jaco and the central pacific is ready to host an international event. Issues of crime, emergency services, medical services, and basic government infrastructure are noted as lacking and need desperate attention to avoid chaos or cancellation by the contest organizers.

Leading the push for organization are groups such as the Central Pacific Chamber of Commerce and the National Costa Rican Surfer Association which was represented by local surfers Jason Torres, Nataly Bernold, and Luis Vendis in Portugal last month.

Once a sleepy and quiet farming town, Playa Jaco today is an international destination for surfers of all rank from all walks of life. As a result of the surfing attraction, Jaco’s infrastructure has been built up over the years to provide capacity for general tourism which has been the fastest segment of growth for Costa Rica in the last 5 years.

Today, the central pacific coast of Costa Rica is the fastest growing area in the country and this is a sweet and bitter event. Many town folk miss the “pura vida” ambience of the town and the beach which is now packed with hotels, resturants, shops, and people from all over the world. Other town folk are happy to see progress and technology brought to this area which has been under developed and incapable of maintaining the growing population of tico’s. As a result, power outages, inadequate water supply, medical care, water treatment, general policing of civilians has been under-served. With the increasing tourism revenues, the municipality called Garabito has been able to begin the needed upgrades to these deficient areas.