Tag Archives: pura vida

Costa Rica Day 6: Playa Negra Surf and Tamarindo Sunset Cruise

Jason drops in at Playa Negra

Jason drops in at Playa Negra

It’s Friday, December 23, and our last full day in Costa Rica. I was up at 5:30 am to go surfing. I grabbed my board and made the 10-minute walk to Playa Negra. There were a handful of guys in the water and the tide was low, exposing some of the reef in the shallow areas. The waves were chest to head high and a little mushy with clean faces.

I met a guy out in the water, Mike, who had just arrived in Playa Negra last night and was from Encinatis, CA. I caught some great waves today. Merri Beth and Zander walked down to the beach and watched us surf for a while. Continue reading

Costa Rica Day 5: Canopy Tour and Playa del Coco

MB prepares to zip lineThursday, December 22 was our fifth day in Costa Rica and we squeezed a lot in as our week was ending quickly. We were up early to hit the road for a 2-hour drive to Buena Vista. Both Merri Beth and I woke up at some point early in the morning when we heard the power go out in Playa Negra. We packed up for the day in the dark, saved by the glowing of our cell phones.

We were on the road by 6:00 AM and stopped off for breakfast in Liberia. Around 8:30 AM, we arrived at the Buena Vista Lodge and were ready to start our day. After paying for the Megacombo package, the first thing we did was to prepare a few hours of zip lining through the jungle. Continue reading

Costa Rica Day 4: Playa Avellana, Zander’s First Wave

Zander catches his first wave at Playa Avellana

Zander catches his first wave at Playa Avellana

Wednesday, December 21 was the halfway mark of our vacation in Costa Rica. And again, we had no plans, no worries—just pura vida. Today, we decided to spend all day on the beach.

I was up early again, surfing Playa Negra. I walked down to the beach and surfed for almost two hours.  It was solid chest high and got a little bigger as the tide started to come in. There were about 10-12 guys out and everyone one catching waves. I caught an awesome wave on the far North end of the break that connected all the way to the inside. I also found a barrel or two and plenty of cutbacks. After my surf session, I headed back to Cafe Playa Negra to catch up with the family. Continue reading

Costa Rica Day 2: Surf at Playa Negra, Trip to Tamarindo

Playa NegraTime to get to the beach and into the water. Surfs up! The best part about this vacation was we didn’t have any pre-set agenda. All Merri Beth wanted was a tan, all I wanted was some waves. We left the laptops at home, intentionally. I think Zander was just stoked to be with us and wanted to get in the water as well.

Day two, Monday, December 19, started off with breakfast at Cafe Playa Negra. We ordered some pancakes and a smoothie. Dave, one of the Cafe servers, was awesome. He was very friendly and gave us some good tips. After breakfast, we packed for the beach and began our journey to the beach at Playa Negra. Continue reading