Best Surf Lessons in Costa Rica — Our Top 8

1.Surf Lessons in Manuel Antonio

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 91 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $65Our pick

Learn to surf at Manuel Antonio’s Espadilla Norte Beach with patient instructors, warm water, board rental, fruit, and flexible practice time.

“If you have never been to Costa Rican beaches near Manuel Antonio before, I highly recommend starting your trip with Glen and Derek and their crew. They were very helpful to us, and very gracious during our stay. Our surfing experience was fun and very tiring, perfect after a very long day of travelling. Alexandra took great action shots of our surfing adventure, and I’m happy that we will have these memories to take home with us.”

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2.Surf Lesson + Beach day in Jaco Beach!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 87 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $52Best value

Learn to surf in Jaco with patient instructors, boards, rash guards, beach chairs, sunscreen, and post-lesson beach time for $52.

“I cannot recommend this enough! Jeyson was a fantastic instructor and super helpful. I have only surfed once before and it was over a decade ago and I was really nervous to try and surf again, but Jeyson made it easy and enjoyable (and I was actually able to stand up and surf!) My husband surfed a lot as a kid and said he learned great tips too!”

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3.Stellar 3 Day Surf Package

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 83 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $360

Learn to surf in Tamarindo with three 90-minute lessons, photos, weekly board rentals, and patient instructors at Iguana Surf.

“I had an awesome experience with Iguana! Edwin was my instructor and he was awesome and so helpful. Iguana also helped us book other excursions, which was a great help!”

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4.Specialized Group Surf Lesson in Playa Hermosa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $95

Review of Salt Water Surfing Co.’s private Playa Hermosa lesson, with practical details on price, coaching, meeting point, safety, and value.

“I can't thank Alvaro / Salty Water Surfing Co. enough... I am so, so grateful for the amazing surfing lessons they gave me during my week in Playa Hermosa.”

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5.Private Surfing Lesson in Playa Grande for beginners and intermediates

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $65

Learn to surf in Playa Grande with a private instructor, gentle waves, family-friendly coaching, equipment, fruit, showers, and hotel pickup.

“Wonderful experience. Marco and Daniel were extremely helpful. My 9 year old was a natural and my 7 year old did a great job. They were patient and caring! Thank you for a great experience for first timers!”

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6.Surf Lesson in Tamarindo: Private and Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $70

Learn to surf Tamarindo with patient instructors, warm water, quality equipment, and private attention for beginners, families, and teens.

“The instructor was awesome and was able to adjust to my needs as a beginner but not a complete beginner.”

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7.Surfing Lessons in Tamarindo by Tidal Wave Surf Academy

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $85

Learn what to expect from Tidal Wave Surf Academy in Tamarindo, including instruction, value, family fit, timing, and practical booking tips.

“Surfing lessons from Alvaro were a definite highlight of our whole Costa Rica trip! Right from the start, he made sure we felt comfortable and fitted us with appropriate sized boards. He took time to help us stretch and teach us some solid techniques. Then we headed to the waves! Alvaro was great - he was very patient, sincere, kind and encouraging. He was right in the water with us, coaching us, guiding us and making sure we were having FUN! We all managed to surf some waves - myself (age 40) and my two boys (age 9 and 12). Afterwards, he bought us bottled water and a delicious fruit…”

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8.Beginner Surf Classes

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $70

Learn what to expect from Costa Rica Explorer’s beginner surf lesson near Dominical, with skilled instruction, safety tips, pricing, timing, and practical advice.

“I had an epic surfing lesson with Jake about a week ago. After years of trying to learn how to surf (I'm in my 60s), and taking lessons from at least four surf instructors, I was beginning to think that surfing was a dream of mine that was just not going to come true. I decided to give it one last chance, as Jake was highly recommended as an excellent nature/surf/rapids guide (I live in Costa Rica and got the inside scoop on instructors). In short, it was the best surf day I ever had in my life. I repeatedly caught waves one after the other. More importantly, Jake explained…”

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