To get there you’ll need patience, a plane, and a rental—make it a 4-wheel drive. You’ll fly into Liberia, Costa Rica, shield your eyes and brace as you step into 92% humidity. There’ll probably be a shuttle, a line, and no rush to check you in.
Keys in hand, bags tucked into the trunk, and a left out of the parking lot. The two-hour journey toward Nosara, a once sleepy surf town on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, begins.
It’s July, at least for the purpose of this story, and your drive will be peppered with lush plants and jungle greens, thanks to the near daily rain showers that’ll likely show up at the end of a long beach day, just in time to give you some mid-dinner entertainment, or a little nighttime soundtrack.
Back in 2021 during my first visit, Nosara lived up to its surf town reputation. You know, open-aired yoga classes, surf reports on easel chalkboards outside of restaurants, fresh coconuts sold on the side of dirt roads—$1 USD and the sweetest treat you ever did taste. Today the town is growing, with new restaurants, bars (?!?), and a premium skate park that’s bigger than it sounds.
Right, where were we? For the purpose of this story, let’s just say you’ve booked a week of surf lessons, a beginner playing in white wash, making your way to green, unformed waves. You’ll spend your time tumbling from a foam board, fighting the current to make your way back out, and showing the local pharmacist what you assume is surf rash (is that a thing?).
The first day will be a success—beginners luck, you’ll think. Crowds are cheering (no one is cheering) as you’re pushed onto a wave, pop, and glide forward, never breaking eye contact with shore. The second day you’ll get cocky. Oh, this old thing? You’ll break your eye contact and sometimes you’ll nose dive and you might even forget your pop up all together—what happened?
But then day three will come. And—stay with me—it might even be your 30th birthday, you know, for the purpose of this story. Today you’re on your own, a break in the lesson schedule. You’ll grab a board from one of the rental spots like Nosara Tico, and make your way to Guiones Beach. Dodging motorcycles and coconut vendors, you’ll find your spot on the long stretch of sand and make your way toward the baby breaks. You’ll remember everything you learned: eyes where you want to go, one more big paddle when you feel the wave take you, arms ready to pop.
But before you get into position, you’ll take a look around. Beige sand dances with overgrown greens, no hotels or condos in sight. The smell of burning wood battles ocean salt, a scent you wish you could capture in a candle. The long stretch of beach allows for some personal space—a rarity as you’re learning to surf—and you’ll soak up the feeling of being alone, at least, the amount of alone you want to be in the ocean.
Identify the wave, start to paddle, let it take you, one more big push, pop. You’re up. A wave of your own. You’re heading straight for shore, into the arms of the lush jungle greens, the burning wood, the beige sand. You’re losing speed. You bend a little more, embrace a little lean, pushed faster, faster, faster…
You jump from your board, satisfied with the ride, only to take in what’s left of the view. Golden skies offer your gold medal, a job well done. A clap from your audience: the tropical greens, blankets of beige sand.
You’ll rinse, paddle, repeat, then end on a high note. You’ve got a hot date with a cold coconut and a legendary Nosara sunset.