The trip was amazing, I had such a good time. I got barreled, Went fishing, hiking, horse rising. Nancy and Evie were awesome!
Testimonials
Tamarindo to Santa Teresa.. off road surf adventures with Big Friday
It started with some words of warning about Costa Rican river crossings.. a helpful tow rope suggestion and a less helpful mention of river crocs! Rica Surf were collaborating with UK surf company Big Friday to provide one of our most memorable trips to date, 16 Brits travelling south on a 10 day off-road adventure taking in as much sun, surf and (of course) a little merry making as well! We were all kitted out, ready to go and after a long flight, most of the guys and girls were itching to get in the water at our first destination, Tamarindo. The wave gods sure were smiling on us, we were blessed with almost perfect waves to start our trip, 
a mellow beach break and both left and right peaks working of the rocky sections of the bay. The lovely Kate of Big Friday got the camera out straight away and got some of the best early morning surf shots of the whole trip. Tamarindo is a fantastic spot to base oneself as there are a whole heap of amazing beaches just an hour or so's drive north or south, we had some waves as well as beer and beaching it at Grande and Avellanas, with a now permanently stocked cooler of imperial beer to come in to after a surf (or stay next to on the beach!) Both beaches have a lovely chilled atmosphere with acres of palm backed golden sand and just one beach bar/cafe each.
We tackled the next big drive along the dirt coast road on very full stomach's after epic breakfast burritos at our 'new fave breakfast place' (there would be many more!) and had our first major river crosssing (sorry guys.. time to get out and walk!) before arriving at Nosara. If you've never been to Nosara I can only say go now! Its a place where literally dreams are made and if that sounds corny.. consider this; according to locals (and by this I mean the expats who make up the beachside community) they have the lowest divorce rates in the country! one of the first people I met there years ago, while watching the sunset, was an American woman on the beach celebrating her 10 year marriage anniversary in the place she and her husband met, in case you're interested they got chatting obout their love of Costa Rican food while photographing one of Nosara's insanely beautiful sunsets.
Not always an easy paddle, Nosara, or Playa Guiones as the beachside expat village is actually called, is a pretty fun easy wave with a big bank like face which, if anything can sometimes be a little fat and slow. It wasn't the easiest conditions with strong currents and some big swell to contend with but, if the waves weren't to everyone's liking the geogeous beach and hippie village with its yoga centres and cute cafe atmosphere made up for it.
The next drive was both stunning and at times a little bit terrifying (and I was driving!!) winding up narrow dirt tracks with sheer precipices dropping down 200 metres to the sea requires a little bit of courage, and a lot of caution!
luckily we have driven these roads hundreds of times and know them pretty well! We had a couple of major rivers to tackle and Evie boldy strode in to test depths and bottom surface (knee deep = ok, gravely mud = not so much) but everyone cheered with relief as the vehicles, their cargo and 16 boards made it!! 
luckily we have driven these roads hundreds of times and know them pretty well! We had a couple of major rivers to tackle and Evie boldy strode in to test depths and bottom surface (knee deep = ok, gravely mud = not so much) but everyone cheered with relief as the vehicles, their cargo and 16 boards made it!!
Our last stop probably rates as the favourite destination for our crew, and for many other travelling surfers. Santa Teresa, we called it 'land of the beautiful people'. A very cool mix of nationalities, Santa T has quicly transformed itself from cut off backwater to cult destination complete with boutique hotels, international restaurants and the requisite celebrity weddings (Gisele and Tom Brady) Some of us were a little surf sore by this point, and a few just hungover! but we had some great waves here too. All this newfound popularity has taken a bit of a toll in the lineup in Santa, and it can sometimes be hard to find a peak to yourself. We were again blessed with a great swell which died off a little towards the end, giving us some friendlier waves and a little less crowd factor in the water. Santa Teresa provided Kate with an opportunity to beef up her portfolio with a 'fake' wedding on the beach, where everyone looked as beautiful and happy as if it were the real thing and the Rica Surf girls even got a lifestyle photo shoot of their own..
I can't imagine fitting more into 10 days than we managed to, and everyone agreed we'd been blessed with the surf (but this isn't uncommon in Costa Rica, where a flat spell is a rare thing!) We gathered our salty, sun soaked selves and headed back to San Jose, with the conclusion that the highlight of the trip was undoubtedly all the amazing people that came.. so thank you Big Friday crew for such a fantastic time! Come back soon!
