Playa Hermosa attracts mostly surfers. Although the Ticos call it beautiful beach, it is far less appealing for the non-surfing crowd. That's why I always wonder why there are so many women that flock to this coastal town rather than go a little further south to Esterillos North and South. By contrast, they are gorgeous river-mouth beaches, littered with a million kinds of shells and an abundance of aviary species. Hermosa's ten or more kilometers of steep angled beaches with big tide swings make some parts of the beach hazardous to even wade in. Our friend was knocked over and nearly sucked out to sea one night returning from the restaurant! Another women recounted an experience where she was swimming very close to shore and bodysurfing, when, in what felt like two seconds she was outside the line of the break, and quickly getting drawn further out. Oh yeah, I think I remember why they go there now, to meet surfers! No just kidding. Playa Hermosa is a beautiful beach to stay, whether a surfer or not. There are many tropical tranquil moments with which to encase your mind in mediation at this incredible place about eight degrees north of the equator.

Why so appealing for the surfer crowd? Playa Hermosa is the most consistent surf break in the entire country because of its major exposure to south swells. With all of this exposure a great strategy for surfing the southern Pacific portion of Costa Rica is to stay at Playa Hermosa and wait for it to get big -- REAL BIG. Then you know there is enough swell to make the southern point breaks big enough to be fun to surf. In 2000 I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at a friend's place on the water in Matapalo. You could literally jump off the rocks at the edge of his property and paddle straight out to Pan Dulce. The "Tucan Tierra", as he liked to call it, was an epic octagonal-shaped house that had purple Halloween crabs and lazy grey sloth everywhere. It was a beautiful place and a great experience staying there, but I did not know the correct strategy of timing the swell, so I got completely skunked. Not one wave was big enough to even body surf. Although there was glowing phosphorescence in the water at night -- that was incredible!

These days each major surf destination seems to have a surf shop nearby. In former surf trips to exotic locations it was always very important to bring extra leashes, fins, and ding repair materials because you never knew if you could get that stuff out of the first world. I am telling you there is a straight up booming industry in all third world countries that have world-class surf breaks within their borders. Surfing has brought hotels, restaurants, and Now, you can buy anything from rash guards to brand new custom long boards at these shops that keep popping up all over the place. Piko Surf shop just south of Jaco is a cool spot to gear up in case you forgot to bring some necessary equipment. Piko is a veteran of the game, and has some pretty amazing pictures that adorn his shaping shop, pictures that show his ties to the North Shore and big wave surfing. If you make it down to the pure land of Costa Rica, make sure you drop by his shop and chat with the local master.

ER Harris