Costa Rica's Weekly Surf Report for July 15, 1999

Brought to you each Thursday by local surf businesses throughout Costa Rica. See http://www.crsurf.com/ for pics., forecast links, and tide charts.

FEATURES
National Stats:
Tides
Swell Direction
Area Reports:
Wave Heights & Conditions
Forecasts & Best Spot
Upcoming Events / Contests

SPONSORS by Area
1) Patti at Best Western - Vista Villas & The Monkey Bar "Guanacaste's Surf Connection" tamvv@sol.racsa.co.cr in Tamarindo (653-0114)
2) Louis at Hotel Las Tortugas- nela@playagrande.co.cr in Playa Grande (653-0458)
3) Thierry at Café de Paris - cafepari@nosara.com in Nosara
4) Steve from Tropico Latino Lodge tropico@sol.racsa.co.cr in Santa Teresa (640-0062)
5) Tommy at Hotel Fuego del Sol cybersurfer@fuegodelsol.com in Hermosa (643-3737)
6) Todd at Alacran Surf Tours- alacran@sol.racsa.co.cr in Manuel Antonio (777-1868)
7) David de La Escuela De Idiomas D'Amore, Spanish Immersion Center damore@sol.racsa.co.cr in Manuel Antonio (777-1143)
8) Paco at Hotel Rio Lindo riolindo@costarica.net in Dominical (787-0028)
9) Mel Baker from A.T.E.C. atecmail@sol.racsa.co.cr in Puerto Viejo (750-0188)

TIDES (add 50 minutes each day) MAREAS (sume 50 minutos cada día)

High for Fri. (7/15) - 5:02 a.m.; Height - 9.9 ft.
Low - 11:05 a.m.; Height - 0 ft.

Alta para Vrn. (15/7) - 5:02 a.m.; Tamaño - 302 cm.
Baja - 11:05 a.m.; Tamaño - 0 cm.

SWELL DIRECTION -- DIRECIÓN DEL SWELL

Pacific - Waves should drop to waist to head high for the weekend, with the waves biggest an hour before high tide (BIG tide change) Dawn patrols and late p.m. seshes will be the best. The next SW should arrive by next Wednesday with long waits between big sets. Then it fills in by next Friday with up to 2x overhead surf and hangs around through the weekend. Best day will be next Thursday.

Caribbean - An East swell will be dropping for the weekend, leaving small surf. Watch for tropical development to bring swell early next week. Best day is Friday.

Pacifico - Las olas deben caer a una tamaña de cintura a la cabeza para este fin de semana, con las olas mejores antes de marea alta (cambia de marea grande) Surfeando durante la madrugada y el puesto del sol será mejor. El próximo oleaje de sudoeste debe llegar para el próximo miercoles con mucho tiempo entre sets grandes. Pues, llenará para viernes, con olas sobre 10 pies y quedará hasta lunes. El mejor día es el próximo jueves.

Caribean - Un swell de este va a caer para el fin de semana, quitando nada para surf. Miré para tormentas tropicales a traer oleaje temprano en la semana. El mejor día es viernes.

AREA REPORTS -

NICOYA (N)
(1) Patti at Best Western, Tamarindo Vista Villas - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS: Steady stream of SW swells coming through the weekend. Waves should be 4-7 on SW breaks. A SW shows on Thursday and another comes in on Saturday. Glassy and clean as the offshores are catching up to the am high tide. High tide on Friday 5:00am WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves): Similar SW swell that has been holding all week, bringing fun board wave conditions on SW breaks. Should hold through the weekend, when a new line of souths start building mid week. BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA: Clean surf "T Bay", Playa Grande mid day. Little Hawaii & Avellannes rivermouth low tide. NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS: It's another weekend of music at Best WEstern Vista Villas - Whiskey for Indians this Saturday night.

(2) From Louis Wilson at Hotel Las Tortugas at Playa Grande - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS: The waves have been running head, to slightly overhead, the last few days with increasingly cleaner swell conditions. Today we surfed at daybreak as the tide dropped. It was glassy and very hollow. There was an occassional perfect wave, both rights and lefts. Even though the wind is slightly onshore in the afternoon, conditions are still good for the 4 PM high tides. WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves): We are hoping for the traditional "Indian Summer" off shores and expect good conditions as the high tides move into the morning. BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA: As long as the swell runs small, the break in front of Las Tortugas hotel and Chicken Head rock should be good. If it picks up, we'll move down toward the Tamarindo end of the bay.

(3) From Thierry at Café del Paris in Nosara - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS: WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SWELL THAT HITS NOSARA 3 DAYS AGO. WE HAVE WAVES 6 TO 10 FEET HIGH. THE BEST TIME IS 10 AM WITH A MIDDLE TIDE FOR GUIONES. PELADA BEACH HAS BARRELS AT HIGH TIDE, 5-7' HIGH. WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves): SWELL WILL STAY , PERHAPS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER. 5-7' WITH NICE SHAPE. BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA: PELADA BEACH AT HIGH TIDE

(4) Steve from Tropico Latino Lodge in Santa Teresa - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS & CONDITIONS: After an 8' SW swell over the weekend which walled out beachbreaks and had points & reefs working, the surf has dropped gradually through the week and is now 2 - 4'. Mornings have been glassy until 11.00, surfable in the evening. WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND: SSW swell forecast on this site last week, weather should continue fine, a.m. glassy. BEST PLACE TO SURF IN YOUR AREA THIS WEEKEND: If swell is big, point or SW facing reefs should be best. SE reefs may get surf. If swell continues as now, Santa Teresa should have fun waves a.m., Playa Carmen p.m..


JACO & HERMOSA (JH)
(5) From Hotel Fuego del Sol- http://fuegodelsol.com - BIG Hello from Playa Hermosa de Jaco! We have a SW that is giving us overhead conditions. The Camp surfed Hermosa and some other points. We will have high tide Friday at 4 p.m. Get out and get some. Pura Vida!!!!!

QUEPOS & MANUEL ANTONIO (QMA)
(6) From Jota at Alacran Surf Tours in Manuel Antonio - Swell enters Friday. Good waves in Playitas, not much wind, clean rights and lefts. Shoulder to head high with overhead sets rollin through. Overall, long clean rides. Saturday, surf plagued by wind. Cleaner in morning at Playitas and afternoon chop avails. Reports of good waves at Soda Langosta, however smaller in size. Sunday biggest day of swell. High tide around 12:30. Once again on-shore wind is present but good size waves rollin through. Biggest waves in Playitas, 6ft. in size. Smaller but much cleaner waves in front of Mar & Sombra. Good waves in Quepos, long three to four foot lefts. Watch out for floating logs. Monday thru Wednesday size of waves reduces still producing good waves however in Bajos and Playitas, not overhead but solid three foot waves. Would love to see another swell as surf is shifting to aftertoon to early evening to morning surf this week.

(7) From David at Escuela D'Amore in Quepos - ¿Cuánto miden las olas y cómo son sus condiciones? Esta semana las olas han estado midiendo 1,93 pies en marea baja y 7.85 marea alta. Además escuché que sus condiciones han sido muy buenas, principalmente por lo consistente que han estado. Es por eso que la mayoría de los surfeadores solamente quieren estar en la playa. ¿Qué esperan este fin de semana con respecto al tiempo y las olas? Bueno, si todo continúa como hasta el momento, es probable que para el próximo fin de semana tengamos las mejores olas y el mejor tiempo de todo este mes. ¿Cuál es el mejor lugar para surfear en su área este fin de semana? Para esta semana va a ser muy difícil contestar esta pregunta porque Isla Damas y Playa Playitas están fenomenales e igual de populares. Así que mejor los invito a Manuel Antonio a que se diviertan y sean ustedes los que decidan cuál es el mejor lugar para surfear. ¿Tienen alguna noticia o evento venidero en su área? Sí, está por finalizar la construcción de la carretera que va de Quepos a Manuel Antonio y está quedando muy bonita!!!.

And now in ENGLISH -

HOW BIG ARE THE WAVES AND WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS? This week the tides measure 1.93 and 7.85 feet. And I've heard that the conditions have been very good, with consistent surf. For that, the surfers are at the beach all day. WHAT IS EXPECTED FOR THIS WEEKEND WITH RESPECT TO WEATHER AND WAVES? Good, if the conditions stay the same, but next weekend we'll have better surf and weather than this month. WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE FOR SURF IN YOUR AREA THIS WEEKEND? For this week it's going to be difficult to answer this question because Isla Damas and Playa Playitas are phenomenal and popular spots. So I invite you to Man. Antonio to enjoy yourselves and you can decide which spot is better to surf. HAVE A NOTICE OR EVENT COMING IN YOUR AREA? Yes, the highway from Quepos to Manuel Antonio is almost finished and it remains a very beautiful drive.

DOMINICAL & SOUTHERN PACIFIC (D)
(8) From Hotel Rio Lindo in Dominical - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS: Waves have begun to drop from 6-8 feet to head high, a bit overhead on the sets and really clean in the morning. The Osa Peninsula remains quiet. WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND: No swell is expected before next Tuesday, so waves should remain in the head high range. Best an hour before high tide to an hour after. BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA: Beachbreak and Dominicalito for longboarders. UPCOMING EVENTS: Beach cleanup with the Basura Busters on July 17 with lots of prizes. 2 - 4 p.m., talk to Brian at Gringo Mike's Pizza for details.

CARRIBEAN (C)
(9) From Mel at A.T.E.C. in Puerto Viejo - AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS: 4-5 feet, somewhat jumbled waves. Today, afternoon rain, no wind