Costa Rica Surf Report for May 25, 2000

Brought to you each Thursday evening by local surf businesses throughout Costa Rica. See http://www.crsurf.com/links.html for pics., forecast links, and tide charts. Check out the TIME MACHINE to see how it looked this week - Last Year!!! $20,000 Surf Contest in Playa Hermosa - June 22-24


FEATURES

National Stats:
Tides
Swell Direction

Area Reports:
Wave Heights & Conditions
Forecasts & Best Spot
Upcoming Events / Contests

SPONSORS by Area

1) Surfpati at Vista Villas / R.A. surf shop Tamarindo (506-653-0114) in Tamarindo - surfpati@racsa.co.cr

2) Louis at Hotel Las Tortugas (653-0458) in Playa Grande - nela@cool.co.cr

3) Steve at Tropicos Latino (640-0062) in Playa Santa Teresa
troplat@sol.racsa.co.cr

4) Martine at Hotel Café de Paris (682-0087) in Nosara
cafepari@sol.racsa.co.cr

5) Tommy at Fuego del Sol Hotel (in Playa Hermosa) solsurf@sol.racsa.co.cr

Chuck at Chosita del Surf (643-3328) in Jaco
chucks@sol.racsa.co.cr

Todd at Alacran Surf Tours in Manuel Antonio (777-1721)
alacran@sol.racsa.co.cr

David at Escuela D’Amore (777-1143) in Manuel Antonio – damore@sol.racsa.co.cr

Paco at Hotel Rio Lindo (787-0078) in Dominical
hotelriolindo@sol.racsa.co.cr

Mel Baker at A.T.E.C. (750-0191) in Puerto Viejo - atecmail@sol.racsa.co.cr

6) Cabinas Casa Verde (750-0015 fax 750-0047) in Puerto Viejo
http://www.greencoast.com/casaverd.htm or atecmail@sol.racsa.co.cr

TIDES (for Puntarenas) – Mareas
** Full Moon - May 18th, New Moon - June 2nd **

High tide (Friday) – Marea alta (viernes)
8:32 a.m. @ 7.4 ft. – 226 cm.

Low tide – Marea baja
2:31 p.m. @ 2.2 ft. – 67 cm.

SWELL DIRECTION -- DIRECIÓN DEL SWELL

Pacific – The surf should be epic between 7 and 9 a.m. and then again right before dark, with waves two+ feet overhead and glassy. The swell will drop again by Monday and won't recover until next Thursday, but SW facing beaches should pick up any remnants. Rainshowers bring onshore conditions by 10:00 a.m.

Caribbean – This side is hot this weekend with a swell hitting from the Northeast and giving Bonita overhead surf. Southern beachbreaks will be chest to overhead until Tuesday. Be ready for lots of rain.


AREA REPORTS

NICOYA (N)

(1) From Patti at Best Western Vista Villas in Tamarindo -

AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS:
Surfing - early morning sessions as the storms and rain continue to move through the area. Surf between 5am -9:30am still holding with some offshore to variable winds. Ground swell in for a week, so sand has turned around little bit. Keep an eye on your favorite beach breaks for some new waves pitching.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves):
Rain in the afternoon with onshore winds. Solid pacific buildup with a New Zealand pulse coming in late next week. It's going to be big....As for the waves this weekend-shoulder high to head high at south breaks. A slight push from the west may bring up Playa Grande, Playa Avellanes and Playa Negra to headhigh. Surf it early.....

BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA:
Playa Avellanes is still holding up and as the tides turn to low early morning over the weekend, it may be a good bet. Check out rivermouth Tamarindo for some glassy surf in the early mornings.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
Look for the RA Surf & Turf Packages at The Best Western Vista Villas. August 1st-August 8.

(2) From Louis at Hotel Las Tortugas in Playa Grande -

AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS:
The swell has been out of control here in front of the hotel for a week - up to double overhead. The early morning glass offs are not enough to clean it up. Yesterday we actually had an hour of off shores and it cleaned up as the tide dropped. The high tide is early in the morning and in the evening so we are slipping up to chicken head rock and down to the estero for some great head high surf for two sessions a day. Every day the swell seems to shape up a little as the swell drops.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves):
With high tide in the morning and the swell cleaning up we're looking for some good glassy morning sessions. So far the mellow weather is cooperating, but there is always the possibility of nasty weather at this time of the year which will blow out our delicate surf situation here in Playa Grande.

BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA:
We are going to check in front of the hotel on Friday and then slip north or south into the bay if its not clean or too big.

3) From Steve at Tropico Latinos in Santa Teresa -

LOCAL WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS:
The bad weather is starting to move North - taking the swell with it. This morning the beachbreaks were around head high with some W in the swell and glassed off in classic rainy season style mid morning.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND:
Weather has been a factor so far this month - it's been a wet May with a lot of rain around dawn - not good for the surf: Hopefully it will start to improve this weekend and we will have cleaner conditions.

BEST PLACE TO SURF IN YOUR AREA THIS WEEKEND:
Beachbreaks - Playa Carmen should be favourite.

(4) From Cafe de Paris in Playa Nosara -

AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS:
We have really big waves from 3 days. 8-10 feet. If you like that, you are welcome !!!

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves):
And normally it will stay like that two or three more days.

BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA:
Playa Guiones in Nosara - Just down from Cafe de Paris


JACO & HERMOSA


(5) From Tommy at Hotel Fuego del Sol in Hermosa - (5/13)
www.fuegodelsol.com/page3.html
Big hello from Playa Hermosa! he swell has dropped considerably, but, we still have solid surf. We have a South swell today coming in at six feet at select beaches. Hit those south facing beaches . We have a high tide at around 7AM. Pura Vida!! Check the pic - he sent it just to rub it in ---


QUEPOS & MANUEL ANTONIO

see national report


DOMINICAL & SOUTHERN PACIFIC

7) From Sean at Vida Verde Land Management:

AREA WAVE HEIGHTS AND CONDITIONS:
12-15ft. heavy barrels on the beach if one dares, but you may get the ride of your life. good time to look else were....

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND (weather and waves):
Rain and shine and big surf, sounds like the perfect combo

BEST PLACE TO SURF THIS WEEKEND IN YOUR AREA:
Now if I told you that you would all be there...

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
Getting ready to go see the string cheese incident on Damas Island (Quepos) this week and pick off a couple while I'm there..

CARRIBEAN
see national report