Seven Day SCUBA & Sail, Eight Day Multi Element, Seven Day Surf Intensive, 30 Day Spanish Intensive.

Seven Day Surf Intensive

Each day will consist of a combination of surf sessions, tutorials, land activities, and evening meetings. The group will begin to learn to surf on some of the most beautiful and remote beaches in Costa Rica While spending overnights at Avellanas, the group will also surf Playa Junquillal, Negra and Grande, and become a self sufficient group by preparing meals, setting up camp, facilitating vehicle transfers, and enganging in nightly meetings. All surf instruction is supervised and coached by local and international surf instructors.

Day 0) Participants arrive at Juan Santa Maria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica. They are transferred to the mountainous Outward Bound base camp in San Ramon de Tres Rios. Welcome and orientation meeting, “Duffle Shuffle,” and overnight at base.

Days 1) Start your course with an early morning transfer to Playa Avellanas where you will camp along the beach for the next five days. Playa Avellanas has a great beginner beach break with a sandy bottom and a lot of safe whitewash. Further north of the beach break there is an A-Frame (breaks both left and right) reef break at a river mouth, which breaks over a shelf and picks up more than the beach break. Surfing is best here at mid to high-tide. A little north of the river mouth is a break called "Little Hawaii." It is a predominant right that breaks off a reef, which is best at low tide and picks up a lot of swell, holding up to head and a half to double overhead barrels. Set up camp and enjoy a group-cooked dinner under the stars.

Day 2) You'll start off each day with strength and stamina building activities including yoga, jogging, soccer, vollyball or "beach Olympics." Begin to learn to surf at Playa Avellanas with surf instruction including surfboard handling and safety, paddling techniques (through the break and onto waves), how to read/catch waves (timing, judgement and positioning), and take off (board braking away and standing action). You'll also learn tutorial topics including wave and tide formations and lunar phases.

Day 3) Continue working on your surfing skills with a day trip just down the road to Playa Negra. Playa Negra has a strong hollow break over a reef that is mostly a right, and it also has a nice beach break called Sandies that is good for beginners. When the tide is off, possible land-based activities include community service and conservation project, catching and cooking your own fish or tide pool exploration. Tutorial topics for the day will include ocean ecology and surfing history and culture.

Day 4) Spend the day at Playa Junquillal where you'll learn triming (sliding, traversing, tube riding and nose riding) and tuning (forehand, backhand and cutback). Playa Junquillal has a nice beach break and a solid left off the rock point when the swell picks up. Ideal surfing here is at high tide. Possible land-based activities here include hiking or mangrove exploration with tutorial topics covering competitive surfing and surfbaord design.

Day 5) Head to Playa Grande to surf the south swells. Grande has one of the best beach breaks in Costa Rica, especially with good winter offshore winds, and is one of the most consistent waves in the country. Continue to work on triming and tuning and also learn ocean awareness and rescue activities. Dependent on the nesting season, your group might partake in an engangered Leatherback Turtle nesting tour and learn about Coastal conservation.

Day 6) Enjoy one last morning surfing the breaks of Playa Avellanas. Clean up camp and transfer back to base in San Ramon de Tres Rios that afternoon.

Day 7) Time to hit the town! Learn about Costa Rican history and enjoy a day of cultural activities in San Jose. Head downtown for a museum tour, and visit historic landmarks like the National Theater. After a stop for lunch, head to the Mercado Central, San Jose's most colorful and authenically Central American market.  Time permitting; take a trip to the Museum of Jade or Serpentarium. Evening transfer to base for your last group dinner and celebration. Stay overnight at base camp.

Day 8) Transfer to San Jose International airport and fly home.

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