Arrivals

We all arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica safely! We transported to our private beach surf camp. It is beautiful! We have a great group with students from Connecticut, Virginia, California, Wisconsin, Colorado, London, New York, Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina! We are looking forward to expanding our surfing horizons. More updates soon!

Surf's Up

With the help of our professional surf guides, everyone was surfing by the end of the first day! Tommy, JJ, and Nate were always the first in the water, and the last ones catching waves with the beautiful Costa Rican sunset in the background every day! Olivia, Mackenzie, and Lindsay were smiling ear to ear when they experienced their first time gliding across the water on their surfboards! Lacey kept the smiling trend going, as she perfected her surfing skills. A quick hike to a nearby river for some fresh water soaking was a great way to cool down from the sunny, toasty Costa Rican afternoon heat! Filling our stomachs at the end of a day like ours was tough, but we managed with the likes of pasta & meat sauce, BLTS, grilled cheese, and pancakes. You could almost always find Lacey smiling behind the stove joined by Nate, Olivia, and JJ. Mackenzie, Tommy, Kristen, and Lindsay have been right on time to do the dishes, making it easy to go to bed on a full stomach, and rest up for the next sunrise surf session! After a long travel day, we are off to bed for an early start tomorrow! After a week of excitement and fun in the sun, team Pura Vida is off to our second portion of the trip. The sights of the Arenal Volcano and nearby rainforests are on the agenda with sky tram & canopy tours! Until next time, Pura Vida!

Hot Springs and White Water

After a good nights' rest at the Catarata Eco Lodge, the group headed out for our canopy tours. What a great way to start the day! Lacey overcame her fears and did every line in the tour. Olivia, Lindsay, Kristen, and Nate couldn't take the grins off of their faces, while Mackenzie, JJ, and Tommy had such a great time, they wanted to do it again! After the exhilarating experience and the great views, the group headed to the lovely town of La Fortuna for some pizza and sightseeing. Tommy, Nate, and JJ decided after their first ice cream that they wanted to try the shop around the corner and compare the two. Needless to say, the first store won the vote for the better ice cream of the two. After the short tour of La Fortuna, the group headed back to the hotel to change into their bathing suits for a trip to the hot springs. The rain only added cool effects, as the pools at the hot springs steamed from the cooler water. There was a small section of the pool where the group gathered to play a few games while waiting for their dinner to be prepared. The food was fabulous, with chicken and steak burritos, rice and beans, and a great salad. This is where Tommy got the nickname, Tony, from Nate, who always forgot that his name was Tommy, instead of Tony. After the group ate, everyone retired to their quarters and rested up for an adventure to the Pacuare river for some whitewater rafting. On our way down to the put in point, our guide pointed out a sloth to us, which was in a tree close to the road. We were very fortunate to see the sloth, as it's typically a nocturnal animal, and it takes very keen eyes to spot one in the middle of the day! The first day of rafting the group had a great time while practicing for the class IV rapids the next day. A snack mid-morning of some of the freshest pineapple and watermelon gave us energy to finish the rest of the route for the day. Kristen showed her fearless side, as she was the first one out of a boat on one of the rapids, and popped up with a smile and a wet head of hair. Upon arriving to the camp, the group changed and feasted on some great beef burritos with beans, onions and veggies, chips and salsa. Nate, Tommy (Tony), and JJ all had their fill with 3 burritos each! After lunch, there was a never-ending card game of UNO, wich Olivia and Mackenzie won with ease! After an early dinner, the group went straight to bed on full stomachs with anticipation of the rapids the next day! It's very nice having such great meals prepared for you, especially when it's pancakes, eggs, toast, and fresh fruit! With our stomachs full, the group headed down to the river for our second day of rafting. The second, and last person in the water was JJ, who also came up with a smile. He always has some way of comparing an activity of the group to his current book about Navy Seals. After some good rapids, the group floated down two gorgeous canyons, and found some Indiana Jones type sights. After rafting, the group is headed for the clear blue water and sunny skies of the Caribbean!

Costa Rican Surfing Trip Wraps Up!

After a wonderful two days on the Pacuare River enjoying waterfalls, swimming, and wildlife, team Pura Vida packed up once again and headed for the coast. The Caribbean coast seemed much different from the Pacific since we didn’t have to hike in across two estuaries to find camp—just a muddy road and then the beach! We arrived a little on the late side which meant we had to camp on the sand, but things could have been much worse than camping under the stars on a Costa Rican beach! When we arrived it appeared that red ants had already claimed our campsite, but the group rallied and worked around them. The next morning we set up our permanent camp under some tall trees with a front row view of the Caribbean waves and beach! Besides the convenient proximity to the sea, we also had a great fresh-water river nearby. This was great for rinsing the salt water off after a surf session and eventually hosted our category games, navy SEAL training, and was great just go in for a dip during the hot afternoon. Our first morning of surfing was great; we had a new instructor and a few fiberglass boards. Everyone picked up where they left off from the Pacific side and paddled out and hopped on waves for a couple of hours. A local surfer and one of our instructors, Alex, spent a good bit of time in the water with the group teaching and showing off his surfing skills. Everyone agreed that he was the best surfer they had seen in person spraying water on his turns and hanging 10 on the long board. Nate, Tommy (Tony), and JJ all decided they would start training for their Navy SEAL careers, as JJ taught techniques learned from his most recent book read on the trip. JJ´s nickname eventually became “Trip,” as he decided it was a fitting name for the SEAL tactics he was practicing. The river became the base for most of the training, as it was easy for the guys to pop up out of nowhere and use the sand to camouflage and blend in with the beach colors. Their main targets were Kristen, Olivia, Lacey, Mackenzie, and Lindsay, as the girls spent a good bit of time in-between surf sessions lounging on the beach, chatting, reading, and just enjoying the Caribbean sun. After the group experienced their first low country broil for dinner, they headed to bed once again full, dreaming of barrels and clear water. The next day, the group headed down the beach for a short hike to snorkel in the clear Caribbean water, in hopes of finding some cool local fish and rocks. After snorkeling, some followed the girls’ example of chatting on the beach while the guys were back in the river for more SEAL training. Nightfall found the group tidying up and packing their bags for the trip back to San Jose the next morning. Upon our arrival back to the hostel, people showered and gathered their laundry while getting ready for the banquet on the last night. Cleaned up, the group headed to Tiquiciera, where we once again filled our stomachs, and witnessed some traditional Costa Rican dancing. Our last circle at the airport came all too soon; the group really bonded during the trip and no one wanted to separate and go back to normal life in the states. It was just too much fun being in our little Costa Rican world without any boundaries. The 16 days had flown by but the friendships and memories formed from the experiences will last lifetimes. Pura Vida!