Then I see my six-year-old son’s surf instructor Christy. It’s not the coolest, biggest wave, but it feels rad to be surfing. I stand up and enjoy the feeling of riding the wave. On our last day of surf camp, I paddle into a whitewater wave.
We learn how to deal with rip tides, how surf competitions work and we do a night of video analysis to learn from our mistakes. We learn the difference between ground swells, wind swells, point breaks and beach breaks. In the evening after a family style dinner around a huge table, we do surf theory classes.
They always have a blast and give parents exactly what we need time to recoup from the morning’s pumelling. They play in tide pools, visit waterfalls or go for gelato. We spent mornings in the water, then everyone came back to the resort to eat lunch.Īfter lunch the adults have the option to do yoga with a local instructor to stretch their wearied muscles (and I mean wearied ), while the kids go off on adventures with a couple of the family surf camp coaches. It’s an incredibly effective way to learn. There are on-beach lessons as well as extensive time spent in the water.
These coaches are locals and foreigners alike and they are all as stoked to be in the water as their students. With a maximum capacity of 12 guests, the family surf camp is small enough that everyone becomes friends and as far as instruction goes, these guys are pros adults get one coach per two people and each kid gets their very own coach. With an incredible property right beside a sea turtle sanctuary (and the beach of course), the camp is an all inclusive affair meals are prepared by locals (the food is incredible), drinks flow freely but the main focus is learning to surf. Run by Hillary Harrison and her husband Ryan Watts (both former world class mountain bike racers), the couple spends summer at their homes in Pemberton and Washington and winter running the Peaks ‘n Swells camp out of Hillary’s mother’s estate in Costa Rica. And our amazing instructors – Ezequiel, Jordy, Fallom – surfing with you guys was just like surfing with mates back home.If you’re looking for a family getaway like no other, I’m not sure you could beat the Peaks ‘n Swells Family Surf Camp in Montezuma, Costa Rica. Cesar and Kaitlin are amazing hosts, friendly and funny and willing to bend over backwards to help you with anything. I cannot recommend this surf camp enough. It’s got that awesome, friendly small-town vibe. It was so cool that even though we were only there for a week, we began to recognise people as we walked around the town, people we’d talked to while out at night, or seen in the surf, or whatever. The people are super friendly and we really felt welcome. Dominical is a beautiful little surf town, with only one main street (which isn’t paved), it’s the real Costa Rica.
I am so glad that we chose Dominical instead of one of the more touristed spots in Costa Rica, like Tamarindo or somewhere. And our amazing instructors – Ezequiel, Jordy, Falon – surfing with you guys was just like surfing with mates back home. It was so cool that even though we were only there for a week, we began to recognize people as we walked around the town, people we’d talked to while out at night, or seen in the surf, or whatever. It really felt like we were traveling with friends. When we weren’t surfing, these guys were great in taking us to other places, recommending other things to do and see, or just hanging out and having a few drinks or a meal at night time. They have coaching for all levels, and if you are already a gun surfer, they will just take you where the waves are …and there are some amazing waves! We were beginner/intermediate surfers, and we felt very well looked after in terms of surfing instruction. Well, it’s been nearly 2 weeks since we said goodbye to Costa Rica Surf Camp, and all we can think of is how much we want to be back!