Carton Surfboards, Calle Madrigal, Jacó, Costa Rica. During the course of a bikini shoot a few weeks ago here in Jacó, I discovered that the model I was shooting knew Carton, the owner of Carton Surfboards, who I had wanted to meet. I was always seeing his boards out in the water and was curious to both meet the maker and learn about the whole business of surfboard shaping. (Nerd-like tendenci...

If Costa Rica’s professional surf scene had an A-team, it would look something like this: Carlos Muñoz, Jair Pérez, Noe Mar McGonagle, Gilbert Brown, Anthony Fillingim, Luis Vindas, Leilani McGonagle, Lisbeth Vindas, and Nataly Bernold. The nine top surfers seem to shuffle places between being national champions and taking the top five slots at any given competition, with the odd interloper upsett...

Earlier tonight when listening to 99.5FM radio dos we heard Joe Walsh of Witch's Rock Surf Camp mention they have a new webcam that shows the conditions for surfing in both Tamarindo and Playa Grande. Which is a nice treat for both locals and people who are on vacation to check the conditions before heading down to the beach to set out on a day of adventure catching waves and hanging out in the su...

Introduction to Costa Rica If you’re looking for an epic environmentally friendly surf trip, Costa Rica should be high up on your list. As we’ll point out in this Costa Rica Surf Guide, there are so many cool things to see and do, especially along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Whether you’re looking to relax and completely disconnect or you’d like to incorporate a bit of adventure into ...

Safari Surf School, Costa Rica's premier surf school and camp for fourteen years, strives to be carbon neutral with the addition of the "Innovative Biodiesel Project" -- the world's first small-scale biodiesel production system that is closed-loop (zero waste), energy independent (off-grid), and carbon-negative. Safari Surf's Sustainability Director, Carl Kish, has partnered with biodiesel expert ...

Whether surfing familiar swells or venturing out on a surf vacation, Surf Survival Camp could help you gain basic medical skills to keep you and your buddies safer. Dr. Andrew Nathanson, co-author of the best selling handbook Surf Survival, will arrive in Nosara on November 10 and plans to share his knowledge of emergency and marine medicine during Surf Survival Camp hosted by Harmony Hotel that w...

In the past The Costa Rica Star has published many articles about Volcano Brewing Company. Costa Rica is well known for its beautiful beaches, lush, wildlife-filled jungles, and ideal climate, not to mention low cost of living, bargain real estate, and low-cost medical care. “There was only one problem with Costa Rica,” says California native Joe Walsh. “No pale ale.” So he solved the problem...

Picture above by Arthur Lavooy. From the back of a truck bed, fat Nicaraguan men auctioned off produce through giant loud-speakers. The assorted fruits and vegetables they advertised culminated into a song, and I smiled because it was familiar song, one that I hadn’t heard in two years. It was nostalgic, just like the smell of burning trash. The burning trash and strong scent of resin mi...

Long before hosting the ASP 3-star Copa Quiksilver El Salvador, Punta Roca was considered Central America's premier righthand pointbreak. Roping off the town of La Libertad some 25 miles south of the capital city of San Salvador, Punta Roca (named such as to distinguish it from every other "La Punta" in the world) was often referred to as the "Rincon of Latin America," even in its infancy. ...

June has been a busy month for board culture lovers across the world. On June 20th, surfers in many parts of the world celebrated their favorite activity with special events, and the next day skaters in Detroit gathered to celebrate Emerica's Wild in the Street -an event that stands to symbolize international skateboarding. In Costa Rica, those events will be celebrated this weekend. Internationa...

Here on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, surfing is a part of culture. It’s a way of life, almost like a religion. And this Saturday church was in session. The overcast skies and cross-shore breeze was a welcomed occurrence for the hundreds of parishioners of the Church of Surf who were sitting on the beach in front of Morgan’s Cove in Jacó on the 16th day of June. The crowds gather...

From March 28th through April 1st, 2012, the Vans Pier Classic returns to Huntington Beach, California, and Tico surfer Carlos Munoz will be competing among some of the biggest names in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The Vans Pier Classic has been rated a 4-star competition by the ASP, which means that Carlos will be surfing against top-notch talent competing for the $115,000 ...

*IMPORTANT* Click here to follow the discussion about this article on our Facebook page. I was forwarded this video earlier tonight, and felt compelled to write a quick article about it. You should watch the video before carrying on reading this, click the link, it will open in a new window. Then come back here once you are done. It shows a frustrated and mad individual attacking 2 surfers w...

There have been a lot of changes in travel lately. Airline fees tend to bring you to your knees in the past few years. I want to touch base with the traveling surfer and fisherman who are interested in traveling to Costa Rica. All of you “water sport junkies” have been hit really hard where it hurts the most, your wallet. I am on a mission to get the most out of my money, have the best time, and n...

Days before the inauguration of the 6th annual Reef Central American Surf Games, the coach of the National Surfing Team made something very clear: “Our goal and responsibility will be to come away with gold medals for all teams, as well as capturing the top spot in all divisions.” Jose Urena was not taking any chances. “We called up the same team as we had for Panama, plus some under-18 surfers wh...