Jaco Surfers Win Top Titles in Costa Rica Surf Competition

Jaco surfer Jair Perez wins MAUI Cup national Costa Rica surf competition

Jaco surfers dominated Costa Rica’s Third Olympus National Surfing Competition for 2013, the MAUI Cup, last week at Jaco Beach.

Top Jaco surfers Jair Pérez and Lisbeth Vindas respectively won the Men’s and Women’s Open Titles in the third Costa Rica Surf Federation national circuit competition, sponsored by energy drink company Adrenaline Rush. The surf competition was held Feb. 23 and 24 in front of Morgan’s Cove Hotel at Jaco Beach, on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast.

Costa Rica’s best surfers battled it out in two to four-foot waves in blazing summer sun in front of about 1,500 spectators over the weekend.

Jaco natives captured five out of seven top titles at the MAUI Cup. In addition to Pérez and Vindas, Juan Carlos Hernández won the Juniors Title, Anthony Flores won the Longboard Title, and Bruno Carvalho won in the Boys’ Division. Leilani McGonagle of Pavones took first place in the Junior Women’s Division and Malakai Martínez of Tamarindo won the MiniGrommet Title.

Jair Pérez beat out fellow surfers Luis Vindas of Jaco, Ramón Taliani of Santa Teresa and Josymar Fuentes of Liberia, to finish with a total of 13.27 points after running two waves in both directions. Taliani, who was a close second, put pressure on Pérez with one of the best air jumps seen at the competition. With this victory, Pérez enters a line-up of three different winners so far this 2013 season: Luis Vindas and 2012 National Surf Champion Gilbert Brown López. Pérez has won three medals so far in Jaco surfing competitions.

Nine-time Costa Rica surfing champion Lisbeth Vindas is on a quest for #10 this year. Vindas has won all three National Circuit competitions so far for 2013, making her a favorite for the National Champion title. In the MAUI Cup, Vindas beat out 2012 National Surfing Champion Nataly Bernold, Jill Kepich and Leilani McGonagle; although McGonagle took #1 in the Junior Women’s Division.

The next Olympus National Circuit Competition of the Costa Rica Surf Federation, the Quiksilver Cup, will be held at Playa Dominical on 23- 24 March 2013 in front of Hotel Tortilla Flats.

Learn to surf like a local with Del Mar Surf Camp!

Del Mar Surf Camp will teach you to surf like a local on the same waves where the Costa Rica surf champions rip it up. The top Costa Rica surf school specializes in Costa Rica surf vacation packages, yoga-surf retreats and day surf lessons for adults, women-only and families. Its sister company, Del Mar Surfing Academy, offers 7-night and 14-night surf and cultural/language immersion camps for teens.

With Del Mar Surf Camp, you will surf every day in warm water with locals who have surfed these waves their whole lives, plus learn to speak Spanish and enjoy area tours. Del Mar Surf Camp provides various packages for beginners/intermediate surfers, advanced surfers, women only, families and groups. Though there is a schedule, camp dates also are run on an “anytime you want” basis (discounts given for Saturday arrival).

One of the best points is Del Mar Surf Camp has three locations, increasing your vacation choices, on Hermosa Beach on the Central Pacific Coast, Nosara Beach on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast and Santa Teresa Beach on the Pacific’s southern Nicoya Peninsula. Del Mar Surf Camp offers Summer Specials packages, with great discounts, to celebrate their 10^th anniversary in 2013. Domestic flights and transfers to all of Del Mar’s locations are included in all surf vacation packages.