It’s a big news year for Costa Rica surfing. The Costa Rica national surfing team was recently crowned 2015 World Surfing Champions. Costa Rica surfers are winning medals in international surfing competitions and are climbing high in world surfing rankings.
Now in July, surfers will vie for titles in the Costa Rica Surfing Championship Finals at Playa Hermosa by Jacó. The annual national event will take place July 17 to 19 on Playa Hermosa in front of the Backyard Bar & Restaurant.
If you are in Costa Rica at this time, don’t miss this fun beach party and exciting Costa Rica surfing competition. The best place to stay in Playa Hermosa by Jacó is the newly-opened Hotel Tramonto. The modern 76-room hotel is located on the quieter south end of Playa Hermosa. Great surfing waves are right out front, and the competition will be just down the road. The Playa Hermosa beachfront hotel features an Italian restaurant, swimming pool, and a beautiful sunset terrace. Rooms are available in three categories: standard, superior and suite. Complimentary breakfast is included for all hotel guests.
Playa Hermosa is easy to get to from San Jose, Costa Rica. The beautiful, uncrowded black sand beach is just past Jacó on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The drive to Hotel Tramonto from San Jose takes approximately 75 minutes using Route 27 and the Southern Coastal Highway.
Costa Rica surfers in the news
Costa Rica’s national surfing team won the 2015 World Surfing Championships on June 7 at the International Surfing Association (ISA) 2015 World Surfing Games held at Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua. The team also won the gold medal in the ISA Aloha Cup tag team event at the championships. Individual medals were won by the brother and sister team of Noe Mar and Leilani McGonagle of Pavones: the Men’s Open Division gold medal for Noe Mar, and the Women’s Open Division silver medal for Leilani – the 15-year-old surfer won the gold medal at the Rip Curl GromSearch International in May in Brazil.
The “Costa Rican Dream Team” of surfers included: international surfing star Carlos Muñoz from Esterillos, Latin American champion Anthony Fillingim from Santa Teresa, 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit leader Jason Torres from Jacó, 11-time national women’s champion Lisbeth Vindas from Jacó, Noe Mar McGonagle who is ranked 12th in the world by the ISA, and his sister Leilani, now a six-time world medalist.
If all six world champions show up for the national finals on July 17, the competition will definitely be gripping. Lisbeth Vindas just won the Beach Club Cup Nosara 2015 women’s open division on June 14 at Playa Guiones by Nosara – the sixth national circuit competition for 2015. Vindas is poised to win her 12th national title in Playa Hermosa. Esterillos surfer Carlos Muñoz, ranked 16th in the world by the ISA this year, won the men’s open division.
Article by Shannon Farley
