Surfing Limón & the north

Beach Break · Best Dec-Mar · 2-8 ft · Crowd 1/5

Swell NE-E

Tortuguero Beach runs for kilometres along the national park on the north Caribbean coast, with endless beach-break peaks and rivermouths. There's no road: the only way in is by boat from Puerto Moín, which also reaches Parismina and Barra Colorado.

The banks move all the time and close out when it's big, but on a good north-east swell there are hollow, powerful peaks with nobody on them. The canals, jungle and nesting turtles are the main reason most people come.

It's best from December to March on a north-east swell. The waters off Tortuguero have a reputation for sharks, so ask locally before paddling out.

Right Point · Best Dec-Mar · 2-8 ft · Crowd 1/5

Strong N swell

Cocaine Point, between Portete and Piuta near Limón, is a right that only breaks when the swell has a lot of north in it. That's an unusual direction for this coast, so it's inconsistent and uncrowded.

When a strong northerly swell arrives, it wraps into the point and peels well. Limón is an easy base for checking it along with the other reefs and beaches nearby, if you have a car.

It only works on a strong swell with a lot of north in it, from December to March. Limón is the nearest city, with simple hotels, and Puerto Viejo, about an hour south, has more places to stay.

Left Reef · Best Dec-Mar · 2-8 ft · Crowd 2/5

Strong NE swell

Playa Bonita is the main beach near Limón. At its north end there's a thick left reef that gets powerful on a strong north-east swell, with fast, hollow sections.

You can watch it from the beach and walk out to it, and hotels and restaurants are close by. It's for confident surfers when it's big, and the reef is shallow on the inside.

It's at its best on a strong north-east swell from December to March, and Limón is a few minutes away.

Right Reef · Best Dec-Mar · 3-8 ft · Crowd 1/5

NE swell, high tide

Roca Alta is a right that breaks over rock ledges near Limón. On a solid north-east swell it's fast and hollow, but it gets shallow and tricky at low tide.

Higher tides are safer. It's only for experienced surfers, and because it's heavy, there are rarely more than a few people out.

Playa Bonita, nearby, is the more popular option.

Left Reef · Best Dec-Mar · 3-10 ft · Crowd 1/5

Big NE swell, high tide

Isla Uvita is a small island off Limón, on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, where Columbus landed in 1502. A shallow reef on the island throws heavy, hollow lefts on a big north-east swell.

It's best at high tide. You can take a boat from Limón or paddle across in about 20 minutes; jellyfish are more of a problem than sharks. It's for experienced surfers who are comfortable in hollow waves over shallow reef.

On other days, Playa Bonita and the beaches south of Limón are the options.

Beach Break · Best Dec-Mar · 2-5 ft · Crowd 1/5

Swell NE-E

Westfalia is a long, empty black-sand beach south of Limón, on the road to Cahuita. The beach-break peaks are consistent but close out once the swell is bigger than about four feet, so it's best on small days.

You'll rarely see another surfer. Nearby, at the mouth of the Río Banano, Barco Quebrado often has better-shaped banks.

It's best on small to medium north-east swells, from December to March. There's very little on the beach, and Cahuita, about twenty minutes south, has the places to stay and eat.

Beach Break · Best Dec-Mar · 2-6 ft · Crowd 1/5

Swell NE-E, rivermouth

Barco Quebrado is the mouth of the Río Banano, on the Westfalia stretch south of Limón. The river shapes the sand into better-defined peaks than the beach around it, so on a north-east swell it's usually the best bank along this coast.

It's easy to miss from the road and almost always empty.

It's best on a north-east swell from December to March. The river can bring currents after rain. Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, further south, have the places to stay.