Costa Rica Crocodiles and Surfing

We all have a calling, be it to a person, a place, or activity. A calling seems to satisfy something that makes us feel... like ourselves... at peace. My calling is to surf in Costa Rica.


In November 2019, I saw an opening and took it. I made a quick plan and boarded the airplane. (Thanks, Edwin Rojas) 

Crocodiles: The trip from the airport to Jaco would be incomplete without a stop at Crocodile Bridge. We stopped and looked down the ravine to see bunch of long logs. Oh, wait! They weren't logs! It was thrilling to see crocodiles so far away. I later learned they are not alway in the rivers.

We arrived at Sandpiper Inn, a little piece of heaven, just outside Jaco and on the beach. I had a room on the second floor with a little balcony with a great view of the Ocean. 

Looking Down Into the Room on the Open-Air Space

Open Air Restaurant

The View From My Room Balcony 

#Hikes: You don't have to go very far to be on a high elevation in the rainforest, overlooking the ocean. Yerlin, the woman who owns the Sandpiper Inn, made me feel at home right away and took me on a short hike up the mountain and then, into town. 

When I wasn't surfing, I had a lovely time taking in the breathtaking vistas and relaxing.

Yerlin and I

#Champion: The first morning, I met my instructor, Lisbeth Vindas. She's won more Costa Rican women's championships than anyone else to date - 18! She's a lively, warm person and had upbeat, calm confidence of a leader and a champion.

Lisbeth Vindas

We started on the beach when she changed my pop-up, the most basic move, then moved into the ocean where we could work on it in earnest.  

Apparently, she saw I could surf above the level of the basic beginner because, at the end of the session, she let me know, that we'd be going to Playa Hermosa the next day, which struck fear in my heart! That's a big-wave beach! I also learned that the crocodiles sometimes get washed from the rivers to the ocean and lurk around the bottom of the ocean. Wait, WHAT? She assured me that I'd probably live, so the next day we set out for Playa Hermosa.

Pic: Me, a friend and Lisbeth

Timing is everything. During this time of the year, the waves are small all around, so Hermosa was just the right height. Also, crocodiles wash into the ocean only during the rainy season, and it wasn't the rainy season. I was good on both counts. 


Great coach. One of the great things about working with a champion like Lisbeth is that I learned how she thinks. Once, I suggested that I focus on pop-ups by taking a wave, popping up, jumping off, taking the next wave, popping up, jumping off, repeat. This means I would forfeit the rest of the wave, which enabled other skill practice. 

"No." She said without hesitation. "You can practice that at home." (on dry land)

OK. Understood!

She is judicious with opportunities. The only place I could practice being on the length of the wave was in the ocean - on the wave. I could practice pop-ups in my room. She had told me that she practices her moves before a competition at her home on a Bosu ball.

Practice: Ever day before the lessons, I'd get up, do yoga, and practice what I'd learned. In fact, I'd practice as soon as I got home from a lesson so as to not forget what I'd just learned. One day Lisbeth picked me up at 5:45 AM. I'd been up, caffeinated, stretched, and ready to surf by that time. Unsurprisingly, I made more progress in that week with her than any week ever before. 

#Luck. Surfing is all about luck, where opportunity meets preparedness. Lisbeth's most consistent lesson was, "Wait for the wave." in other words, wait for the right wave; don't go after everything that comes your way. Then be in position and ready to take the wave when it comes. 

I was there only eight days, but based on my new skill level, it felt like longer. I'd really changed my surfing and made a few friends. On the ride back to the airport, I was wondering how I could come back for a longer time. At least, I could keep practicing.