Summer Surf Camp Overview
This teen surf camp combines fun surfing lessons (for all skill levels) with meaningful community service for an incredible Costa Rican experience! We will learn to surf at one of the best beaches in the country, Playa Sámara, known for its gentle waves for beginners and fun easy riding for those who already are comfortable on a surfboard. Keep an eye out for the wild horses that roam the beach here!
Our certified surf instructors will teach you everything you need to know to be safe and have fun in the water. After several days of lessons at Playa Sámara we will take our surfing skills to Playa Grande for some of the best beach breaks on the Pacific Coast. Here, we will enjoy additional surfing lessons to perfect our surfing skills.
We’ll also spend time with local school children and help to improve their community facilities. Projects vary but our service work typically consists of working on art projects with the children, reading to them, teaching them English, and general upkeep of the school such as painting and light maintenance.
Surfing and service aren’t all we’ll do. We will also take cooking and dance lessons, zipline, hike, go on a mangrove animal safari, and enjoy Costa Rican pura vida!
During this program, you will:
- Donate your time and energy to meaningful community service projects in Playa Sámara working with local schoolchildren. You’ll earn up to 20 hours of community service!
- Zoom through the lush jungle canopy on an adrenaline-pumping ziplining tour
- See the abundant animal life that Costa Rica is famous for, including sloths, capuchin and howler monkeys, iguanas, parrots, toucans and more
- Go on a safari through a rare coastal mangrove forest
- Swim, surf, and sunbathe while staying at a tropical paradise along the coast
- Sea kayak over to a gorgeous island for an incredible snorkeling adventure
- Prepare a classic Costa Rican meal at a cooking lesson
Trip Itinerary
DAY 1: DEPART FROM MIAMI (MIA)
DAYS 1-6: PLAYA SÁMARA
Playa Sámara is our home for the first six days of the trip. During our stay in Sámara, we will spend our time with local students getting our hands dirty working on important projects at a community center. Past projects have included painting school buildings, renovating a soccer field, planting trees, and cleaning up and renovating the town park. From our rustic yet comfortable lodgings at a farmhouse, we’ll get to know both the animals and the family that cares for them.
We will also begin our surf lessons! The waves in Sámara are perfect and gentle enough for beginners, yet still fun for more advanced surfers. Other activities will include zip-lining through the jungle canopy, sea kayaking and eco-hikes to nearby hidden beaches!
DAYS 7-10: PLAYA GRANDE > TAMARINDO
The Playa Grande is where we learn the true meaning of pura vida. Here on the Pacific coast, we will take our surf lessons up a notch and start to perfect our skills. We’ll also learn about local Tico culture, cooking up local specialties, learning traditional dances, and paddling with a nature guide through a coastal mangrove forest.
DAY 11: RETURN FLIGHT TO THE STATES
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is unique about the Costa Rica Surf & Service trip?
Costa Rica Surf & Service uniquely integrates exhilarating adventures while also incorporating community service projects! Our strong ties to the community in Sámara guarantees an authentic experience. Students will be immediately welcomed into the community and treated like family. The aspect of combining surf lessons with community service in Costa Rica makes for a dynamic experience!
Costa Rica Surf & Service uniquely integrates exhilarating adventures while also incorporating community service projects! Our strong ties to the community in Sámara guarantees an authentic experience. Students will be immediately welcomed into the community and treated like family. The aspect of combining surf lessons with community service in Costa Rica makes for a dynamic experience!
Where do we stay?
Students stay in centrally located, safe, and well-supervised accommodations in each city.
They are well suited to facilitating group supervision and usually within walking distance of the main attractions. We do not use large, impersonal chain hotels on the outskirts of cities; we prefer to select smaller, family-run hotels where we establish personal relationships with the owners.
In Sámara we stay in a hotel right by the beach surrounded by trees where you can see monkeys, iguanas and toucans hanging around. Our hotel in Playa Grande is very similar.
For safety reasons, we do not publish the names of the accommodations we use. We do not feel it is safe to publish the name of a hotel where a group of teenagers is staying abroad. After registering, participants and parents are given access to our secure parent website where you will be able to see the names of all of the accommodations for a program.
Students stay in centrally located, safe, and well-supervised accommodations in each city.
They are well suited to facilitating group supervision and usually within walking distance of the main attractions. We do not use large, impersonal chain hotels on the outskirts of cities; we prefer to select smaller, family-run hotels where we establish personal relationships with the owners.
In Sámara we stay in a hotel right by the beach surrounded by trees where you can see monkeys, iguanas and toucans hanging around. Our hotel in Playa Grande is very similar.
For safety reasons, we do not publish the names of the accommodations we use. We do not feel it is safe to publish the name of a hotel where a group of teenagers is staying abroad. After registering, participants and parents are given access to our secure parent website where you will be able to see the names of all of the accommodations for a program.
What is included on the Costa Rica Surf & Service trip?
Tuition cost includes ground transportation; accommodation; chaperones and guides; program-related activities and admissions; taxes and tips; all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Not included in cost (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list): airfare; visas and visa application fees; personal and medical expenses; activities and admissions that are not program-related or referenced in the itinerary; beverages other than filtered water at meals; participant expenses that are outside of the program description, such as excess baggage fees and damage to hotels; expenses related to unforeseen circumstances, such as transportation strikes and natural disasters.
Tuition cost includes ground transportation; accommodation; chaperones and guides; program-related activities and admissions; taxes and tips; all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Not included in cost (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list): airfare; visas and visa application fees; personal and medical expenses; activities and admissions that are not program-related or referenced in the itinerary; beverages other than filtered water at meals; participant expenses that are outside of the program description, such as excess baggage fees and damage to hotels; expenses related to unforeseen circumstances, such as transportation strikes and natural disasters.
What is the food like on this program?
The food on this program is authentic, delicious, and a central part of the cultural travel experience.
We prioritize eating at local, authentic establishments rather than Americanized chains, encouraging students to sample the local specialties wherever we go. We fully accommodate all dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten allergies, and other restrictions.
The food in Costa Rica is delicious! Expect to eat seasoned rice, beans, chicken, steak, tropical fruit and veggies, plantains, and many other foods flavored with unique Caribbean spices! Vegetarians will have no issues eating well on the trip. Also, unlike in Europe where a light breakfast of coffee and toast is the norm, ticos (Costa Ricans) eat big, savory breakfasts—and so will we!
The food on this program is authentic, delicious, and a central part of the cultural travel experience.
We prioritize eating at local, authentic establishments rather than Americanized chains, encouraging students to sample the local specialties wherever we go. We fully accommodate all dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten allergies, and other restrictions.
The food in Costa Rica is delicious! Expect to eat seasoned rice, beans, chicken, steak, tropical fruit and veggies, plantains, and many other foods flavored with unique Caribbean spices! Vegetarians will have no issues eating well on the trip. Also, unlike in Europe where a light breakfast of coffee and toast is the norm, ticos (Costa Ricans) eat big, savory breakfasts—and so will we!