Experience Surfing and Wildlife With the Family in Costa Rica

As far as surfing destinations go, you'd be hard pressed to beat Costa Rica. With 1200 kilometers of coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the number of breaks is nearly endless. What's more, every coastal town has a surf shop and school along with dedicated locals that are surprisingly generous when it comes to sharing their breaks. Add to that an average water temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit and it's never difficult to get in the ocean.

If you're looking for a family getaway to remember, learn to surf at the Peaks 'n Swells Family Surf Camp in Montezuma. This incredible property sits behind the beach and a sea turtle sanctuary, providing an all-inclusive affair the whole family will love. Bonus: meals are prepared by locals and the drinks flow freely.

A maximum 12 guest capacity allows for a more direct hands-on teaching method. While the adults get one coach per two people, each kid gets their very own. The extensive time spent in the water, along with on-beach lessons, provides an incredibly effective way to learn. We would spend mornings in the water followed by a lunch break at the resort.

After lunch, the adults can stretch their wearied muscles with a local yoga instructor while the kids check out some waterfalls, play in the tide pools or even go for some gelato with a few of the surf coaches. Your kids are guaranteed to have a blast while you get exactly what you need; time to recoup from the morning's intense workout that is surfing.

In the evening, after a family-style dinner around a huge table, we did surf theory classes. We learned the difference between ground swells and wind swells, point breaks and beach breaks, how to deal with riptides and how surf competitions work. In addition, we did a night of video analysis to learn from our mistakes.

Of course, no trip to Costa Rica would be complete without seeing some wildlife-and there is tons of it around. We were woken daily by the creepy sound of the howler monkeys screaming their eerie calls and each day on the way to the break we would spot capuchin monkeys playing in the trees and checking us out.

On our last day of surf camp, my six-year-old son finally decided to stand up on his board. His surf instructor was infinitely patient; she'd been with him every day, letting him go at his own pace. And finally, he was doing it. While slow but steady in his pop up, he was up with a stance that was, from my 40-year-old perspective, infuriatingly natural. It's a moment I will cherish forever.

Facing west, in addition to being an incredible place to learn to surf, Playa Hermosa offers some of the best sunsets around. Just north of Santa Teresa, we spent most days at this beach, where the Peaks 'n Swells kept us hydrated and happy. And if the kids don't feel like surfing, the instructors just play with them in the sand.

This is one of our instructors showing us how it's done. None of us campers ever looked this good on the waves, but at times we sure felt like it. This is exactly what the end goal of a surf trip to Costa Rica looks like. This is the dream.

On our last night, we celebrated with a bonfire on the beach at Playa Hermosa. The staff gathered for dinner and drinks while the sun went down and stars splattered across the sky. We laughed as the kids ran up and down the beach, collecting hermit crabs and goofing around with each other. They all became incredible friends.

"We originally started with a surf camp for adults," said owner Hillary Harrison as we watched the kids play, "but then we just found the family camp was way more fun."