Costa Rica is gearing up to host the 2009 ISA Billabong World Surfing Championship in Playa Hermosa, July 31 to Aug. 9, with 40 nations and 280 surfers participating. This year's competition will be the largest in its history and will be broadcast over the web to over 80 million people worldwide throughout the competition's eight-day run with additional coverage on ESPN and Fox Sports. As one of the few countries in the world that can offer two wave-producing oceans for surfing, Costa Rica is a dream come true for any surfer. With easy access between dual coasts, a surfer can spend sunrise on the Pacific and end the day with a surf session at sunset on the Caribbean coast. Additionally, Costa Rica is the only country that offers prime surfing waves 365 days a year, an advantage that surfers from all over the world come to experience.
The Pacific Coast offers 250 premium spots for surfing including some of its most famous like Roca Bruja in Guanacaste, Pavones in Garabito, Salsa Brava in Limon and Playa Hermosa in the Puntarenas province, the site of this year's World Surfing Games. There's also ideal surfing to be found in Marbella, Playa Negra, Avellanas, Boca Barranca, Dominical and Isla Uvita. Surfing in Costa Rica dates back to the 1970s when tourists from Hawaii would show up with their boards and ride the premium waves on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Local curiosity for the sport grew and Costa Ricans began to embrace it as well. Ironically, many of the locals did not derive from coastal towns, but from areas such as Alajuela, Cartago and San Jose where easy access to the beach wasn't available.
Costa Rica's fame as a surfing destination came full circle with the creation of the Surfing Federation in 2001. With the help of Antonio Pilurzu, father of Costa Rican surfer Federico Pilurzu, the Surfing Federation has driven Costa Rica to the forefront of the sport as well as making it the top attraction for Costa Rica's tourism. In addition to being an exceptional destination for surfing, Costa Rica has also produced some of the best surfers the sport has seen in the last few years.
Costa Rica is in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama, bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. It has given priority to the conservation of its natural resources, protecting 26 percent of its national territory through the creation of National Parks and other natural areas. The Costa Rica Tourist Board, created in 1955, is an autonomous institution of the state, responsible for regulating the tourism activity in Costa Rica and promoting Costa Rica's tourism attractions and destinations both at a national and international level. The Costa Rica Tourist Board creates tourism norms, regulations, incentives and grants the tourist declaratory for Costa Rica's hotels, travel agencies, rental cars and other tourism organization and service provider. For information, call 866-267-8274 or visit www.visitcostarica.com.
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