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Boca Barranca | COSTA RICA SURF GURU

Costa Rica’s Legendary Longboard Wave - Boca Barranca

If you’re a longboarder, then you’ve probably heard about Boca Barranca, a very long left that breaks off a rivermouth just outside of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. This is an ideal wave for longboarding with rides up to half a mile when it’s firing. Boca Barranca takes a bigger S or SW swell to start working, and conditions are usually best at dawn.

Boca Barranca is best know for the Rabbit Kekai longboard contest, which has run every summer for the last 14 years. Rabbit Kekai was born on Oahu, Hawaii in 1920, and spent his younger days surfing and canoe paddling around Waikiki with his mentor, surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku. Kekai continued on to make a name for himself after winning numerous surfing contests back in the 1930s and 40s. Now well into his 80’s, Rabbit is still surfing and nose riding even today and has influenced and inspired us all during his long surfing career. Kekai has witnessed every major development in surfing since 1930.

Anyone planning to compete in the contest should book their travel early. The Fiesta Hotel offers all-inclusive packages through Surf Express which include air travel, rooms, car, food, drink, and entertainment. The Fiesta Hotel is on the beach at Boca Barranca, a short walk from the waves.

If you want to check out what the contest is all about, watch the Toes on the Nose: Rabbit Kekai 10th Annual Costa Rica Longboard Classic DVD. You can find it here in my Surf Guru DVD Picks.

My only word of caution is that the water can get extremely dirty after a rain - exercise caution at these times. Crocodiles, visible from the road crossing 1/4 mile upriver, have been known to swim out into the lineup after rains or on an outgoing tide.

Surf Travel packages to Boca Barranca are available at www.surfexpress.com. I’ve used them before and they offer a great service. Contest entry information can be obtained at www.4surfing.org.

1km Rides at Boca Barranca, Puntarenas

Boca Barranca is a must for any seasoned surfer. When its on, you can get rides as long as 1 km. If you haven’t ever surfed a wave that long, then its hard to imagine really what that means. For me it means only one thing - my legs turn into rubber bands and I run out of stuff to do. I’ve had waves here were i would just sit back and cruise for long sections then do a cutback, hit the lip once or twice, and cruise again… The first time I caught one of the really long waves, I didnt even recognize where i was when I kicked out, which is a very bizarre but awesome feeling.

One thing you will notice surfing this spot is how awesome the locals are. Whether its surfing on half a surfboard, or jackstand on a boogie board, these kids rip! I was really humbled by how dialed in these guys were to the wave and saw some really great surfing, better than my own… Actually it’s really inspiring and gets me stoked to surf better every time i’m there.

Boca Barranca is about 2 hours north of Jaco and on the way to the ferry in Puntarenas if you plan to cross over into the Nicoya Peninsula and hit Mal Pais, Santa Theresa, and spots further north. The road in to the break is about two kilometers past the town of Caldera. You get a little peek at the wave as you cross over the bridge before the left turn off the main road, no 4×4 needed to get to this spot. Its not the most tourist friendly or beautiful area, but instead it’s all about the wave. There is a little soda at the end of the road as you drive in, and you can pay local kids to watch your car, which I advise you to do. Paddle out right at the rivermouth, wait for a lull in the sets and motor. its a bit of work to get to the peak, and after a long ride you will want to just walk back on the beach. It’s a sand and pebble bottom left point break, and the wave is sectiony and hollow in parts and peels perfectly in others. This wave is a perfect venue for getting barreled, hitting the lip, cutbacks, floaters, and every other fun thing you can think of to do on a surfboard. Its best early in the morning before the wind comes up and before the crowds show up, and best on low tide. Watch how the local kids rip the shit out of this wave, they have this place wired.

There are some places to stay back on the main road just before you turn in, but the town of Puntarenas isnt particularly nice or accommodating to surfers. Skip it. Surf for a couple days if the waves are good and keep going.

Make sure you clean yourself off after surfing here, the water gets pretty gross. On an outgoing tide crap from the river tends to wash out into the lineup, and something else too— yep, you guessed it— crocodiles. So the burn here is: you’ve got one of the best waves in Costa Rica, but its full of dirty garbage water and crocodiles. I’ve never seen one swimming around myself, but they are abundant just up the river by the bridge you pass over before turning left off the Carratera Interamerica, Interamerican Highway, or HWY 1.

Now for the fun part — watch this video — you will want to go there. This is pretty much how I’ve surfed it. Maybe a bit bigger the first time I was there back in the fall of ‘98. That happened to be a pretty big swell, so i haven’t had it like that the other times I’ve been there. OK, enough blabbing… watch the damn video..