Costa Rica, Learning to Surf in Dominical

A little further down the coast is a small down called Dominical which comprises a few cluttered buildings centred around its two sandy roads. The town is famous for its rip curling surf and apparently a great place to learn how to catch a wave.

We decided to take a surf lesson before we made any attempt to master the sport on our own. We spent an hour on the beach with our instructor going over the drill of how to paddle, catch the wave and stand. As we were just getting into the swing of things guy shouted from the road and pointed out to the sea. About a half a kilometre out a huge humpback whale was repeatedly launching itself out of the water and smashing back down into the waves. It was the most amazing sight, like something out of National Geographical. Our instructor explained that the whales do this to remove the barnacles on them, but it was very rare to see them doing it this close to the shore.

We watched for another few minutes and then reluctantly returned to our surf lesson. Having mastered the concepts on land we made our way into the sea. Just getting out to a point where you could catch a wave was a chore. The waves were relentless and for every 10 metres you paddled out a huge wave would send you back at least 2. Our guide was patient with us and helped stabilise our boards so we could concentrate on our technique. When a suitable wave came along he would yell at us to paddle and nudged us into the surf. After a few failed attempts I managed to stand for a few seconds and after a while even made it all the way to the beach. It was great fun but far harder than I ever imagined. We gave up for the day with aching muscles and lungs full of water.

The next day we decided to give it a try on our own. We both waded into the sea full of confidence but after just 10 minutes were exhausted by just having to paddle out beyond the breakers. I managed to get a few good rides in but spent most of the time battling the waves and being thrown around in the surf. Suffice it to say I don’t think my career is in surfing.