surf camps at the costa rica surf institute

Curriculum for CRSI Students

[8] Surf Science

Ocean waves are formed by storm systems out at sea, or by localized onshore winds. Waves traveling from a long distance away are called groundswells, and travel across the ocean in orderly groups called sets, until breaking on an exposed stretch of coastline.

Wind swells, on the other hand, are created by strong onshore winds that create waves traveling in more tightly packed and less organized sets. Wind swells can produce good waves for surfers, but usually have smaller waves than groundswells, with much choppier water.

A good groundswell is typically produced by a large low pressure system in cold latitudes, in both the southern and northern latitudes.

An example of a northern-hemisphere groundswell: A large low pressure storm system spinning away in the Bering Sea off Alaska, with heavy winds and large seas that after several day ís churning away in frigid seas, throws up consistent, well-shaped overhead waves on Hawaii’s northern shores. That same swell keeps traveling on to California, Central America, and if the swell is large enough, all the way to Chile before eventually fading out.

How large the swell will be and how far it travels depends on the conditions from the storm of origin. Southern hemisphere storms are the same as northern ones; they can produce excellent surf in South and Central America, Australia, South Africa, etc.

Windswells are different, and while they can produce top-quality surf, surfers almost always prefer groundswell to windswell.

An example of a good windswell: A hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico, skirts the coast, and treats those good wave-hungry folks with a short but sweet few days of rapidly changing conditions. With luck, they’ll get some real world-class surf for a day or two (that ís right, the Gulf of Mexico ROCKS with the right conditions). Even Lake Michigan has a dedicated bunch of surfers! To put it simply, the closer a strong wind storm gets, the bigger the windswell.

Sometimes, the winds will rapidly shift during a hurricane or large winter storms, and if they shift in the right direction, i.e. offshore, they’ll make the surf go from big-and-choppy conditions to big-and-perfectly-groomed dream waves in an hour or less. And yes, a matter of fact, it can truly be said that the only people who actually welcome hurricanes are surfers.

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[9] Tidal Variation
tide chart

The high and low tide that your beach experiences each day is called tidal variation. This variation is caused by the gravity of the sun, the moon, along with the spin of the Earth in relation to those celestial bodies.

The basics behind it is that there are 2 bulges of water in the ocean, one of which points to the sun, the other to the moon. As the Earth spins these bulges eventually run into land, this causes them to reflect back and bounce all around the various ocean basins.

There are usually two full tidal cycles in a day (2 his and 2 lows).

Low to high takes about 6 hours 15 minutes, so low to low is 12 hours 30 minutes, so the times move forward an hour every 24 hours.

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[10] Wave Types

How a wave will break depends mainly on four factors - swell, wind, bottom contour, and tides. To have good surf, the first thing you need is a swell hitting the beach. You also need good winds - offshore or light side/onshore, a good bottom shape, whether it ís sand or reef, and the right tide.

Offshore wind is a wind that blows from the land to the ocean, and is the kind of wind desired by surfers; offshores produce clean, groomed surf, and take away all chop to the waves.

As far as tides and their effect on the surf, every surf spot has a tide that works best - low, medium, or high, and it's best to ask locals which tide is best for the spot you plan to surf.

When tides change, they can expose previously hidden reef, rocks, sand, etc, or they can cover up the surf spot with so much water that it ceases to have any waves at all. And at the right tide, the place can come alive! Every surf spot does indeed have a certain tide it likes the best, and this is when you’ll see the savviest surfers getting the best rides.

When waves arrive from their origin out at sea to their eventual destination underneath the streaking path of a surfer’s board, they can have many different characteristics that affect the quality of the surfer’s ride.

Waves can either be "mushy" - breaking slowly with a lip that just crumbles over when the wave breaks, or "hollow" - fast-breaking with a lip that pitches out forcefully into the wave's trough. Or, it can be sort of a combination of the two - medium-powered waves that have a few barrels here and there.

Most surfers, when starting out, want and need small, gentle, mushy waves, to get past those first steps without beating their heads against their boards in frustration. Trying to learn to surf in barreling conditions is like, well, trying to learn to ski down an Olympic slalom course.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, however, barrels really are as mind-altering as surfers say they are! And as all experienced surfers know, the trick to learning how to ride the tube is amazingly simple, all you have to do is keep your eyes open. Sounds easy, right? Oh, but it ís not, not at all, and the first time you keep your eyes open inside a breaking wave is such an amazing experience, that the memory is sure to raise goose bumps well into old age! It ís 100% true that getting barreled is one of the greatest thrills anyone can hope to experience.

[11] Choosing a Surfboard

The surfboard you choose is dependent on your height, weight and ability. If its your first time, bigger is better, normally you will ride a long board which is classified by being 9 feet or bigger. Some smaller, lighter people may use something around 8 feet to learn on.

The more volume the board has, i.e. the longer wider and thicker the board is, the easier it is to stand on. If you have some experience, but are still in the white water you are best to keep a larger board as the speed comes from the white water (broken wave) pushing you and the volume gives stability.

If you are riding unbroken waves you can come down in size a little as the wave’s unbroken energy is enough to carry you. Alex and your instructors will know a lot more about this, so if you have any questions, or are unsure, don’t hesitate to ask them.

If you are buying or renting a board be sure to check over the whole board, especially the rails, nose and tail for any damage, cracks, holes, water seepage. Press GENTLY on parts of the board to test for delamination.

Longboard: Otherwise known as a cruiser or 'log'. They are usually over 8' or 9' long, with a rounded nose. Longboards are much more stable in the water, they are easier to paddle and great for catching waves, making them ideal for learning on. However due to their size, they can be harder to get through the white water and oncoming sets to get 'out the back'. There is a great deal of style attached to riding a longboard. Where the radical sharp turns and airs possible with a shortboard are not possible on a longboard, other maneuvers are like hang fives or tens, drop-knee turns, cross-stepping along the deck of the board... and even tandem surfing!

Funboard, Malibu or Mini-Mal: Funboards range in length between 6'6" and 8'0" and 20" to 22" wide. The funboard combines the paddling power of a longboard with the turning ability of a shortboard. These boards perform well in all conditions and are ideal for less experienced surfers.

Shortboard or Thruster: The most common board used for shredding and contest-style surfing. It sacrifices paddling ease for speed, power and control. They are generally around 5'6" to 6'4" long and between 16" and 19" wide, generally with a rounded square tail. A surfboard designed for the advanced surfer.

Fish: The fish surfboard differs from a shortboard in that it has a wider, rounder nose, a wider mid-section width and a 'swallow tail'. They are generally between 5'2" and 6'4" long and between 18" and 22" wide. They are designed to improve wave catching capability while maintaining speed and maneuvering performance, ideal for small to medium sized waves.

Gun: The gun is long, narrow and pointy at the nose and tail (pin tail) for maximum rail contact. They range from 6' to 10' plus. They are ideal for big wave surfing, or for powerful, steep waves. Because of their shape they are easier to paddle out further to the big waves and easier to control on the steeper waves. The name derives from the term 'elephant gun', and means the board is the surfers' gun for hunting down big/giant surf.

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[12] Parts of a Surfboard
Rails

Rails are the edge of a surfboard, where the deck and the bottom meet. Rails are a critical part of surfboard design as the shape affects how water flows over the rails. The softer the rail the more the surfboard will hold its "track" in the wave and reduce turning ability- you'll find softer rails on more traditional longboards. The harder the rail will produce a board that produces quicker, tighter turns and increased acceleration.

Rocker

The Rocker is the curve of the surfboard from nose to tail when viewed from the side. It looks like the shape of a banana. The Less Rocker a board has the flatter it will be. A board with a flatter rocker will have more surface area and will give more stability and drive. It is less maneuverable that a board with more Rocker.A board with more Rocker has a greater curve and gives the board more maneuverability. These boards are for the more experienced surfer and tend not to perform too well in poor to average surf.

Nose Rocker

Refers specifically to the curve of the board at the nose section. The greater the curve of the Nose Rocker, the less likely the nose of the board is to dig in to the face of the wave. Big wave boards tend to have more nose rocker than smaller wave boards.

Tail Rocker

A more extreme tail rocker results in a more maneuverable board.

[12.1] Fin Setups

The fin, or fins, underneath your surfboard are there to help with the steering of your board.  The fins will also assist with stopping the surfboard from sliding around on the wave.

The further the fin goes down in the water, the more control you will have over the surfboard on the wave. The shorter the fin, the less resistance there will be on the water. The longer the distance of the fin where it is attached to the base of your surfboard, the faster you will be able to go.

Another important factor for your surfboard is how close together the fins are. The surfboard will be looser, or easier to turn, when the fins are placed closer together. The surfboard will also become easier to turn the further towards the front (the nose of the surfboard) that the fins are positioned.

There are 2 types of fins. Fins that are able to be removed from the surfboard, and those that are permanently fixed.

Fins are generally referred to by their number. For example, one fin is called a single fin, two fins are twin fins, and three fins are usually known as thrusters, or tri fins.

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[13] Lefts and Rights

Every wave that "peels" (runs sideways down the beach for a distance before shutting down) goes either left or right. The way to tell the difference between the two is simple - when you are lying down on your surfboard, paddling into a wave, you're going to drop into the wave and angle either towards your right or your left. When seen from the beach, someone going left will be going towards your right.

Everyone has their preference as to which foot goes forward - if you put your left foot in front and your right foot on the tail, you're a regular foot. Right foot forward and you're a goofy foot.

So, if you're a regular foot, and you drop into a wave and go right, you'll be going frontside - facing the wave. Drop into a left, and you're going backside. For goofies, it's left - frontside, and right - backside. Confused yet? Of course - who wouldn’t be? You might as well be doing the hokey-pokey! But don’t fret; it’ll all become obvious the minute you see it for yourself.

[14] Reefbreaks, Pointbreaks and Beachbreaks

The types of waves that can be surfed are called beachbreaks, pointbreaks and reefbreaks. These waves all have their own characteristics

Beachbreaks tend to be common and consistent, with nice sand bottoms. Pointbreaks can offer perfectly shaped waves and some of the longest rides of your life. Reefbreaks are where advanced surfers go in search of the best barrels. Each wave also has it's drawbacks, though. Reefbreaks usually have uneven and/or sharp bottoms composed of rock or coral. Pointbreaks can get a little too crowded sometimes, and are generally not very consistent. Beachbreaks can be unforgiving, with difficult paddle-outs. But drawbacks aside, all these types of waves can offer excellent surf, and as any long-time surfer will tell you, the rewards of surfing far outweigh the hazards.

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[15] Environment

Surfers have always been interested in the environment. Probably because they become more in tune with nature, predicting swells, checking wind and weather conditions become second nature. Also surfing in polluted water makes surfers acutely aware of mans impact on the environment.

Some surfers have formed groups such as Surfrider and Surfers Against Sewage, to clean beaches, lobby for control of pollutants and raise awareness of the state of the oceans. Others strive to find greener ways to surf, such as building boards out of more natural and sustainable materials, or building boards and other surf related products that last longer or can be recycled.

As the worlds population increases at an unsustainable rate it puts more pressure on the resources including the oceans which are largely unregulated, and the bits that are regulated are almost impossible to police. Everyone needs to find ways of easing this pressure if there is to be anything left for future generations. People need to change the way they think about resource use, whether it be consuming less, sourcing local produce, traveling by more sustainable methods, reduce, reuse, recycle and reinvent the way we do things.

The economy is built on unsustainable growth, and could be “restarted” in more sustainable ways if people want it too!

Everyone can make a difference bit by bit, but as you probably know time is running out, so please take time to think about what you do? where your food comes from? how its produced? where your trash goes? how your possessions were made? how you get around? and how it could all be done better? If there are no immediate alternatives, why not? And could there be a new job opportunity in making alternatives? If everyone does there bit there will be a global shift in thinking towards sustainability.

Taking this into consideration this manual should be passed on to the next student to save paper and ink (if you have printed it).

[16] Where to Surf Outside of Tamarindo
Playa Grande

Grande is 30 minutes drive north of Tamarindo, or an hours walk from the school. It is the most consistent beach break in the area, the waves are often overhead when Tamarindo is knee high. Its also famous as a Leatherback turtle nesting beach, though only a fraction of turtles nest here now.

Langosta

Langosta is a few minutes south of the school in Tamarindo, It offers great waves at the river mouth and fast hollow waves further south at the beach break. It is often not crowded and is a beautiful beach with no developments south of the river.

Avellanas

Avellanas is 30 minutes drive south of Tamarindo, it has great beach breaks at high, a river mouth which can have good barrels at low tide, and the infamous Little Hawaii reef break at the far north of the beach. It also has “Lolas”, the best beach bar in the area with huge King Palms, and very comfortable chairs and hammocks for relaxing in. its named alter Lola the giant pig who is often wading in the surf infront.

LETS GO SURFING!
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