When I was a wee lad of a surfer, traveling was never the thing to do. My first real surf trip came when I drove from Long Island, NY, to Cape Hatteras, NC, for the 1974 ESA Eastern Surfing Championships to represent the ESA-New York District. It was my first big contest and I was ready — the only thing was a hurricane was sitting out in the Atlantic, and the surf was huge, about eight feet between the groins. I finally made it out, caught one closeout, and never made it out again.

That was my first and last experience in the ESA Easterns, but the waves the following week were all-time with warm and sunny conditions, so all was not lost. Plus, that first surf trip set the stage for more travel and further reaches around the globe. In 1982, the travel bug was in full swing and the surf team I was on decided it was time to try visiting Costa Rica. When we arrived back in those early days, Costa Rica was a very empty place with few surfers and lots of empty waves. We barely scored much surf, but traveling around the country was fun and cheap.

Fast forward 28 years and you will find much has changed in the land of Pura Vida. Every surfer has been to Costa Rica, the beaches are loaded with waveriders, and hotels, surf camps, and eco-tourist getaways have sprung up, with the accompanying rise in costs. But the thing that has not changed about Costa Rica is the waves… and boy, are there plenty of them, with tons of new places to surf that locals or word of mouth will get you to. I’ve already been to three new breaks on my 2010 trip, and the funny thing is there weren’t any other surfers there except our friends. We’ve been back a few days in a row and I only saw two local fishermen on the beach, with no one else in sight.

What I’ve always liked about Costa Rica is you can almost always surf alone with just your friends and a local Tico or two. Sure, there’s a crowd 100 yards up the beach, but the peak just to the side of the crowd is usually just as fun. How many breaks there are in this country is hard to tell. With tide changes, different swell directions, and wild size swings, there’s always somewhere new to surf. The following photos are from the first few days of my trip, and offer a peek at what Costa Rica has in store for you. Whether you’re deciding to come back or you’re one of the few who hasn’t been here yet, get a passport and get on the plane!