Costa Rica and the impossibility of doing business

For all of you who think that living in a surfing paradise is easy.

This past week was especially difficult for us who depend on simple things like water, electricity, roads and internet.    The weather has been sunny all week, and the only saving grace is that I have a Blackberry on the Costa Rican 3G Network.  Although, the actual speed of the 3G here reminds me of AOL dial-up circa 1998.

I think that Friday really summed things up with an email from AYA, the government run water monopoly who at least had the courtesy to send out an email for those of us who opted in.  It was as follows:

DEAR CUSTOMERS, We have problems in transportation lines and the network of water supply. This is because the repairs to the streets of Tamarindo, which take place at this time. For this reason and to repair existing damages will be suspended water service.  We have no definitive time to finish our repairs. We can not estimate a time to return to provide water service. We apologize for the inconveniences it may cause you.

Thank God we have a two huge water tanks buried under the garden, which means we can enjoy long showers and washing our cars for at least two weeks while the rest of Tamarindo bathes in the Pacific.

We lost power a few times this week.  It’s kind of expected in the rainy season, but during the sunniest weather we have had in months?  Perhaps the government subsidized monopoly  gave it’s employees a day off at the beach?  In reality, tourism season has started and the air conditioners probably drew too much load off the grid and the electricity company was unprepared.  It’s not like we have had tourists here before, right?

And on that note, the main highway called the Inter American Norte has been shut down for parts of last week.  This is the only route for commerce to move from the ports or from our neighbors to the north.  I guess that closures like this account for such a low GDP as you need to be able to transport good to sell them at market.  Funny concept I know.

And finally, the internet.  Also run by a government monopoly, we have had problems at the house for the past two months and have had countless technicians visit and try to determine the problem.  They tell me that for some strange reason there is not enough bandwidth coming up the hill to my house.  They can’t seem to figure it out, even after having 6 workers here on Wednesday for 5 hours.

I told them the problem.  Someone has parked a server in town and is eating up all the bandwidth so they need to (a) find the server and put him on a dedicated server or (b) increase throughput on the cable lines.

They assured me that I knew not what I was talking about and that it didn’t matter how many people were on the internet at the same time because bandwidth can’t get used up and slow up download/upload speed.

No, I am not kidding.

And then on Thursday, most of the country lost internet for about 40 hours.  No explanation.  No apology.  And no discount on the bill for sure.

25% of the people in the country who are employed work for the government or a monopoly, and this has led to an attitude of ineptness among the same.  They get paid no matter what and have a union that is so strong that the President would not have been elected without their support.  Next month,  all employees of Costa Rica must be paid a full month’s wages as a bonus as mandated by law.  Plus, they all get about 2 weeks off.

Is it no wonder that the country is close to being bankrupt?

I guess my overall point is to let people who think that they can carry out a remote business like I do, is that it is next to impossible.   I have to start a company in the New Year, and if this country had a dependable infrastructure, I could stay here and employee Costa Ricans.  As it turns out, I am moving to Canada where they have competition and people who care about your effectiveness to create wealth and contribute to the country’s GNP.

I’m back baby!

That was what the sandbar off Tamarindo’s main break announced to the world this week!

Because sandbars are created by water, and our sandbar in front of WRSC and the parking lot is created by the Tamarindo River (Estero), it shifts depending on where the water chooses to flow.

It has been two years now since I would consider the main break at Tamarindo any good due to this shift in the mouth of the river.

By the way, here is the definition of a sandbar (not the cougar bar in Vancouver either!) - A long mass or low ridge of submerged or partially exposed sand built up in the water along a shore or beach by the action of waves or currents.

Here is the old flow of water and the river mouth sandbar (which really needed a big swell to do anything decent)

Here is it now with the "new" sandbar highlighted in black

So, the surf has been awesome...just watch the rip current that starts about high tide minus 30 minutes and whips you south towards Pico Grande.

And if anyone is looking for lessons, please check out http://www.radicalsurfcr.com/    which is owned by Rudy and Stephanie who will be getting married this Saturday!

I’m back baby!

That was what the sandbar off Tamarindo’s main break announced to the world this week!

Because sandbars are created by water, and our sandbar in front of WRSC and the parking lot is created by the Tamarindo River (Estero), it shifts depending on where the water chooses to flow.

It has been two years now since I would consider the main break at Tamarindo any good due to this shift in the mouth of the river.

By the way, here is the definition of a sandbar (not the cougar bar in Vancouver either!) - A long mass or low ridge of submerged or partially exposed sand built up in the water along a shore or beach by the action of waves or currents.

Here is the old flow of water and the river mouth sandbar (which really needed a big swell to do anything decent)

Here is it now with the "new" sandbar highlighted in black

So, the surf has been awesome...just watch the rip current that starts about high tide minus 30 minutes and whips you south towards Pico Grande.

And if anyone is looking for lessons, please check out http://www.radicalsurfcr.com/    which is owned by Rudy and Stephanie who will be getting married this Saturday!

Holy crap is it hot!

We are in an another heat wave here in Tamarindo - this morning I went jogging at 6am and it was already 28C.

Surfing has been okay - have had a bigger funboard out (7'8" Micheal Dolsey) and have been surfing some of the quieter breaks in the area.

With the offshore winds, and lack of decent swell this weekend, the water has been crystal clear and super warm. This morning, because I was doing a lesson (sort of), I had some fins on and a mask and was swimming off Playa Grande when I spotted a decent sized sea turtle. I swan about for a while with it then remembered my student who had washed up on the beach. Oops.

Looking forward to a decent week of surfing and working...

Hurricanes are Swell, Surf Costa Rica

I had that saying, "Hurricanes are Swell, Surf Costa Rica", made into a bumper sticker. Everyone loves the sticker, except one dumb ass (who recently failed at a surfing business here) who said, "Costa Rica doesn't get hurricanes."

Well, that's true. But we sure feel the effects of them when the trade winds come blasting from the East.

This season we are expecting 15 hurricanes, up from the average of 9.

That segways us into today's topic about the weather change here and the inbound southern hemi swells this week. The rainy season is here about 3 weeks early. 

Here is the view from my house this morning...ugh.  And the satellite view.  Double ugh.  At least it's cooler and somewhat greener though.  Usually, the rains begin here in Tamarindo around the 15th of May and are pretty heavy until late June, with rains usually coming down in the afternoons for 4 hours a day or so.  Thunder and lightening this early in April are unheard of, so I guess we have a banger of a season ahead.  Let's hope July and August are their usual selves.  (Pretty dry).


The change in season also brings about the southern hemi swells.  These swells originate from the Antarcitc and come racing up the west coast of Chile and Peru before spilling onto our shores.  See below.












As a result, we get some big waves.  Saturday looks to be way to big on the SSW facing shores, so look for more of a SW break, which should be easier.  Note the period at 9 seconds.

Thursday looks like the best day with a good period.

Have fun out there, and check to make sure you are using strong leashes and that your fins are on tight!

Camaronal Surfing

Playa Camaronal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (Latitude: 9° 50' 60 N, Longitude: 85° 25' 60 W)

For my birthday, a few of us went down to Playa Camaronal which is about 20 minutes drive south of Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula. You can get there by either flying into Sámara and renting a car, or by driving in from San Jose (6 hours), Liberia (4 hours) or Tamarindo (3 hours).  To get there, you need a 4 x 4 and the shortest route will take you through rivers.  

 In the rainy season, be prepared to drive a longer route because the rivers will be impossible to cross.  Make sure to speak with locals for current river and road conditions before starting the trek. Fuel up on gas before and bring along all the supplies you’ll need.

Drive from Sámara through Playa Carrillo and about another 8km is your destination.  Look for the signs (small and easy to miss).

Playa Camaronal is of greyish sand and stretches 3 km between the mouth of the river Oro at the west, to the cliffs called Point Camaronal at the southeast of the beach. It has strong to moderate waves with a lush vegetation composed of madero negro, gumbo-limbo, wild plum, bastard cedar, stinking toe, spiny cedar, yellow cortez, gonzalo alves, red berry, terciopelo, mahogany, espave, canelo, balsa wood and white cotton. This beach is very apt for camping and fishing. During the green season, the leatherback and Pacific ridley turtles lay their eggs here. 

We camped in a designated park area about 50 meters from the beach behind the shore scrub and bushes.  The closest hotel-type accommodations are in Carillo or Samara.  Although we were allowed to have a small fire ‘for cooking’, no dogs are allowed in the park as it is a major turtle nesting beach. The site  has showers, bathrooms, and potable water (US$4 a night)

Local surfers from Sámara and Carrillo rave about its strong and consistent left and right beach breaks, but it remains almost completely unknown by travelers who opt for more-touristed and accessible surf spots. In fact, it is not unusual to be the only person there.

The waves were big...really big, and were coming in from the South / South-South West.  Some sets were over 10 feet (3 meters), and there was a massive rip.  This is definitely not a place for beginners, and even if you think you are a good surfer...make sure you are in great swimming shape.  Some of the locals say that the waves reach 20 feet (6 meters) some days...

We ended up surfing on the Eastern end of the beach, where it was a little more protected and the waves smaller.  We found that the best surfing was on the outgoing tide, but again, be prepared to paddle hard to stay on the line.

There were very few surfers out there, and we were the only campers except for the park volunteers who were all young women from the USA, Canada and Germany.  Volunteer opportunities are available at the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Camaronal. Contact either Julian Garcia or Dominica Alarcon (☎ 8332 3339).

Finally, should be a great week of surfing - look for SSW break again, and head out at first light.

March 8 Surf Forecast Tamarindo and Northern Costa Rica

Well, I am getting a little better at this surf forecasting and am trying to get a better understanding of the winds and swell.

This week is looking pretty good with a swell coming in on Wednesday and peaking on Saturday. I would be looking at the swell to rotate back to a SSW after the weird WSW.

Last week, the surf reports all called for a small swell to hit with waves no bigger than 4 feet. Well...let me tell you...the swell brought in average waves of 6’, with rogue sets of 8’ to 10’ coming in on Thursday.

This week, I think we will see more of the same big waves. I would be looking for overhead for most breaks by Wednesday.

The winds have been brutally strong, but at least they have been offshore. One thing though is that they have pushed the warm surface water out and it has been replaced by a cold upwelling current that has brought Jelly fish and sharks close to shore. So, make sure you wear a wetsuit, or at minimum, a long sleeved rash guard.
I am heading to Nicaragua this weekend...taking lots of photos and surfing my ass off!

"Summer" is swell

Well we are well through July and the swells continue to fire in every week. I have been getting out as much as possible and surfing more of the beaches to the south including Marbella and Avellanas at least twice a week. As you note from the forecast, we are in for a good week here in Tamarindo and all along the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica

(Marbella)



The bigger swells mean that some beaches close out sooner than others such as Grande and Playa Negra.

Airfares from most major hubs are dirt cheap, so if you can make it down before the middle of August then you'll be in for a treat.

I moved into my new office this past month and here is a view of it.

See you on the break