Secret Sauce Surf School

What locals are saying about Secret Sauce Surf School

The school is at the south end of Jacó Beach, on Calle Madrigal in front of the lifeguard tower, and that location is its main argument: the mountains block the bigger southwest swells, so the water is usually calm, good for learning and for progressing. Beginner lessons take place waist-deep on the white water of waves that have already broken, with no need to know how to swim and from age 5, always with an instructor alongside. Those who can already stand go out to the line up to learn to read the sea and choose between right and left waves, and advanced surfers work on speed and maneuvers in 3 to 5-foot waves, at Jacó or Playa Hermosa depending on the day.

Elian Perez leads the school, with 20 years of experience and a local surf champion title from 2016, alongside Farlen Buchanan, a local skimboard champion, and Mario Herrera. A lesson lasts 90 minutes and includes a board, a bottle of water and a surf shirt; it costs US$75 plus VAT in a group and US$85 plus VAT private. There are packages (pay for 3 lessons and the 4th is free, or for 2 and the 3rd is half price), a surf camp with a trip to Pavones and a shop that rents surfboards and boogie boards. It is at the south end of Jacó Beach, an hour from Juan Santamaría airport.