Experience Tamarindo’s perfect breaks with a 2-hour surf lesson at a legendary beachside shop. Get in the water for the first time and practice paddling, popping up and riding in a forgiving beach break. More experienced surfers can hone their skills by surfing alongside an expert instructor, learning to read the breaking surf while improving technique and form. Riders of all skill levels can soak up the sun on the Pacific Coast and enjoy the security of an experienced surf school that places the emphasis on safety and fun.

Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
Perfect for all ages and skill level
Choice of several departures throughout the day
Get inside tips from a local
Popular choice with kids
Small group ensures personal service
All necessary equipment included
Informative, friendly and professional guide
Private tour is operated with just your party and a guide/driver

What's Included

2-hour lesson
Rash guard (Surf Shirt)
Soft-Top surf board
Locker
Professional bilingual instructor
Shower
Use of changing rooms

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Iguana Surf Camp & Surf Shop
152, Provincia de Guanacaste, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Children under 10 are Required to Book a Private Lesson for safety reasons and to ensure a more one-on-one attention
Note: Please contact the phone number on your voucher to advise your chosen lesson time
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
Semi private lessons are for two or three people travelling together
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 4 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

The less was supposed to be 2 hours, but was ended about 30 minutes earlier for some reason.

Highly recommend for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of the sport!

Reviews

5.0

1,616 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,616 reviews

Great instructors and a friendly and accessible surf shop

Leo_R, Apr 2023

Oscar and David were excellent instructors! They were patient, perceptive, and really helped us get our bearings. David was my instructor, and he went out of his way to make sure that I was correcting my technique and focusing on the right things. Oscar was instructing my SO, and he was patient and knew when to ease up and let her get some rest. I'd highly recommend them as instructors, and the Iguana Surf Shop as your rental place.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you so much for such an amazing review and recommendation! We always love to hear that our surf instructors do such a great job! We look forward to having you all come and catch some more waves with us again soon!! Pura Vida:)

Great Surf Experience

Hannah_H, Apr 2023

Wow, amazing experience! Prepare to be exhausted! Moses was an excellent instructor, very patient and clear with me. He worked wonders. I was doing well at the end of the 2 hours and was happy with my progress. This is a great company and very experienced instructors, I highly recommend.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Great experience!

Marimartha_M, Apr 2023

Instructors were wonderful - very positive and made it fun! Would definitely recommend for adults and kids.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for your fabulous review and recommendation :) Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come catch some more waves with us again soon! Pura Vida!

Muchas Gracias Manfred!

Julia_B, Apr 2023

Our instructor Manfred (Fifo) was amazing, he was very genuine and had great energy - truly embodies the pura vida. He gave great advice and helped us catch so many waves. We actually paid for a group class but since you're distributed based on the number of instructors available, pretty much everyone that showed up was able to get a private class! They provide rash guards and access to the locker all day so that you can hang out at the beach without having to worry about your belongings, we were then offered 50% on board rentals for the rest of our stay in Tamarindo! Definitely recommend.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review and recommendation! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come surf with us again soon! Pura Vida:)

Awesome Surf Lesson!

Chris_H, Apr 2023

This was amazing! We had an awesome instructor (David) who taught our 10 year old and I some pointers on-land quickly, then we were in the water. Our son caught over a dozen waves standing up, and had a blast. Highly recommend for anyone visiting the Tamarindo area!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for such an amazing review and recommendation! We always love to hear that our surf instructors do such a great job! We look forward to having you have come and catch some more waves with us again soon!! Pura Vida:)

Experience of a lifetime!

Robert_E, Apr 2023

I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf, and Costa Rica could not be a better place. My instructor, Kurt is a top notch instructor! He is amazing! He passed a lifetime of knowledge to me, and I must say! Even wiping out was a tremendous blast!!! I’m sold on this incredible sport! Thank you Iguana!!

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thank you so much for such an amazing review and recommendation! We always love to hear that our surf instructors do such a great job! We look forward to coming you have catch some more waves with us again soon!! Pura Vida:)

Great Family Fun!

Kelly_Y, Apr 2023

Manuel was a great instructor. We all got up and surfed in our first time out. It was fun and easy surf to learn in.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Great experience

Jenny_C, Mar 2023

First time for my son and husband trying surfing - The staff at Iguana Surf Camp was great! They were kind and very professional. They walked them through all the steps needed to surf safely. The facility is great -with access to locker, bathroom, changing room and showers. Perfect place for beginners and wonderful instructors and staff!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review and recommendation! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come surf with us again soon! Pura Vida :)

Excellent lesson

Erin_F, Mar 2023

My 5 year old son had a wonderful time with his private lesson. His instructor was Rolo who was so patient with him. My husband was in the group lesson and also had a blast! Absolutely recommend!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review and recommendation! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come surf with us again soon! Pura Vida :)

We had an amazing time &...

Kelli_B, Mar 2023

We had an amazing time & had a wonderful instructor! A bucket list item checked off :) beautiful weather and the perfect sized waves - not too big for beginners but big enough to have a blast

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review! Your satisfaction makes every effort with every tour and surf lesson absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come stay and surf with us again soon! Pura Vida :)

Challenging but fun

Mike_B, Feb 2023

Our instructor was very knowledgeable and patient. I felt my daughter and I were in good hands. Thank you!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you and your daughter coming back to surf with us again soon! Pura Vida :)

Awesome

Jeff_A, Feb 2023

Instructors were outstanding. Both kids, 8 and 10, were able to get up in their boards early in their lesson. This kids loved surfing. This was the second group of kids we took to Iguana Surf Shop and everyone said it was one of the best activities they did on the trip. Highly recommend this company.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you so much for your awesome review and recommendation! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We look forward to having you come surf with us again soon! Pura Vida :)

Great time on the waves!

Matt_L, Feb 2023

We had a really great time here! The surf shop is just across the street from the beach, so it was all very convenient. Our instructor was great and helpful when we were on the water. Definitely would do it again!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you so much for your great review and recommendation! We always love to hear that our instructors do such a great job :) We hope to have you come surf with us again soon! Pura Vida!

Great experience for beginners

Renaldo_D, Jan 2023

Our surfing excursion was all on our list of things to try in Costa Rica. Our guide Miguel, was very patient and explained things very well. We booked the 10 am lesson and he was able to get us all up on the surf boards even though it was our first time trying to surf. We will definitely try it again.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you so much for your great review! We always love to hear that our insructors do such a great job and that you were all able to stand up!! Great job!! We hope to have you come back and catch some more waves with us super soon! Pura Vida :)

Give surfing a try!!

Andrea_A, Dec 2022

Great spot to learn to surf. The beach and waves and atmosphere are excellent. But even more important - the people at the surf shop are great. Friendly, welcoming even to us novices. Extra shout out to Christian (think he’s the owner) and our instructor, Anthony. We did a group lesson - two adults and two teens - and we all recommend it highly. Take your swimsuit and sunscreen - they deal with the rest - including providing rash guards and lockers and fresh water showers.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you so much for your amazing review and recommendation! We are so glad you had such a great time and we love to hear that our surf instructors and surf shop manager do such a great job! We hope you come back and catch more waves with us soon! Pura Vida :)

Fun!

Jane_S, Dec 2022

It was our first time on surf boards and the instructors were really nice and helpful. Plus they the school took tons of photos of us surfing which we purchased. Only drawback is that Tamarindo is packed with others learning to surf so you really had to try not to hit others with surfboard. I would suggest going to “Little Hawaii” south of Tamarindo to learn as fewer people in water

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for your great review! And if we could make there be less people in the water, we definately would!! We hope to have you come back and catch some more waves with us super soon! Pura Vida :)

Fun surf lesson

Colleen_Q, Dec 2022

Surf lessons were great. My son had a blast. Instructors were super fun. Tamarindo is so cute. Do it.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for your awesome review! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We hope to have you come back and catch some more waves with us super soon! Pura Vida :)

Fine lesson, but too short

Donna_W, Dec 2022

The surf lesson was fine but we did not get a full two hours for our semi-private lesson. The first reason for this is because they had our reservation down for the wrong time. They believed me after I showed them my ticket listing the correct time. So our lesson got started 15 minutes late because they had to find an instructor. Then our instructor stopped about 10 minutes early, so all-in-all, we only got a little more than 1.5 hours worth of a 2 hour lesson. The instructor was very nice, patient and nice, though. The place was just chaotic and a bit disorganized when we arrived.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

I am so sorry to hear you did not get your full two hours and that there was some confusion regarding your lesson! We always aim to give the best customer service and the most attentive surf lesson. Please let us know if you would like to give us a try again and we will make it up to you!!

Amazing! Specifically the instructors!

Helen_H, Dec 2022

Give this a 10 out of 10. My girls had one of the best experiences of their lives and we travel and experience a lot of different things☺️. Instructors were amazing and they can officially surf after 1 lesson. We will do again!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for your awesome review! Your satisfaction makes every effort absolutely worth it! We hope to have you come back and catch some more waves with us super soon! Pura Vida :)

Worth every penny!

Kristin_B, Apr 2022

AMAZING experience!! we did a private lesson for our girls (8 yrs. & 11 yrs.) and it was worth every penny. I highly recommend this surf lesson.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you so much for your recommendation! We are so happy to hear your girls had such a great time and we hope they come back and catch some more waves with us again soon! Pura Vida :)