Witch's Rock Surf Camp

Fui a dos escuelas de surf diferentes en Tamarindo y Witch's Rock fue la mejor. Altamente recomendado

Primero, muchas gracias al personal del hotel, a Joe's y a la tienda de tablas. ¡TODOS ustedes brindaron una experiencia memorable y el servicio al cliente fue excelente! Mi esposo y yo nos quedamos 10 días y nos entristeció despedirnos. Lavina, Juan Carlos, David, Melanie, Henry, Luigi, Brandon, H. Diego, Carlos, Oscar V.y Vally hicieron que esta experiencia fuera tan especial. Todos ustedes nos hicieron sentir como en familia. La comida era muy buena, las vistas son increíbles y la seguridad está al día con su patrulla nocturna. ¡El personal de WRSC realmente da el 100% para brindar una experiencia de calidad! Gracias a todos.
Val Wilber

Lo que no me gusta del ambiente relajado y del personal súper servicial. Vine con mi hija al curso de iniciación. Los entrenadores son excelentes con el equilibrio perfecto entre impulsarte a mejorar y un amable estímulo. Las habitaciones son ideales: cómodas y limpias.
El equipo aquí quiere que ames el agua y descubras la alegría de las olas.lo lograron.
Reserva ese viaje.no te arrepentirás.

¡Pasé el mejor momento de mi vida en Witch's Rock! Oscar L es un instructor increíble y PruPru es el mejor conductor de embarcaciones del mundo. Todo acerca de este lugar es increíble. No puedo esperar a volver.

Compré una reparación de abolladuras en la tienda de surf. Estaba todo seco y era muy caro. En general, una experiencia terrible: (

Positive & patient instructors, who know how to make it fun for all ages & levels. The surf camp includes one ~90-min session every day for 6 days, plus you can grab a board any time to go out on your own. Very convenient location - lodging, pool, & restaurant are right on the beach.

A great place to learn to surf. The place is well organised, the instructors and staff are friendly and great!

Witch's Rock Surf Camp is awesome because they take care of all the details that come with putting a surf trip together.
The Staff is great and very friendly. This was my 5th time coming to WRSC and I will keep coming back. Simply the best!

Writing this as a thank you to the staff at WRSC who has treated me well since 2017! Came here solo then, met great people, and have travelled back multiple times now (latest was last week).

Surf: Super consistent waves in this area, so chances are that you will score. I've been in March, April, and June, and it's always been good. The wave in Tamarindo is perfect for beginners, but also fun for quick sessions when you're not being taken to other breaks. Advanced group doesn't mean that you consider yourself a pro, only that you don't require instruction, just want to be led by boat/van to other areas, and can hold your own in heavier waves. Beginner & Intermediate get video critique, tips, etc. The surrounding breaks can be world class, and Witch's Rock itself is a unique experience that shouldn't be missed.

Staff: Extremely helpful in all aspects. They've been flexible and helped me move trips to other available weeks, offered discounts for repeat bookings, coordinated by phone/email very quickly, fixed any issues as they arose, and generally exuded an authentic 'pura vida' attitude. Very accommodating and want to make your trip an easy and great one. Every one of our Tico guides have been strong surfers with a passion for sharing their knowledge and experience.

Facilities: Pretty standard for the area. There are more luxurious options around, but not many that offer everything you want in one place. Central hangout pool, brewery, evening live music (tones down early), etc. If solo, it's guaranteed you'll meet others right away, likely at the airport. Basically, just show up and they'll take care of the rest.

Overall: I've caught some of the best waves of my life here. You couldn't ask for an easier surf trip, whether just learning or with 20+ years experience. A lot of new surfers are unaware of the sport's history, and this place still gives a personal connection through Robert August to when it was being pioneered. Do it!

Overall we had a really fun week in Tamarindo at WRSC and my kids loved learning how to surf and dipping their toes into the shallow end of “3rd world” travel. Tamarindo is overrun by tourists and quite expensive but has great restaurants and a beautiful beach with incredible sunsets. Everyone is friendly and speaks English and you can pay with dollars or CC everywhere. Easy for us gringos.

One star off because WRSC informed us of an Imperial-sponsored festival at the adjacent brewery only days before we arrived when they obviously knew about it when we booked. We would have NEVER stayed here if we had known. If it was a last minute offer from Imperial, management should have prioritized the families that had already booked their stays. Everyone we met was upset about this. Room 10 (“Penthouse”) has a lovely patio overlooking the beach but little shade so we didn’t spend too much time up there. The bedroom door & window overlook the street. Between the Imperial festival and the busy road, it was a VERY noisy place to stay and we slept poorly. Music did shut down at 10p but the road was noisy. It was Easter weekend, so perhaps it’s quieter at other times. Rooms were fine - simple and clean - but expensive for what you get. A sign of the times for Tamarindo…

They must have their plumbing vented into the gift shop, which smelled like a sewer and sold grossly overpriced items. Men’s surf trunks $80-100 when I found the same items down the road for $35-45.

Food at “Joe’s” was fine for included breakfast (burrito w avocado was best) but with so many other great options for lunch/dinner I wouldn’t eat there otherwise unless you want simple pub fare.

Watching Endless Summer with Robert August there was a really cool experience - he’s a very friendly guy and surfing legend. Can’t believe he does this every week with a handful of people there!

Front desk staff and others were very friendly and helpful, really nice to be able to arrange a variety of activities right there - ziplining, horseback riding, massages, etc. You can certainly arrange these outside the hotel (probably for less) but convenience was nice. The estuary tour was basically a hot 2h boat ride - saw a couple birds and a few monkeys. Not worth it to us.

The surf camp has many things going for it - mostly good and friendly instructors, variety of boards to choose from, video analysis and classroom instruction to complement the in-water experience. Boat driver Pru Pru is a sweet guy who cut up fresh cold pineapple, melon, etc when we got on the boat after each session - a lifesaver! I didn’t get nearly as much instruction/guidance in the water from Andrey as expected, although he was a nice guy and really good surfer. I was perhaps on the upper end of intermediate, so I really just need practice, but I would have appreciated more specific feedback. I learned more going to the beginner feedback sessions for my family than I did going to my own (intermediate). I basically paid for the boat ride so we could surf better waves than right in front of the hotel, so it was worth that. I expected to hit a few different spots but we only hit Playa Grande. Although it has many breaks, we hit the same exact spot every day. Conditions are unpredictable, but I got the sense that we went there every day because it’s easy.

It would really be nice to have the exercise class for everyone every day, and also a yoga class for everyone every day. Why separate us? Moreover, why have such different schedules for the beginners and intermediates? With my wife/kids in beginner class and me in intermediate, we barely saw each other the whole week! Management should take this into consideration and create more overlap. Everyone was stiff and achy from surfing, as expected, so some yoga would be a welcome addition to the surf camp experience.

Esteban was so good with my 7 year old - he made sure the #1 priority was fun and she absolutely loved surfing despite being very apprehensive beforehand. He gets 10 stars!

Had a blast! The instructors and staff are top notch. Everyone was helpful and friendly. Can't wait to go back!

Highly reccomend this spot for anyone looking to improve their surfing! The location is unbeatable being right on the beach. The water and waves are perfect. Staff are amazing. There were a few issues with my room but overall the location, staff and surf made up for it!

We had such a great time at WRSC! Was my fourth time there and my family’s first (wife n teen girls) and they can’t wait to go back.

We stayed at the Hotel Pueblo Dorado, WRSC’s accommodations for those not needing the surf program at the main camp on the beach.

Our HPD room (El Presidente Suite) was perfect for the four of us, the staff was super cool and accommodating, the newly renovated pool was epic, communal kitchen helpful for storing tasty leftovers that wouldn’t fit in our room’s kitchenette refrigerator, and the proximity to the downtown Tamarindo bustle and main WRSC surf camp was perfect.

Renting a WRSC golf cart was key to our mobility (although not required), allowing for instant access to the delicious morning breakfast, included in the room rate, at “Eat at Joe’s“, quick trips to the new Auto Mercado and shopping mall up the road, lugging surfboards around to and from Playa Tamarindo right in front of the camp, as well as Playa Grande’s southern breaks just north of the river mouth, shopping, and restaurants.

Ammenity-wise the WRSC Surf Shop and Surfboard Demo Center can accommodate any beach needs. We had most of our meals at Eat at Joe’s and WRSC’s El Vaquero Brew Co.right next-door, both with access to tasty authentic plates, burgers n fries and such, a bomb sushi bar, delicious locally brewed WRSC beers (Mango IPA was da bomb) and my kids particularly enjoyed indulging in the fruit smoothies.

I enjoyed waking up early, taking the golf cart down to the new WRSC “Dawn Patrol“ espresso and pastry shop to enjoy a quiet cuppa java while studying the surf.

Speaking of surf any surfer will immediately notice the authenticity of the whole environment, including the wide array of available demo surfboards to try out (don’t bother bringing one), availability of the normal surf necessities incl.sunscreens, wax, hats, board shorts, etc, accessibility to the one and only Mr. Robert August, the resident surf celebrity, who will chat with you and even make you a board, and the offering of surf excursions.

Along with getting loads of surf around town I booked a spot on one of their day trips to Witch’s Rock where I was able to score some little, but fun, surf. Their new boat can accommodate a big group if you’re there with friends or just want to hang with some fellow surfers.

You definitely don’t need to be a surfer to enjoy your stay here, my wife and kids didn’t touch a surfboard and still had the time of their lives, enjoying lounging by the hotel pool and out in front of the camp on the beautiful sands of Playa Tamarindo, indulging a day-long trip to the spa, and lots of epic shopping.

I could go on and on, but after having gone to WRSC for 20+ years I can honestly say, having traveled all over the world, that this is one of the most enjoyable trips you can take. Super easy to get to (5.5 hr flight from LAX to LIB), absolutely everything you could possibly need within arm’s reach, and of course the cool Costa Ricans who live there year-round make it very special.

Thanks Joe, Holly, Nikki, Lavina, and the rest of the WRSC team for making my family’s spring break trip one of the most memorable ever! Pura Vida!

Wow! What a fantastic week at surf camp! I was/am a rank beginner, and thanks to our excellent coach Mateo, I learned how to pop up and actually ride some waves! By the end of the week, I even got a couple totally in my own! I am hooked! I went with my 20-something year old son and he loved it too (the other “campers” were all very nice and of all different ages)!

The camp is very well thought out, with daily surf sessions, video reviews, classes on land for balance and strength, etc, and the entire staff is so helpful and friendly! We had so much fun! I can’t recommend it highly enough, and we are actually thinking about when we can return!

Pura Vida! ‍️‍️

What an amazing experience! Where else can you get coffee at 5: 30am, surf lesson at 6am, breakfast at 8am, and then reading and nap at 10am all before exploring the town, adventuring on a catamaran, or getting back on the water to surf? The most important experiences of Witch's Rock Surf Camp were (1) TRUST: I fully trusted my instructor Randal. I was very fearful on day one and Randal easily picked up on which waves to hold me back from and which to encourage me to ride. Once I was acclimated, he knew when to push! (2) CAMARADERIE: The fact that you get daily breakfast included in your weekly surf camp purchase was amazing because after a sandy/salty rinse in the outdoor shower, you would find yourself laughing and connecting with other surf campers over breakfast and watching the waves. (3) LOCATION: Holy cow! The perfect place for walking the beach, looking at (but not taking) shells, watching surfers, enjoying sun, access to great restaurants and shops, and the daily iguana visit! Plus, surf shop on site and boards right across the street, massage on the beach, cappuccino about 50 steps away. (4) CROSS TRAINING: We thought, really? But, yes, REALLY! Attending your daily non-water seminars on surf etiquette, surf safety, video analysis, strength and balance were not only informative and fun but also a great way to connect with other surf campers. (5) KIND, FRIENDLY, INFORMATIVE STAFF: Everyone was great and we felt welcome, safe, supported. THANK YOU! (Oh, and thank you for my "Best Wipeout" award on the last night!:) Pura vida!

Solo pasamos a comer, una cocina para tres locales según nos indicaron, con 45 minutos de espera por la comida. Obviamente no esperamos y fuimos a otro lado.

My experience was phenomenal! Thank you to Witch's Rock for an all encompassing surf, and travel experience. They take care of all your essentials, making it easy for you to just focus on surfing. I am by no means a great surfer, but my instructor was patient and took the time to get us the best possible waves. I will caution you however that the program is rigorous, so make sure you are in good mental and physical shape before hopping on a board. For my second time out of the country, and first visit to Central America, the staff at Witch's Rock did a great job at making us feel welcome, and by the end of the week I felt right at home. Everyone in our program became friends by the end of the week, and Tamarindo has a great nightlife and social scene. I would definitely return here, and recommend this to my friends, so if you're interested in learning how to surf, head to Witch's Rock!

Nice location
Ordered a burger
The bun could break the plate
Returned the food
Still had to pay full price

Witches Rock is the perfect place to surf, enjoy the town, make new friends and experience the local flavor of Costa Rica! Only about an hour from the airport and they offer free shuttle service! The surf instructors are great, all the staff ensures a great experience to make sure you have everything you need. They offer excursions, will make restaurant reservations, secure taxis, or help you find whatever you need. The property is safe and offers a community feel! Highly recommend a Saturday to Saturday visit! Here you can learn to surf right out front or they will take you to the best waves by boat or van! Rent a chair and buy a fresh coconut on the beach or take a dip in the wonderful, cool, shaded pool! This is our second trip and already took advantage of the 20 % discount if you book next years stay before the end of the year! Works well for extended families, friends that want to meet up and surf, couples or singles! It’s hard to find a place that can be fun for everyone. Our family enjoys tennis and pickleball as well and there is a place to play (for a fee) within walking distance! Bonus!

Great vibe, beautiful people, Nikki, Freedom, Lavina surf trainers Rafa and Carlos to name a few. Thank you for the life changing experience. The food was delicious and my favorite Volcano beer was Gato Malo. Great location close to the center!
Pura Vida