The Beach Boys · Santa Teresa · Costa Rica

Learn tosurf withThe Beach Boys

Local coaches who have surfed this coast their whole lives. Come for your first wave or your first proper green-wave week — then stay for the rest of it: jungle day trips, waterfalls, family kitchens, and small-group Surf & Stay weeks that feel like living here, not visiting.

5.0 from 26 Google reviewsLocal, family-run, Santa Teresa born and raised
Two small groups of surfers walking across a mirror-flat, empty Santa Teresa beach at low tide

Playa Santa Teresa · 9°38'N 85°10'W

Nine kilometers of empty sand, warm water, and a jungle that runs right up to the tide line.

Surfer tucked inside a glassy turquoise barrel on the Pacific coast

The one you'll remember

First green wave. You'll never
shut up about it.

Run by Ticos · Locally owned

Not a franchise.
Your neighbors in the line-up.

Isaac smiling as he paddles through the line-up in Santa Teresa

We're not a shop, a brand deck, or a foreign operator running surf lessons from a spreadsheet. The Beach Boys is a small, locally owned crew that meets you where the waves are — no fixed storefront, no franchise script, just the same Santa Teresa surfers Isaac grew up with. We keep groups tiny, change beaches with the tide, and treat the lineup like a neighborhood, not a waiting room.

Run by Isaac, a local who grew up surfing the Pacific and months at sea fishing with his grandfather. He started The Beach Boys to share his home through the ocean, and as your coach, guide, and local friend, he'll have you catching the best waves and falling in love with surfing and Pura Vida life.

Two friends cracking up together on the sand after a session
Isaac reading the line-up with the crew before paddling out
Two surfers walking down to the water in golden Santa Teresa light

About Santa Teresa

The most alive stretch of the Pacific coast.

Santa Teresa sits at the southern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula — one of the world's five Blue Zones, where people famously live longer, slower, happier lives. Nine kilometres of golden sand. Jungle right up to the tide line. No high-rises. One sandy main road.

The town grew from a fishing village into a global surf destination without losing its pura vida rhythm. Mornings are for the ocean. Afternoons for hammocks, howler monkeys, and mango juice down your wrist. Sunsets are a communal event — the whole beach turns to face west without needing to be told.

White-faced capuchin monkey peering through the bamboo above a Santa Teresa jungle path
"You'll stop checking your phone by day two. By day four you won't know what time it is, and you won't want to."

Surfing Santa Teresa

Warm water, consistent waves, a break for every level.

The Beach Boys instructors practicing surf stance on the sand with beginners at Santa Teresa before paddling out
Beginners

Playa Carmen and the inside of Playa Santa Teresa — mellow, forgiving sandbottom waves, waist to chest high most mornings.

Best all year. Learn on soft-tops.

A surfer paddling into a clean Santa Teresa wave — the smooth, patient glide intermediates chase
Intermediates

The outer peaks and Playa Hermosa's punchier A-frames. Faster take-offs, more shoulder to work with, occasional barrels on the right swell.

Best March–May & Oct–Nov.

Advanced surfer throwing spray off the top on a powerful Pacific wave
Advanced

Hidden reef breaks we'll drive you to — head-high on the small days, double overhead when the south swell fires.

Best May–October.

What people say

5 out of 5

Real reviews from Google for The Beach Boys — Isaac's surf school in Santa Teresa.

Read all reviews on Google
★★★★★5 out of 5 stars

"The Beach Boys were absolutely incredible to work with. Isaac was incredible and the absolute best to work with. I learned pro tips and gained confidence to surf on my own. He even got my nervous brother out there for a lesson. Can't wait for more lessons with Isaac."

Diana Wilcox · Google review
★★★★★5 out of 5 stars

"Would give 10 stars if it was an option. I'm super beginner but the instruction from Isaac and Sasha was incredibly helpful and helped me progress with each session. Super friendly, fun, great dudes all around. I won't go anywhere else when I come back to Santa Teresa."

Cameron Padilla · Google review
★★★★★5 out of 5 stars

"They're amazing. I've surfed with Daniel and Isaac on two trips now. Super patient, great energy, and they adapt classes daily based on the waves and how I felt. I've had both group and private classes and progressed so much on each trip. Would love to go back soon."

Angela Yang · Google review
★★★★★5 out of 5 stars

"AWESOME surf coach. Did a surf camp with him a year ago and came back for a private lesson and all my friends got one too. He's professional, fun, motivating, and taught me a lot about progressing my green wave catching. He took my friends from whitewash to green waves with confidence."

Claire O'Brien · Google review

From the water

Days with us

See the full gallery

Frequently asked

The stuff everyone asks first.

Where is The Beach Boys based?+

We're a mobile surf school. We don't have a fixed shop — we meet you where the waves are, anywhere from Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa to Playa Hermosa, Cabuya, and the other breaks along the southern Nicoya Peninsula.

Is Santa Teresa good for beginner surfers?+

Yes. Santa Teresa's long sandy beach breaks have gentle inside waves perfect for learning, plus punchier outer peaks for intermediates and advanced surfers. Water is warm year-round (26–29°C / 79–84°F), so no wetsuit needed.

When is the best time to surf in Santa Teresa?+

December to April is the dry season with offshore winds and clean waves — great for all levels. May to November brings bigger south swells, warm rain, greener jungle, and emptier line-ups — ideal for intermediates chasing size.

What's included in a Surf & Stay trip?+

Every Surf & Stay week includes 6 or 7 nights at The Baya House (a boutique jungle stay two minutes from the sand), coached surf lessons with video analysis, daily breakfast, beachfront movement classes, an ATV jungle day, and a second adventure day — snorkelling secret spots or a horse riding tour, depending on the week — plus drone footage and transport to every included activity. Signature weeks add most dinners, in-water photos and set-time airport transfers. Exact inclusions vary by departure date.

Do I need to know how to surf to book a lesson or a Surf & Stay trip?+

No. Most of our guests are first-timers or returning intermediates. Every session is grouped by ability with a max of 2 guests per coach in the lineup and 3 in the whitewater.

Who runs The Beach Boys?+

The Beach Boys is founded and run by Isaac, a Costa Rican who grew up surfing the Pacific and spending months at sea fishing with his grandfather. He started The Beach Boys to share his home through authentic local experiences and surfing. As your surf coach, guide, and local friend, Isaac will have you catching the best waves and falling in love — with surfing, of course.