Costa Rica News & Events – Every Saturday at approximately 4 p.m. there is an open surf contest in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. The contest is held in “expression session format.” You will see progressive surfing from foreigners, locals, and even professionals from the Costa Rican national team.
Anyone can compete. There is never an entrance fee and there is always a $300 cash prize. It is great opportunity for people who have experience surfing to show off their moves or to socialize with the numerous fans, including tourists of all ages. Surfing in Hermosa beach is for those who have experience or are professional surfers because the waves are some of the best in the country. People from around the country like spending their Saturday afternoons on this beach because of the surf show and socializing experience.
The fun, relax ambience is contagious and it’s a great environment to meet new people. Hermosa has constant tourist traffic and you can meet people from all over the world enjoying their vacation. Even locals who have spend all of their life in Costa Rica and meet tourist constantly are surprised to continue meeting people from a new place at Playa Hermosa. Most, if not all people are friendly and welcoming to having a conversation.
The host of this weekly event is the Backyard restaurant. It’s been around for 10 years and is most famous for this grassroots surf contest. The open-air restaurant serves three meals daily and caters to surfers with Tex-Mex and American food. There usually have a beachfront BBQ that is known for having the best ribs.
You can find the Backyard Hotel next to the restaurant, and it is only 7 minutes south of Jaco, by car.
A DJ keeps the audience updated on the surfing competition while playing some reggae hits. Often times around 5p.m. you can enjoy an assortment of live bands from all around the country. Saturdays also happen to be Ladies Night at the bar and women are welcomed to free drinks at the bar.
After the surf competition, surfers like to stay at the restaurants to have dinner or a couple of drinks. The night usually ends with people dancing to current U.S. hits on the dance floor.
Backyard Bar Weekly Surf Contest Video
