Surfing

Soft-tops, longboards, fish and shortboards:

sort themselves by how much foam you need under you. A soft-top floats a beginner into waves and shrugs off knocks from other learners, which is why the surf schools in Tamarindo keep racks of them. A longboard catches small, slow waves early and suits anyone who would rather glide than turn hard. A fish or mid-length sits between the two: wider and thicker than a shortboard, easier to paddle, still lively on a good day. A shortboard is for steeper, faster waves and surfers who already pop up cleanly. If you would rather paddle standing up, the boards are under stand-up paddle.

A board for Playa Hermosa, Pavones or Salsa Brava:

the wave you surf most often should decide, not the one in the photos. Playa Hermosa near Jacó is a powerful beach break that snaps boards and leashes, so a sturdy shortboard and a thick leash make sense there. Pavones peels for a very long way on a south swell and rewards a board that holds its speed, but it can go flat for weeks, so plenty of people there keep a longboard for the small days. Salsa Brava breaks hard over shallow coral, and experienced surfers take a shortboard or a slightly longer step-up. Volume in litres tells you more than length; set it against your weight. Riders who want wind in the mix will find directional boards under kitesurfing.

Fin boxes, leashes and tropical wax:

come before the first session. FCS and Futures are the two main fin systems and they do not swap, so a board sold without fins needs a set for its own boxes. A cold-water wax melts into a slick in a sea this warm; tropical wax over a base coat is what holds your feet. Keep boards out of closed cars and off hot sand, where heat raises bubbles under epoxy and yellows polyester.

Ding repairs and the price of a used shortboard:

a used polyester shortboard in sound shape changes hands around ₡100,000 to ₡200,000, while a new one from a well-known overseas shaper costs two to three times that once it has been brought into the country. The difference comes from how fragile a surfboard is more than from its age: every open ding, pressure dent and patched rail takes something off, and a board that has soaked up water is worth little whatever the logo says. On a board with open damage, take a professional repair off your offer; they start around ₡10,000 a ding.

Soft spots, brown stains and creases across the deck:

tell you whether a used board is sound. Ask for photos taken before it was waxed, then press along the rails and around every repair with your thumb. Shallow dents where the chest and back foot go are normal; foam that gives way and stays down is not. A brown or yellow stain spreading from a repair means water has reached the foam, and a waterlogged board feels heavy for its size. A crease running across the deck from rail to rail is the start of a snap, or a snap glued back together. A brand sticker proves nothing; the model and dimensions written on the stringer under the glass tell you what the board really is.

Listing a surfboard with its dimensions and its repairs:

give length, width, thickness and volume as written on the stringer, the shaper or brand, the fin system, and whether fins, leash and bag go with it. Photograph deck and bottom in daylight, then the rails, nose, tail and every repair up close. Say who fixed each ding and whether the board has ever been snapped, and add your own weight and level so a buyer knows who it was shaped for. A surfer driving down to Dominical to collect it will thumb every repair and lift the board to feel its weight, so scrape the wax off around the patches before they arrive.