Cabo Matapalo · Costa Rica
Surfing Hog Hole
A right point in Cabo Matapalo, Costa Rica, for advanced surfers.
Hog Hole is the outside point of the three right reefs at Cabo Matapalo, and the most consistent. It has steep, fast walls and works best from low to mid tide.
When it's big it gets heavy, and the inside is a mix of ledges, boulders and cobblestones. It's for experienced surfers. Getting there takes a 4x4 to the tip of the Osa Peninsula, where the lodges are few and expensive.
It's at its best from April to October on a south-west swell. Backwash and Pan Dulce, next door, are easier options.
When to surf
Hog Hole
Hog Hole is at its best from April to October. Conditions it likes: S-SW swell, low-mid tide.
April to June: Good
Season building, S-SW swell arriving, lush and quiet, roads still passable
July to September: Prime
Peak S-SW power, Pavones at its best, but the wettest, road-washing months
Oct: Good
Still firing, crowds thinning, very wet
November to March: Quiet
Dry but smaller. Pavones needs a big south swell, so it's often flat
The year across Golfo Dulce
Waves near Hog Hole
Pan Dulce
under 1 kmCabo Matapalo · Right Point · Beginner / Intermediate
Backwash
3 kmCabo Matapalo · Right Point · Intermediate / Advanced
Punta Banco
16 kmPavones & the south · Left & Right Reef · Beginner / Intermediate
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Cabo Matapalo is roadless-remote, expensive jungle eco-lodges only, reached by 4x4 that floods in the wet season. Puerto Jiménez (30-40min) is the practical base with supplies and cheaper rooms. Bring cash; there's no ATM at the cape. The three rights are private-ish and less crowded than Pavones.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Cabo Matapalo guide.
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