Jacó & Playa Hermosa · Costa Rica
Surfing Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach)
A reef break in Jacó & Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Playa Escondida, or Hidden Beach, is a reef in a small cove north of Jacó. The beach is private, so the way in is by boat from Playa Herradura, which keeps the crowd small.
The reef has rights and lefts and holds its shape well on a south-west swell, a change from the sand-bottom beaches along this coast. Arrange the boat in Herradura the day before.
It works best on a south-west swell in the green season. The reef is shallow, so booties help.
When to surf
Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach)
Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach) is at its best from May to November. Conditions it likes: Swell S-SW.
December to April: Good
Dry season, cleaner conditions and WNW pulses, though smaller than the summer swell
May to July: Prime
Green season SW groundswell fires the points and beachbreaks; offshore mornings
August to October: Prime
Peak S-SW swell, most consistent and biggest, but the wettest months
Nov: Quiet
Transition, rain and swell easing into the dry season
The year across Golfo de Nicoya
Waves near Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach)
Playa Jacó
7 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate
Roca Loca
9 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Right Reef · Advanced
Playa Hermosa
12 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Beach Break · Advanced
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Jacó town has the hotels, board hire, ATMs and nightlife, with everything walkable; Playa Hermosa (10min south) puts you on the heavier beachbreak. Rent or buy boards here, it's cheaper than the airport towns. Stay south towards Esterillos for a quieter base.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Jacó & Playa Hermosa guide.
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