Jacó & Playa Hermosa · Costa Rica
Surfing Roca Loca
A right reef in Jacó & Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, for advanced surfers.
Roca Loca is a right, with the odd left, breaking over rock below the headland between Jacó and Playa Hermosa. You have to scramble down to reach it, so it's less crowded than the beaches.
On a good south-west swell the right stands up fast and gives a longer wall than anything on the sand nearby. Surf it at higher tides: at low to mid tide there are boulders just under the surface. It's for confident surfers.
It's best on a solid south-west swell in the green season. Getting in and out over the rocks is the hard part, so watch the local surfers first. Jacó is a few minutes north, and Playa Hermosa a few minutes south.
When to surf
Roca Loca
Roca Loca is at its best from May to November. Conditions it likes: Good S-SW swell.
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 Roca Loca
Playa Jacó
2 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate
Playa Hermosa
3 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Beach Break · Advanced
Boca Tusubres
9 kmJacó & Playa Hermosa · Beach Break · Intermediate / 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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