Mal País & Santa Teresa · Costa Rica
Surfing Punta Barigona
A left point in Mal País & Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, for intermediate surfers.
Punta Barigona is a left point near the Cabo Blanco reserve, at the southern end of the Mal País coast, next to the Mar Azul cabins. It needs a decent south-west swell to wrap into the point.
When it does, the lefts line up into long walls with only a few people out, much quieter than the beaches in Mal País. On small days there's not much there. It's a short drive from the main road, with the protected forest of Cabo Blanco just to the south.
When to surf
Punta Barigona
Punta Barigona is at its best from May to November. Conditions it likes: Decent 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 Punta Barigona
Playa Carmen (Mal País)
2 kmMal País & Santa Teresa · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate
Playa Santa Teresa
5 kmMal País & Santa Teresa · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Playa Manzanillo
16 kmMal País & Santa Teresa · Reef Break · Intermediate / Advanced
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen run into one another and hold most of the beds, food and board hire; Mal País proper is quieter and closer to Cabo Blanco. Access is by 4x4 over dusty (or muddy) roads, most people fly to SJO and take a shuttle and the Puntarenas-Paquera ferry.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Mal País & Santa Teresa guide.
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