Quepos & Manuel Antonio · Costa Rica
Surfing Boca Damas
A beach break in Quepos & Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, for intermediate surfers.
Boca Damas is a rivermouth north of Quepos with long, fast lefts and shorter rights. It's usually bigger than the other breaks nearby, and the left can get hollow when the sandbar is in good shape.
Getting there is the hard part. It's a long walk from Quepos, the currents are strong and there are crocodiles in the river, so most people pay for a boat. Go on an incoming tide with a solid south-west swell and you'll often have it almost to yourself.
Quepos, a few minutes south, has the places to stay.
When to surf
Boca Damas
Boca Damas is at its best from May to November. Conditions it likes: S-SW swell, incoming tide.
December to April: Good
Short dry season, cleaner, sunnier, but smaller than the summer swell
May to July: Prime
Green season S-SW groundswell fires Dominical and the points; offshore mornings
August to October: Prime
Peak, most consistent S-SW swell, and the wettest, greenest months
Nov: Quiet
Transition, heavy rains and swell easing into the dry season
The year across Central Puntarenas
Waves near Boca Damas
Quepos Bombie
8 kmQuepos & Manuel Antonio · Reef Break · Advanced / Pro
Playitas
9 kmQuepos & Manuel Antonio · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate
Playa El Rey
20 kmQuepos & Manuel Antonio · Beach Break · Intermediate
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Quepos and Manuel Antonio have dozens of hotels for every budget; Playitas (the park's NW corner) holds the best beachbreak. Base here for the northern spots, or push south to Dominical for the heavier waves. Crocs and currents make boats the smart call at Boca Damas.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Quepos & Manuel Antonio guide.
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