Tortuga surf camp. — Attraction in Jacó

I had a chance to spend a week in Jaco and did several sessions with Mike and the very experienced team at Tortuga Surf Camp.

Reasons I STRONGLY recommend Tortuga Surf camp for beginners to advanced:

SAFETY - Jaco has amazing surfing and for beginners, you might not realize the need to respect mother nature's power on these beaches. Some "surf schools" will rent a board to anyone at anytime at any place regardless of conditions or skill level. The team at Tortuga have lived, surfed, and taught in this region for MANY YEARS and can help you find the BEST conditions possible for your skill level, while keeping you ALIVE.

SYSTEM - Mike and the experienced Tortuga team have been teaching and coaching surfers and stand up paddle boarders from beginner to world class competition prep for MANY YEARS. As a very casual and occasional surfer, I have had a chance to visit them several times over the last 10 years, and I have seen their teaching process evolve into a solid system that helps the student understand and master foundational skills, that allow the student to quickly progress, avoid injury, and always have a FUN EXPERIENCE! The pictures tell the story. I only surf once or twice a year, and they were able to get me on some incredible waves due to their very effective teaching system. They were super accepting and enthusiastic with complete beginner amateurs like myself, even though they are highly skilled and capable of supporting much higher skill levels. The instruction is beyond how to stand on a surf board, but also how to read conditions, currents, and waves; also help with conditioning, strategies for managing energy, etc.

FUN EXPERIENCE - The team knows why we are there! We want to feel the thrill and joy of catching a great wave! This focus and goal is always present. They make this priority happen, even when it is not convenient for them. I have seen them change their schedule, or even load up a group to drive 30 minutes away because there were more ideal conditions that would provide a better experience. They will do whatever it takes to make your experience positive, productive, and successful.

GREAT PICTURES - Tortuga partners with a local professional photographer who can capture your progress and success for a VERY REASONABLE cost. Check out the pics he took of me attached to this review!

LOCALLY OWNED COSTA RICAN BUSINESS - Mike the owner was born and raised in Costa Rica, and is a wealth of knowledge about local history, culture, environmental trends, and much more. He and the crew will be able to help you with advice on places to go and things to do...

TEN STARS! I wish I could give this company 10 stars! My family and I (wife, and three daughters- ages 13, 15, 18) were in Jaco for about 5 days. We all took surf lessons from Tortuga Surf camp during our time there. The intent was for my self and my three daughters to take one surf class per day for 3 days. My 13 year old ended up taking a 4th as she loved it so much and wasn’t completely worn out by the end of the third class the way the rest of us were. Also my wife, who originally had no intentions of surfing, saw how great each instructor was and how they made surfing easy, fun and easily attainable. She ended up taking a lesson and loved it. Safety is clearly and #1 priority to them. We worked with only 1 on 1 instructors. In addition to your personally coach, they had several other instructors in the water around keeping an eye on all the other students- and offering advice and suggestions. In fact, all the surf instructors there are keeping an eye on all the different surfers and offering advice because each coach is at a different view point and seeing something different, and as a result able to offer further input to help you. So, in addition to your personal coach, there are many other coaches keeping an eye on you to help you progress in surfing and more importantly, keep you safe. While we were there we saw the coaches interact with several others who came seeking classes. All shapes and sizes, and age levels. Each instructor was really great with whoever they were working with. We witnessed some of the instructors working with little kids (varying ages as young as 4?) and creating a really fun, special, and safe experience for them. Allow me to mention one specific moment… I was coming in on wave and one instructor was taking a young girl who was perhaps 5 years old out past the first wave break. As I was getting relatively close to them, I jumped of my board to avoid getting too close. I had my leash in had and knew my board would remain a safe distance from the young girl and surf coach, but the surf coach didn’t know that. He quickly and without hesitation jumped in front of the girl to shield her from potentially any contact with my board. He moved quickly and selflessly, clearly protecting the safety of his student. This is a long review, and I typically don’t do many reviews. I do them when I am above impressed. Tortuga Surf Camp was wonderful to work with and made some of best experiences in Costa Rica. I highly recommend them and will absolutely reconnect with them when we are...

Tortuga Surf Camp is the REAL DEAL. I started taking surfing more seriously about 2 years ago and before the camp I was at the stage where I was able to catch my own waves but had issues pumping, turning, generating power and staying in the wave. I stayed at different camps and had some guiding and lessons in Bali, Sri Lanka and India. However, I often was with instructors who didn't know how to coach, speak English well, were distracted by girls in the lessons or cared more about catching their own waves. A common issue with most surf instructors around. A friend recommended Tortuga if I was really serious about focusing on training so I decided to book in with Mike. Mike and his team are dedicated to their trade. They care about the progress and success of each student whether they are complete beginners or intermediate/advanced surfers. I spent two weeks at Tortuga Surf Camp. Each day we would surf 1-2x where I would always have a coach (mainly Mike) beside me directing and giving feedback on each wave, the conditions and how to improve. We reviewed video analysis from the drone and go pro footage and where I could make changes and improvement. We did Surf Skate (skateboard) drills in the street to help with pumping and turning. Now, I'm significantly more confident being at a busy line up with advanced surfers because I know my ability to read and catch waves has improved. Do yourself a favour, if you're looking to step up your surfing game, book in with Mike at his camp (Perico Azul). Thank you Mike, Julian, Lucas and Sam for the awesome experience and coaching. I'll see...