Playa Hermosa has become a World Surfing Reserve

As part of this initiative, the Garabito surfing spot becomes a model for the country’s reservation of surfing ecosystems.

On June 12th, 2022, Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas joined the select list of World Surfing Reserves, sharing the designation with other world-class surfing destinations like Malibú, Manly Beach, Santa Cruz, Punta de Lobos, among others .

This vibrant beach part of Garabito is the only Central American beach along these ranks, which makes sense given Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast placing as one of the world’s ideal surfing settings . Playa Hermosa in particular is regarded as one of the country’s premiere spots for

riding waves, as its stretch of coastline hosts a wide array of surfing points, and a diverse ecosystem host to more than 60 in-danger species .

World Surfing Reserves is an initiative led by the Save The Waves Coalition to actively preserve the most exceptional waves in the world by way of environmental, cultural, economic and community action around the topics that concern the selected surfing zones .

As part of the World Surfing Reserves, Playa Hermosa has a great opportunity as an starting point for a widespread awareness about the conservation of beaches in Costa Rica, as one of the first projects linked with the initiative has to do with the recovery of micro-watersheds . In addition to the World Surfing Reserves, Costa Rica’s own Protected Surf Area Network, part of the Alliance for Surf Conservation established between International Conservation and Serve The Waves, will proved an important model to work hand-in-hand with the country’s government and local communities towards the ongoing protection of this important beach ecosystems .

As a country whose economy mainly relies on tourism, and who has a privileged position in the surfing world’s top of mind, this will surely be just one of many steps for Costa Rica’s actions for safekeeping one of their many natural wonders .