The students from Hurricane Island Outward Bound School recently returned to our Costa Rican rainforest base from a surfing phase in Playa Uvita, an ideal spot for beginners. For many of the students, this phase of their course was their first experience surfing.

“I was able to stand on the board and catch broken waves from the first session,” said Sam A. from Oberlin, Ohio. “It was amazing.”

Students got the chance to learn surfing techniques with our local instructors while enjoying a morning and an evening surf sessions for three days.

“Every evening, the sun set as we were surfing. It was incredibly beautiful to surf while the sun disappeared behind the hills,” added Sam A. 

The students next drove to Playa Dominical, a Costa Rican beach that has attracted surfers for decades. Surfing in Dominical was an opportunity for students to catch unbroken waves, a challenging task that required them to use the skills they had learnt the previous days such as selecting waves, paddling and popping up.

Cultural immersion was a highlight for many of the students.

“My favorite thing was to do some service projects and hike so we could discover the area and the local culture,” said Gretchen K. from New Harbor, Maine.

Tomorrow, the students will clean and prepare their equipment, as well as pack for their next course phase: whitewater rafting on el Río Pacuare.

Be sure to visit our blog for more student updates and go to our Facebook for more pictures of our students.