2-Hour Private or Group Surf Lesson in Tamarindo!

Recommended by 91% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Price varies by group size

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Overview

What's Included

Boards, Rashguards, Leashes, Sunscreen

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Meeting point

Beach Parking
8536+94J, Guanacaste Province, Tamarindo, Costa Rica
We are located right on the beach, next to the Lifeguard Tower & Pico Bistro (restaurant). We have a large blue flag that says Surf Lessons. Ask for Gustavo! We can meet you anywhere in Tamarindo or Flamingo and guide you to our location.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Tamarindo Night Market

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Madison_C

We were a group of 6 who had no prior surfing experience and all of us were doing great by the end! Gustavo was super friendly and gave us constructive tips that helped us improve quickly. 2 hours was ample time to learn the basics and get out on the water to practice. Waves were great - not too big not too small. After the lesson, we all got complimentary fresh smoothies too! Great value and you actually learn a lot! Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to try surfing!

Reviews

4.7

based on 47 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Jonathan did an AMAZING...

Shannon_S, Nov 2025

Jonathan did an AMAZING job with us (adult and 9 year old). On the beach, he taught a lesson on what to do. Then we went to the water and he helped so much with tips and physically guiding. Both of us got up many many times and it was such a fun experience.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for taking your time to share your experience. We are happy to know that the lesson were helpful for both and that you enjoyed. PURA VIDA!!!

My instructor was inappropriate, unprofessional and intoxicated.

Lele_H, Apr 2025

Firstly, stall is difficult to find and the location is vague. When I asked other vendors if they knew where it was they were also confused. I had to go to Instagram and from there find a phone number to contact someone who could direct me. When I did eventually find the group my instructor Ramon was a complete creep and lech. He constantly made comments about my body, how much me loves women who look like me, how much he wanted me and how he takes care of women. He told everyone I was going to be his wife and how he would have kids with me. I told him I had a boyfriend and wasn’t travelling alone, which did nothing to curb his behaviour. I felt so uncomfortable I cut my lesson short, when leaving the ocean he grabbed my hand kissing the back of it repeatedly while asking which hotel I was staying at. He was also very clearly under the influence of alcohol. When I first arrived at the group I was greeted by a different instructor who was polite and professional, as were the other staff. It was after I put my stuff down that the instructor I ended up with swooped in to take over. I can only assume this was because he found me attractive and wanted to be close to me, because I paid for a group session not a private. The training at the beginning felt rushed, this was after I told him that I never surfed before, it was just generally chaotic all around. While in the water he was getting another kid to take a lesson with him. He told me that his charges the boy’s father $100. I paid $50 through Viator. As a solo female traveller this was an incredibly uncomfortable experience and I had to be careful with how I reacted as to not escalate the situation to something more volatile. Since this happened I have contacted Viator who contacted the company. Their response was to offer me another session with a different instructor free of charge (which I declined). They also said the instructor I am referring to has been fired, but I have no way to verify this, hence why I decided to leave this review. I would not recommend this surf school for women at all, maybe if you’re a man you would have a better experience, providing the instructor isn’t attracted to you! However, creepy instructor aside, it is still difficult to find, training was rushed and there was no mention of health and safety. I hope that the company is able to reflect on their employees behaviour and have a code of conduct in place. And that the instructor in question is able to look back at their actions and act right in the future! While tamarindo beach is a good spot for beginners, the waves aren’t big and you don’t go out to super deep waters so you can stand up. I wouldn’t recommend this surf school to women or men for the reasons listed. There are plenty more in the area.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

we are really sorry to heart that you were disappointed. Our goal is to provide great service every time and its clear we fell short here

Great

Dalia_G, Mar 2025

I’ve booked for a group class, but I was the only one so it was a private class and the instructor is so good to teach !

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for the review Dalia! We are glad you enjoyed your lesson with us. Pura Vida!

Great value and so much fun!!

Madison_C, Feb 2025

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thank you so much for the review Madison! We love getting to take out big groups and so happy to hear you had a great time. Hope to see you back. Pura Vida!

Good beginner’s surfing lesson

Rebecca_C, Nov 2024

We enjoyed our surfing lesson experience. There was a little bit of practice on land and then quickly learning on the water. Gustavo was helpful with constructive feedback to help with the surfing. We even had some coconut waters at the end of the experience!

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you for the review Rebecca! We are glad you had a good experience with us. Pura vida.

Absolutely Must ado

Meghan_H, Nov 2024

I had an absolutely great time. Having no experience prior to this, and being nearly 40, I was really surprised when I actually “got it” and stood up on my third attempt. My instructor was truly fantastic. He was encouraging, patient, kind. He made conversation while waiting for waves. I went surfing in the pouring rain - this experience actually saved me from a completely indoors day on my vacation. Highly recommend! Don’t be shy. No one is watching you wipe out!

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you for the review Meghan! We are happy to hear you had a good experience with your instructor and appreciate you for recommending us. Pura Vida.

Great beginner surf lesson!!

Scott_K, Jul 2024

The guys were cool, helpful, friendly and attentive and i caught a bunch of waves!! They helped me correct when I was doing stuff wrong and got me on the right track

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks the review! It was great surfing with you Scott and we are glad you had a good time! Hope to see you back next time you visit. Pura vida.

Not so good

sacha_k, Apr 2024

Meeting point was vague and the guide arrived 20 minutes ns late and didn't even apologize. The whole experience was supposed to last 2h but it was more 1h30 actually. Waves are small, which is good for beginners, but they good ones can be rare, they were on the 2 days we spent around Tamarindo beach.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

We are sorry to hear you had an unfortunate experience. We were waiting for you on the beach at the requested time and it was a simple miscommunication but we do apologize and hope you come back in the future to give us another chance. Pura Vida!

Gustavo kept reminding us...

Ella_T, Apr 2024

Gustavo kept reminding us to have a good time and we really had. Gave us water after which was a huge plus!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you Ella! We had so much fun watching you have a great time, please come back and see us again soon! Pura Vida!

Great experience!

Romana_S, Feb 2024

Me and a friend did the surf lesson today and we had a great time! Everything you need is included and the surf instructor was really nice and competent. Also it ended up just being the two of us. We were both complete beginners but with the tips from the instructor and some practice we did before entering the water we both managed to stand up and ride a wave really quickly. All in all I would totally recommend it.