About Surf Tournaments in Santa Teresa
Last Sunday, March 16, 2025, the second date of the National Surfing Circuit was held in Playa El Carmen. I went around and watched the competitions with friends.
According to the “Federación Costarricense De Surf”, about 3000 people attended.
I can say that if there were many people, because this circuit brings together the best Costa Rican surfers of the moment.
What is the National Surfing Circuit?
This circuit is a group of individual tournaments that join together to form a competitive league. Every year they are usually held between the months of January and July in different beaches of the country and comprise between 5 and 6 dates.
Each date has its individual winners. The contestants share the points of the event and at the end of all the dates they are added up to define the champion of the circuit.
Sometimes it happens that the champions are defined in the third or fourth date because they become unreachable in points obtained. In 2024 Ericka Berra and Mikela Castro took the championship in Open and U16 with one date remaining. Meanwhile, Malakai Martinez, had to wait until the last minutes of the last date to be defined as champion of the circuit.
This year 2025 was Cieneguita’s turn to open the circuit, while the rest of the destinations are: Santa Teresa, Nosara (April 12 and 13), Dominical (May 24 and 25) and Playa Hermosa (June 20, 21 and 22).
The circuit does not have a master category, it only includes Open, Under 18, Under 16 and Under 12. In addition to the SUP and longboard categories.
Why Santa Teresa?
The waves of Playa El Carmen, Santa Teresa and Hermosa, very suitable for these surfing competitions. But it is not the main reason to take Santa Teresa into account for these activities. The local associations stand out for their unquestionable support to the local talent. In addition, the local business helps a lot with the sponsorship of local events that serve to keep the surfers in competitive conditions.
A few weeks after the national circuit, the Triple Crown was held, a competition that serves as preparation for the next date in April.
The money collected from the inscriptions goes to pay for the expenses of the boys and girls of Santa Teresa in the next national competitions.
These tournaments are organized by volunteers who take the time to keep the surfing and SUP community very active.
In addition to all of the above, Santa Teresa has a few skate rinks. Skateboards are great for keeping athletes in shape when the weather conditions don’t allow for surfing.
The future of the competitions here
In this last date of the National Surfing Circuit in Playa El Carmen distributed 3500 US dollars in prizes. This is a new record in prize money in this area. The Costa Rican Surfing Federation donated $500 to support local young talent.
More local tournaments are coming after the last date of the circuit. This in order to prepare the Costa Rican surfers for the green season.
Surfing in Santa Teresa is going nowhere.
If you need a taste of surfing in your life, remember that my surf lessons are available for both newcomers and people with some experience on the waves already.
