5 Star Surf Lessons in Tamarindo, with SALT Surf As Life Therapy

We had an absolute blast doing surf lessons with SALT! Communication beforehand was stellar—super timely and simple instructions that made getting everything lined up a breeze. My kids (9 and 11) took lessons with Beto and Carlos, and they were incredible. They were so personable and instantly made the kids feel completely safe and comfortable in the water. The best part was seeing the kids surfing right away; they were standing comfortably within the very first hour! We did two days of lessons, and by day two they were riding medium-sized waves with total confidence. Beyond just getting them up on the board, Beto and Carlos taught them such great foundational skills, like how to safely paddle out, go over and under waves while holding their breath, and general ocean safety. Huge thanks to Elias and the whole team for giving my kids such an unforgettable experience. We couldn't recommend them more!

It was a wonderful experience for me and my family! Our teachers Elias and Mathew were simply amazing! Not only they took the time to explain and answer ALL of our questions but took care of us in such a great way that all the time we felt safe, encouraged, excited and happy about the experience. We’ve never surfed before and for being first timers we were kind of scared but thanks to them the experience couldn’t have been better! Very professional, knowledgeable, kind and caring! A life changing experience. We loved it! Highly recommended!!!!!

We had an amazing experience with Salt Surfing Lessons in Tamarindo! We booked four instructors—one for each of our children (ages 3, 9, and 11) and one shared between my husband and me. Two of us had never surfed before, and the other three had only taken a single lesson about five years ago, so we were all essentially beginners. The instructors were incredible. They were patient, encouraging, and had us catching wave after wave. We all had so much fun and gained so much confidence during the lesson. Our 3-year-old had an especially wonderful experience. He surfed for a bit, then happily built sandcastles on the beach with his instructor while the rest of us continued surfing. She was fantastic with him—keeping him safe, engaged, and having fun the entire time. It gave us the chance to enjoy our lesson knowing he was in great hands. This was such a fun family experience, and we can’t recommend Salt Surfing Lessons highly enough!

We recently took a lesson with Elias and Carlos. It was an incredible experience. This is our 2nd lesson with SALT (over the past 2 years) and I would not look anywhere else. Elias and Carlos give great instruction, encouragement and a lot of laughs. I’ve taken lessons elsewhere and nothing compares. The 4 of us were constantly on waves…which is the only way to get better. I cannot recommend SALT enough.

I had an awesome lesson with Elias at SALT Surf As Life Therapy in Costa Rica. I’ve surfed and taken lessons in California, Hawaii, and the South Pacific, and this was honestly the best surf lesson I’ve ever had. I’m more of an intermediate surfer, so I really appreciated that Elias didn’t just go over the basic stuff. He helped me fine-tune the details—foot placement, where to look while paddling into the wave, timing my pop-up, and making better turns. He was watching closely the whole time and kept giving me small corrections that made a big difference. Because of his coaching, I caught the best wave I’ve ever had. Everything he was telling me started to click out in the water. Elias is a great instructor, super knowledgeable, and really good at explaining what you need to change without overcomplicating it. I’d absolutely recommend him to anyone surfing in Costa Rica, especially if you already know the basics and want to actually improve.

Elias and his staff were fantastic from start to finish. I booked my two teenage daughters (new to surfing) for two-hour private sessions. They learned a lot and enjoyed the experience so much that we booked them for three additional days. By the end of the week, they were paddling into and catching their own waves. As importantly, Elias did an amazing job of integrating life lessons with the surf experience. We will definitely be returning to CR and booking more sessions with SALT. Thank you Elias!

Carlos is a great instructor. He is patient with new surfers and clear in his explanation of technique.

Incredible experience!! We had a group of 7, ages from 10 to 40-something’s. It was perfect for everyone! A very fun and safe environment!! Five stars! Highly recommend!

We signed our 2 kids up for Surf Lessons (age 15 and age 11) and they had a GREAT time! Parking was easy at “Skinny’s” and meet up was as described. The kids instructor was “Elias” and the kids thought he was kind and helpful. They both learned to surf while my wife and I walked the beach and enjoyed a cold drink. 100% would recommend!

This group of surf instructors were incredible! Skilled, positive and great with all ages 🌊