Nosara Surf Academy
Nosara Surf Academy
5
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Full view
About
Nosara Surf Academy, the most experienced surf school/camp in Costa Rica, offers all-inclusive surf packages and walk-in surf lessons for all levels.
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Nosara Surf Academy
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
67 reviews
Excellent
63
Very good
1
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Katie Sanderson
Liverpool, UK10 contributions
Nov 2021 • Solo
As a complete newbie I was hesitant taking a surfing lesson in Nosara, at risk of looking like a complete gangly fool compared to all of the exceptional people.
BUT I am so happy I did! Kim was awesome and got me from the beach, into the water and riding waves all by myself within one lesson and most of all i loved every minute of it. Thank you once again for your guidance 🥰
BUT I am so happy I did! Kim was awesome and got me from the beach, into the water and riding waves all by myself within one lesson and most of all i loved every minute of it. Thank you once again for your guidance 🥰
Written November 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bkegel
Chicago, IL118 contributions
Nov 2010
We went to Nosara because I wanted to go surfing. I spent a lot of time on the internet reading reviews and trying to decide which surf school I wanted to work with. To be completely honest NSA was not my top choice, I though the web site looked too good and that it might be a little too cooperate for me. I could not have been more wrong.
I met Kim(bo), the owner and head instructor, at the Gilded Iguana the second day in town and we setup lessons for the next morning. Kim is not only a good surfer, but a good teacher and seemed excited to be teaching. He worked with me closely and was very conscious about my abilities and my safety (it's quite obvious he's a former lifeguard). More than that I think he really cared about the people coming down to learn to surf, he helped out a few non-students who were doing dangerous things so they wouldn't get hurt.
The price was the same as the other shops in the area , but we were at the far end of the beach so it was much less crowded and the waves looked as good if not better. Also, my lessons were private which made it even better.
The guys at the surf shop were very nice also, I really couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Finally, I don't know where all this dangerous talk is coming from, I never felt unsafe and got nothing but smiles and hellos from the locals.
I'm looking forward to my next trip to Nosara and I will defiantly work with Kim and NSA to improve my surfing. I cannot recommend this place highly enough, it's a great place for you and/or your kids to learn to surf (or just rent a board). One last thing, buy a rash guard, your body will thank you.
I met Kim(bo), the owner and head instructor, at the Gilded Iguana the second day in town and we setup lessons for the next morning. Kim is not only a good surfer, but a good teacher and seemed excited to be teaching. He worked with me closely and was very conscious about my abilities and my safety (it's quite obvious he's a former lifeguard). More than that I think he really cared about the people coming down to learn to surf, he helped out a few non-students who were doing dangerous things so they wouldn't get hurt.
The price was the same as the other shops in the area , but we were at the far end of the beach so it was much less crowded and the waves looked as good if not better. Also, my lessons were private which made it even better.
The guys at the surf shop were very nice also, I really couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Finally, I don't know where all this dangerous talk is coming from, I never felt unsafe and got nothing but smiles and hellos from the locals.
I'm looking forward to my next trip to Nosara and I will defiantly work with Kim and NSA to improve my surfing. I cannot recommend this place highly enough, it's a great place for you and/or your kids to learn to surf (or just rent a board). One last thing, buy a rash guard, your body will thank you.
Written January 5, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martinifam
Austin, TX17 contributions
Mar 2017 • Family
Our lessons with NSA were great. Chico was very calm, easy to understand and thorough in explaining the basics of surfing to my family during our lesson. We also chose to rent gear from Kim the owner during our stay and he was very helpful and easy to work with. I highly suggest checking these guys out during your stay in Playa Guiones!
Written March 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott A
Austin, TX98 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Very impressed by the level of service and quality of instruction! As you can see from my reviews, I don't give many places 5 stars, but when it's warranted, it's warranted. From my first contact with Kim thru email in planning this special trip with my son, he exhibited the highest level of responsiveness and professionalism. He gladly flexed with us as we worked thru last minute travel challenges and, when we arrived, provided us with top notch instruction. I was up on the first wave and my son was outside after the first lesson! Nelson and Kim were both patient and insightful in critiquing our form and identifying areas we needed to work on but were EVER positive!
The 1 on 1 focus we got made this trip a joy. Thanks Kim and Nelson!
The 1 on 1 focus we got made this trip a joy. Thanks Kim and Nelson!
Written August 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DrewVespers
Victoria, Canada1 contribution
Mar 2016 • Friends
Awesome experience! Highly recommended. We had the owner, Kim, as our instructor and we were total beginners. He has a wonderful, step by step approach that had us getting up on waves within 30 minutes of getting our boards. It was an exhilarating experience. With a lesson you get the board for the whole day, prices are really reasonable compared to other options in the area and they're a 2 minute walk from the beach. They really care about their customers and we're definitely signing up for a package of lessons. Try them out!
Written March 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Philippe C
London, UK16 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
Kim and matthieu have not only a great location right by the surf spot and a smoothie bar but also some very good and friendly advice on how to surf better! Just get there and let them take you to new levels... A little expensive though, but that is just how the whole region is...
Written March 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jakob R
2 contributions
When we first went here we was walking into the town from the beach. As the main road started we found this shop, only like 100 meters from the beach, with a super friendly guy named Kimbo.
We arranged a lesson the next day and that was a great decision!
I have never surfed before and after Kimbo had gone through the basics on the beach it took me no time at all to stand up and start surfing.
Everything Kimbo says makes so much sense and it feels like every lesson is planned for you!
The location of the shop makes it even more perfect because you rent a board and don't need to carry it for long because it's so close to the beach.
I can highly recommend this surf shop and surf lessons. If you go here you will learn how to surf for sure!
We arranged a lesson the next day and that was a great decision!
I have never surfed before and after Kimbo had gone through the basics on the beach it took me no time at all to stand up and start surfing.
Everything Kimbo says makes so much sense and it feels like every lesson is planned for you!
The location of the shop makes it even more perfect because you rent a board and don't need to carry it for long because it's so close to the beach.
I can highly recommend this surf shop and surf lessons. If you go here you will learn how to surf for sure!
Written November 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nymermaid78
New York City, NY5 contributions
May 2011
My husband and I spent one week in Nosara working on our surfing skills. We'd joked for a year that we really, really needed a surf guru to take our skills to the next level. We completely found it in Kim and his guys. The lessons were tailored to our specific needs/skills, direction was clear and the lessons were fun. As a result, you could see our marked improvements as the days went on. It was more like having personalized coaches than "lessons". You will definitely learn! More over, Kim and his team (Mark and Johan) are simply so, so nice and loads of fun. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to learn to surf. We'll definitely be back.
Written May 24, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kiki
8 contributions
Feb 2022 • Solo
Kim was awesome. I felt very safe and he gave clear
and concise instructions. He takes his job seriously and I was able to ride the waves quickly thanks to his guidance !!! Highly recommend :)
and concise instructions. He takes his job seriously and I was able to ride the waves quickly thanks to his guidance !!! Highly recommend :)
Written February 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CNGLOBAL
9 contributions
Nov 2019
I took three classes with Kim (private and semi-private) and rented a board for 5 extra days to practice. He assessed what I could do and encouraged me to ride intuitively, and also develop my understanding of the waves. I learned to turtle a longboard, catch green waves, and watch for right or left waves. I appreciated having Kim in the water with me--I admire his skill and confidence. Great experience.
Written November 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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