Boca Barranca
Puntarenas, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Sports: Surfing
Best time to go: April–October
Boca Barranca is a rivermouth break where the Barranca River meets the Gulf of Nicoya, between Puntarenas and Caldera on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast. Its sandbar can produce one of the longest left-hand waves in the country, with rides of several hundred metres on good days.
The gulf filters the swell, so the wave needs a solid south or south-west swell, which is most common from about April to October. Early mornings are often calm or offshore from the east and north-east before the sea breeze picks up. The wave is usually soft and slow, which suits longboards and intermediate surfers, while bigger swells make the ride faster. The quality depends on the shape of the sandbar, which changes after floods. The water is brown and murky from the river, the river is home to crocodiles, and runoff after heavy rain lowers water quality, so avoid surfing then and check local advice. There is a current at the rivermouth. Crowds come from the nearby towns on good swells. The water is warm all year, so boardshorts or a lycra are enough.
Spots near Boca Barranca
- Jacó (42 km)
- Playa Hermosa – Jacó (46 km)
- Esterillos (55 km)
- Santa Teresa (59 km)
- Lake Arenal – Tilarán (68 km)
- Nosara – Playa Guiones (101 km)
- Playa Negra – Guanacaste (122 km)
- Playa Avellanas (124 km)