Salsa Brava

Surf Guide

Sometimes surf spot names are purely functional -- 26th Ave. or 1st St. Jetty, for example, which simply tell you where your at. Other times, they're hyped-up versions of what the wave is supposed to be like, or the name of someone who surfed there first or . . . you get the point. It's rare that a surf spot name verges on -- dare we even say it - poetry? The phrase"Salsa Brava" loosely translated means "angry sauce," and if that ain't a groovy little metaphor for this gnarled Caribbean reef in Costa Rica, then nothing is. "Salsa" has been called Costa Rica's heaviest and best wave, and believe it: Pound for pound, it's as intense as any coral reef double-up right (and left) tube in the world. At six-foot, picture a cross between baby Backdoor and Laniekea -- not as suicidal as the Box in West Oz or anything, but heavy enough to abruptly and firmly place your heart in your mouth, especially if you'd always thought of Costa Rica as a funboarder's kind of paradise. There are two general takeoff areas at Salsa. First Peak is a very round bowl section that offers the occasional left tube as well as occasionally allowing you to backdoor Second Peak (but you have to be going pretty fricken fast, not to mention be a proficient tube rider). First Peak's takeoff zone is tight and generally reserved for locals and expats, so if you insist on sitting there, show some respect (though even then you might not get any waves), 'cause these guys have it dialed. In fact, the locals at Salsa, especially the expats who moved here just to surf this heavy but fickle wave, are some of the more vocal in Costa Rica -- don't get in their way. This is a small town and a condensed peak and you will see them again; you can't be a dick in the water and expect to get waves. (Hell, they've been known to run repeat offenders out of town altogether.) Second Peak is just north of First Peak and can shift around a little, allowing for a less condensed and frothing pack. You've still got to take off under the lip, though. In general, the waves aren't really face-y -- you're either in the tube or on the shoulder. Puerto Viejo, where Salsa is located, also has a totally different vibe than any surf town on Costa's Pacific side -- you'll get stink-eye from transplants, ganja offers from Rastafarians, patchouli wiffs from eco-tourist refugees, and broken boards from late drops. NEARBY SPOTS A mile or so south of town is Playa Cocles, a consistent beachbreak, and a few miles south of that is Punta Uva, a semi-fickle right point. There are a few reef breaks around the bustling and semi-seedy port town of Limon, 50 miles to the north. Click here to download Surfline's Caribbean Costa Rica Surf Guide pdf.