A surf town first and last: the beach break works most of the year and the rest of the day is arranged around the tide.
Playa Santa Teresa
The main beach break in front of town — sand bottom, consistent, and working through the year with the largest swell roughly April to October. The popular peaks get crowded; walking north thins it out considerably.
Playa Hermosa for learning
The north end is softer and less crowded, which is where the schools take beginners and where longboarders end up. Low to mid tide is generally the workable window.
Blue Mystic Surf
A surf school at Playa Carmen running 90-minute private lessons and groups of up to three per instructor, moving between Playa Carmen, La Lora and Hermosa depending on the day. Booking is through their site or WhatsApp.
Running the beach at low tide
At low tide the sand from Playa Carmen up to Playa Hermosa is firm and effectively a flat five- to six-kilometre run — the only decent running surface here, since the road is loose dirt. Go at first light; there is no shade at all.
Football: the nearest top-flight club is across the gulf
There is no Primera División side on the Nicoya Peninsula. The closest is Puntarenas FC at the 4,105-seat Estadio Lito Pérez in Puntarenas, which means the ferry and a bus each way. Locally it is the pitch at Cóbano and the league on television.