1.) Backcountry Foil Surfing provides excursions to Costa Rica as well as Chicama, Peru. How would you compare the two trips to both places in terms of quality of the waves, food, and accommodations?
Both locations have great waves, food, and accommodations. Chicama is a desert environment that has much milder weather with high winds. Our Costa Rica locations have very low winds with extremely hot weather and warm water. You will need a wetsuit in Peru; you definitely do NOT need a wetsuit in Costa Rica. We use jet skis in Costa Rica, and you get one-on-one attention with your driver/coach. In Peru, it’s more of a free-for-all with Zodiacs and small groups. You definitely don’t get the one-on-one coaching/experience. In Peru, you may find yourself sitting in the water waiting for several minutes at a time for the Zodiac to pick you up. Peru is probably more suitable for advanced riders. In Costa Rica, the jet ski is basically right beside you the entire time. Peru is cheaper. Inquiring at www.foilsurfingexcursions.com for more information.
2.) What about the logistics to Costa Rica vs. Peru?
There are lots of direct flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, from around North America. From San Jose, it’s about a one-and-a-half-hour drive on smooth roads. Pretty simple. For Peru, you must fly to Lima and then get a transfer to Trujillo. Sometimes timing those transfers is a little tricky. You may need to spend a night in Lima depending on your flight schedule. From Trujillo, you will need to take a one-hour van ride to Chicama.
3.) What is the best time of year for waves in Chicama, Peru? What size of groups do you usually work with?
In Chicama, Peru, the season typically starts in March and runs into October. In Costa Rica, we get waves all year long. August is known for having good southern swells. The height of the rainy season usually occurs in September, so that can present some challenges.
We typically like working with small groups, but we can make exceptions. It’s definitely easier to work with larger groups if we stay in Esterillos. Booking well in advance is key to ensure we get the best accommodations and have time to organize the best drivers/coaches/drone pilots, etc. In Peru, we can easily take on a group of 10; however, it’s important to book well in advance to ensure the best accommodations, etc.
4.) The waves in your videos look pretty big; I would estimate faces of 6 feet? That is pretty big. What level should my riding be at before I take a trip?
It’s very typical to have head-high or overhead-high waves. We teach a lot of wake foilers and wing foilers to ride real waves for the first time. As long as you can wake foil or wing foil with confidence, you should be fine!
Just because it’s a big day doesn’t mean you have to ride gnarly waves. Our drivers and coaches can match the rider with the appropriate size waves. We have over 20 km of coastline where we operate, with several different breaks to explore. Finding mellow sections for first-time wave riders won’t be an issue. We also monitor our riders using drones from shore and have radio communication with drivers to support them and their riders while on the water.
If this is going to be your first tow-foil trip, we recommend riding with us in Costa Rica. The one-on-one attention you receive in Costa Rica with our world-class instructors is completely unmatched anywhere in the world. Once you ride with us in Coast Rica you will have the confidence and skill to go ride other waves all over the world.
5.) How much time do we get on the water every day?
We typically start at sunrise and try to have the first session wrapped up before noon. If conditions agree with us, there is an option for an afternoon session in the afternoon. It’s much easier to schedule last-minute sessions when operating from our home location in Esterillos. We don’t currently offer second sessions in the backcountry; it’s too difficult getting back and forth to the island twice in the same day. Our Chicama, Peru trip comes standard with four hours of daily riding — two hours in the morning and two hours after lunch.
Contact us for more information and availability.
