Take first left and double back next to bridge drive to the end and pay the old guy behind the fence 1000 colones to park. Other parking is avail. but expect your car to be broken into. High theft area. River runoff makes water brown but not as polluted as it used to be. When on, 800 yard waves are possible. Watch out for crocs in the river they've been known to swim out to the lineup!
Some lodging available in guest houses just north of the big resort (way over priced). Take the road to the resort (left branch on main hwy) and drive past. Gated houses on the left rent cabinas. Off season about a night in summer 2000.
Overview
Atmosphere
Super fun loooooooong lefts. Some sections quicker than others, but all very makeable. Pretty mellow hot dog or longboard wave. Usually, a friendly vibe in the water but can get real crowded when good as it's the closet break to San Jose and world class when on.
General
Stop there on every trip to Costa to check it out. It needs a big south swell to work, but when its going off (sadly quite rare...), one of the best places to be!
Really Fun
Just got back from 8 days in Costa Rica and was lucky enough to get invited on an early morning run to Baranca from Playa Hermosa with a few local surfers. I was a little nervous having heard stories the night before about 8 foot crocs very near the lineup and extremely dirty water. We got there at 7am and the weather was absolutely perfect and the waves looked incredible, muddy, but incredible. The paddle out is sketchy and long, dirty river water flowing into the see, you lose sight of your hands as soon as there submerged in the water. Once you get out (15-20 mins) its a pretty amazing sight. Beautiful surroundings, big, fun left handers and an overall good, friendly atmosphere in the water. Don't get me wrong, the ticos wont think twice about burning you every time but when you do get a big one, or sit deep enough, it's definitely worth it. Really long rides, with a little juice right at the beginning. Definitely worth paddling out to for the experience alone, should you get a minute ++ left handers and the back breaking paddle back out that goes along with it, your stoked.
comment by Jason, 2007-02-05 00:14:23
Boca
This place is changing! Just went there last week, the swell was very small, we checked it twice and only surfed it once at knee to thigh high and choppy on a dead low tide. The place smells at low tide but i have never felt sick after surfing there.The old parking area is gone, replaced by a new stone wall belonging to the new development (you can still park underneath the cantina at the end of the street for 2ooo Colones. The place was even crowded at less than knee high on a higher tide when it was actually breaking better right! Glad I caught a few good days there in the past, because the future of Boca is looking crowded!
comment by Olagrande, 2006-12-29 02:45:16
nice but dirty
One of my longest left's i've ridden. The water is definitly filthy. I met locals that surf this spot often, and i dont know how they can stand it. Easy spot to find, and easy paddle out. I felt sick for days afterwards.
comment by Anonymous, 2007-08-26 04:07:05