Tortuga surf camp.

My best friend and I did a surf retreat with Mike and Tortuga Surf Camp in early December, and I can honestly say it was one of the most professionally designed and thoughtfully curated experiences we’ve ever been part of. From the very first step, everything ran smoothly and felt intentional. Booking the retreat was easy, the overnight airport pickup in their private van was seamless, and the fact that the owner himself showed up to check us in at 1 a.m. immediately set the tone. That level of care and professionalism isn’t something you see often. We chose one of their pre-set retreat dates because it was more affordable and, more importantly, because we wanted to be part of a group rather than doing a private camp. That decision ended up being one of the highlights of the entire trip. We met an amazing group of people, and spending so much time together in the water naturally created real connections. The “surf bond” people talk about is absolutely real, and this camp brings it to life in the best way. The training itself was outstanding. We surfed, hiked, and took part in survival-style apnea workshops that included underwater drills, weighted exercises, and detailed photo reviews. Everything was perfectly timed, extremely well planned, and executed with a level of precision that made the entire experience feel effortless, even though there was clearly a lot happening behind the scenes. One thing worth mentioning is how flexible Tortuga is. If the pre-set retreat dates don’t work with your travel plans, they offer custom-made camps for a small difference in price. We mention this because this wasn’t our first time with Tortuga Surf Camp. In the past, we’ve done fully customized retreats, and this time we wanted to experience one of their scheduled programs. It completely exceeded our expectations. Their approach to teaching surfing is truly unique. I’ve never seen instructors so invested in their students’ progress, or a team that seems to enjoy teaching just as much as the people learning, if not more. Being able to witness that and be part of it felt like a genuine gift. We’ll definitely be back. Pura Vida.

My son and I scheduled a lesson while we were in Jaco. I had surfed before but realized very quickly I didn’t know anything at all. They do a lot to help you understand the relationship with the water and prepare you with a set of tools that help your experience. We’re already planning our next trip down but we had a great experience and highly recommend it if you’re trying to figure out how to surf or want to do it as a family experience it was a huge win for us as I wanted to build memories and s relationship with the country and my kids that they’ll enjoy for years.

I took an apnea workshop with Tortuga surf camp and it was awesome! They covered static and dynamic exercices, which were super challenging but also a lot of fun. Michael also shared some really helpful safety tips for beginners at surf and it was really great!