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ENVIRONMENT

SURFRIDER - Tamarindo Chapter News
Check out the new website for Surfrider's Tamarindo Chapter

It All Comes Back To You. Todo Se Devuelve. TAMARINDO RECYCLES..
www.tamarindorecycles.blogspot.com

Tamarindo Recycling Day is now Every Tuesday! Check the Tamarindo page for bin locations and updates.

1/4 - The Environmental Ministry office in Manzanillo on the Caribean Coast was firebombed over the holidays. Read more on the Puerto Viejo Satellite.

1/4 - A letter, the parents of children in Alto Katsi, Talamanca, Costa Rica are appealing for your valuable support in a building a school. Read more from the Tropical Adventures Blog.

Check out this new blog by Andy Bystrom from Pretoma.org. It gives you the latest news on what is happening to marine life and coastal ecosystems in Costa Rica.

12/6: An inspection by the National System of Conservation Area (SINAC) regional office in Tempisque confirmed that thousands of square meters of vegetation were illegally removed from the shoreline in front of the recently opened Hotel Riu in Matapalo de Sardinal in the northwest province of Guanacaste. The case will now go before the constitutional court.

12/6: Letter to Tico Times regarding Las Baulas National Park. Read it here.

11/24: National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) Identifies 35 Ocean Sites Worth Protecting. Read more..

11/11: The Corcovado Foundation hosted their 5th Annual Gourmet Night with Fine Wines. October 24th, 7 p.m. at the Art Gallery at the Children's Museum. It was a huge success, raising over $7,000. Read the Foundation's thank you letter and see photos here..

11/8: Don’t throw out your old and/ or worn-out clothes. They’re needed by the Colectivo Artistico Reciclando en Talamanca por la Sostenibilidad (CARTS), which has been commissioned to make shopping bags for the local farmers’ market in Puerto Viejo. To help, the Talamancan Association of Ecotourism and Conservation (ATEC), next to the Casa de la Cultura, will except the following: clean, old clothing; clean, used sheets and hammocks; material part of broken umbrellas; fabric scraps; other clean items that might be used to make recycled art. Volunteers Needed - Some 164 volunteer hours have been donated to date in a fun and ongoing recycling project sponsored by ATEC. Volunteers go to the recycling center in the small town of Patino once a week to help the new ReciCaribe get on top of the mountain of materials that need to be processed.. For more information on both projects, call 2750-0398 or 8320-4821.

10/31: The new spanish owned RIU Hotel has been accused of destroying neighboring mangroves and being built without water permits. Read more..

10/25: Andy Bystrm creates video showing area impacted by proposed Tuna Farms near Punta Banco. Watch the video and then donate to help Pretoma stop the destruction of the water quality in the area.

10/25: Surfing Nosara Foundation and Innocent Surf School Create Beach Clean up Project for Schools. Read more..

10/18: Environmental Ministry wants to keep 600 homes in Ostianal Turtle Refuge. Read more..

10/4: Witch’s Rock Surf Camp has installed a new biodiesel reactor and has trained its staff how to use it. This means they are now converting used cooking oil from Eat @ Joe’s Restaurant – as well as used cooking oil from FT’s and the Barceló resort – to power their shuttle vans and surf yacht.

10/4: National Beach Cleanup organized in October through TerraNostra.org.

9/13: Here's a cool new blog about the Camino Claro School in Pavones, highlighting their environmental and community efforts. Check out - www.caminoclaro.org

9/13: With the help of donations from Surfrider Foundation Tamarindo, development group Las Mareas and area resident Drew Smith, Tamarindo only lifeguard Jorge Zamora's salary was paid through August. However, the lifeguard program needs help to continue. The beach needs more equipment as well as more lifeguards, and of course the salary of the one remaining lifeguard needs to be protected. To help, contact Cheryl at cherylmckillican @hotmail.com.

** How about some summer reading for the kids?? Check out All the Way to the Ocean, a book that teaches kids not to litter, because eventually it will end up in the sea and hurt marine life.

** New Book for Teens talks about saving turtles in Tamarindo - Turtle Feet, Surfer Beat is the story of Penelope who moves to Tamarindo with her parents for a month and learns about the peril of the leatherback turtle. The 86-page book written by Marina Kuperman is printed on recycled paper and has a journal in the back for a girl's own eco-adventure. Read more at - www.turtlefeetsurfersbeat.com.

Latin American Surf Tour's - Seven Ways to Help the Planet (in Spanish)

 

CONTESTS

CNS LimeCoral in Palo Seco
Puerto Viejo Surf Contest

Upcoming event: (new dates) The next date of the Circuito Nacional de Surf is planned for Playa Palo Seco in Parrita on January 16-17th. More details here.

Upcoming Event: Puerto Viejo Open Pro at Salsa Brava. 7 a.m. Over $2000 in prizes! Click to see the full size poster with details..

12/27 - Luis Castro Wins First Contest on the Caribbean Surf Tour in Playa Bonita. See the pics and results here.

12/20 - Noé Mar McGonagle (age 13) had an incredible streak this weekend at the Costa Rican national contest in Jaco Beach making it to 3 finals (U14, U16, and U18). He surfed three consecutive finals in a row and took first place in both U14 and U16 and 4th in U18 and posted the highest heat score total of the entire event in the U14 finals. "I would like to say thanks to all my sponsors Hurley, Etnies, T.Patterson, and CRSurf.com for all their support. Pura Vida"

12/20 - See all the results of Copa Mango in Jaco presented by Lime Coral clothing here..

Costa Rica Surf Circuit announces 2010 calendar of contests. The first event will take place on 12/19-20 in Jaco. Read more..

 

WORLD SURFING GAMES 2009 - NEWS AND PHOTOS

The 2009 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games at Playa Hermosa and Jacó on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast last month holds the official distinction of being the most attended and covered sports event in Costa Rican history. Over the week it drew more than 70,000 spectators. Check out our Facebook Photos from the ISA World Surfing Games - click here..

8/27 - Billabong ISA World Surfing Games Breaks Records. Read more..

8/12 - United States Team wins Billabong ISA World Surfing Games, Costa Rica places in Seventh. Read more..
More news from:
Day 8 - Finals
Day 7
Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2

Top 10 countries in the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games: Read more..
1- Estados Unidos 17.190
2- Francia 14.440
3- Hawai 13.358
4- Sudáfrica 12.508
5- Perú 12.120
6- Australia 12.110
7- Costa Rica 9.650
8- Venezuela 9.040
9- Brasil 9.000
10- Puerto Rico 8.820

Top Ticos at the contest:
Jason Torres 7th
Carlos Muñoz 13th
Gilbert Brown 21st
Luis Vindas 33rd
Mujeres - Lisbeth Vindas 11th
Natalie Bernold 15th
Longboard - Anthony Flores 29th
Diego Naranjo 33rd

 

 

 

TRAVEL

Sick of paying airline surcharges for your board?
Join the Surfboard Airline Petition!

If you ever need to see a list of flights to and from San Jose airport plus their arrival or departure gates, just check their web link here.

ERA Adventures trains lifeguards in Playa Guiones. Read more from the Voice of Nosara online.

10/9: Click to see the latest news and photos from the Carnival in Limon.

10/9: Garage Sale in Puerto Viejo is seeking supplies for 'recycled art' projects. Find out more..

9/9: Teams from National Geographic will visit Isla del Coco in submarines between Sept. 9 and Oct. 1. While scientists gather data, film crews will shoot scenes for an hour-long documentary to be aired on the National Geographic Channel. Follow the trip at www.ocean.nationalgeographic.com. Scientists will upload daily photos, videos and reports to the website during their visit.

8/26: Puerto Limón was chosen this year as the finish line for the Transat Jacques Vabre, the third most important yacht race in the world. The starting point will be Le Havre port, in northeast France. The course over the Atlantic, covering some 5,000 nautical miles or 4,350 miles, is expecting more than 50 vessels to compete at the end of this year. The beginning of the long voyage is scheduled for the 7th and 8th of November and is expected to end 12 days later in Puerto Limón, in the Costa Rican Caribbean.

Upcoming Event: The inaugural Tamarindo Film Festival. The dates are set for 24th - 27th March, 2010. More details will be released onto the website www.tamarindofilmfestival.com in the first week of September. Guana productions believes that this festival will become a regular date in Tamarindo’s calendar. Tamarindo is the ideal place for such a festival with a great variety of hotels, restaurants and bars as well as stunning surrounding scenery giving visitors another reason not to miss out on the region. Any individuals or businesses wishing to be involved should contact tamarindofilmfestival (at) gmail.com.

8/30 - The last day of August will be celebrated in Costa Rica – as well as in many places around the world – as a day to promote and commemorate black culture, with the annual Gala Parade through the streets of the Caribbean port city of Limón. For more information, go to www.limonroots.net.

Upcoming event: Expo Manuel Antonio 2009: Travel fair, Sept. 24-26, Costa Verde Hotel, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, call 2777-3822 for more information, or visit www.expomanuelantonio.travel.

8/12 - The lifeguard program in Dominical has been without funding for over a month and now there is no one on the beach to protect swimmers and surfers. Since 1996, the group when active had made over 100 rescues per year. Without them, there have been over a dozen drowning. If you wish to find out more or to help, visit www.dominicallifeguards.org.

** If you are thinking of heading over to the Caribean, Puerto Viejo Satellite has a list of great restaurants in the area. Check out the list here..

After hearing about a 7 year old who died while on a ATV tour in Costa Rica, I would like to remind all travelers to check with prospective tour companies about their certifications to offer tours. Also be sure to check all safety equipment and see if any waivers need to be signed. This is not just for ATVs, but for zipline tours, white water rafting, and even surf lessons. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

What to know Before booking a boat trip to Witchs Rock / Ollies Point

Costa Rica may seem at times an idyllic paradise, so it's easy to leave common sense at the door of your cabina. Top ten safety tips for traveling in Costa Rica -

• Never leave anything of value in a parked car, even if it’s locked.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash or important documents. Carry a copy of your passport, not the original.
• Stay alert. Thieves usually work in pairs and distract their victims.
• Steer clear of overly friendly streetwalkers; they often are pickpockets or muggers.
• Never leave luggage, cameras or other possessions unattended in public places, restaurants, taxis or buses.
• Avoid placing luggage on overhead racks on buses – a favorite target for thieves. Keep all valuables with you at your seat; if you must place items on the racks, keep an eye on them.
• Bring a small flashlight. If you have car trouble or another car bumps yours, avoid pulling over until you reach a well-lit, public area.
* Don't go surfing or swimming alone and watch for rip currents.
* Clean out your ears if you surf or swim near rivermouths.
* Don't speed. "It's better to lose a moment in your life then your life in a moment."

Get your basic travel questions about Costa Rica answered by ICT (Costa Rica Tourism Institute)

From CRMercado.com - add the number 8 before all numbers starting with 3, 8 or 9 (cell phone lines) and that you add the number 2 before all landlines, such as 6 and 7.

Examples:
222-1234 > 2222-1234
643-1234 > 2643-1234
886-1234 > 8886-1234
377-1234 > 8377-1234

Here is a great new report on backpacker hostels, from www.amcostarica.com.

Check out a cool aerial view of the Southwest and Northwest Pacific coastline at www.vrskytour.com

Featured Hotels for Surfers
Hotel Diuwak in Dominical

FORUMS

A good surf forum is judged by how well it gets the local community to participate. These are a few of our favorites. Send a note if there is one you would recommend.

Trip Advisor (general travel topics)

Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forum (worldwide)

Witchs Rock Surf Camp (surf around Tamarindo)

Surfing Nosara (surf around Nosara)

Puerto Viejo Satellite (the Caribbean Coast - new)

2nd Light (Florida surfers with lots of C.R. posts)

Dade County Surf (Florida surfers in between C.R. trips)

WBLiveSurf (North Carolina surfers between C.R. trips)

 

 

 

 

 

 


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