Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the Costa Rica List. My name is Clay McCutcheon, and I have been visiting Costa Rica for 21 years. During this time, I have forged lifelong friendships and have been fortunate enough to hear numerous incredible stories about Tamarindo, Costa Rica, and the individuals who initiated its transformation.

Tamarindo, located in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica’s Pacific Northwest, was historically a sparsely populated area characterized by industrious ranchers and farmers. This remained the case until the early 1990s, when surfing and ecotourism surged in popularity, quickly becoming two of the country’s most significant industries. While traveling surfers have been exploring the waves of Central America and Costa Rica since the late 1960s, it was primarily a dedicated group of adventurous surfers and travelers willing to undertake the journey.

Surfing is a relatively young sport that gained mainstream popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. At that time, numerous parts of the world still harbored incredible, yet undiscovered waves. Traveling surfers are often credited with introducing surfing to these locales, and Costa Rica is no exception.

Today, the majority of Costa Ricans reside in the capital city of San José and the Central Valley, with the nearest beaches being Jacó, Playa Hermosa, and Puntarenas. One of the early generations of Costa Rican surfers, such as Marco Pacheco, would travel from San José to surf these beaches, discovering world-class waves at locations like Doña Ana. In their relentless pursuit of new, uncrowded waves, both local and visiting surfers began to explore the Costa Rican coastline and found ideal conditions and perfect waves in the Guanacaste province, particularly at Tamarindo.

Currently, Playa Tamarindo is often regarded as a beginner-friendly wave for most of the year. However, in the early 1990s—and even today—it can produce world-class waves. My first trip to Tamarindo was in 2003, when I was 17 years old. I recall locals and visitors sharing stories about how exceptional the waves were during that period, particularly about a legendary surfer from Huntington Beach, California, named Joey Vogan, who consistently caught the most remarkable waves. Joey, like many surfers from California and around the globe, fell in love with the country, its waves, and its people, ultimately relocating to Tamarindo in the early 1990s. I was fortunate to meet Joey that first year through our mutual friend George Lambert, who had been traveling to Costa Rica with him from the beginning. George was my boss and the manager of the Robert August surf shop in Huntington Beach, California.

Robert August is a legendary surfer and surfboard shaper, known for his role in the 1964 Bruce Brown surf film, The Endless Summer. This film is widely regarded as one of the best surf films of all time, featuring two surfers traveling the world in pursuit of the summer season and perfect waves. It introduced the concept of surf travel to a broader audience. Thirty years later, in 1994, Bruce Brown released the sequel, The Endless Summer II. Much had changed in both the world and the sport of surfing during those three decades. As Bruce Brown stated, “In 1964, there were only four countries in the world where people surfed; today (1994), people are surfing in virtually every country with a coastline, on every island and in every ocean.” This is significant because The Endless Summer II was a major motion picture, widely shown across the globe, and technological advancements in air travel made international travel much easier. Robert August shaped the surfboards for one of the new surfers, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, and made a cameo appearance at the film’s outset. Robert introduced them to his favorite surf destination, Tamarindo, Costa Rica, with none other than Marco Pacheco as their surf guide.

When the film was released in 1994, Tamarindo was a small town with only a handful of surfers, fishermen, and local ranchers. Accommodations were limited, with only a few houses and restaurants. It was virtually an unknown destination for most surfers, and the film’s epic portrayal and laid-back atmosphere inspired tens of thousands to dream of visiting one day. I was nine years old when I first saw the movie, and it captivated my imagination just as it did for countless others.
Only a few years after the film’s release, tourists and traveling surfers began flocking to Tamarindo in search of an endless summer and the perfect wave. The town underwent rapid changes, with new businesses, houses, and hotels emerging, yet it never lost its charm. By the time I made my first trip here in 2003, it was difficult to imagine what the town looked like less than a decade prior. Nevertheless, many of the original individuals and families who pioneered this small town remain. Sadly, Joey Vogan passed away in 2024, and Robert August returned to California to be closer to family, although he still maintains a residence here. Legends such as Marco Pacheco, Jonathan Muir, Rusty Wenrich, the Vega family, the Cerdes family and many others continue to uphold the town’s roots.

If you haven’t seen The Endless Summer II, do yourself a favor: sit back and enjoy the film. You’ll be astonished by how small the town was, captivated by the beauty of the waves, and gain insight into the film’s profound impact on the transformation of Tamarindo.

In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude to all the local residents of Tamarindo and Guanacaste for welcoming us into their home and consistently demonstrating how to live with Pura Vida.

This article is dedicated to the loving memory of Joey Vogan.