Quepos: Surf Lessons Manuel Antonio Beach with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.97 (523 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/22

Duration3h

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Your First Waves at Manuel Antonio

You get picked up from your hotel, driven to Manuel Antonio Beach, and taught to surf by a patient bilingual instructor who breaks down the basics before you paddle out. The lesson includes equipment, a tropical fruit break under shade, and transport back to your hotel — all in about three hours, with no experience needed.

Step-by-step itinerary

Introductory Surf Lessons at Manuel Antonio

Pick up from hotel
Practice safety recommendations
Learn surfing techniques
Receive tips from instructors
Take break under umbrellas
Refuel with tropical fruit
Continue surfing practice
Return to hotel

The Experience

There's something about standing on a board in the ocean for the first time that makes your stomach flip in the best way. You're nervous, curious, maybe a little uncertain — and then your instructor shows you how to read the water, and suddenly it clicks. That's what this surf lesson at Manuel Antonio Beach is built around: the moment when you stop thinking and start riding. The minivan picks you up from your hotel in Quepos, and the drive down to the beach is short enough that you're not overthinking it yet. Your bilingual instructor meets you there, patient and experienced, and walks through the safety basics on the sand before you even touch the water.

The teaching here isn't complicated or rushed. They use techniques that actually work for beginners — positioning, timing, how to read the break — and they don't move you forward until you're ready. You'll spend time in the water practicing, falling, getting back up, and then standing on the board. When your arms need a break and the sun is getting to you, there's shade under umbrellas and fresh tropical fruit to eat. It's the kind of pause that makes sense halfway through, not something tacked on. Then you're back in the water for another round, and by the end of the session, you'll have caught waves from different angles and felt what it's actually like to surf, not just to try surfing.

The whole thing runs about three hours from pickup to drop-off. Equipment is included — they provide rash guards so you don't get scraped up — and the minivan is air-conditioned for the ride back. You'll want to bring your own towel and a refillable water bottle, since they'll have water and coconut water waiting. If you have any spinal issues, this isn't the right fit, but otherwise it works for all fitness levels. Just contact them right after you book to lock in your pickup time, because that's the detail that makes the whole day actually happen.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned minivan, a bilingual (English and Spanish) surfing instructor, all surfing equipment including rash guards, tropical fruit, water, and coconut water during a break under shade umbrellas.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by Dantes Water Sports

Is this one for you?Right for anyone curious about surfing but hesitant to try alone — the instructor handles the teaching and the minivan handles the logistics, so you just show up and learn. Expect three hours total, with time in the water split by a rest break, which is what fits a real lesson into a morning or afternoon.