We will have 4 full days in Manuel Antonio in March and would like to try surfing. I know there are other parts of Costa Rica that are more known for surfing but we are just looking for a fun and safe (emphasis on the safe) new experience for a day or half day. Willing to drive if the experience is better outside of town (ie Playa Dominical? Jaco?) Can anyone recommend an instructor and destination (and provide approximate travel times if outside of Manuel Antonio)? Thanks!

You could go to Jaco or Playa Hermosa, the ride can take you around one hour and 30 minutes. I have received surf lessons with Del Mar Surf Camp, the instructors are great and the classes were so much fun! check their site delmarsurfcamp.com

Thank you Enchanting girl - this looks good. Do you think this is a better option for beginners than staying around Manuel Antonio and using for example the MA Surf School?

few miles south best surf for you Dominical/Dominicalito beginners surf will be lots closer for you. www.papagsurf.com
tripadvisor.com/members/natureguide can set you up good for other tours too best MA guide for me.

Good luck!

qwovadis suggestion is good, Dominical is also a good location for you, also if you have options in Manuel Antonio, that will also be reliable for you!
Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone - glad to know there are good options close by. I am mostly looking for a gentle place with good instruction and sounds like I can probably get that in Dominical or MA.

Playa Hermosa mentioned above is absolutely NOT recommended for beginners, this is a very dangerous beach, can get big and has some insane rip tides. There is a reason why the Surfing World Games were held here for some of the best surfers in the world...

Jaco is good and quite a bit more tame then Hermosa. Can get big, check conditions, ask about an area called "white fence" for a nice wave, South end is better for beginners in general.

Esterillos is good, need to be careful here (riptides) but doable. Go in at the entrance Esterillos Oeste (coming from Manuel Antonio the last entrance of 3),drive to the beach, straight shot, look for other surfers in the water, they know where to be.

MA is a good place to learn if you have never been on a board before.

Dominical can be a good place to check out. Similar to Esterillos in that you need to be careful, but doable for beginners.

Thats my 2 cents
Cheers

Thanks incabod - worth more than 2 cents.

Are the riptides similar in all of these places?

All surfer beaches have ripcurrents, the bigger the waves the bigger the current. With a flotation device (ie surf board) and a good training and instructor nothing to worry about. For Dominical begginers are taken out to nearby beaches (ie Dominicalito, Hermosa de OSA, Ballena)depending on progress and level, nothing to worry about.

Check out http://www.bodhisurfschool.com and www.dominicalsurfadventures.com/

Thanks - these both look like great schools. I need another week in Costa Rica.