Main - The Girl and The Sea Costa Rica

Roxanne Mercado

2021-04-13

Michelle is amazing! Very helpful and her guidance goes above and beyond a standard intro lesson. As a beginner who has surfed 1-3 times she was able to quickly point out the things I needed to work on after the lesson. Highly recommend 🙂

caroline ruffin

2021-04-13

Michelle was a great teacher! I am not experienced and by the end of the session I was up and riding the white water on my own! Can’t wait for my next lesson. Very good English and really good at explaining the basics. Thank you Michelle! See you soon

Heath Rauschenberger

2021-04-09

We booked our trip through Pura Vida Adventures and Davide was such an awesome instructor for my wife and I. In a week, my wife was able to catch and ride her first wave and caught many more after that! He showed me the fine points of short boarding and I caught the biggest and best wave of my life. I don’t have a photo of that wave but here’s two from earlier in the week when I was learning. We will definitely come back!

Sarah Thompson

2021-03-24

Omg Davide was an amazing instructor!!! He took the time to make corrections and adjustments to form, told us to send videos of us practicing so he could correct our form and let us know the best time of day to practice. Also the friendliest, lovely human you’ll ever meet!

Giovana Malufe

2021-03-11

I can’t say how much I recommend Michelle and Davide works! I’ve been learning so much with them. It’s my first time surfing and I’ve the opportunity to work with both and it’s really beautiful how they complement each other in the way that they teach. I’m really happy and grateful for them to be my first teachers. You feel safe and they give you full attention during the class. They definitely love what they do and do it with care and responsibility. Highly recommend

Abby Bruning

2021-02-19

I spent a week with Davide and Michelle learning how to surf for the FIRST time and wow. These instructors were incredible. From giving me the tools I need to be safe to giving me the confidence to paddle out to the green waves and catch my first waves. I was SURFING on my own day 2 and catching my own waves on day 3. They gave me excellent tips and constant communication out in the water. I felt safe and supported the entire time. You won’t find better instructors in the area. Best of all, these people are beautiful inside and out. I came for instructors and feel like I’m leaving with friends.

Jon Virgilio

2021-02-11

This is the first time I have ever posted a review on google, but I had to because of the outstanding experience. I have been surfing for about a year, mostly self taught. Davide was a great teacher and really got through to me in way no one else had. No matter if it’s your first time or if you have some experience like me you won’t be disappointed. He really has a passion for teaching the art of surfing. I really had a desire to be pushed and he pushed me hard, but only because he saw my drive to learn. In one lesson my surfing improved greatly by the end. My approach to surfing has changed because of one lesson. If you have never surfed a wave or if you are an intermediate trying to hone you skills, take a lesson. You won’t regret it!

Katerina Muradyan

2021-02-05

It was great to learn surfing with Michi. She is giving thorough explanation and really helps to fix that last thing that we needed to be better. She is cool and patient 🙂 she also helps to get the more adapted surf board. We really enjoyed the classes and made great progress

Max Blank

2021-02-02

Thumbs up for a great learning experience with Davide. As a scuba instructor I know when I meet an experienced instructor with top communication skills. Search no more, you’re in good hands here!

Hola! Pura Vida! My name is Michelle…

… your surf lesson teacher and I’m a native Costa Rican. I was born in the city of Heredia near San Jose. I moved to the beautiful town of Santa Teresa more than 15 years ago and I’ve never looked back. Santa Teresa is a magical place, and surfing is its lifeblood. It is my passion and heart to teach the transformative, fun, and empowering sport of surfing to every woman, man, or child who wants to learn—regardless of age or surfing ability.

I was one of the founders of the local Asociacion de Surf which organizes surf contests and teaches kids how to surf. I am a certified ISA Surf Instructor and lifeguard and have been featured on ESPN. I am tri-lingual speaking English, Spanish and Italian.

‘Pura Vida’ is an expression you will hear here all the time. Translated literally it means ‘pure life’, but it means much more than just that. It’s a way of life, it’s living life to the full and being happy. It’s how I want you to feel after surfing with me. I would love for you to join me on a life-changing, transformative surf experience in this magical place where time slows, shoulders drop, and spirits soar. The ocean is the biggest place on this planet and once you connect with it there is no turning back.

Hola! My name is Davide!

I believe that every day should be filled with good food, love, and hopefully surfing. I came to Santa Teresa from Italy more than 10 years ago, and I consider myself truly blessed to meet my wife, Michelle, and to be able to settle here. People use the word ‘magic’ a lot to describe Santa Teresa, and it’s true; is one of those places in the world to connect with nature and our true selves.

My wife and I have set up The Girl And The Sea Surf School because we want more people to experience the thrill and tranquillity of surfing. If you’re looking for a cool, surfer dude as your surf instructor then I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. However, if you’re searching for intelligent, articulate teachers – then I think we have a lot to offer. We want to change the way surfing is taught, so that the sport is more accessible and more fun. We’re not surf dudes, we’re surf lovers, and it’s our pleasure to share this passion with you. Surfing is a difficult thing to master, but we break it down into easy-to-understand steps and drills. The early stages of learning can actually be the most exhilarating. Of course, you will wipe out a lot, but this is just part of the process.

Through surfing, we also learn a lot about life. It’s important to be patient, without ego, and a sense of humor certainly helps. The sport is very beneficial to children and teenagers who may be struggling with their self-esteem. Once you’ve stood upon an unbroken wave for a consecutive 3 seconds you will feel like you can do anything. That’s been one of the main lessons surfing has taught me – that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Over time, surfing taught us that life is a beautiful adventure when you go out of your comfort zone, and start living the life of your dreams.