The Surf Teaching Schools located in the canton of Osa, Puntarenas Province, began to implement a project to promote safety measures in the teaching of this sport, which attracts thousands of tourists to the country every year.
The plan consists of placing three signs (six in total) in Playa Dominical and Playa Dominicalito so that the instructors of the legally established schools take into account actions that must be implemented in order to protect national and foreign students.
The information contained in these signs includes aspects such as: precautions when paddling in search of waves, protection of natural resources and necessary care when entering the water, among other actions of this information campaign called “Safe Surfing”.
Currently, there are four surfing schools on these beaches in the canton of Osa that operate in accordance with Costa Rican legislation and also generate employment for about 20 people. Likewise, surfing is one of the main attractions for visitors, an activity that has an impact on jobs in hotels, cabins, stores and tour operators.
Safety is the most important aspect
César Valverde, who coordinates this initiative, emphasized that “safety is the most important aspect that must prevail in our activity because we offer a service for people who trust us”.
“We are in the final stretch of this plan that I think can be a good example to be replicated in other beaches in Costa Rica for the benefit of our activity and of the clients who will receive a learning experience in more optimal conditions,” Valverde emphasized.
Local power
In addition to the beach labeling plan, in recent days the local surfing community of Playa Dominical and Playa Dominicalito held a meeting to finalize details in order to create an Association of Instructors that will fight for the defense of the rights of this sector.
“Here, as in other coastal communities, we have seen how a large number of foreigners arrive in irregular migratory conditions to set up businesses that give us unfair competition without anyone doing anything about it. On the other hand, if a Tico, a resident or a nationalized person with their papers in order, wants to set up an academy, they are required to fill out a lot of paperwork from various public institutions and local governments,” Valverde lamented.
The first association of this type was created in Playa Tamarindo de Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, a community that has also been affected by the operation of academies outside the law.
“This phenomenon must be stopped once and for all before it is too late. These are people who come to the country and we do not know if they have the proper preparation to guide a person into the water, putting human lives at risk,” said Valverde.
According to Costa Rica Info Link Dominical is an “open sea type” beach where at high tide there are good waves for surfing. For its part, Playa Dominicalito extends from the sector known as Rocas Amancio, to Punta Dominical with an extension of just over a kilometer.
